Prayers of the People: May 17th, 2020

Sharon Mead led us in this prayer for our 3rd Sunday of May:

Dear Jesus, Heavenly Father, Holy Spirit,

How great you are.  There is none like you and we praise you.  Thank you for drawing us into your presence today and bind our hearts together as we pray.  You are the author of every good thing and in you is no darkness.  

So, Lord, we lift up our hearts and our world to you.  The darkness here around us or even in us sometimes feels overwhelming and the issues too great.  When we think of our week, many emotions and reactions come to mind. Fear, anger, passivity, hope, discouragement, grief, courage, trust, acceptance.  Yet you know all these things and never abandon us through any of it.  By your spirit, we pray and believe that you are bringing reconciliation, new life, healing, and hope to our lives and world.  Forgive us Lord, so that we can set others free. Heal us, so that we may bring heaven to earth by being and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.   

We pray for our South Lake Union neighborhood and the businesses that seek to remain intact and provide livelihood for employees and families.  We pray for families in our community region who work to balance school, work, and family in a very intense way.  For those who have lost jobs, we ask for new opportunities and care for those who depend on that income.  We pray for the Santa Maria Project in Baranquilla. We pray for those who suffer on the streets and in jails and prisons during this time of pandemic – give relief, Lord.  We pray for those who seek to serve as community helpers. Give them strength and protection.  We lift up those who suffer or have experienced loss from Covid-19 or those in our own community who are living with cancer or other diseases.  Heal them, set everything right in their bodies so that they may be whole once again as you intend. 

 We pray for justice and justice-seekers.  May your justice reign.  We pray for the release of JoJo from the Northwest Detention Center.  You, in fact, proclaimed freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, you came to set the oppressed free and to proclaim the Lord’s favor. You carry our burdens both physical and emotional and heal our infirmities.  It’s your intention to relieve us from their weight and fear. It is your good pleasure to full us with grace.  Do so even in this moment.

I close with this benediction From Every Moment Holy, Lord, as we move out to the places you’ve called us to be…

Give us discernment

in the face of troubling news reports

Give us discernment

to know when to pray,

when to speak out,

when to act,

and when to simply shut off our screens

and our devices,

and to sit quietly

in your presence,

Casting the burdens of this world

upon the strong shoulders

of the one who

alone is able to bear them up.

In Jesus’ powerful and precious name, AMEN

Prayers of the People: May 10th, 2020

Pamela Collins led us in this prayer on 2nd Sunday.

We exalt you, O God our King. We bless your name forever and ever.

We exalt you, O God our King. We bless your name forever and ever.

Every day will we bless you and praise your name forever and ever.

Great are you Lord and greatly to be praised. There is no end to your greatness.

You, almighty God, invite us to ask for what we need and to receive it from you-- to be direct, honest. You invite us to search and find, knock and enter. When we falter, remind us that the resurrection life we have received from you is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting you with the innocence and excitement of children asking “What’s next, Dad?” Your spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who you are, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we can pray and believe.

We can ask and expect that you will act, so that you are glorified.

Remind us, daily, that when we welcome you, you dwell in us, and even though we still experience all the limitations of sin—we now experience life on your terms. That means we can risk believing that you mean what you say when you promise us that you hear us, that you will respond.

Lord, sometimes we doubt your willingness to answer our prayers. Yet if we, with all of our imperfections and mixed motives and downright selfishness—if we know how to love our children, our relatives, our friends—that’s nothing compared to how much you love us and want to give good things to us. We know that you do not even withhold yourself from us.

So, Father, we come to you asking for your powerful act of healing for our world. We ask for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. We ask, Lord, that you avert new infections. We ask that you restore those who are ill.

Father, we pray for our nation. We pray that the unity that your Holy Spirit brings be felt in our country. Lord lead us not into the temptation to divide ourselves into teams of us against them based on our theories about the virus or about the economy or according to our political affiliations, race, ethnicity, gender—or anything that can be manipulated to divide us. Lord, keep us from this insidious evil.

