Epiphany 4 | Year C

Sisters and brothers,
and all who are made One through Christ:
as Ezra proclaimed the Word of the Lord
and the people bowed their heads in worship,
let us too proclaim and bow.

Lord, You made today.
That makes it Yours,
and it makes it holy.
Make today a day of joy,
whether it feels like it or not.
Fill our mouths with glad tidings
and set our hearts to
meditate on Your goodness.
Revive our souls
with Your effervescent life.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

As we are gathered here,
the infinite parts of
the One Body in Christ
We remember those who are also gathered
both publicly and in secret.
Bring unity to this Sanctuary body,
to the Church in Tulsa,
to the Church in America,
and to the Church in the world.
Keep always before us
the mission to which You have called us.

We remember also those members of our body
who are being persecuted in China, Nigeria, India,
and other parts of the world.
And those among us who have died.
Welcome them to their eternal rest.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

The heavens declare Your glory,
and under that glory we are united.
Christ with us, Christ before us, Christ behind us,
Christ in us, Christ beneath us, Christ above us,
Christ on our right and left.
When we lie down: Christ.
When we sit: Christ as well.

We also pray this aspirationally:
That You would emanate from us,
present in our hearts,
edifying in our mouths,
visible in our eyes,
audible in our ears.
So that when the world looks at us,
they see You:
One Body,
infinite parts.

All this we ask through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.

Epiphany 3 | Year C

Ever-present God,
where can we escape Your love?
Where can we go that You are not?
We cannot.
So we turn our faces to You
and we pray:

O God, let Your righteousness
loom in our lives
like a strong mountain.
Let Your justice
roll through our souls
like a rushing river.

We trust in Your abundance;
we rest in Your lovingkindness.
Look upon us with favor
and gather us
under the shadow of Your wings.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Unchanging Father,
You give limitless variety
while remaining singularly You.
Yet You call us to unity, not uniformity.
As we seek to honor our individuality,
let us find togetherness in You.

You look upon us all
with parental affection;
we ask for provision
for all those affected economically
by the government shutdown
and by powers outside their control.

For those who are suffering
or who have died,
we pray You would receive
the water of their tears
and turn it into
the curative wine of Your joy.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Almighty God,
Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ
is the light of the world.
Illuminate Your church
through your Word and Sacraments.

Let us be Your window to the world,
the one that shows Your shining dawn,
the promise of Your continual new day.
Let us become crystal-clear glass
that reveals You and only You.

Let us shine with the radiance of Your glory,
so that You may be known,
worshipped, and obeyed
to the ends of the earth.
All this we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.

Epiphany 2 | Year C

O God, while Jesus prayed at His baptism,
Your mothering Spirit brooded over Him,
providing sustenance and strength.
So brood over us today
as we offer our prayers for the church and the world:
We pray for Your church:
may Your Word spark our lives with truth and joy,
may it open up whole new worlds in our hearts,
as we serve one another to the glory of Your name.
We pray for all leaders and people around the world:
may Your justice provoke us to shape a peaceful world,
where all work for the common good.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

O God, we pray for the well-being of Your creation:
may Your goodness startle us to the horrors of our exploitation
and abuse of the resources and good gifts You’ve given us.
We pray for all who suffer grief or sickness of any kind:
may Your tender presence abide with us and quicken our healing.
Mothering Spirit, stir us with Your power.
We remember and pray for those who have died,
that Your steadfast love may shelter them
in the peace of Your eternal light.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Loving God, walk beside us.
When we are too hasty, soothe our impatience and anxiety.
When we are too tardy, draw us out of our sloth and bewilderment.
When we are walking step by step with You,
may we know we are not alone.
We pray for all who lack the essentials of life:
food, clothing, shelter, and companionship.
May Your righteousness, O God, raise us up to walk together
with respect and dignity for all.

