Heavenly Father,
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul tells us to carry each others’ burdens and in so doing, fulfill the law of Christ.
We are your family, Lord, and sometimes we are disobedient, lost, and wandering. Help us to recognize Christ’s law to serve each other. Give us the desire to help our Christian family to be all you want for us. When one’s burden is too great, let us step up and lighten the load. When our load is heavy, let us without embarrassment or fear ask for help.
We thank you for our kind and caring church family who reach out and help those in need. Let us be Jesus’ hands and feet for those who are in need, who are searching, who need caring, Christian compassion in their lives.
We ask for your healing for the ill, your comfort for the grieving, and your continued blessings for all who call upon your name.
For it is in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
(c) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Prayer - Open Hearts and Minds
Heavenly Father,
We adore you. We honor you. We praise you. We glorify you. You alone are holy and to be worshipped.
Give us open hearts and minds, Lord, and the courage to profess our faith openly. Show us how to be Christian role models, living lives of example. We know we are not perfect, we are sinners, and fall short of your glory. Yet we know you can use us to grow your Kingdom here on earth. Equip us so we can be your hands and feet, ministering to those in need.
Let us use the talents you have blessed us with to win one more for Jesus. Use us to accomplish your divine and perfect will. Allow us to be your messengers – not always speaking – but always reflecting your unconditional love.
We are grateful for all you have given us. And we boldly ask for more – more faith, more talents, more courage, more desire to serve you.
We pray these things in Jesus’ holy and precious name. Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
We adore you. We honor you. We praise you. We glorify you. You alone are holy and to be worshipped.
Give us open hearts and minds, Lord, and the courage to profess our faith openly. Show us how to be Christian role models, living lives of example. We know we are not perfect, we are sinners, and fall short of your glory. Yet we know you can use us to grow your Kingdom here on earth. Equip us so we can be your hands and feet, ministering to those in need.
Let us use the talents you have blessed us with to win one more for Jesus. Use us to accomplish your divine and perfect will. Allow us to be your messengers – not always speaking – but always reflecting your unconditional love.
We are grateful for all you have given us. And we boldly ask for more – more faith, more talents, more courage, more desire to serve you.
We pray these things in Jesus’ holy and precious name. Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
Prayer - Storms of Life
Heavenly Father,
Through the storms of life, our vision is obscured. We fail to see your hand at work when the wind is raging, the skies are dark, and the downpour reduces our world to a small, lonely, and empty spot.
Yet it is in those times you are closest to us. You don’t cause the storms we face but you do show us the way through. When we feel despair, you provide hope. When we feel lost, you show us the way. When we ache physically, emotionally, spiritually, you revive us. When we turn our backs, you remain constant and full of grace.
Jesus, precious Jesus, be with us in all days and all circumstances. Let us turn toward you when we feel battered and bruised. Give us the reassurance that you are always near to us and all we need to do is call upon your name. When we feel weak, you are strong – more powerful than any challenge we will face.
Pour out your blessings upon us and instill in us a sense of purpose, the desire to discern and do God’s will, and the gentleness you modeled for all to see.
In your holy name we pray. Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
Through the storms of life, our vision is obscured. We fail to see your hand at work when the wind is raging, the skies are dark, and the downpour reduces our world to a small, lonely, and empty spot.
Yet it is in those times you are closest to us. You don’t cause the storms we face but you do show us the way through. When we feel despair, you provide hope. When we feel lost, you show us the way. When we ache physically, emotionally, spiritually, you revive us. When we turn our backs, you remain constant and full of grace.
Jesus, precious Jesus, be with us in all days and all circumstances. Let us turn toward you when we feel battered and bruised. Give us the reassurance that you are always near to us and all we need to do is call upon your name. When we feel weak, you are strong – more powerful than any challenge we will face.
Pour out your blessings upon us and instill in us a sense of purpose, the desire to discern and do God’s will, and the gentleness you modeled for all to see.
In your holy name we pray. Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
Prayer - Plenty
Heavenly Father,
We watch with wonder as you wield your paint brush on your creation, splashing color across the landscape. We honor and glorify you for the magnificence of our surroundings. We thank you for the bounty of the land and those who care for it.
We ask you for continued blessings. In this region of plenty, we are grateful for your divine providence, grace, and mercy. Help us to see need and meet it, to recognize gaps that need to be filled. Show us how to give more of ourselves to those who need to know the joy of Christian community.
Help us to be better people, to become disciples, to be your willing and obedient children.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
We watch with wonder as you wield your paint brush on your creation, splashing color across the landscape. We honor and glorify you for the magnificence of our surroundings. We thank you for the bounty of the land and those who care for it.
We ask you for continued blessings. In this region of plenty, we are grateful for your divine providence, grace, and mercy. Help us to see need and meet it, to recognize gaps that need to be filled. Show us how to give more of ourselves to those who need to know the joy of Christian community.
Help us to be better people, to become disciples, to be your willing and obedient children.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
Prayer - Changing Seasons
Heavenly Father,
We rejoice with you at the changing of the seasons. We honor you for the glory of your creation, the maturing of the crops, the cool breeze, and anticipation of harvest.
