BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Prayers for the Church Street Family

January 21, 2021

Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade

O God of the Sun and the Shade, the darkness works its way through the crooked tree limbs all around, leaving us with only luminous outlines of the blessed light that has covered us this day. But darkness brings blessings of its own: a chance to slow down, an opportunity to go deeper, an invitation to take stock. We admit that we rushed by you today, Lord, when you appeared in so many places. But now in the quiet hours, we recall the kind word spoken, the gesture of support, evidences of your grace, especially . . . . . . . . . . . . The joys that have lightened our path came from your open hand. And tomorrow, clothe us with more clarity, that we may detect your miracles at work in our very midst. To you be all praise!

Come to us now, Lord, as we are veiled in the memories of our missteps: the coarse words that came from our lesser selves, the unwarranted sarcasm, misplaced humor, our prideful thoughts, and especially . . . . . . . . . . Scrub away all that has tarnished our witness, we pray, and rinse us with that bracing water of forgiveness, that we may be cleansed and ready to join you in service.

Consoling Companion, we remember those for whom the evening hours are long and fear-filled: those lying in hospital beds uncertain of their diagnosis, those waiting for the phone call revealing an outcome from surgery, those without employment who can only stare into emptiness, others whose physical pain prevents their eyes from closing. In truth, we all wait for something, but give rest and consolation, we pray, to our brothers and sisters whose souls are depleted.  Use us, we pray, to lift them up both in prayer and deed, till they are assured that your Spirit waits with them.

And Tender Spirit that you are, touch each of these souls who bring their joys and their deepest hurts to you this night.  May each feel the prayers that are offered as well as your breath of love:

  • Gratitude: Son in Oregon healed from Covid
  • Thankful brother made it through emergency surgery last night
  • Member thankful for 98th birthday
  • Member grateful for her virus vaccination
  • Thanksgiving that business is picking up
  • Gratitude that healthcare workers are receiving vaccinations
  • Praises for our church’s worship and ministries
  • Two mothers dealing with sons with addictions
  • Healing of older sister, recovering from Covid
  • Elderly father healing from broken hip
  • Healing for one with serious heart issues
  • Wisdom and insight for our President and Cabinet
  • Prayers for outgoing President and team members
  • Member who is depressed
  • Healing of husband with heart ailment
  • Young mother with Covid, for healing
  • For vulnerable populations to receive vaccine
  • Cousin recovering from major stroke
  • Healing for brother hospitalized (Covid)
  • 62-yr-old friend, for cancer remission
  • Exhausted caregiver, for help to arrive
  • Strength for one enduring chemo side effects
  • Recovery for husband with Covid

Take all our prayers, spoken and unspoken, and keep them in your bin of hope. May we rest now in the darkness, assured that the light has not gone out, for it keeps vigil in our hearts. And whatever tomorrow brings, we know we will be robed once again in the Light of Christ, our Lord, who taught us to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

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BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Prayers for the Church Street Family

January 20, 2021

Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade

Blessed One, night tiptoes in softly across the fields and the city streets, altering both the landscape and the perspective of anyone wise enough to notice. Change is in the air, though in our weakness, we struggle against it. Observing the shaded clouds drifting by, we realize how stagnant our spirits have grown during this past year of pain and loss. We have all been injured in one way or another, and when we are bruised and broken, we cling to the familiar.

God of Wide Horizons, lift us up above our own personal interests, we pray, and spread our concerns wider than ourselves. Take away our complaining mantras and turn them into fresh, life-giving songs. And by your grace, lend us your courage, that we might step outside the predictable to discover the less-traveled byways, leading to new beginnings.

If this historic day has taught us anything, it is how expansive is our nation, how diverse are its people, how precious is our form of government, how complex are our challenges, and how vital is your holy guidance. As a mother blesses a son when he departs from home, as a father prays for a daughter to make the right choices, so do you, Loving Parent, long for us to make wise choices and you pray we will bless others as you have blessed us. Grant us courage to live out the promises we made in our hearts during today’s momentous Inaugural Ceremony, that we might become in truth “One Nation Under God.”

