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2007 ELMC Prayer of the Month Archives |
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Prayer of the Month May 2007
Friends, Christ is Risen!
As we see more and more evidence of the new life of Easter
and spring, we receive this beautiful prayer offering from
our colleague, Richard "Dick" Sparrow,
Minister, Team Leader,
Endorser for Professional Organizations, Parish Life and
Leadership Ministry Team for the
United Church of Christ and member
of NCC Professional Church Leadership, which further
reminds us of the gift and responsibility that are ours.
Creator of worlds beyond our
knowing,
this earth is known to us and often feels like ours yet where we walk and work and love and laugh and rest and play and swim and build and tend and teach and sleep and eat . . . and live . . . is only for our use, today. Throughout these May days may we walk as stewards . . . lightly mindfully and gratefully – honoring you and respecting those with whom we share the gift of sunlit sky, and budding trees . . . flowering bush and warming breeze. Amen. Concerns and Observations:
NCC and Other Ecumenical Meetings/Events:
April 2007
It is interesting that in April 2006, our
colleague, Mayra Castañeda,
offered the monthly ELMC prayer. A year later, Mayra is
joining the ELMC staff (Monday, April 16th). For our
reflection, her beautiful prayer offering comes to us
again much as she reunites with the ELMC family in a new
role in our shared ministry.
Dearest wonderful God, Receive all honor, praise, and all glory. As we walk through the shadows of the dusty, rocky path of the cross, And as we look to the glory, splendor and victory of the resurrection, We pause at the transition of our own humanness. We are mindful of how fragile we really are and how much we need you to help us carry our cross even as we walk through our own shadowy, dusty, winding and often steep path. We pause to listen and to be still and to know that you are. We pause to discover again and again that we are never alone. We pause to discern the Shepherd’s voice calling our very name and leading us to still waters and restoring our soul. We stop to be in your presence where we are received, where we are fully known and fully loved. Loving God, we want to be able to bask in your love and acceptance. Loving God, let our hearts be filled only by you. Loving God, we plead for the penetrating energy and power of your spirit to infuse our souls with your love so that compassion, mercy and grace become our presentation cards. Accepting God, in your love help us not to wait for others to do what is just, what is right and what you have mandated your children to do. In your love, help us not to be complacent and satisfied with our own comfortable standard of living while others suffer not having enough for their daily bread. In your love we feel the stress, the chaos and the loneliness in our surroundings and in faith and in action you send us forth to be your agents of change, walking with others, forming community. And so we pause, no we stop—stillness! We breathe in You- renewing and refreshing! We praise you for your everlasting love. We praise you for your everlasting peace that surpasses all understanding. We praise you for your grace and forgiveness. We praise you for your creation. We praise you for your power and might. We praise you for holiness. We lift our voices in praise. We lift our hands in praise. We lift our souls in praise. We lift all of who we are in praise for you are the Alpha, the Omega. Our hearts, our minds, our bodies praise you. Praise the Lord all my soul. And now we lift up to you our colleagues and our friends, and we commit unto you the plans and decisions set before you. Concerns and Observances:
Thom C., Episcopal Church
and ELMC Administrative Board member, and his family in
the passing of his mother and uncle
Una J., United Methodist
Church, General Board of Global Ministries and Executive
Committee member of the Program Committee on Education for
Mission, and her family in the passing of her mother in
South Africa
Mayra Castañeda,
as she joins the ELMC staff on April 16th
April 5 – Maundy Thursday
April 6
–
Good Friday
April 8
–
Easter
April 22
–
Earth Day
NCC and Other Ecumenical Meetings/Events:
AMEN
Ecumenical Prayer
Cycle
March 2007
During this Lenten season,
we are thankful for this month's rich prayer offering of
our colleague and commissioner, Michael Gibson, Religious
Education Coordinator for the Friends General Conference.
God our Sovereign, giver of all that is good, the One who, within and beyond us, loves us into being with incomprehensible generosity – we praise you, we thank you, and we worship you with all that we have and are: our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our bodies. Where we are deficient, enlarge us. Where we are stingy, loose us. Where we are overly self-concerned, free us. Where we are broken, heal us. Where we are greedy, teach us gratitude.In the midst of Lent, we look with hope to Christ’s glorious resurrection. In the midst of our own need, we trust in your divine abundance. In the midst of the world’s suffering, its gross inequalities and cruel violence, its poverty of body and spirit, we seek your justice, compassion and peace. Help us, also, to be open in appreciation and wonder to all that is beautiful and loving in the world; may what is ugly not block us from naming what is good. Help us to know how, when and where you are calling us as members of Christ’s body to love and serve his holy Church and to respond to the needs of the world. And give us the courage, wisdom and humility to take up not one bit more or less than you ask of us. We trust you to give us gifts appropriate to our various tasks, and the strength and will to persevere in faith as we walk together yoked with Christ. We remember this month all those within the commission, the council, and beyond, and under their care, who are carrying out various pieces of your work. We hold in our hearts those who will be planning or facilitating various events. We especially remember: ELMC:
NCC
and Other Ecumenical Meetings/Events:
We also lift to you the
following prayer concerns:
March 8
–
International Women's
Day (United Nations)
March as Women's
History Month
Lent
the people who are
still dispersed and/or displaced by the devastation in
New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Region
March 21
–
First Day of Spring
March 21
–
International Day for
the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (United
Nations)
March 22
–
World Water Day
(United Nations)
Thank you for the joy of life, thank you for the fragrance of your grace, thank you for opportunities to serve you. May all we are and all we do give honor to you, for the power and the glory are yours, all holy trinity, now and forever. Amen. February 2007
Friends,
Mary Jane Pierce-Norton, ELMC
Vice-Chair, member of the Committee on Family Ministries and Human
Sexuality and Team Leader for Family, Life Span & Latino Ministries,
Discipleship Ministries Division, General Board of Discipleship of The
United Methodist Church, once again offers reflections and prayer for
February, speaking to where so many of us find ourselves. We thank her.