We praise you, most Gracious God, for the care of each plant, each leaf, and take comfort in knowing you care so much more for each of your children.
Draw us close, bring us to your heart. Show us the good you have in store for us. Prop us up when we are brought low and rescue us from the perils of sin.
Let our lives be dedicated to growing your kingdom on earth.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
We rejoice with you at the changing of the seasons. We honor you for the glory of your creation, the maturing of the crops, the cool breeze, and anticipation of harvest.
We praise you, most Gracious God, for the care of each plant, each leaf, and take comfort in knowing you care so much more for each of your children.
Draw us close, bring us to your heart. Show us the good you have in store for us. Prop us up when we are brought low and rescue us from the perils of sin.
Let our lives be dedicated to growing your kingdom on earth.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
Prayer - Servants
Heavenly Father,
We celebrate the teachers among us. We honor you for gifting them with wisdom, patience, and faith. Surround them with your love and uphold them as they seek to share the message of your Gospel and the joy of knowing your Son, Jesus.
We thank you, Lord, for the blessings you have given us, including children. Let them know your presence, your unconditional love, and your will. Touch their hearts and reveal to them the glory of a relationship with you.
Show us how to be your servants, no matter our age, guiding us to do your will and hear our prayer, from Paul, when he said:
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011 (exclusive of scripture)
We celebrate the teachers among us. We honor you for gifting them with wisdom, patience, and faith. Surround them with your love and uphold them as they seek to share the message of your Gospel and the joy of knowing your Son, Jesus.
We thank you, Lord, for the blessings you have given us, including children. Let them know your presence, your unconditional love, and your will. Touch their hearts and reveal to them the glory of a relationship with you.
Show us how to be your servants, no matter our age, guiding us to do your will and hear our prayer, from Paul, when he said:
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011 (exclusive of scripture)
Prayer - When We Are Lost
Heavenly Father,
Holy are you, glorious are you, wonderful are you. We praise you, giving you all honor and glory.
When we are lost, reveal to us the direction we should go. When we are discouraged, show us how to find happiness in relationship with you. When we are frustrated, relieve our fears so we can worship you.
Guide us to service in your name. Let us be Jesus’ hands and feet, doing what He would do. Show us how to be disciples, eager learners, earnest in worship.
Let all we do and say be glorifying to you.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
Holy are you, glorious are you, wonderful are you. We praise you, giving you all honor and glory.
When we are lost, reveal to us the direction we should go. When we are discouraged, show us how to find happiness in relationship with you. When we are frustrated, relieve our fears so we can worship you.
Guide us to service in your name. Let us be Jesus’ hands and feet, doing what He would do. Show us how to be disciples, eager learners, earnest in worship.
Let all we do and say be glorifying to you.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
Prayer - God's Kingdom
Heavenly Father,
How glorious are you and greatly to be praised. You reign in power and surround us with love.
Bring forth your kingdom, Lord, where we might dwell in the glory of your love. Let us reach out to your children who are not in relationship with you, bringing them to know you.
Let your will be done in all things. Give us wisdom and discernment so we learn your will. We trust your perfect plan for your children and seek to be more like Jesus.
Pour out your blessings upon us. Help us to make disciples so we can better serve you.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
How glorious are you and greatly to be praised. You reign in power and surround us with love.
Bring forth your kingdom, Lord, where we might dwell in the glory of your love. Let us reach out to your children who are not in relationship with you, bringing them to know you.
Let your will be done in all things. Give us wisdom and discernment so we learn your will. We trust your perfect plan for your children and seek to be more like Jesus.
Pour out your blessings upon us. Help us to make disciples so we can better serve you.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
Prayer - School Year
Heavenly Father,
We join our hearts and voices in praise for your unconditional love, your unmerited grace and mercy. We give you our worship and the best of ourselves.
Thank you, Gracious God, for the beauty of your creation. We are awed by the majesty of this earth and all the dwells on it. Give us wisdom and show us how to be good stewards of all you have given us.
We ask your blessings on our children, all those who are in our care. As the school year begins, let them know and appreciate your presence, trusting in you to provide all they need to succeed and glorify you.
Unite us in love, surround us with mercy, give us your grace.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
We join our hearts and voices in praise for your unconditional love, your unmerited grace and mercy. We give you our worship and the best of ourselves.
Thank you, Gracious God, for the beauty of your creation. We are awed by the majesty of this earth and all the dwells on it. Give us wisdom and show us how to be good stewards of all you have given us.
We ask your blessings on our children, all those who are in our care. As the school year begins, let them know and appreciate your presence, trusting in you to provide all they need to succeed and glorify you.
Unite us in love, surround us with mercy, give us your grace.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
Prayer - Jesus' Hands and Feet
Heavenly Father,
You are wonderful, merciful, full of grace and glory. We celebrate your unconditional love and unmerited grace. We honor You. We worship You. We adore You.
Holy Jesus, we want to be your hands and feet. Teach us to serve, show us how to love, give us the talents to minister to your kingdom.