O God, You have made us, formed us,
and called us by name,
and You have redeemed us in Christ.
Receive our prayers this day,
for Your life-giving Spirit is powerful to save.
All this we ask through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.

Epiphany Sunday | Year C

Sisters and brothers,
the Light has come!
The announcement has been made!
The mystery has been revealed
and Christ is the solution! Let us pray:

Lord, lift up our eyes
so that we may gaze upon Your Light,
so overwhelmed by You
that we nudge our neighbors,
point to the sky, and say, “Look!”

May our hearts be thrilled,
and may our souls rejoice
at the wealth of Your richness.
May our arms open wide
to receive whatever blessings
You choose to give us.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord over all,
as we begin this new year,
we ask that You be our focus.
Let us exult in Your grace,
Your justice, Your righteousness.

Work in our hearts in 2019,
that we, Your Sanctuary body,
will grow closer and larger this year.

That we, like individual trees,
would be rooted together,
becoming a vast and welcoming forest,
full of grace and peace.

May You make us
an orchard of Your compassion
as we embody Your heavenly kingdom
on earth, here and now.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord over the heavens,
You made a star speak.
Let Your church look to that star
—the one that guided the wise men to You,
that met them where they were—
and say, “We wish to do likewise."

Let us proclaim
Your boundless riches
both to the poor, the oppressed, those in need
and to those in positions of power,
the rulers and the authorities.
That all may know the wisdom of Your mystery:
that those who used to be on the outs
are now part of the inner circle.
And that inner circle

is so great as to include all who desire to join it.

All this we ask through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Christmas 1 | Year C

Sisters and brothers,
in Jesus, God’s Word became flesh
to birth love in our hearts and peace in our world.

As we celebrate this gift of life in Christ,
let us pray for the church and the world.

O God, Your messenger announces peace
in shouts of breathless joy;
drive out the warring ways of our world
and protect all who face danger this day
as You guide our feet to travel with the One who is Your peace.

Your Word comes with justice
to rule the earth with fairness;
inspire the leaders of all nations and citizens of the world
to order our economic lives,
to promote dignity and equality
for all in Your global household.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

O God, when shepherds met Your newborn Christ
they eagerly ran to tell the news;
so make us joyful messengers of Your good news
and freely share Your love in the world.

Your Word says mountains and rivers clap and sing
as You make all things new;
awaken us to the damage we do to your world
and mend our ways,
that all creation might breathe again the liveliness of your grace.

O God, in Jesus, Your love takes on human form
to seek us out and guide us home;
May Christ be born in us today!
May Christ lead us into the lives for which we were made.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Unto us a child is born!
One who will live and die and rise again.
Bless all who are born today
and all who will die,
that Your will may be done
in the One who is the way, truth, and life.

O God, receive our prayers
through Christ who is our light and life.
May we, like Him, carry light
in bodies, breath, and beating hearts
as holy partners in this holy calling.

All this we ask through Christ our Lord.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Advent 4 | Year C

Lover of the world,
it’s so close!

Advent is almost over,
Christmas is almost here.

The aroma has filled the kitchen
and the world is about to sit down for Your feast.

Let us come to Your table
with open hearts,
with anticipation of a celebratory meal.

We’ve dined on the bread of tears,
we’ve drunk tears in full measure.
But we pray those past experiences
will not dull our taste buds
on Christmas morning.

Instead, let us drink deep,
let us savor Your goodness,
and revel in Your love.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lover of each of us,
You call the little guys!
You came to Bethlehem,
the "B” team,
the backwoods,
and You called it blessed.

Let us begin to grasp
Your love for us
a little more deeply.
Our souls magnify You, that You would choose us
to carry Your light to our world.

Thank You for looking upon us with favor,
for Your mercy, Your strength, Your memory.

Let us keep Your love
always before our eyes.

That we may gain
a brighter picture of Your love for us.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lover of Your Church,
You’re almost here,
and we have work to do!

For the times when we’ve thought
that our sacrifices and offerings
were the things that would get it done,
we repent.