Father we pray for our city and our state and our nation. This epidemic has shown a spotlight on our sins: those forces that drive health disparities, those things we allow that unfairly put people at risk of illness, death, violence, and hardship. Heal our hearts. Lord, give our leaders wisdom and mercy, Give us wisdom and mercy and courage to help build back a healthier and more just society. Heal our economy. All power is yours, dear Lord.

Lord forgive us and keep us forgiving each other. Teach us rely on your grace to do this, help us to choose to live bold resurrection lives in your kingdom. Help us to walk through that open door.

Lord, I pray for our Union family and the concerns on each person’s heart. You know what these are. I pray that each us of would know deeply your tender motherly love.

We bless your holy name. Amen.

Prayers of the People: April 19th, 2020

We are grateful for Sayuko Setvik, who led us in this prayer on Sunday.

Let us pray together.

Dear God,

You are worthy of all our praise and worship.

We praise you for who you are, Creator of Heaven and Earth, you are full of love and grace.

We thank you Jesus, for Your life, death and resurrection.

As we ponder how the women found the empty tomb, encountered the angel, and then met you, Jesus, we hear the words “Do not be afraid” spoken to us as well. These are words we need to hear from you today, and we thank you for them. Lord, thank you for knowing every little detail of our lives, every thought and feeling that goes through our mind and heart. You know each of our specific situations and understand our pain, our anxieties, our fears, our loneliness, our hopelessness, our brokenness. Thank you for meeting us where we are.

Lord, the whole world is in your hands. You are in control. Nothing is impossible for you. So we ask in faith, that you stop the spread of this virus and all the suffering. We pray for those who are sick, that you would bring healing to them. For those who are caring for the sick, give them strength and rest. For those who have lost their loved ones, please be their comfort. Please provide resources for the healthcare providers, provide the necessary equipment and more workers, give them relief, protect them and their families. Please give wisdom, efficiency, and resources to the scientists who are trying to develop a cure and a vaccine for this. We pray also for protection for public servants, grocery store workers, and others who are risking their lives to keep life going as we shelter in place.

We pray for the leaders all over the world on every level, that they would have wisdom and knowledge to make good decisions for the people. Show them your truth and your path. Give them strength to do the right thing. We pray for those without a place to live, those who have lost their jobs, those who are struggling to keep their livelihood, those who don’t have a support network, those who are not safe where they are… Have mercy on them, O Lord. Be with them and provide for their needs. Please use us as your hands and feet. We pray for Union’s ministries. Thank you to those such as Ian and Bobby who are being the hands and feet for this Body of Christ. We pray for abundant blessings to those they serve through Immanuel Community Services and our friends at Compass. May they feel loved and cared for through these meals. Help us to continue to be a generous community, and to be creative and wise with our time and resources.

Help us to pray, help us to listen to You and to others, Lord. Help us to notice what you’re doing in our lives and in the world. Please continue to involve us in your kingdom

work. Thank you for your unrelenting, unfailing love. Please give us your spirit of love and kindness, compassion and grace, that we might have grace for ourselves and others. Help us to be more like you in these difficult times. Help us to remember that we are your beloved children.

And I close with these words from Isaiah 43: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. (Is. 43:1-2)

We lift up all these things in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.

Prayers of the People

Prayed by Cathy Thwing on April 5, 2020, Palm Sunday

Gracious God, our Father, our Redeemer & Lord, our Counselor & Comforter, our Good Shepherd & Great Physician,

Our hearts cry out to You on behalf of ourselves, those we love & those around this world, Your world, whom we don’t even know. We ask You, Almighty God, in the powerful name of Jesus, to take away the power of the coronavirus to cause harm & to kill. Viruses mutate, let this one mutate itself into impotence.