Holy Spirit, come into our lives, warming us with your presence and filling our hearts with the desire to win one more for Christ.
Forgive our weaknesses. Equip us to share the good news of the Gospel with all who would hear. Send us beyond the doors of our church and our homes to do you work.
Thank you, Father, for our many blessings. Let all we do and say honor You.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
You are wonderful, merciful, full of grace and glory. We celebrate your unconditional love and unmerited grace. We honor You. We worship You. We adore You.
Holy Jesus, we want to be your hands and feet. Teach us to serve, show us how to love, give us the talents to minister to your kingdom.
Holy Spirit, come into our lives, warming us with your presence and filling our hearts with the desire to win one more for Christ.
Forgive our weaknesses. Equip us to share the good news of the Gospel with all who would hear. Send us beyond the doors of our church and our homes to do you work.
Thank you, Father, for our many blessings. Let all we do and say honor You.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
Prayer - Holy Word
Heavenly Father,
We seek your glorious face, knowing all good things come from you. You are the author and perfector of our faith and deserving of our best in time, gifts, talents, and devotion.
Thank you for giving us your Holy Word to guide us in our journey. We call upon your Word to comfort, direct, chasten, and inspire. We find You in those pages and challenge to be more, do more, and give more for your kingdom.
For the hurting – physical, emotional, and spiritual ills – we seek your healing power. Restore us to wholeness in You. Let our lives be dedicated to doing your will.
Forgive us when we fail to put You first. Help us to resist temptation, turning from the wordly to the holy. Let our lives be dedicated to making disciples for Jesus.
We are yours. You are ours. Alleluia. Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
We seek your glorious face, knowing all good things come from you. You are the author and perfector of our faith and deserving of our best in time, gifts, talents, and devotion.
Thank you for giving us your Holy Word to guide us in our journey. We call upon your Word to comfort, direct, chasten, and inspire. We find You in those pages and challenge to be more, do more, and give more for your kingdom.
For the hurting – physical, emotional, and spiritual ills – we seek your healing power. Restore us to wholeness in You. Let our lives be dedicated to doing your will.
Forgive us when we fail to put You first. Help us to resist temptation, turning from the wordly to the holy. Let our lives be dedicated to making disciples for Jesus.
We are yours. You are ours. Alleluia. Amen.
(C) Ann Trimble-Ray 2011
Prayers - Show Us Your Path
Heavenly Father,
Great are You and greatly to be praised. Your love surrounds us, your creation enraptures us, your Son saved us. We honor You, giving You our worship, adoration, and glory.
We thank you, gracious Creator, for the blessings we enjoy. We are filled with gratitude for the gift of life, the presence of your Holy Spirit, and the grace only you can provide.
When we fall short of your will for us, forgive us. When we turn our backs on the needy, forgive us. When we sin against you, forgive us. Bring us back into right relationship with you.
Show us the path you would have us take and lead us to do your will. Help us to be humble servants, completing acts of mercy on your behalf.
We seek comfort for the grieving, healing for the sick, and more joy for all who call upon your name.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Great are You and greatly to be praised. Your love surrounds us, your creation enraptures us, your Son saved us. We honor You, giving You our worship, adoration, and glory.
We thank you, gracious Creator, for the blessings we enjoy. We are filled with gratitude for the gift of life, the presence of your Holy Spirit, and the grace only you can provide.
When we fall short of your will for us, forgive us. When we turn our backs on the needy, forgive us. When we sin against you, forgive us. Bring us back into right relationship with you.
Show us the path you would have us take and lead us to do your will. Help us to be humble servants, completing acts of mercy on your behalf.
We seek comfort for the grieving, healing for the sick, and more joy for all who call upon your name.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Prayer - Independence Day
Heavenly Father,
We give you our first fruits of time, talents, resources, and service. You alone are worthy of our praise and thanksgiving. All good things come from you and we are grateful.
We celebrate the birth of our nation, a land founded by people who desired the freedom to worship. Let the traditions of our founders continue today as we place our faith in you to protect this free land where we worship without fear.
Unite your sons and daughters in celebration of our nation’s birth, never forgetting our allegiance to you first. And we claim the words of Francis Scott Key as our prayer:
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Amen.
We give you our first fruits of time, talents, resources, and service. You alone are worthy of our praise and thanksgiving. All good things come from you and we are grateful.
We celebrate the birth of our nation, a land founded by people who desired the freedom to worship. Let the traditions of our founders continue today as we place our faith in you to protect this free land where we worship without fear.
Unite your sons and daughters in celebration of our nation’s birth, never forgetting our allegiance to you first. And we claim the words of Francis Scott Key as our prayer:
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Amen.
Prayer - Constant in Love
Heavenly Father,
We praise you, gracious Lord, for all you are - holy, merciful, forgiving, and gracious. You are great and glorious. We are humbled to be loved by you.
We thank you for the blessings we’ve received. In times of plenty and times of want, you are constant in your love and generous in your gifts to us. When we feel empty, fill us up. When we feel blessed, help us to turn to you in thanksgiving.
