A PRAYER FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

A PRAYER FOR LENT 4

Ephesians 5:8-16

The Message

8-10 You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You’re out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true—these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.

11-16 Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.

Wake up from your sleep,

Climb out of your coffins;

Christ will show you the light!

So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!

Where is the light?

When will be able to find our way

O God

Where is the light?

We have wandered around 

in darkness

Looking everywhere 

for what would make us happy

and fulfilled

We have grasped in the gloom

of night

Reaching for things

that would protect us and keep 

us safe

Where is the light?

When will be able to find our way

O God

Where is the light?

We move in the shadows

so no one will see us

Moving stealthily

alone in our pursuit

of things we desire

We live in gloom

wanting to be happy

Trying to find purpose

and meaning

some sense of achievement 

Where is the light?

When will be able to find our way

O God

Where is the light?

Praise you, O Christ

that you have come 

to shatter the darkness

and give us light

Praise to you, O Christ

that your words of life

lift the veil of sin

and bathe us in forgiveness

Praise to you, O Christ

that lifted upon the cross

you take our burdens

and lighten our load

Praise to you, O Christ

that rising from the grave

you defeat the powers of death

and shine eternal life upon us

Praise to you, O Christ

Light and Life and Love

Forevermore

Amen

A PRAYER FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

LENT 3

Romans 5:6-11

 (NRSV)

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. 8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. 9 Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God.[e] 10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. 11 But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

O God

We are weak

and need your strength

We are made weak

by our sins and shortcomings

words spoken in anger

hurtful acts against those we love

We are made weak 

by our selfishness

our wanting and grabbing and hoarding 

things and more and more things

Strengthen us

Lord Jesus

for life and love

We are made weak

by our arrogance

believing our way, our truth

is The Way and The Truth

We are made weak 

by our pettiness

wanting to strike back

gaining the advantage over others

Strengthen us

Lord Jesus

for life and love

We are made weak

by worshipping the idols

of weapons and war

conquering and enslaving and destroying

We are made weak

by our blindness

to the pain around us

the hungry and homeless

Strengthen us

Lord Jesus

for life and love

By your cross we are saved

By your death we are cleansed

By your sacrifice we are reconciled

By your rising we are eternal

Strengthen us

Lord Jesus

for life and love

Amen

A PRAYER FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

LENT 2

Genesis 12:1-9

 (NRSV)

12 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”[a]

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan.

Just like that

Right God

Drop everything and follow you

to wherever you lead

Quit our job

cancel our appointments

clear our schedule

so we can go where you send us

Just like that

Tell our family and friends

that you have somewhere for us to go

some new adventure to take on 

Some ill defined quest

without a clear mission statement

A new ministry to which you are calling us 

to strange people in a strange place

Just like that

Go charging off toward some Canaan land

where you will direct us 

show us the way

Arrive unannounced 

Hoping you know what the heck 

you have gotten us into

and considered all the risks

Just like that

Go where you send us

Do what you ask 

Sacrifice all 

Rely of faith and grace

Trusting that you will work it all out

Pick us up when we mess us

Rejoice when we do the right thing

Just like that 

Right God

Just go

and leave everything up to you

Ok 

Ready or not 

Here we go

Off to follow where you lead

Ok

We are putting our trust in you Lord

Relying on your strength 

purpose and vision

Ok

We are yours Lord

Send us where you will

Show us the way

Ok  

Just like that

Amen 

A PRAYER FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

Lent 1

NT

Romans 5:12-21

The Message

18-19 Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.

20-21 All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end.

Adam

We would like to blame him

for the mess we are in

all the ways we have 

messed up our life

Would be nice if we could

pass on the responsibility for

hurting the people we love  

manipulating and scheming 

to get what we want

More convenient to find somebody else at fault

for all the apathy and carelessness we exhibit 

not involving ourselves in the pain of the world

or caring for its hungry 

and homeless and helpless 

Adam

Would be nice for him to shoulder all the blame

Take our place at the defendant' stable

Accept our sentence 

for all our sins and wrongs 

We can't

We can't blame someone else

for what we have only ourselves 

to blame

We will face the sentence 

of the Divine Court

Stand in the dock

and take punishment for our sins

Glory to you, O God

We are pardoned

our sentence set aside

our guilty verdict overturned

Glory to you, O God

Jesus has taken our place 

on the lonely hill

on a brutal and lonely cross 

Glory to you, O God

Jesus conquered sin and death 

rose from the depths of hell

to bring us life, eternal life

Glory to you, O God

for the gift of grace

freedom from sin

and the joy of forgiveness

Amen

A PRAYER FOR THE 8th SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY AND TRANSFIGURATION

