Monthly Archives: July 2013

July 30, 2013 · 2:51 pm

2nd Sunday of Advent- 12/09/2012

Gracious God,

We gather in this sanctuary
as a radical act of peace
Laying aside the weapons
of the battles of our week:
Our frustrations and struggles
-anything which might cause us
to react out of fear.

In peace we share our joys and concerns
and lift them up in hope.

[read aloud the prayer cards]

And Lord, for all those concerns
which are too tender to the heart
to be spoken aloud…
And for those delights
we’ve only been able to silently ponder in our hearts…
We lift those to you as well.

[pause for silent prayer]

Together we pledge to be mindful of your peace
which surpasses all our understandings.
And we in hope remember that
Love is renewed each day.
It works for good in the world.
It stirs up in us a desire to serve.
And to live peaceably…
Devoting our days to the living traditions of Jesus.

Blessed be.

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July 30, 2013 · 12:34 pm

Epiphany- January 6, 2013

Gracious God of Light

We gather today
as a people of the Light
as the wise men of old
seeking the Divine among us.

And like those men of wisdom
we look for the Divine among the poor
and those in need of shelter.

Honor our gifts*
as we also lift up our treasures:
those needs and concerns
-those joys and triumphs-
we also bring to Light in prayer.
Hear the prayers of this congregation.

[read aloud the prayer cards]

And for all the prayers we ponder quietly in our hearts
-those too tender to be spoken aloud-
we lift these up to the Light as well.

[pause for silent prayer]

And let these lengthening days
remind us
that new every morning is your love
O great God of Light.
And all day long you are working for good in the world.
Stir up in us a desire to serve.
To live peaceably.
And to devote each day to walking in the living traditions of Jesus.

Blessed Be!

*each epiphany, gifts of warm coats, gloves, scarves, razors, bus passes, etc. are presented by our congregation to the local homeless shelter (which we also house).

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July 30, 2013 · 11:51 am

Spring ahead- March 10, 2013

Gracious God

We are a people of habit
finding comfort in routine.
We want our time
our schedules
our lives
to be stable and dependable
to be steady
to be certain.

But we gather together in anticipation of change.
Shake us from our need for certainty and routine!

Give more light to our days
So that we can grow with the Spring:
upward and outward
in ever widening circles and postures.

Uproot our stagnant perspectives.
Shake our foundations.
Teach us to embrace change.

And as we encounter these holy changes
teach us how best to love one another.
Hear now the prayers of those in the congregation
who have experienced or are experiencing growth and change.

[read aloud the prayer cards]

And those prayers which are too tender
or too close to the heart to be spoken aloud…
Hear those prayers as well!

[pause for silent prayer]

And with the growing light
we acknowledge
that new every morning
is your love, O Great God of Light
and all day long you are working for good in the world.
Stir up in us a desire to serve
To live peaceably
And to devote our days to walking
in the living traditions of Jesus.

Blessed Be!

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July 30, 2013 · 11:26 am

Palm Sunday- March 24, 2013

Gracious God

We gather today on this Palm Sunday reminded:

Reminded of the powers that pull for
our attention and affection.
Teach us to center our focus correctly.

Reminded that public leadership
with an eye for social justice
comes with a cost.
Give us courage to stand in solidarity with those in need anyway.

Reminded that our actions have consequences.
Expose us when we carry praise or blame too far.

Reminded, as we give voice to the joys and concerns of this congregation
that we are all in this together.
Teach us how to best love one another.

[read aloud the prayer cards]

And we lift up those prayers
-those cries within us-
which are too tender or precious to be spoken aloud.

[pause for silent prayer]

Give us eyes to see each other’s needs.

And remind us through all of this
that new every morning is your love
Great God of Light
And all the day long love is working for good in the world.
It stirs up in us a desire to serve one another.
To live peaceably.
And to devote our days to walking
in the living traditions of Jesus.

Blessed Be.

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July 30, 2013 · 11:05 am

Spring- April 28, 2013

Gracious God,

The warmth in the air
and the buds on the trees
draw us out of our musty winter homes
and into your light.

It is the promise of renewal and new life
that gathers us together.
We know we aren’t forever stuck
in the doldrums of winter.

We are a people of hope.

Graced with lingering light
and the warmth of your sun
We celebrate our joys together
and air out our concerns and burdens.

Hear the prayers of your people:

[read aloud the prayer cards]

And for all those joys and mysteries we ponder in our hearts
And all the burdens and concerns
which weigh too heavily to be spoken aloud
Hear those prayers of hope as well.