It is our desire as a Sanctuary body
to do Your work,
but we pray You would define
that word ‘work’ for us.
Let us not get trapped in our own limitations,
but let us follow Your way of work.

Guide us to this Christmas season.
Speak to our hearts,
using whatever it takes
to get Your message across.
We’re all ears,
and we will keep saying ‘Yes.’

All this we ask through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Advent 3 | Year C

Joy-filled God,
Today we remember Your joy.
We draw upon Your joy.
We embrace Your joy.

As we turn the corner
to the final stretch of Advent,
we do so joyfully.

Though the Christmas dawn
will soon arrive,
we endure now
the darkest part of the night.

Therefore, we ask that You
light up this Advent
with the flame of Your joy.
The flame that burns brightly,
that renews us in Your love,
that sings loudly and raucously
and dispels all fear.

Light our way.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Joy-proclaiming God,
You are our salvation!
Let us joyfully declare that salvation
to a world desperately in need of it.

Help us showcase Your love
through our actions first,
then our words.

Lord, scripture encourages us
to rejoice in You,
but it isn’t always easy for all of us,
especially at this time of year.

Restore our joy where it is depleted,
and replenish our joy
where it is needed.

So that You will liberate the oppressed,
heal the lame, gather the outcast,
and exchange our shame for praise.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Joy-imparting God!
You welcome all into Your kingdom.
The outcasts and the insiders,
the tax collectors and soldiers,
the vipers and the virtuous.

Let us, as a church body,
practice the same.

Let us welcome all,
let us share and share alike,
let us freely give and receive
bread and forgiveness,
let us look to You with expectation,
even as You explode those expectations.

Lord, we pray as a community
that You would give us comedic courage.
So that when we ask You,
“What should we do?”
We would hear Your answer
and be foolish enough
to do it.

All this we ask through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Advent 2 | Year C

Faithful, unchanging God,
You have always spoken to us.
Sometimes directly,
often through messengers.

As we celebrate this Advent season,
let our hearts be inclined,
ready to receive Your message
delivered by Your messenger,
however they may look to us.

Like John the Baptist,
let us also proclaim Your message.
Make us messengers of Your magnificence,
Couriers of Your compassion,
Proclaimers of Your peace.

Grant that we may go into the world
bearing Your reconciling love,
being of good courage,
holding fast to that which is Good,
rendering to no one evil for evil,
strengthening the faint-hearted,
supporting the weak,
helping the afflicted,
honoring all people,
and rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit
as we serve You.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Stable, co-laboring God,
who calls us to Holy work,
we pray that you would invigorate our faith
as we undertake the Kingdom work
You set before us.

Help us to accept Your calling,
wherever we may hear it.
We celebrate Your promise
that You welcome all
into the glory of Your eternal Kingdom.

The blind receive sight,
the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised to life,
and all hear the Gospel of life.

Overflow our love, Lord,
until it reaches every shore.
And strengthen our resolve
to carry You with us
into every sphere of our world,
So that we might serve You
without fear.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Steady, clarifying God,
who surprises us in unexpected ways,
We pray for the world which You so love,
for those who have not heard Your good news,
for those who walk in darkness and the shadow of death.

We pray also for Your Church,
for this Sanctuary body,
the Church community in Tulsa,
and the Church around the world,
all our brothers and sisters in You.

We pray that
we may be freed from all evil and fear,
and may in pure joy
lift up the light of Your love
to a darkened world.

All this we ask through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Advent 1 | Year C

Righteous God,
On this Sunday of Hope,
as we look ahead
in the midst of a dark wait,
we anticipate Your Justice.

Let us view that Justice
as it is, not as we would have it.
Your Justice looks different from ours,
Your Justice brings restoration
and makes everything right
under You.

In this long wait of Advent,
this seemingly unending night,
guide our anticipatory eyes to the stars
to seek Your unmissable announcement
that You will be arriving.

