Prayers for Christian Worship: Samples--II

What follows are portions of prayers I've used in the pastoral prayers I've offered over the past few years.

The first one was offered on a morning when the sermon was about Heaven.

There are people in our fellowship who are standing on the threshold of eternal life with God. In a sense, we all are, and the sooner we realize that, the sooner we can get about the business of living well in this world.

Let us pray:

Lord, you are good and you do good things, and we praise you for your love, your power, your mercy, and your compassion.

We come as people who need all those things and so much more.
We come as people who know how fragile life is.
We truly are like "grass that withers and flowers that fall," but we rejoice that you and your word stand forever.

Forgive, please, for how attached we become to this world and its stuff,
And for the ways we refuse to think about death until it stares us in the face,
And for the ways we too often keep you at arms length.

Lord, we confess that we need you
And the promise of hope you give,
And the promise of good things to come.

We pray for those facing surgery or other procedures.
Please be their strength.

We pray for our congregation and our ministries.
Please be our reason for being.
Please grant us a vision that reaches beyond this world, one that embraces eternity with a calm confidence.

Use us to bring light to this dark world.
Use us to bring life to a struggling world.
Use us to bring joy to a despairing world.

Use us, please, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Amen.

This next portion comes from a prayer offered when the sermon was about the Church.

Ephesians 4:5-6 tells us that "There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called--one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (NIV)

Let us pray.

Lord, we have gathered together this morning, a group of people, some of whom have been immersed, some sprinkled, some perhaps touched in a special way by the breath of the Holy Spirit.

We are aware of being surrounded by some familiar faces, some unfamiliar faces, some brothers and sisters, and some visitors, but we are your family in this place and at this time.

No matter how different, we are your people.
No matter how far apart we are educationally or in terms of wealth and possessions;
No matter where we've come from or what we do,
We acknowledge that we are part of your plan for spreading your good news across the world.

Forgive us for making distinctions where you see only unity.
Forgive us for complaining instead of praising.
Forgive us for being small-minded when you want us to be focused on you and your Son.
Forgive us for making too much of ourselves and too little of you.

As we gather for worship and fellowship and learning and the Lord's Supper, please remind us that we are one people who need each other--people whom you have called together to be your witnesses in the world.

We ask for your healing for those who are sick in our fellowship.
We ask for your guidance in our life together as your people.

As we gather for worship and fellowship and learning and the Lord's Supper, please remind us that we are one people who need each other--people whom you have called together from the world to be your witness in the word.

We ask for the faith to stand firm on the truth and to challenge the lies that too often lie at the foundation of the world around us.
We ask for your best in order to be our best.
Through Jesus Christ our crucified Lord and Savior.
Amen.

The following prayer portion comes from a Sunday when the sermon was about prayer.

Annie Dillard, in her book, Holy the Firm, writes about the minister of the small church she used to attend. One Sunday morning, right in the middle of a long pastoral prayer, he said, "Lord, we bring you these same petitions every week!" The implication: Why aren't they being answered?" As we gather this morning, that may be a question some of us have: Why aren't our prayers answered when and how we want them to be? Why don't we know what's going to happen? What is God up to? What are we to be up to?

Let us pray.

Lord, we confess that most of us have had questions like that at some point in our lives. We wonder. We're confused. We hurt. We struggle.

You tell us to walk by faith, but, Lord, sometimes we would like to have a little more sight, a better understanding of what's going on. Sometimes we think we need a better understanding just in order to survive.

But at our deepest, we know better.
We know that all we really need is you, your presence, your power, your love, and your guidance along the way.

Forgive us for not trusting you more.
Forgive us for wanting to know more than you're willing to share.
Forgive us for the pride that makes us think we know what we really need.

If we can't have sight, then please give us peace.
If we can't have knowledge, then please give us more faith.
If we can't have what we think we need, then please help us be content with what you want to give us.

And, Lord, please move us beyond a selfish focus on just ourselves.

We lift up those who are going through painful times of disease and injury; those who are experiencing financial difficulties; and those who are having spiritual struggles.
We pray for your working in their lives, as well as in ours.

And as we take part in the Lord's Supper later in the service, draw us together as the part of the Body of Christ that meets in this building.
Please make us one in fellowship;
One in service;
And one in the bonds of love.

We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Amen.

This prayer went with a sermon about the people of God.

One writer points out that part of our purpose as believers is to allow Jesus Christ to work in us and through us to such an extent that the Body of Christ can be built up and extended. In other words, the point of the Church is not me, but us, and not us, but Christ.

Let us pray.

Lord, it's so easy to forget that it is not about us;
That there are others in the Body of Christ.
That you gave yourself for the world, not just for me.

Forgive us when we focus too much on ourselves, our needs, our pain, our hopes, and our growth as your children.
Forgive us for the times we look down on those around us and wish that they were more like us.
Forgive us for not seeing that every human being in this world was created in your image.

Please open our eyes to see how awesome you are.
Please open our eyes to see how precious are the people you have formed in your image.
Please open our eyes to see beneath the surface in order to appreciate how wonderfully and fearfully you have made each and every person around us and around the world.

Break us down if you have to, Lord, so we can help build up others.
Show us our weakness so we can rely on your strength.
Show us the limits of this world so we can proclaim the beauty of the world to come and, at the same time, bring some of that world into this world.

And, Lord, as we struggle with the difficulties of our lives, we lift up to you the ones in our fellowship who are struggling with their difficulties.

We are your grateful people, Lord.
As we come to the Lord's Supper, please remind us that through the blood of your Son, we are one people joined by one Spirit into one body.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Amen.