Precious Jesus, walk with us and guide us. Show us how to be your hands and feet. Let us respond to our faith in works, knowing our salvation does not depend on what we do but only on our faith in you.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
We praise you, gracious Lord, for all you are - holy, merciful, forgiving, and gracious. You are great and glorious. We are humbled to be loved by you.
We thank you for the blessings we’ve received. In times of plenty and times of want, you are constant in your love and generous in your gifts to us. When we feel empty, fill us up. When we feel blessed, help us to turn to you in thanksgiving.
Precious Jesus, walk with us and guide us. Show us how to be your hands and feet. Let us respond to our faith in works, knowing our salvation does not depend on what we do but only on our faith in you.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Prayer - Father's Day
Heavenly Father,
We honor and glorify you, our creator and redeemer, for the earthly fathers in our lives. Thank you for sending us good and Godly men to be our role models, our protectors, and providers.
We pray for those men who have not met their responsibilities as fathers. We ask you to provide them with the desire to do more, become more, and follow your example.
Forgive us, Gracious God, for our sins. Show us the way you would have us go. Inspire us to service as a response to our faith in you.
Blessed Jesus, walk with us. Thank you for being willing to die for us, giving us the unimaginable gift of eternal life in your name.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
We honor and glorify you, our creator and redeemer, for the earthly fathers in our lives. Thank you for sending us good and Godly men to be our role models, our protectors, and providers.
We pray for those men who have not met their responsibilities as fathers. We ask you to provide them with the desire to do more, become more, and follow your example.
Forgive us, Gracious God, for our sins. Show us the way you would have us go. Inspire us to service as a response to our faith in you.
Blessed Jesus, walk with us. Thank you for being willing to die for us, giving us the unimaginable gift of eternal life in your name.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Prayer - Become Like Jesus
Loving God,
How glorious and loving you are. In you few find strength, challenge, comfort, and inspiration to discipleship.
Forgive us, Lord, for our sins. Help us grow into our faith, to strive to become more like Jesus.
We come before you to ask you to equip us to best serve you. Our works are a response to your grace and mercy. We want to honor you, to take joy in the journey we take as disciples call to be examples.
Our hearts are filled with gratitude for all we have been given. We know all good comes from you. Prepare us for the challenges we will face so we build our character, maturing in our faith. Let us honor you in all we do.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
How glorious and loving you are. In you few find strength, challenge, comfort, and inspiration to discipleship.
Forgive us, Lord, for our sins. Help us grow into our faith, to strive to become more like Jesus.
We come before you to ask you to equip us to best serve you. Our works are a response to your grace and mercy. We want to honor you, to take joy in the journey we take as disciples call to be examples.
Our hearts are filled with gratitude for all we have been given. We know all good comes from you. Prepare us for the challenges we will face so we build our character, maturing in our faith. Let us honor you in all we do.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Prayer - Faith Walk
Gracious God,
Holy, holy, holy Lord – you are our creator, redeemer, healer, and our savior. We praise you, we glorify you, we honor you.
Forgive us for our human weaknesses. We are imperfect, impatient, and prone to sin. Only through your grace do we find blessed forgiveness, restoration, and wholeness.
Accompany us on our faith walk. Lead us in the direction you would have us take. Send us to serve you. Let us encounter inspiring servants who assist us in growing, maturing, and serving.
Send your Holy Spirit to warm our hearts. Open our eyes, ears, and souls to serve in your name.
Where we fall short, redirect us. Where we have weakness, build us up. Where we have talents, use us to your glory.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Holy, holy, holy Lord – you are our creator, redeemer, healer, and our savior. We praise you, we glorify you, we honor you.
Forgive us for our human weaknesses. We are imperfect, impatient, and prone to sin. Only through your grace do we find blessed forgiveness, restoration, and wholeness.
Accompany us on our faith walk. Lead us in the direction you would have us take. Send us to serve you. Let us encounter inspiring servants who assist us in growing, maturing, and serving.
Send your Holy Spirit to warm our hearts. Open our eyes, ears, and souls to serve in your name.
Where we fall short, redirect us. Where we have weakness, build us up. Where we have talents, use us to your glory.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Prayer - Let Us Bring You Glory
Heavenly Father,
You are great and we praise you unreservedly. We worship you with our whole being, laying aside all distractions to be focused only on you, your son, our Savior, Jesus, and your Holy Spirit.
Let all our thoughts, words, and deeds bring you glory. Too often we fall short of your will for us. We become distracted, turning away from you when we ought to be running toward you. Forgive us.
We seek your will. Show us how to deepen our relationship with you. Lead us to your Word, revealing to us your divine guidance.
Pour out your blessings upon us. Prod us to use our gifts and graces, to respond to our faith, to be your servants.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
You are great and we praise you unreservedly. We worship you with our whole being, laying aside all distractions to be focused only on you, your son, our Savior, Jesus, and your Holy Spirit.
Let all our thoughts, words, and deeds bring you glory. Too often we fall short of your will for us. We become distracted, turning away from you when we ought to be running toward you. Forgive us.
We seek your will. Show us how to deepen our relationship with you. Lead us to your Word, revealing to us your divine guidance.