Our hearts break, as Yours does, for the suffering of the whole world:
--for those who feel alone & isolated
--for those overwhelmed by too much company with housemates
--for those who are suddenly unemployed
--for those who are suddenly having to work in completely new ways
--for those who are suddenly having to home school children, & in many cases, work at the same time
--for those without resources to get through this new month
--for those detained & incarcerated
--for those who are homeless, who are fleeing violence, who are called “undocumented”
--for those who have lived many, many years
--for those with compromised immune systems, underlying health conditions, and those who are “essential” who look danger in the face every day
--for those who were already in precarious positions before the virus & now have this added calamity
--for those for whom the present circumstances tip the mental health balance
--for those who have lost loved ones
--for all who are afraid

Lord, have mercy upon Your people.

This week, Lord, may we hear Your voice which over & over again throughout history has said to Your people, “Do not be afraid!” Not because the circumstances aren’t fearsome, but because You are present with us, as close as our breath. May we take pauses this week to breathe slowly & deeply & to experience Your presence with us, to hear Your words of assurance that you are with us, that You love us, that You never abandon us, that You know what we need, that You will provide what we need, that You specialize in taking what we are able to offer & multiplying it to be enough, often considerably more than enough. May we remember that You fed 5,000 plus people with 5 loaves & 2 fish, & with 12 baskets of food left over (Matthew 14:13-21). May we remember the poor widow of Zarephath who during a famine in the land was gathering a few sticks for a fire to cook a final meal for her son & herself. The prophet Elijah asked her for a cup of water & a bit of bread, & she replied that she had only a handful of flour & a little cooking oil. Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid! Go ahead & do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself & your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ’There will always be flour in your jar & olive oil in your jug until the time when the Lord sends rain & the crops grow again!’ So, she did as Elijah said, & she & Elijah & her son continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour & olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.” (1 Kings 17:8-16) May we live this week not from scarcity, nor hoarding, nor clinging to our resources, but with generosity out of Your abundance & provision for us, offering You & others what we can & trusting in Your multiplication to make it enough.

Give us eyes to notice & hearts to embrace the unique gifts & opportunities of this unexpected season in our lives, even in the midst of its losses, uncertainties & worries.

May we remember this week that we are safe in Your arms, & that those words recorded in the Old Testament book of Lamentations are true today & true for each of us:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end.
They are new every morning, new every morning.
Great is your faithfulness, O Lord, great is your faithfulness.”
(Lamentations 3:22&23)

Thank you! Amen.

Cathy Thwing, 4-5-2020, Union Prayers of the People

Prayers of the People: March 29

The Lord’s Prayer in a Pandemic

(adapted from Jim Wallis, Sojourners, March 26, 2020 by Loretta Pain)

God of all mercy and grace.

Each week, we pray this prayer as your son, Jesus, taught us to pray. Today, we pray as a scattered community amid a worldwide pandemic.

Lord, we confess our sadness and our fears. We feel stuck, trapped inside, overwhelmed. Only your love and justice will bring your kingdom into our community right now. Inspire and sustain us to bring your kingdom to earth in this moment of crisis.

We pray especially for those fighting on the front lines of the pandemic — our first responders, nurses, doctors, and other health care professionals — to save as many lives as they can. Shelter them from this virus. Grant your healing mercies to those who will inevitably get sick. Speed the production and distribution of the protective and medical equipment they need. And help those of us not in the health care sector to do the most important thing we can to protect them — help us to stay home.

Lord, give us the strength not to hoard, but the courage to share what we have in order to provide daily bread for all. We know that we find you and each other at the table, so please make us hungry for larger tables. Even in times of social distancing, show us how our daily bread can bring us together.

You have forgiven our sins and trespasses and you have asked us to forgive others. Oh God, how do we treat others the way you have treated us? Lord have mercy, Lord teach us to have mercy — right now.

Forgive us for the temptation to retreat from our neighbors in this health crisis, taking social distance into social withdrawal from the most vulnerable.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

forever. Amen.

Lord, give us the faith and the courage to make this proclamation even in this time of a deadly virus.

Because we know what your kingdom on earth brings, give us the hope of that kingdom in our hearts, lives, communities, and the nations. Let that future we believe in help sustain us in the present, even when things we can’t control seem to dominate our lives. Lord, help us to believe that the virus, the threats, the injustices, and the fears they create are NOT in control and never will be,

“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, now and forever. Amen.”