"O Father, who sends sun and rain" - 27 September 2015 AM and PM
Sunday Morning:
O Father, who sends sun and rain on the just and the unjust,
who provides food for the good and the evil, who shows repeated compassionate
kindness on all people, give ear to our prayer for friends, family, neighbors,
this world and your Church.
Please bring us the rain and showers we still need. Our
lives, living and livelihoods depend on your kindness and goodness.
O God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, whom the whole
heavens adore; let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you, all
tongues confess and bless you; and men, women, girls and boys everywhere love
you and serve you in peace.
We pray for your church here and throughout the world;
including the Church of the Nazarene, the Orthodox Church in America, the
Churches of Christ (in all their varied flavors), and the Evangelical Free
Church. Give strength, aid, strong love, sturdy commitment, solid godliness,
and sound doctrine. Where your people may have moved away from the centrality
of the Gospel of Christ and off into the weeds of self-righteousness or
sanctimoniousness, compassionately steer them back to the ancient paths, where
the good way is; that they may walk in it, and find rest for their souls
(Jeremiah 6.16).
For our soldiers, sailors, airmen, coast guardsmen and
marines, protect them as they pass through harm’s way, strength to exercise
honor and integrity, and hope in the darkest and bleakest moments.
Father, we know our nation is not spotless, we confess and
acknowledge that the United States of America is neither the kingdom of God nor
the Church of Jesus Christ; nevertheless, Father, we love our country. It’s a
blessing to be here, and for that we thank you. Please restore moral sanity to
our people, civic sensibility to our governmental leaders, and grant our country safety from all enemies
foreign and domestic.
Pour out your merciful kindness on all nations, that order,
stability, and tranquility may be established for the good of all people, and
for the sake of your Church.
Our great God, who is not restricted by our diseases, ailments,
depressions, or mental and physical afflictions; we ask you to be with these
…..raise them up from their misery and misfortune, granting them unlooked for
strength and hope, that they may spend the rest of their lives serving, glorifying
and enjoying you.
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Sunday Evening:
Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in
the assembly of the godly! Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of
Zion rejoice in their King! Let them praise his name with dancing, making
melody to him with tambourine and lyre! For the LORD takes pleasure in his
people; he adorns the humble with salvation (Psalm 149:1-4).
Mighty Ruler, along with us, you hear all the publicity from
our presidential aspirants; but unlike us, you know what’s real and genuine,
and what’s phony-baloney. Please give the people of this land the insight and
acumen to cut through the hype and hysteria to the honest and authentic. We
ask, even now, for the right folks to be voted into office, men and women who
will work for the common good; who will themselves have the astuteness to
stimulate real righteousness and fairness in this Republic; and invigorate
industry and ingenuity. O Lord, hear our
prayer.
We pray for your Church throughout the nations, including Church
of the Resurrection; St. Augustine of Canterbury; St. Christopher’s; St.
David’s and St. James Episcopal Churches; Lord God, we pray for
churches that are in trouble, either from within or without. May your Spirit
guide them into all truth, fortify their resilience in being faithful to you,
and correct their steps and actions that they may return to your ways. For those
churches that are growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, may they
continue to do so with joy and delight, finding their every satisfaction in
glorifying you and enjoying you forever. O
Lord, hear our prayer.
For this congregation we give you thanks and we pray. We
thank you for the rich friendships and relationships that have been bred here,
for the love that has grown, the desire to reach other people with the Gospel
that is maturing, and for the increasing number of those giving their time in
mercy ministry. We pray for both our short-term and long-term direction. As
plans are being made for the new care groups, as new families find us and
become steadily involved, for the many who are in the new members’ class, those
who will be engaged in the leadership class, and for the bigger involvement
between the deacons and elders; we ask you to guide us through each of these
for the good of the congregation that we may bear good fruit, fruit that will
abide, so that you – Father – may be glorified in your Son by the Holy Spirit. O Lord,
hear our prayer.
Finally, we pray for the weary, the weak, and the wayward …
show yourself mighty on their behalf; reignite hope in their hearts; replenish
them with strength; and restore health to their bodies and minds. O Lord, hear our prayer.
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