Pour out your blessings upon us. Prod us to use our gifts and graces, to respond to our faith, to be your servants.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Prayer - When We Are Lost
Heavenly Father,
We celebrate and worship you, giving you the best of ourselves. We honor you for being our trusted Lord and Savior, our glorious redeemer.
When we feel lost, we can find our way by seeking you. We are grateful for the consistency of your Holy Word. Reveal to us your will and show us how we can serve you.
We ask your blessings on every member of the Early UMC church family. Pour out your love upon us, equipping us to do your work on earth.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
We celebrate and worship you, giving you the best of ourselves. We honor you for being our trusted Lord and Savior, our glorious redeemer.
When we feel lost, we can find our way by seeking you. We are grateful for the consistency of your Holy Word. Reveal to us your will and show us how we can serve you.
We ask your blessings on every member of the Early UMC church family. Pour out your love upon us, equipping us to do your work on earth.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Prayer - Mother's Day
Heavenly Father,
All honor and glory are yours, we praise you, worship you, and lift your name on high.
We thank you for the gift of family and nurturing of our mothers. We seek your blessings for the moms in our lives. We honor them for their sacrificial love and seek your protection for them. Keep them safe, guide them on the path you would have them take.
As we remember our moms, we also praise you for the success of our graduates. As they take the next steps in their lives, help them understand your will for them.
Let our church family continue to worship in spirit and truth. Show us the ministry you have in store for us. Send us to be your disciples to all who don’t know your son, Jesus, or feel the indwelling of your Holy Sprit. Give us the skills to be effective for you.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
All honor and glory are yours, we praise you, worship you, and lift your name on high.
We thank you for the gift of family and nurturing of our mothers. We seek your blessings for the moms in our lives. We honor them for their sacrificial love and seek your protection for them. Keep them safe, guide them on the path you would have them take.
As we remember our moms, we also praise you for the success of our graduates. As they take the next steps in their lives, help them understand your will for them.
Let our church family continue to worship in spirit and truth. Show us the ministry you have in store for us. Send us to be your disciples to all who don’t know your son, Jesus, or feel the indwelling of your Holy Sprit. Give us the skills to be effective for you.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Prayer for Confirmands
Heavenly Father,
We raise our confirmands to you, Blessed Lord, for your care. We rejoice in their faith journey and ask you to be their guide, guardian, and help. Let them feel the love of their church family as they begin a new chapter in their lives. Reveal to them your plan – your good, perfect, and pleasing will – for their lives. Surround them with your Holy Spirit, instilling in each the confidence only you can provide.
Gracious God, help us to live as your role models for our youth. Give us the wisdom, strength, and courage to walk uprightly, to do your will, to reflect the love of Jesus in all circumstances. Help us make good choices. Let us continue to grow in faith, to commit to study of your word, and share the good news of the Gospel with these young men and all your children.
You have richly blessed our church family and we are grateful for all you have done. We give you honor, glory, and praise. Let our worship be pleasing and our works be fruitful so we can expand your kingdom here on earth.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
We raise our confirmands to you, Blessed Lord, for your care. We rejoice in their faith journey and ask you to be their guide, guardian, and help. Let them feel the love of their church family as they begin a new chapter in their lives. Reveal to them your plan – your good, perfect, and pleasing will – for their lives. Surround them with your Holy Spirit, instilling in each the confidence only you can provide.
Gracious God, help us to live as your role models for our youth. Give us the wisdom, strength, and courage to walk uprightly, to do your will, to reflect the love of Jesus in all circumstances. Help us make good choices. Let us continue to grow in faith, to commit to study of your word, and share the good news of the Gospel with these young men and all your children.
You have richly blessed our church family and we are grateful for all you have done. We give you honor, glory, and praise. Let our worship be pleasing and our works be fruitful so we can expand your kingdom here on earth.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Sermon: Pour It Out
Today our call to worship contains the words of Joel, a minor prophet.
I don’t know about you, but being known as a minor anything implies lack of success. For surely if you were good at your calling, you would be major.
So while our language and custom would dismiss Joel as unimportant based on this classification as minor, his message for us is anything but!
Look again at what he is telling the people of Israel.
Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness.
He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you.
And then you will know that He is in Israel, that He is the LORD your God, and that there is no other.
And afterward, He will pour out his Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Joel is prophesying plenty for those who have been in want for so long. In the verses leading up to this reading, we are reminded of the hardships of the people of Israel, when their spirits were all but broken and their hope all but lost.
Yet here’s Joel, the minor guy, giving them his vision of their future, filled with praise and confidence.
The Lord, your God, he says, has worked wonders for you. He will pour out his Spirit on all people, giving them open hearts and minds, the ability to once again dream. He is promising them abundant life physically, socially, and spiritually.
Isn’t that what we all are longing for? But Joel isn’t promising sunshine and roses everyday. He’s revealing the hope children of God can have. And he’s talking about the trust we can have that the God who sends us through, brings us through and then deeply sustains us beyond what we've been through.
For me, these last few months have been challenging on all of those fronts – physically, socially, and spiritually. Physically, I had been doctoring for several months and the culmination was a hysterectomy on August 4th.