Soon.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Trustworthy Lord,
You will not let us be put to shame.
We can take You at Your word.
We can rely on Your forgetfulness,
Your selective memory
that keeps no record of our wrongs.

We remember that
You came to us humbly.
Through the writings of the prophets
You gave us hints of Your trajectory,
but we see the connected dots
only in hindsight.

Therefore, as we wait in expectation
this Advent season,
let us not look too far ahead.
Let us not plan out our lives;
let us look back to find
Your hand, guiding us here,
to this moment. Shameless.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Patient Father,
This is the treadmill time of Advent,
when we can fall into fatigue and weariness,
when we are more prone to fear, to worry,
to anxiety, to depression, to cynicism;
when cries of “How long, Lord?”
turn to sighs of “Whatever.”

We thank You for seeing us anyway,
for calling us blessed, stable,
hope-filled, secure in You.
We thank You that for You,
there is no beginning, no ending,
there is only Now.

Where we have small hope,
we offer it to You in humility,
knowing You can multiply it
to feed multitudes.

Where we have large hope,
we offer it to You in gratitude,
knowing You gave it to us
to share with all we encounter.

Grow our hope this morning,
that we might distribute it
and light up the darkness of Advent.

We wait,
like You,
patient and expectant.

All this we ask through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Christ the King Sunday | Year B

O God of strange reversals
and healing mysteries,
we thank You for giving us
a Divine King who has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows.

When we are confronted
by the vulnerability and suffering of others,
enable us to act in ways that are in tune
with Your generous love and endless mercy.

Grant that we might establish our own
pockets of peace, corners of the earth
where Your Kingdom is welcome.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

O God, before Your Kingdom rules in the world
it must rule in our hearts.
Honestly, we often have our own plans and agendas,
and we want to be rulers of our world.

Christ, You came to exemplify rule in Your Kingdom
by becoming a foot washer and friend of sinners.
Help us to keep our eyes open, always looking
for those who come to us, bearing Your image,
looking for mercy.

We pray mercy for those who fled
fires in California and now have nothing.

We pray mercy for those celebrating
first holidays without loved ones.
We pray mercy for those without
a table to sit at or food to eat.
May we always be a people who
hold the truth in love, not judgment;
who walk humbly with You, not in pride;
who are slow to speak and quick to listen.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

O God, in His time, Christ demonstrated
His authority over wind and wave.
We pray for peace and calm to those
whose lives are troubled.

We pray for the family of John Chau,
a missionary killed on a remote island
in the Indian Ocean.

Give them peace as they grieve
and try to make sense of his loss.

For missionaries all over the world
working to make Your Name known,
grant them wisdom and grace in their work.

O God, train us to see Your righteous rule,
wherever it may be:
in the least of these,
in the oppressed,
in those we consider other,
in the stranger.
In our work and in our families.

In Your love, move us beyond fear;
move us beyond guilt and anxious worry;
move us deeper into Your surprising grace,
and heal our blindness that does not see You
as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

All this we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Proper 33 | Year B

Gracious Lord,
Every good gift we have
comes from You.

You turn our mourning into dancing
and our distress into delight.

You find us in our lament
and You whisper, “I Am here.”

May You open our ears
so that we can hear
Your encouragement,
Your blessing,
Your promises.

Like Hannah, let us
look to You as our source
and rejoice in whatever cup—
whether bitter, bland, or beautiful—
You ask us to drink.

You are our strength,
You are our portion.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Genuine Lord,
Let us not get caught up in prediction,
in looking ahead,
in seeking to figure it all out.

Let us trust You today
that You will bring us into tomorrow.

You are the Real.
You are the Truth.
You and only You.

When we are tempted to look
for confidence and confirmation
in anything but You,
gently nudge us back.

You alone have
the Words of Life.

