Prayers

Prayer of Confession

Forty days alone,
a wilderness of thoughts,
tempting and inviting thoughts,
which could so easily have distracted you
from your task, your mission,
your vision.

Yet you emerged, stronger and more attuned
to all that had to be done,
despite a time constraint
that to our eyes would have seemed hopeless.
We too live in stressful times.
Demands are made of our time,
that leave so little
for the important things of life.

We are easily distracted
in the wilderness of our lives,
by every call to go this way or that,
to turn stone to bread
leap from mountains,
and do all that would keep us from the truth.

We listen to the voices of this world,
and ignore the one who endured all this
and so much more,
and emerged triumphant,
that we might not have to suffer so.

Forgive us, Father,
when we get distracted from our task.

Forgive us those times when we try
to be all things to all men,
and fail to be anything to anyone

~ written by John Birch, and posted on his Faith and Worship website.

Pastoral Prayer for Lent

Lord God, today is the first Sunday of Lent, a season of repentance, of self-examination, of silence and waiting for the leading of your Holy Spirit. Through your Spirit you lead us into the temptations of Jesus, forty days in the wilderness, where our lives are laid bare, and we come face to face with our desires for power—power over our lives and the lives of our friends and enemies and maybe even power over you.

Open us to your grace and mercy, your love and provision, as we confront the devil’s temptations, the demons that try to run our world and our lives. Give us the power of your Son that we may also throw off the insidious powers of sin—the forces of selfishness and pride, the forces that keep us from confronting the truth about our lives and the world.

During this season of Lent, shatter our illusions, save us from ourselves, and open us to the new life of your Holy Spirit—a life of faith, hope, and love. As we let your Spirit lead us into repentance, may we discover the goodness and fullness of life in your kingdom of peace. In the words of Psalmist, may we find in your presence a refuge, a dwelling place, a place of rest (Ps. 91).

May we also resist the temptation to find our rest in places that muffle the cries of injustice—the desperation of the needy, the anger of the wronged, and the despair of the hopeless. May those voices echo in our Lenten silence, for the call of your Spirit also speaks through those voices. As the apostle Paul says, your word is near us, on our lips and in our hearts (Romans 10). May we use this season of Lent to empty ourselves of all that makes us deaf to that word, the Word of God, Jesus Christ, who is already on our lips and in our hearts.

~ written by Isaac, a Mennonite pastor. Posted on his blog, Rusty Parts.
http://www.rustyparts.com/wp/

Prayers of the People

Let us pray:
Lord, listen to our prayers for ourselves at this time.
Bring to our minds the places we have compromised the truth
for that which is convenient to us;
the times we have shut our eyes and ears and hearts to the needs of others;
the times we have indulged ourselves to our own detriment.
Help us, dear God, to know that you forgive these things,
and give us strength to resist them in the future.
Lord, hear our prayer.

Lord, listen to our prayers for others at this time:
for those who hunger for bread but only find stones;
for those who seek justice but can find no advocate who will help them;
for those who are in danger and have no one watching over them.
Lord, hear our prayer.

Lord, speak to us in the silence of our hearts.
Show us the way to go…

We pray to you in the name of Jesus,
who taught us to come to you saying,
Our Father….

~ from Richard J. Fairchild’s Kir-shalom website.
http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/c-le01sm.php

Prayer for Lent

God,
As we take this journey
That draws us ever closer to you
Walk with us
Sustain us,
Nurture us.

God, as we go through
The wilderness of lent and of our lives,
Send your manna to us,
give us wisdom to turn from temptation
And your grace to turn to.

God, as we walk through the pot holes of life,
The valleys, the pits of life,
Guide us with your hand
Keep our feet steady,
And our vision on you.

God, whether we choose to give up something for lent
Or do something positive,
Let us not do it out of obligation
Or the tyranny of oughtness,
But out of love for you.

Keep us in your paths of love, mercy and grace.
Lord help us to remember we are not alone
but that we are walking with our fellow/sister travelers.

Amen

~ written by Rev. Abi, and posted on Rev. Abi’s Long and Winding Road blog.
http://vicarofwadley.blogspot.com/