Needing to go through the doctors’ visits, tests, more tests, more doctors, and then surgery was foreign to me. At the tender age of 44, I had my first surgery. As the nurse was prepping me, she asked where I had the best luck with IVs. I had never had one, so I couldn’t give her any advice!
As I recovered, I saw God’s grace and felt his Spirit with me continually. My husband was also wonderfully attentive and supportive – I couldn’t have done it without him. I know and understand what Joel’s message reveals – a trial strengthens us and we have the joyful obligation to praise God for all he has given us.
Socially, my challenge came when my family was forever changed. On August 20th, my dad died. Coming so close on the heels of my surgery, I was feeling beat down, discouraged, and emotionally shredded. Yet I was able to spend most of the last few days of dad’s life with him and mom as we sat with him at the nursing home.
I have to tell you, Alzheimers is a horrible dignity-robbing disease. While dad’s life ended on August 20th at 7 am, his quality of life had ended several months previously when he no longer knew any of his family and needed to move to the nursing home for his safety, so he couldn’t run away – back to the farm where he grew up, in his mind his parents were waiting for him to get there to work, and meet his obligations.
Spiritually, I was rocked to the core when my best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this month and had a double mastectomy a few days ago. How could this lovely, talented, beautiful Christian woman be struck by this disease?
We were roommates in college – meeting 25 years ago at Morningside where we had the same major, the same close knit group of friends, and common bond in our faith. By God’s divine will, I moved to Early where I continue to work at the first job I got after graduating from Morningside. When my friend graduated a year later, she got a job in Storm Lake and has lived in Early, too, for more than 20 years.
As she said, God knew we’d need each other and put us in each other’s lives so long ago so we could be each other’s support when the challenges came. We are closer now than ever and I’m walking with her on each step of this journey.
Over these same months, a co-workers grandfather died, a friend discovered his babysitter was inappropriate with his children, and a member of my church family lost her adult son to pancreatic cancer just 6 weeks after his diagnosis.
I began saying this was the worst fall ever. All of the trials I faced were overwhelming my usual spirit of optimism. Then as I began preparing to share with you today, I read and re-read the scriptures, finding in them exactly what I needed to reshape my thinking. God, in his infinite wisdom, revealed to me great truths.
First, I am now almost fully recovered, the physical issues I was struggling with are gone, and I am restored. I praise God for my healing and the caring compassionate doctors who helped me.
Second, my family is changed, but, my dad is now healed and whole. I could not have asked for him to remain here on earth, trapped in a body wearing out from 88 years of hard work, with a disease wrenching him away from the people, places, and things he loved.
I am using the lectionary today, the readings from the Old and New Testaments as well as the Gospel prescribed in a three year rotation. How perfectly like God to take something planned out so far in advance to touch my soul – and challenge me to share the message with you. Today’s reading from 2 Timothy 4 contains some of the scripture read at my dad’s memorial service. A coincidence? Not at all. It’s the working of my Heavenly Father.
These are the verses read at Dad’s service:
6For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
But the lectionary continues – and here’s where I find God’s truth for me:
16At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth. 18The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
But now, I can see ever more clearly the blessing of God’s grace and Christ’s mercy. Because I know my dad knew Jesus as his savior, I don’t have to wonder about his well-being now. I know with certainty he is in his heavenly home where Alzheimers no longer binds him – his memory and body are restored. And he has been reunited with his parents who he was so eager to rejoin while he was here with us those last few weeks.
I have been rescued from grief over my dad’s death and reminded of the confidence I can have in my God who will rescue me from every evil attack! And he rescued my friend as well…
Because lastly, my friend is now cancer free. In the biggest “A-ha!” moment of them all, I quit looking at this breast cancer diagnosis as devastating and now cherish it as life-saving. The cancer was caught early, the surgery removed the mutant cells, and she is now on the path to recovery – and a long life. This diagnosis – because it was early and the treatment so far completely successful – saved her life! Praise Jesus!
All of our hope is possible through Jesus, our savior and redeemer who gave his all for each of us.
In our gospel lesson today, Jesus teaches us about the dangers of arrogance, pride, and – most importantly – the need to be humble.
Those Pharisees were a peculiar lot. They were religious workers – set apart and dedicated to serving God. Yet they were slow to understand the lessons Christ was teaching during his three years of ministry. Their devotion was to ritual, not relationship.
The Pharisee speaks to God in prayer as if reading from a checklist then moves on. The tax official offers none of the expected, prescribed prayers, but instead pours out his heart and asks for mercy. And it is he, not the Pharisee, who went away justified, Jesus says.
What happens when we pour ourselves out in simple, honest prayer to God?
One of the most successful and Godly ministries at our church involves prayer shawls. Several members of our congregation – and even friends of our congregation – create beautiful shawls to be given to those who are ill, hurting, or grieving. We also dedicate baby shawls for newborns in our church family and extended church family.