Speak them to our hearts
so that we may
speak them with our mouths,
that the world may know Your Truth.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Generous Lord,
As we gather this week
with family and friends
to celebrate thankfulness,
and enjoy the prelude of eternity,
we first offer our thanks to You.

We thank You for
friends and family,
supply and sustenance,
redemption and restoration.

Whatever we have,
it is Yours.

For those among us
who take joy in this season,
we pray You would be that joy.

For those among us
who look at Thanksgiving
and see only hurt, pain, and despair,
we pray You would be their peace
until we all gather together
in Your kingdom in thanksgiving.

We pray again for those in California
who have lost everything:
homes, keepsakes, their very lives.
In this season when they’ve lost so much,
help them see all they have in You.

All this we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Proper 32 | Year B

Loving Father,
Your Son said, “Blessed are you poor,
but woe to you rich.”
Be close to all in our city
who experience material poverty.
Give them friends, give them work,
give them hope, give them stability of life.

Free them from the fear of crime,
of impossible rents, of bad living conditions,
of lack of transportation, of chronic illness.

Give us eyes to see the wealth
in those we call poor,
and the poverty in those we call rich.

Speak Your words of grace and challenge
to all who are materially rich,
that they may discover more fully
how their wealth may honor and glorify You.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Merciful Father,
Your Son said, “Blessed are you hungry,
but woe to you who are full.”
Open our hearts to any whose lives
are shrouded in hunger.

Heal and help all those

for whom food becomes
the focus of or release from
their deepest anxieties,
such that eating becomes an escape or torment.

Strengthen all who work in farming
and food service industries,
and those who seek to cleanse
the relationship of humankind to the earth,
the seas and the skies, and all living things.
Make all our eating a Eucharistic thanksgiving
and a banquet of Your hope.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Compassionate Father,
Your Son said, “Blessed are you who weep,
but woe to you who laugh.”
Spread Your arms of mercy around all who grieve.

We pray especially for the victims of the shooting
in Thousand Oaks, California.
Shelter the families burying sons and daughters,
brothers and sisters.
And for those affected by the fires in California,
restore to them all that is lost.
We weep also with our veterans,
for those who have died in war,
and for those who have been irrevocably changed
by injury, by pain, by PTSD.

We thank You for their lives
and join them and You in a desire for peace.

Patient Father,
Your son said, “Blessed are you who are hated,
but woe when all speak well of you.”
We pray for those we hate.
In a moment of silence, we name before You
the ones we feel deep down to be our enemy.

Searching for Your grace,
we pray for those who hate us.
To You they are a dream come true.
Help us see them as beloved sons and daughters.

All this we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Proper 31 | Year B

God our Father:
where can we go but to You?
When all seems lost,
when our lives are upended
by our own choices and the choices of others,
remind us You care for us
and welcome us into Your continual family.

When all seems well,
when our lives are smooth,
when harvests are bountiful
and those we love are healthy,
remind us of those You love
whose lives are not the same.
Those who face ill health, homelessness,
financial lack, and complete upheaval.

They, too, are family.

Against all logic,
You have made us Yours.
You chose us first so we, like Ruth,
might choose You, the One who sides with
the oppressed, the hungry, the imprisoned,
the blind, the stranger, the orphan, the widow.
Our family.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

God the Son: we love You.
We often think it without saying it.
We love You.
Though You know our innermost thoughts,
it still feels right to say it: we love You.

When our hearts are wayward and fickle,
Help us love You with all our hearts.
When our souls are troubled and despondent,
Help us love You with all our souls.
When our might is weak and sore,
Help us love You with all our might.
When our minds are divided and despairing,
Help us love You with all our minds.

You ask us to keep to Your ways.
Grant us the strength and wisdom to obey.

We love, because You love.
Help us show our love for You
through a demonstration of love
to the world around us.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

God as Spirit:
You animate and motivate us.
Always present, always available,
like the air we breathe or the sun’s warming rays.

We cannot escape Your presence;
we can only become more
or less aware of You.