[pause for silent prayer]

And with each growing day of Spring
Remind us, Lord,
That love is a commitment that is renewed daily
and ushers in your light.
All day long it works for good in the world.
It stirs up in us a desire to serve
And to live peaceably
And to devote our days to walking
in the light and living traditions of Jesus
to welcome the excluded
and tend to those in need.

Teach us how to best love each other.

Blessed Be!

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July 29, 2013 · 12:23 pm

Pentecost- May 19, 2013

Gracious God,

It is the presence of your Spirit which draws us together
Blow like a mighty wind
Shake the cobwebs from
our tired patterns of thinking
Sweep the dust
from our hardened hearts
Breathe new life into our souls
Fan the flame of passion for the poor and disenfranchised
Teach us the language of love
So that we can truly hear and respond to the needs around us.

It is the presence of your Spirit among us
which allows us to be vulnerable
with each other
to share our joy and express our pain.

As such, we lift up the hopes and concerns of your people:

[read aloud the prayer cards]

And we acknowledge there are joys so sweet
they leave us inarticulate
And pain so deep
we find ourselves at a loss for words.
We entrust those unspoken prayers to the Spirit as well.

[pause for silent prayer]

Finally, we acknowledge
that it is your Spirit
which prompts us to renew our commitment to love each day.
It stirs up in us a desire to serve
And to live peaceablely
And enables us together to devote ourselves
to walking in the living traditions of Jesus
to care for the vunerable.

Teach us how to best love one another
through the grace of the Spirit.

Blessed Be!

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July 29, 2013 · 2:38 am

Fathers’ Day- June 2013

Gracious God,

Today is a day to honor the men in our lives
and remember with fondness our fathers
in their best moments
and the lessons learned in their most human moments.

Through these men–
those biological fathers
and those men of grace who’ve stood in the gaps–
we’ve learned what it means to live in community,
and what it means to be human.

Teach us your grace.
Teach us how to best love one another.
Teach us to see the gaps in each other’s lives with love.

It is out of both the fullness and the gaps in our lives
that we give expression to our joys and concerns:

[prayer cards read aloud]

And we acknowledge that there are pleasures so sweet
we can only ponder them in our hears
And pains so deep
they leave us wordless.
Hear those silent prayers as well:

[pause for silent prayer]

Remind us, Lord,
that love is a commitment that must be renewed daily.
It seeks good for the world,
stirs up in us a desire to serve one another
and to live in peace.
It prompts us to devote our time to following the living traditions of Jesus
to welcome the excluded
to tend to those in need
and to fill the gaps.

Blessed be!

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July 29, 2013 · 2:22 am

Pride Sunday- June 30, 2013

Gracious Spirit,

Today’s gathering is a celebration
of authenticity,
of vulnerability,
of openness,
of love.

Our expressions of hope and joy
as well as our concerns
our desires
our longings
are all part of that celebration.

For we know that true freedoms only exist
when all are free
(and not at the expense of someone else’s freedom).

As such, we lift up the prayers of this congregation:

[prayer cards read aloud]

And for those hopes and concerns
which leave us breathless and speechless,
we lift those up as well:

[pause for silent prayer]

We recognize that love is a commitment that is renewed daily.
It works for good in the world.
It stirs up in us a desire to serve
and to live peaceably.

Open our eyes to the needs which cause a lack of freedom in others
So that we can know how to best love one another.

And devote our days to walking in the living traditions of Jesus
to welcome the excluded
and care for the vulnerable
to work for justice
and rejoice in mercy.

Blessed Be!

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July 29, 2013 · 2:02 am

A graced community- July 28, 2013

Gracious God,

It is your fellowship
your presence
and the promise of your peace
which draws us together as a community.

And it is in this sense that we are a graced community:
not without our problems or faults
but voluntarily bound by a covenant-
a promise to extend your grace and mercy and presence to each other.

Open our hearts, Lord
Teach us how to best love one another.
Teach us to hear each other’s prayers and hopes.

[prayers of the people read aloud]

And we acknowledge there are prayers
(hopes and joys)
too tender for words.

Hear those prayers as well.

[pause for silent prayer]

Again we ask: teach us how to best love one another.
And remind us
that love is a commitment renewed daily.
All the day long it works for good in the world.
It stirs up in us a desire to serve
and to live peaceably.
And to devote our days to walking in the living traditions of Jesus
to welcome the excluded
and tend to those in need.

This love is committed to justice
and favors mercy
and allows us to continue walking together.

Blessed be!

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