Today I am
considering the weather. Here in Nashville we have had a build-up of a
week of anticipation of the snow that never happened. My husband,
David, thinks its a conspiracy from Kroger to get everyone to panic buy
milk, eggs, bread. For whatever reason, it happens not just for snow,
but for expected thunderstorms, higher than normal heat, etc. Sometimes
whatever is predicted does really happen. At other times, we simply work
ourselves into a frenzy, then nothing happens. How often at home, at
work, in our relationships do we spend our time anticipating the worst,
worrying about what might be rather than spending time in the moment
enjoying what is, taking care of the troubles of the day, and relishing
the relationships that are part of our lives. The words from scripture
that have meaning to me today in the midst of worries that do not happen
are those of Psalm 136. I would invite you to turn at some point during
this month and be reminded again that the steadfast love of God endures
forever.
Gracious God: We
give you thanks and praise this day. We are a blessed people. Maybe we
don't have all that we think we want. Maybe the people in our lives
aren't giving us the credit we think we deserve or the recognition that
we seek. Maybe there are complications at work that irritate us, slow us
down, or occupy more than the space they need to in our lives. Maybe we
are dealing with illness or death of loved ones. Maybe we have children
or grandchildren that need help and attention. Maybe we have friends and
relatives serving in armed forces and finding themselves daily in harms
way. Maybe the catastrophes, evil, and fear around the world paralyze us
and make us feel hopeless and defeated. Indeed, this is the reality of
our lives. We do have real worries. Help us have the wisdom to sort
through the real worries and use our time and energy to address those.
Help us find the grace to laugh at those imaginary worries, to move them
out of our minds so that we have space in our thinking to ponder the
very real blessings we enjoy. Help us to notice the kind word, the
beauty of a bare branch against the blue sky, the love of family and
friends, the goodness of even simple meals. We place before you the
work we do. We are striving in so many ways to live out the teachings of
your son, Jesus. Offer to us places to show your love to others. Open
our eyes to see those opportunities. Give us joy for our service;
strength for each day; a true and loving nature that is a bold witness
to all we meet. In Jesus name we pray. Amen
As you pray this
month, please remember the following in our community who are in need of
special prayers:
– Elise Antreassian, Diocese of the
Armenian Church in America
– Josselyn Bennett, Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America
– Billye Bridges, Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ)
– Thom Chu, Episcopal Church, USA
– Carmichael Crutchfield, Christian
Methodist Episcopal Church
– Jose Abraham de Jesus, United Church of
Christ, (nominated as ELMC Chair)
– Arthur Kelly, Church of God (Anderson),
ELMC Secretary
– Diane Monroe, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, ELMC Vice Chair
– Mary Jane Pierce Norton, United Methodist
Church, ELMC Treasurer
Give thanks and
praise for the work of Josselyn Bennnett and the recognition she has
received by being named one of three recipients
of the 2007 Seeds of Hope Award presented
by Wheat Ridge Ministries, an independent Lutheran charitable
organization that provides support for new ministries
of health and hope in the
name of the healing Christ. Josselyn will be honored at a Benefit
Dinner on February 3rd near Chicago.
Pray also for the
work of ELMC and the committees that are meeting this month and the
groups of the NCCC that are meeting as well:
NCC:
And include in your prayers
this month prayers for African American
Heritage Month as we as a nation engage in celebrations,
educational opportunities and observances in our churches and in our communities.
January 2007
Happy New Year. We
thank The Rev. Dr. Nathan Schaffer, ELMC commissioner
from the Progressive National Baptist Convention,
Inc., for beginning our ELMC prayer year. We make
note of our prayer concerns for January:
January Meetings:
Prayer Concerns:
Kind and Gracious God, the
God, Creator,
and Sustainer of this world,
unto you ALL flesh shall come. So, here we are
once again offering you our praise and thanksgiving.
If there was ever a people who is
truly grateful, we
are that people. As we stand at the threshold of a new
year and a new beginning, we
say thank you.
In the midst of our praise to You we ask that you
would manifest Your presence in the lives of those
whom we lift up in prayer. We are glad that You are
not a 'god' whom we have to direct to go here and
there. You are our God and Your eyes are in every
place.
Our prayer concerns are many;
but, that is
no surprise to You. We ask God and Father that you
will provide journeying mercy to all who will travel
to the various meetings held in January. We pray that
Your will be done and that You will allow your Holy
Spirit to breath on each participant, that they will
speak only what You would speak to them.
Lead and guide as only You, our God,
can do. We
pray that our thoughts and ideas will be the thoughts
and ideas you would have the various ministries to do.
We pray that your divine healing power will rest upon
those with health challenges, namely: Becky Davis, Ima
Jean Kidd, Claudia Bell,
Ann Chamberlain and also with those names
that have not been listed here, but are still in need
of your healing power.
We pray for those who are being lead in paths of new ministries,
namely: Carolyn Landers Pettigrew, Patricia Chapman
and others who seek Your guidance. We pray for the
President of our country and the 110th Congress of the
United States. Please make them men and women of sound
judgment and hearts with compassion for Your people.
Now
Father, there are concerns that have not been listed
here, but we have listed them in our hearts. Please
continue to hear Your children as we pray. We ask in
the Name of Jesus,
The Christ.
AMEN
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2007 Prayer of the Month Archives |