Your command is plain:
love your neighbors as yourselves.

Simple to say; difficult to do.

So we plead for Your help
both in loving our neighbors,
and in loving ourselves.

As we prepare to vote for our leaders
let us first remember:
before we are citizens of America or Oklahoma,
we are citizens of Your kingdom.

Guide us, Holy Spirit,
in our decisions,
so You will be exalted
in all areas of our lives,
our city, state, nation, and world.

All this we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Proper 30 | Year B

O God, we pray for all people
in all places around the world.
We pray for all those who know You
and for all those who have no faith.

We pray today for those who believe
violence and anger are the only ways
to realize their dreams for the world.

We pray for those who have little or nothing to eat,
for those who are starving,
who have no shelter,
who have no friends.

We pray for those who have everything they need
but who have no sense of purpose in life,
who never see the need among their neighbors.

Lord, open their eyes to charity toward others.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our Prayer.

We pray for those who lead us in faith
and for all who lead others in worship.

May all leaders, religious or otherwise,
be guided by care for those they lead.

We pray for those who are sick, and who suffer,
wherever they are in the world.
Whether they suffer from disease, injury,
abuse, or neglect.

For the victims of the devastation that unfolded
at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh,
and for the victims of warped ideologies and hatred
that lead to shootings at houses of worship,
mail bombs, and other acts of terror.

Lord be with them in their suffering;
rescue those trapped in fear.

We pray for any who suffer and who are known to us.
May we bring them to mind now and lift them to You in prayer.

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our Prayer

O God, we pray for this Sanctuary community,
for her voice in this city and for her future.
Make us a people like Jonah’s whale;
able to stomach the rebels until they’re ready
to receive the gifts You have for them.

Make us a people like Moses’s rock;
that no matter if we are struck in anger
or spoken to with kindness
we would respond with grace

Make us a people like Zacchaeus's tree;
that by being rooted and grounded in this community,
we might cause others to get a better glimpse of Jesus.

O Jesus Christ, Teacher and Healer,
You heard the cry of the blind beggar
when others would have silenced him.
Teach us to be attentive to the voices others ignore,
that by Your Spirit we might heal the afflicted
and welcome the abandoned
for Your sake and the sake of the Gospel.

All this we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Proper 29 | Year B

Giver of Life,
thank you for this day!
Another day to live,
to breathe in, out.
For our hearts to pump blood,
for our synapses to crackle.
For our eyes to gorge themselves
on the beauty You have made.
From the grandeur of the night sky
to the intricacy of the autumn leaf.

You, and only You,
could fashion these wonders.

As the seasons change,
let us not forget Your presence.
Like the sun:
always shining, always warming,
even when hidden behind clouds
or felt dim by winter’s chill.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Giver of Liberty,
You gave Yourself to the chains of death
so that we might receive the freedom of life.

Deliver those who are held captive
by power-hungry regimes,
by money-hungry traffickers,
by self-hungry desires.

Let us walk through this life
as ambassadors of Your freedom.

Guide our every step,
confident in Your cunning,
whether we tread on springy turf
or the heads of serpents.

Be our satisfaction
and our salvation.
Always there for us,
listening before we even call on You.
Loving us honestly and authentically,
with Your literal being.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Giver of Light,
You are so patient with us.
We think our limited imagination
is the whole world,
and You just kindly speak,
“You don’t know what you’re asking."

When we are overzealous,
You graciously rein us in
while being pleased with our enthusiasm.

When we are lackadaisical,
You tenderly spur us on
while being gratified with our perseverance.

We cannot make You love us more;
We cannot make You love us less.

So we are content to serve You,
wherever You would have us.

Where we need light, show us the way;
where we need hope, send us help;
where we need healing, be our balm.

All this we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy,

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Proper 28 | Year B

God of Lament,
You know our transgressions.
You await us,
a patient Listener as we
pour out our travails
and lamentations.