The knitters and crocheters pour out their prayers over the shawls as they are created – not knowing who will receive it in most circumstances. But God knows and hears those prayers. Then the shawl is brought to Sunday morning worship and we make a circle around our sanctuary, holding hands, as a prayer of dedication is offered over the shawl and its recipient. These prayers are very often offered with great raw emotion.
We reach out to our Great Physician, asking for his divine will to be done, for his healing power to be poured out over the recipient, and for the creator of the shawl as well. These prayers are unlike any other we offer during worship because we are holding hands, petitioning for healing, and feeling more than any other time.
What Jesus is teaching us in the parable is to cultivate a heart open to God rather than a self-defensive checklist.
Sometimes our Sunday morning worship can become as dry as a checklist. We do one thing, get it done, move on to the next.
I want you to know, the checklist does matter. It makes sure we do the things we need to do, and that we accomplish our ministry as we are called to do. There's nothing wrong with a checklist or a routine. These things actually help.
But it is up to us to make sure the checklist or the routine is not the end in itself -- as long as the checklist serves as a prompt to our genuine action and response to the Spirit of God as we pray and worship.
Our prayers connect us with our Triune God and give us unimaginable access to the most holy. Let’s pour out our prayers, let’s worship with enthusiasm and joy, let’s call out to God, praising him for all he is.
God wants nothing more than for us to pour it out for him. We can have no secrets from him. When we verbalize our joys and fears, share our anxieties, and praise him, he rewards our faith with blessings to numerous to count.
Today, more than ever, I am aware of this unconditional love and the unmerited grace and mercy we are given because we believe.
When days are the darkest, His light shines the brightest. We are made perfect in weakness and proven by fire to be sold out servants of our Lord Jesus Christ whose love was so great, he was obedient until death on the cross for our sake. He poured it all out for you and for me.
Now, we can be examples for those who don’t know Jesus or have a relationship with him. By our words and actions we can show them about God’s love for all his children.
My encouragement to you for this week is to pour it out – be authentic and real in your prayers. And win one more soul for Jesus.
© Ann Trimble-Ray, 2010
I don’t know about you, but being known as a minor anything implies lack of success. For surely if you were good at your calling, you would be major.
So while our language and custom would dismiss Joel as unimportant based on this classification as minor, his message for us is anything but!
Look again at what he is telling the people of Israel.
Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness.
He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you.
And then you will know that He is in Israel, that He is the LORD your God, and that there is no other.
And afterward, He will pour out his Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Joel is prophesying plenty for those who have been in want for so long. In the verses leading up to this reading, we are reminded of the hardships of the people of Israel, when their spirits were all but broken and their hope all but lost.
Yet here’s Joel, the minor guy, giving them his vision of their future, filled with praise and confidence.
The Lord, your God, he says, has worked wonders for you. He will pour out his Spirit on all people, giving them open hearts and minds, the ability to once again dream. He is promising them abundant life physically, socially, and spiritually.
Isn’t that what we all are longing for? But Joel isn’t promising sunshine and roses everyday. He’s revealing the hope children of God can have. And he’s talking about the trust we can have that the God who sends us through, brings us through and then deeply sustains us beyond what we've been through.
For me, these last few months have been challenging on all of those fronts – physically, socially, and spiritually. Physically, I had been doctoring for several months and the culmination was a hysterectomy on August 4th.
Needing to go through the doctors’ visits, tests, more tests, more doctors, and then surgery was foreign to me. At the tender age of 44, I had my first surgery. As the nurse was prepping me, she asked where I had the best luck with IVs. I had never had one, so I couldn’t give her any advice!
As I recovered, I saw God’s grace and felt his Spirit with me continually. My husband was also wonderfully attentive and supportive – I couldn’t have done it without him. I know and understand what Joel’s message reveals – a trial strengthens us and we have the joyful obligation to praise God for all he has given us.
Socially, my challenge came when my family was forever changed. On August 20th, my dad died. Coming so close on the heels of my surgery, I was feeling beat down, discouraged, and emotionally shredded. Yet I was able to spend most of the last few days of dad’s life with him and mom as we sat with him at the nursing home.
I have to tell you, Alzheimers is a horrible dignity-robbing disease. While dad’s life ended on August 20th at 7 am, his quality of life had ended several months previously when he no longer knew any of his family and needed to move to the nursing home for his safety, so he couldn’t run away – back to the farm where he grew up, in his mind his parents were waiting for him to get there to work, and meet his obligations.
Spiritually, I was rocked to the core when my best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this month and had a double mastectomy a few days ago. How could this lovely, talented, beautiful Christian woman be struck by this disease?
We were roommates in college – meeting 25 years ago at Morningside where we had the same major, the same close knit group of friends, and common bond in our faith. By God’s divine will, I moved to Early where I continue to work at the first job I got after graduating from Morningside. When my friend graduated a year later, she got a job in Storm Lake and has lived in Early, too, for more than 20 years.
As she said, God knew we’d need each other and put us in each other’s lives so long ago so we could be each other’s support when the challenges came. We are closer now than ever and I’m walking with her on each step of this journey.
Over these same months, a co-workers grandfather died, a friend discovered his babysitter was inappropriate with his children, and a member of my church family lost her adult son to pancreatic cancer just 6 weeks after his diagnosis.
