Shared during Sunday Worship on October 20, 2024.
Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are the creator and the redeemer, the beginning and the end of all things. You are the source of all goodness, beauty, light, and truth. During this Festival of Hymnody, we give you thanks for the church’s ministry of music. We are grateful for all those you have inspired to make music to the Lord, from the biblical Psalmists to the present day. We thank you for those in our congregation who use their talents to lead us to sing your praise and adore your beauty. For these bountiful gifts, O Lord, we silently offer our gratitude.
Holy God, you are the sovereign of the universe, the ruler of the world. Be with all people and all nations, so that we might live together in ever greater conformity to your justice and peace. We pray especially for our own country. Heal the fractions, the resentment, the ill-will, and the mendacity that divide us. Give our fellow citizens cool heads and thoughtful minds. Give us the wisdom, justice, and tolerance we need to live in peace with one another. Protect our leaders. Preserve our democratic institutions. We pray, too, for our city. We thank you for all of its marvels: its culture and art, its businesses and economy, its buildings and parks. In your mercy, be with those who cannot access these goods: the impoverished, the houseless, the oppressed. Empower us, as your holy people, to secure the flourishing of all. For our nation and for our city, O Lord, we silently pray.
Faithful God, you have loved us from all eternity, and you have drawn us into fellowship with yourself and with each other. Be with your church throughout the world. We pray especially for our congregation and our school. Thank you for all the volunteers and staff who keep our community afloat, for the many Marthas whose tireless work so often goes unseen. And we thank you for the teachers and students of the Brick Church School. Send your Spirit upon them and guide them into all truth. Finally, we pray for those in our community who are sick or weary; we pray for those who are brokenhearted; we pray for those who are exhausted; and we pray for those who are lonely. Bring your healing and comfort to each one of us. For our congregation and our school, O Lord, we silently pray.
We pray all these things, heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus and through the power of the Spirit; one God, mother of us all. Amen.
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