Accept these evening petitions, Faithful Father, and cover with your compassion each of these friends who lay their praises and their wounds at your feet:

  • Gratitude: A hope-filled Inauguration Day
  • One celebrates receiving a virus vaccination today
  • Thanksgiving: Vaccinations arrive at a nursing facility
  • Gratitude for our nation and a peaceful transition of power
  • Grateful for prayers: Employer with asthma and Covid much improved
  • Prayers for distraught mother and her son with addictions
  • Healing of older sister, diagnosed today with Covid
  • Upholding one with serious heart issues
  • Protection and holy guidance for our President and Cabinet
  • Prayers for outgoing President and team members
  • Healing of nerve damage following surgery
  • Prayers for young member suffering from Covid
  • Widening of vaccine distributions
  • Two young mothers in need of employment
  • Recovery for cousin suffering effects of major stroke
  • Healing for brother hospitalized (Covid)
  • Strength and courage one facing chemo
  • Shrinking of a pancreatic tumor
  • Help for a sister, exhausted with caregiving
  • Strength for one enduring chemo side effects
  • Comfort for a member who is seriously ill
  • Recovery for husband with Covid

There are times when we forget who we are and whose we are. But throughout the sleepy hours as we take our rest, you will assure us that we are your chosen ones who belong solely to you. Cover us and all whom we love with your mercy, that we might rise tomorrow to become the channels of blessings we have pledged to be. For Christ’s sake, we make our prayers:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

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BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Prayers for the Church Street Family

January 19, 2021

Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord;

and the people whom he has chosen as his own.

Psalm 33:12

Good and Holy God, we come to you in prayer with our souls wide open, seeking your mercy and your grace. You have blessed us greatly and have dealt with us kindly all our days.  Words fail us as we bow in gratitude for our families, our friends and neighbors, and all who care for us, for our church, for the privilege of worshiping you freely, and for the miracles of our very lives. As the deepening shadows blanket our corner of the universe, we reflect upon the personal gifts you made possible this day just past  . . . . . . . . . .   May our prayers of thanksgiving join with all those hearts beating with praise for your goodness. Though we are undeserving, you have chosen us as your own!

All-Knowing One, our country now stands on the threshold of a new era. Tomorrow the inauguration of our recently elected President will bring celebration, hope, and excitement for millions. But on the other hand, there will be multitudes who remain anxious, saddened, angry, and fearful of the future. May your spirit of cooperation and respect color this sacred ceremony and permeate the heart of each participant and attendee. May your holy protection cover all, melting hearts of stone and holding back the hand of violence. We cannot predict what twists and turns may be ahead for us; but as we are all bound together through the enduring love of Christ, we lean upon his wisdom and grace to help us build a future that mirrors that love.

Faithful Guardian, we lift up our new President, who will pledge to protect and defend the rights of all citizens, especially the weak and most vulnerable among us. Concomitantly, may we pledge to rise above our private politics to seek the larger vision of your will for our nation most blessed. And confident that you accept every prayer offered in earnest, we make these intercessions on behalf of your people of Church Street:

  • Thanksgiving: Mother released from hospital today
  • One celebrating birth of a healthy nephew on Sunday
  • Member thankful for upcoming visit with her aging parents
  • Grateful for prayers: Granddaughter recovered from virus
  • Gratitude: Two friends recovered from the virus
  • Thankful for husband’s release from hospital following surgery
  • That equanimity will reign throughout the Inauguration
  • Protection and holy guidance for our incoming President and Cabinet
  • Prayers for employer with asthma and Covid
  • Speedy distribution of the virus vaccines
  • Two young mothers in need of employment
  • A cousin suffering from a major stroke
  • Healing for brother hospitalized (Covid)
  • Strength and courage one facing chemo
  • Help for a sister overwhelmed with caregiving
  • Upholding one: Chemo treatment tomorrow
  • That trial meds may bring comfort to a member
  • Recovery for husband with Covid
  • Comfort and direction for all who mourn

Our prayers must often seem as babblings to you, Loving Lord; our trite words may even break apart and scatter upon the floor.  But still, we know you want to take our hand in friendship and listen when we call. So gather us in, we pray, and we shall lie down in peace and take our rest, remembering the words of the Abiding One who said: “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.”

