A moment of contemplation for yourself or on behalf of others on everything from the life-altering to the mundane.


Prayer: A conversation with The Higher Other who lives within each of us. An invitation to vent, to re-think, to ask, and to rest.

Monday, November 8, 2021

Prayers of the People: Labor and Delivery ~ 25th Sunday after Pentecost '21 Yr B

For Sunday, November 14, 2021, Readings: 1 Samuel 1:4-20, 1 Samuel 2:1-10, Hebrews 10:11-14, 15-18, 19-25; Mark 13:1-8

    [Hannah] said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” [1 Samuel 1:18a]

 …there is no Rock like our God…for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed. [1 Samuel 2:2b, 3b]

Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together...but encouraging one another... [Hebrews:10:24-25] 

Not one stone will be left…all will be thrown down…Many will come in my name…and they will lead many astray… When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place…This is but the beginning of the birthpangs. [Mark 13:2b, 6, 7a, 8c]

    Hannah’s pain was deep over many years at the inability to bear a child. Yet she continued to faithfully pray through her tears and distress and was finally given a son by God. Perhaps our prayers seem to be unanswered when we don’t get what we most desire ~ the health of a loved one, or peace in the family. Yet Hannah’s words Let your servant find favor in your sight are the words of faith for us to embrace. We cannot know the mind of God, but we can be assured that our minds and our hearts are not hidden for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed. And though we are judged, God grants us forgiveness and salvation though Christ.
     The Christian life is not intended to be a solitary journey. Even Jesus had his companions along the way and has told us he’s in our midst whenever two or three ~ or more ~ are gathered. We, too, are to be companions in, with, and through Christ, sometimes following, sometimes leading, but often together in a supportive, encouraging, spiritually renewing community. It is through such a community of prayer, worship, and relationship, that we stay connected and are reminded of the faithfulness of God to those who are faithful to God.
     The path of Christ is no easy walk. He tells us to beware of those who claim to be him as they will lead us astray. There will be hardships, rumors of wars and wars, earthquakes and famines. It’s all too easy to be fearful with the speed of news of disasters around the world and nearby. But such times are the beginning of birthpangs, birthing the coming again of the glory of Christ. It is all in God’s time, and well beyond our comprehension. Do not be alarmed, Jesus says, stones will be thrown down and buildings will fall. The writer of Hebrews tells us to have the confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us…by our faith we are cleansed in body and in heart so Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. Let us keep faith in practice and in hope. Birthpangs is the beginning of the labor that will become the delivery of the fresh, new life that awaits. 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
 
Leader:  ~ O Lord Most High, You call us in every time and place of our lives to provoke one another to love and good deeds, with true hearts in the full assurance of our faith, awakened to the brightness of the everlasting life to come.
 
                                                     O God our Rock and our Strength           
           RESPONSE:                May we find favor in Your sight
 
~ O Lord Most High, we offer our prayers for all who lead this World, this Country, and this Community by election, fiat, or inheritance to know that You are a God of knowledge who weighs their minds and actions as much as ours. Inscribe their souls with a yearning for integrity, global and local peace, and justice tempered with mercy for all the people in their charge. We pray especially for: 
add your own petitions
 
                                                       O God our Rock and our Strength
                                                       May we find favor in Your sight
 
~ O Lord Most High, nestle the aching, the fearful, and the desperate in Your loving embrace, and revitalize all who support their needs. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… 
add your own petitions
 
                                                       O God our Rock and our Strength
                                                       May we find favor in Your sight
          
~ O Lord Most High, grant us a foretaste of the joy and glory of Your Heavenly Kingdom as the gates open wide to receive our beloved who now live in the newness of Christ forevermore. We pray especially for… 
add your own petitions
 
                                                       O God our Rock and our Strength
                                                       May we find favor in Your sight
 
~ O Lord Most High, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… 
add your own petitions
 
                                                       O God our Rock and our Strength
                                                       May we find favor in Your sight
                       
~ O Lord Most High, quicken the spirits of those called and ordained to speak Your Words and celebrate Your Sacraments, inspiring us all to live lives of holy, generous, and selfless intention in this earthly life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                       O God our Rock and our Strength
                                                       May we find favor in Your sight
 
The Celebrant adds:  Loving, Patient God, grant us faith-filled confidence in the Gospel to take on the mantle of servanthood in Your Name with continuous hope. Show us the righteous path of life, as we strive to set the needs of others above our own, un-swayed and undeterred by false prophets who would lead us astray. We ask though Christ, our Great High Priest; the Holy Spirit, our Counselor; who with You, are One God, now and through all Eternity. Amen.





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