As we survey the devastation
wrought by Hurricane Michael,
we do so with grief in our hearts
and hope in our eyes.
Grief for the lives lost and uprooted;
hope for the unexpected ways
You will provide care and comfort.

Where there is turmoil,
bring tranquility.
Where there is havoc,
bring harmony.
Where there is nothing,
fill it with Your everything.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Just Judge,
You seek to make all things right.
Let us seek the same.
Let us keep our sight on the good,
the wholesome, the renewed,
the Christ-in-the-world.

Let us practice your restorative grace
among all those we encounter,
from those who carry earthly acclaim
to those we wrongly consider
the least of these.

Show us Your extreme equality,
Your radical ratio,
Where the last shall be first,
the first shall be last,
and all shall be well.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Challenging Lord,
You call us to sacrifice
the things we think will sustain us.
The comforts that have made
our hearts too care-full.

Give us the strength to let go.
To empty our hands of
that which we clutch too tightly.
To drop the burdens of
safety and security,
to embrace You and Your call fully.

In this community, may we
embody Your commands
to drop everything and follow You.
For with You,
all things are possible.

All this we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Proper 27 | Year B

O God,
You make us for each other,
to live in loving community
as friends, sons, and daughters,
sisters and brothers, wives and husbands,
partners and companions.

Teach us to choose love
that is committed and devoted;
teach us like little children,
to wonder and to trust,
that our love may reflect the image of Christ.

Gracious Father, we pray for Your holy Church.
Fill it with all truth, in all truth, with all peace.
Where Your Church is corrupt, purify her;
where Your Church is in error, direct her;
where in any thing she is amiss, reform her.

Where Your Church is right, strengthen her;
where Your Church is in want, provide for her;
where Your Church is divided, reunite her;
for the sake of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Savior.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for the survivors
of the earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia,
where thousands were injured and more than 70,000 were displaced.
We pray for the thousands who were killed and mourn these losses.
May all who are affected find strength and be given help
as their lives are now so drastically changed.

May we offer what we can to show them that they are never alone,
especially when dealing with such great loss. This is our prayer.

O God, we pray for the survivors of sexual assault
around the world whose voices are silenced,
who are too afraid to speak up,
who have been told they ‘asked for it.’

May they reclaim their voices
and find strength to release themselves
from any burdens of shame or guilt.

Where possible, let there be justice for their perpetrators.
Make all things right and restored.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

O God, open our eyes to realize Your presence,
that You are not absent;
Instead, what is absent is our awareness.

The invitation we receive today
is the same Monday morning and Thursday afternoon:
to become present to You, who is already fully present to us.

Through our spiritual practices, love for one another, and profound humility,
may we cultivate eyes to see what You are already doing around us.

Loving God,
open our ears to hear Your word
and draw us closer to You,
that the whole world may be one with You
as You are one with us in Jesus Christ our Lord.

All this we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Proper 26 | Year B

God of justice.
When there seems to be no way,
You provide a way.
You open avenues for us
“For such a time as this.”

Give us the courage to speak up
when our voices need to be heard.
To lend our tongues on behalf of those
who cannot speak for themselves.

To, like Esther, expose the corruption of this world
and call forth salvation, redemption, and resurrection.
Let our hearts be set alight with a Holy Fire
to call out injustice where we see it,
and work with passion
to bring restorative justice wherever we might.

May we be an unpredictable fire of healing
in a cold and calculated world.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of forever.
It is so easy to get swept up in the now.
In the daily struggle,
in the planning for today, for tomorrow,
the next year, the next five years.
Grant us eternal perspective.
Let it be the engine behind our choices
in the day-in-day-out.

May we revel in Your eternal present
and begin to grasp Your unbounded now.
Let us not fall prey to pragmatism,
to ruthless arguments "for the greater good."
Instead, like the sequoia, let us put our roots
down deeper still into Your eternal earth,
so that we may grow impractically tall,
a towering testament to Your truth.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of mercy.
So many of us have re-lived suffering this week.
Personal, private, painful.
Wounds we’ve borne privately in silence
have been loudly reopened in public spaces.
Comfort us in our grief.