A PRAYER FOR THE 8th SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY

AND TRANSFIGURATION 

Exodus 24:12-18

12-13 God said to Moses, “Climb higher up the mountain and wait there for me; I’ll give you tablets of stone, the teachings and commandments that I’ve written to instruct them.” So Moses got up, accompanied by Joshua his aide. And Moses climbed up the mountain of God.

14 He told the elders of Israel, “Wait for us here until we return to you. You have Aaron and Hur with you; if there are any problems, go to them.”

15-17 Then Moses climbed the mountain. The Cloud covered the mountain. The Glory of God settled over Mount Sinai. The Cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day he called out of the Cloud to Moses. In the view of the Israelites below, the Glory of God looked like a raging fire at the top of the mountain.

18 Moses entered the middle of the Cloud and climbed the mountain. Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

You want to speak to us Lord?

You want us to climb up to the

top of the mountain

all by ourselves 

You want us to talk to us Lord?

You want us up there in the clouds

where no one can see us

all by ourselves 

You want to teach us Lord?

You want to show us how to live

so we can learn your ways

all by ourselves 

Then

You want us to come down Lord

Preach to the people 

teach them everything you taught us

and hope they will listen

You want us to come down Lord

Show them how to be your followers

demonstrate what discipleship is

and hope they will listen

You want us to come down Lord

Instruct them in paths of righteousness 

learn to pursue peace and justice

and hope they will listen

We will do it Lord

With fear and trembling we will climb the mountain 

and disappear into the clouds

and listen

and learn

and pray

We will do it Lord

We will come down from the mountain

and proclaim to the people

the Word of The Lord

the Good News

the Ways of Salvation

We will do it Lord

with your help

with your strength

with you love

We will do it Lord

Amen

A PRAYER FOR EPIPHANY

A PRAYER FOR EPIPHANY 6

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

15 See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

Choices

That is what is before us

Choices

between right and wrong 

good and evil  

love and hate 

peace and war

life and death

You put them before us

asking us to choose

decide

pick one path

one option

one way to live

We settle for choices 

of selfishness and self-centeredness 

which will bring us

power and riches and glory

We have or seek the means

to use ego and greed

to overcome any one

persons or nations

to get what we want

We confess to you

and all of heaven

that we fall to the temptations

for our own desires

We stand before you

O God

deserving divine judgment 

of curse and death

Forgive us and renew us

that we may choose life

choose to give rather than receive

love rather than hate

make peace rather than war

Teach us the paths of righteousness

so we may walk beside our God

and rejoice in your glory

and receive your promises

of life

prosperity

and blessing

Amen

A PRAYER FOR EPIPHANY 5

A PRAYER FOR EPIPHANY 5

Matthew 5:13-20

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

You call us the salt of the earth 

to give flavor to life 

seasoning to bring newness

to vacant and lonely existence

Too often we are just stale

tasteless and plain

deadening any spice that might

give hope and meaning to others

Forgive us, Jesus

for not being the salt of the earth

Renew us and enrich us

so we may invigorate all

whom we touch with love and kindness

You call us the light of the world  

to shine forth in places

of shadows and evil

and break the power of darkness

So often we hide our light 

putting it away to protect it

afraid to cast our beams

across time and space

Forgive us, Jesus

for not being the light of the world

Empower us to cast our light 

to show the lost and lonely

the paths to warmth and caring

Praise you

Lord Jesus

for calling us with being

the salt of the earth

May our every act and word

bring out the best 

in everyone we meet

everyone we know

everyone we love

Praise you

Lord Jesus

for calling us to become

the light of the world 

May our lives and our deeds

being light to those

who have become lost 

and need help in finding their way

Amen