Prayers 3 28 99
Prayer of God’s People
Be gracious to us, O God, in these moments of Christian worship. Be with us as we rejoice in the day that you have made—this special day of celebrating Jesus’ triumphant entry to Jerusalem as the Son of David. We give thanks for this gift of Jesus Christ who in his earthly ministry gave us the gift of eternal life.
Let each one of us empty ourselves of claims to fame and self-importance. Help us to throw aside our quest for grand positions of egoism. Free us to renew your call to have the mind of Christ among ourselves. Deliver us of our propensity to grab for ourselves and to shove our way to the head of the pack and over the bodies of our trampled brothers and sisters.
O God, we come this morning with the news of military strikes against Yugoslavia and the Serbs. We pray for the end of ethnic cleansing and human atrocities that have been laid against the Albanians when you have formed every tribe and every language from your wonderful creation. We pray also for all the NATO forces as they try to provide leadership in the Balkans where centuries of conflicts have plagued this corner of the globe. Father God, protect all your children including the Americans who are directly in harm’s way during this time of crisis in Kosovo. We pray for peace and that quiet understanding when we are gathered in the spirit to be in Kosovo today.
Precious Lord, we pray this morning for strength and healing for those in our church. For Deanna Wong as she finds a balance quality of life. For Victor Low from his viral infection. For Lujuann Norris in her struggle against cancer. For those among us who are anxious about the options and choices for treatment and recovery. Grant on these and others your love, grace, and tender mercies. Protect them and give them comfort of hope and encouragement of restoration and renewal.
Dear God, we also celebrate the regaining of strength and health of Gordon and Wes Chan’s father, Theodore Chan. We praise you for making your presence known to those who are considering baptism and membership in our church. May their walk with Christ be full of promises and faithful discipleship. We give thanks for long-life and the blessings of birthdays when we can recognize the continuous blessings that you shower on us day after day. With joy and thanksgiving, we celebrate the birth of Esther to Amy and Brutus Lo.
On this Palm Sunday, we thank you, God, for being in Jesus. We thank you for his life and ministry, but mostly we thank you for his presence: for the many dimensions in which his words and ways speak to our weariness; for his face shining serious, sad, and exuberant; for his tender acceptance of our deepest pains; for his pleasure in our highest joys. Thank you for parading into our lives through his flesh and bones.
We pray for people including ourselves: who cheer now but who will fall away when trouble comes; who sneer and snipe at you; who are heads-down indifferent to you. Walk surely and slowly into our lives. Help us to discover discipleship in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together… Our Father…
Benediction
Lift high the branches that honor Jesus Christ.
We will wave our greeting with joyous praise.
Lift high the cross that proclaims love’s sacrifice.
We will risk the commitment that led to a cross.
May God’s love prevail in your life all the time. Amen.