Bless those among us who are
making it through the day and calling it a victory.

Bring hope and practical comfort to those
in the Carolinas whose homes are still underwater
and those grieving after natural disasters in Indonesia.

And yet, even in the midst of this, we have joy.

Let us rejoice with those who rejoice.
Let us bear joyful witness to Your goodness.
Let us be a family that uplifts our members
and does not cause stumbling.
So that we may be at peace with one another.

All this we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Proper 25 | Year B

O God, Wisdom of the universe,
You bear the pain of Your people.
Grant us the gift of wisdom,
that we may discern Your way
and live justly and graciously
amid the struggles of this world.

Ever-present God,
we look around the world
and see places where people cry out to You:
in places torn by the ravages of war,
in countries demolished by natural disasters,
in areas like rural Kentucky where there are no jobs,
in families across our own state
who have been devastated by opioid addiction.

Help us bear Your light
into the places of the world
that need illumination and healing.

God of Wisdom, draw near to us.

Gracious God,
give us a gentleness born of wisdom
that we might go out into the world
and serve as Your ambassadors.

In order to do that,
bless us with the wisdom needed to do so;
a wisdom that is first pure,
then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.

God of all mercy and grace,
give us the courage to seek You out,
to search our hearts for Your truth,
and to be guided by the stories of scripture.
Since our hearts do not rest until they rest in You,
lead us to the pastures of Your protection,
that we might be faithful members of Your flock.

God of Wisdom, draw near to us.

Healing God,
we pray for those among us this day
who need Your love:
for those who struggle with depression’s grip,
for those who journey with physical disabilities,
for those who are lonely, hopeless,
or battling addiction;
for those who are angry and bitter,
for those who are broken and battered,
and for those we lift up to You in silence…

O God, our teacher and guide,
You draw us to Yourself
and welcome us as beloved children.
Help us to lay aside our envy and selfish ambition,
that we may walk in Your ways of wisdom and understanding
as servants of Your peace.

God of Wisdom, draw near to us. Amen.

Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy

Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.

Proper 24 | Year B

God of Wisdom,
As we go through the busyness of living,
give us ears to hear You calling
through the chaos.

Let us hold this life loosely,
with open hands,
always ready to receive
whatever You choose to give.

O God, your gifts are good,
Your ways are good,
And Your posture toward us is always good,
for You are unfiltered, unimpeded,
unbounded, uninhibited Goodness.

Help us not conflate our idea of good
with Your pure, actual Good,
but give us Your wisdom
to look upon our lives and our world
and add more Good to it.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of Action.
At the beginning,
You spoke and everything was.

Give us ears to hear
Your creative, life-giving Word in our day.
Guide our voices.
Let us choose our words in Your wisdom.
Let us hold our tongues in peace
And let them loose when necessary,
so that we may model You
by speaking Life
and only Life.

When words are used against us,
let us not wilt in shame,
let us not wither in disgrace,
but let us look to You,
for You are our Vindication.

You alone are the One
with the words of Life.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of Comfort.
You permeate the universe.
You are not a part of the thing,
You are the Thing entire.

It is all You,
so Your comforting presence is always here.

Trusting this truth, we ask for Your comfort
to be felt in a real and tangible way.
Not the concept of comfort,
not a PowerPoint presentation about comfort,
but the Real Thing.

Present in every breath.

We ask Your comfort for
Those affected by Hurricane Florence,
Those in Puerto Rico still recovering from Hurricane Maria,
The 12,800 immigrant children still separated from their parents,
The families of all those who've lost their lives prematurely,
The incarcerated and the immobile,
And all the grieving and hurting people who don’t make the news,
both abroad and those in our own Sanctuary family.

All this we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.