I began saying this was the worst fall ever. All of the trials I faced were overwhelming my usual spirit of optimism. Then as I began preparing to share with you today, I read and re-read the scriptures, finding in them exactly what I needed to reshape my thinking. God, in his infinite wisdom, revealed to me great truths.
First, I am now almost fully recovered, the physical issues I was struggling with are gone, and I am restored. I praise God for my healing and the caring compassionate doctors who helped me.
Second, my family is changed, but, my dad is now healed and whole. I could not have asked for him to remain here on earth, trapped in a body wearing out from 88 years of hard work, with a disease wrenching him away from the people, places, and things he loved.
I am using the lectionary today, the readings from the Old and New Testaments as well as the Gospel prescribed in a three year rotation. How perfectly like God to take something planned out so far in advance to touch my soul – and challenge me to share the message with you. Today’s reading from 2 Timothy 4 contains some of the scripture read at my dad’s memorial service. A coincidence? Not at all. It’s the working of my Heavenly Father.
These are the verses read at Dad’s service:
6For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
But the lectionary continues – and here’s where I find God’s truth for me:
16At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth. 18The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
But now, I can see ever more clearly the blessing of God’s grace and Christ’s mercy. Because I know my dad knew Jesus as his savior, I don’t have to wonder about his well-being now. I know with certainty he is in his heavenly home where Alzheimers no longer binds him – his memory and body are restored. And he has been reunited with his parents who he was so eager to rejoin while he was here with us those last few weeks.
I have been rescued from grief over my dad’s death and reminded of the confidence I can have in my God who will rescue me from every evil attack! And he rescued my friend as well…
Because lastly, my friend is now cancer free. In the biggest “A-ha!” moment of them all, I quit looking at this breast cancer diagnosis as devastating and now cherish it as life-saving. The cancer was caught early, the surgery removed the mutant cells, and she is now on the path to recovery – and a long life. This diagnosis – because it was early and the treatment so far completely successful – saved her life! Praise Jesus!
All of our hope is possible through Jesus, our savior and redeemer who gave his all for each of us.
In our gospel lesson today, Jesus teaches us about the dangers of arrogance, pride, and – most importantly – the need to be humble.
Those Pharisees were a peculiar lot. They were religious workers – set apart and dedicated to serving God. Yet they were slow to understand the lessons Christ was teaching during his three years of ministry. Their devotion was to ritual, not relationship.
The Pharisee speaks to God in prayer as if reading from a checklist then moves on. The tax official offers none of the expected, prescribed prayers, but instead pours out his heart and asks for mercy. And it is he, not the Pharisee, who went away justified, Jesus says.
What happens when we pour ourselves out in simple, honest prayer to God?
One of the most successful and Godly ministries at our church involves prayer shawls. Several members of our congregation – and even friends of our congregation – create beautiful shawls to be given to those who are ill, hurting, or grieving. We also dedicate baby shawls for newborns in our church family and extended church family.
The knitters and crocheters pour out their prayers over the shawls as they are created – not knowing who will receive it in most circumstances. But God knows and hears those prayers. Then the shawl is brought to Sunday morning worship and we make a circle around our sanctuary, holding hands, as a prayer of dedication is offered over the shawl and its recipient. These prayers are very often offered with great raw emotion.
We reach out to our Great Physician, asking for his divine will to be done, for his healing power to be poured out over the recipient, and for the creator of the shawl as well. These prayers are unlike any other we offer during worship because we are holding hands, petitioning for healing, and feeling more than any other time.
What Jesus is teaching us in the parable is to cultivate a heart open to God rather than a self-defensive checklist.
Sometimes our Sunday morning worship can become as dry as a checklist. We do one thing, get it done, move on to the next.
I want you to know, the checklist does matter. It makes sure we do the things we need to do, and that we accomplish our ministry as we are called to do. There's nothing wrong with a checklist or a routine. These things actually help.
But it is up to us to make sure the checklist or the routine is not the end in itself -- as long as the checklist serves as a prompt to our genuine action and response to the Spirit of God as we pray and worship.
Our prayers connect us with our Triune God and give us unimaginable access to the most holy. Let’s pour out our prayers, let’s worship with enthusiasm and joy, let’s call out to God, praising him for all he is.
God wants nothing more than for us to pour it out for him. We can have no secrets from him. When we verbalize our joys and fears, share our anxieties, and praise him, he rewards our faith with blessings to numerous to count.
Today, more than ever, I am aware of this unconditional love and the unmerited grace and mercy we are given because we believe.
When days are the darkest, His light shines the brightest. We are made perfect in weakness and proven by fire to be sold out servants of our Lord Jesus Christ whose love was so great, he was obedient until death on the cross for our sake. He poured it all out for you and for me.
Now, we can be examples for those who don’t know Jesus or have a relationship with him. By our words and actions we can show them about God’s love for all his children.
My encouragement to you for this week is to pour it out – be authentic and real in your prayers. And win one more soul for Jesus.
© Ann Trimble-Ray, 2010
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