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

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BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Prayers for the Church Street Family

January 18, 2021

Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade

Mountains have a dreamy way

of closing up a noisy day

In quiet covers, cool and grey.

(Leigh Hunt)

O God of Presence, the greyness settles in across our beloved mountains and calls us home, much as the farmer leads his herd into warm stalls at dusk.  Thank you for calling us to set aside our temporal pastimes and turn our thoughts to the eternal.  May we welcome your invitation to silence an often blustery day, recalling the overlooked gifts these past hours have presented . . . . . . . . . . All praise be to you for the goodness that colors our lives!

O One Who Summons, today our nation has honored your modern prophet, Martin Luther King, Jr., one who freely sacrificed his own health, comforts, and his very life to show us a better way. Although we may not be as gifted as he, you have summoned each of us to live into your dream: Where we find hearts fearful, may we impart courage.  Where there is distress, let us speak of peace with love. Where impossibilities close every door, let us open windows of imagination.  And where distrust thrives, may we plant reconciliation. Alone, O Lord, our efforts would be hollow; yet through your power, all things are possible.

Our earthly pilgrimage takes us along rough terrain, but as Jesus entered the world as one of us, he also traveled those craggy byways and suffered setbacks beyond our comprehension. The Blessed One asks no more of us than he asked of himself. So as we bear our trials and our temptations, remind us that you are with us as we make every limping step.  You are even near enough to hear these private longings of our hearts . . . . . . . . . . . and also these praises and petitions of your children at Church Street:

  • Prayers appreciated: Wife requires no surgery
  • Family celebrates the birth of a new baby
  • Member offers praises for her new home
  • Two offer thanks for their vaccinations
  • Thanksgiving for an unexpected gift and visit
  • Gratitude: Sister-in-law hospitalized with Covid is much improved
  • Gratitude for successful heart surgery; continued prayers for complete recovery
  • Prayers for insight and humility for our nation’s leaders at this critical juncture
  • That equanimity will reign throughout the inauguration
  • Prayers for employer with asthma and Covid
  • Healing mercies for a cousin following a major stroke
  • Family grieving death of a mother from Covid
  • Speedy distribution of the virus vaccines
  • Upholding dear sister, isolated and very depressed
  • Sister overwhelmed with caregiving
  • Two who endure chemo side effects
  • Young mother who needs employment
  • Healing of one recuperating from heart surgery
  • Comfort for family of a pastor who died on Thursday
  • Healing: Husband seriously ill with Covid
  • Prayers for a good lab report for sister
  • One awaiting approval for chemo meds
  • Friend:Healing of wounds from car wreck
  • Granddaughters recovering from Covid

Bundle all our prayers, Sacred One, and fashion them into a pillow of grace. And upon it we will take our rest, knowing you will keep us and all whom we love in the security and eternity of your embrace. We close our eyes in awe and thanksgiving this night with the prayer of Jesus upon our lips:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

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BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Prayers for the Church Street Family

January 14, 2021

Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade

Portal of Life, even before our birth, your gentle rapping was taking place upon the door of our hearts; and as time passed, that rapping came to us in the form of a nudge, a whisper, a vision of some presence beyond ourselves.  And as your calling unfolded, we placed our souls in your care, trusting that yours was the authentic foundation on which to build our lives. You have never failed us, Living God, and we remain humbled by your constancy.

In the January stillness, the night sky speaks to us.  What might lie behind that doorway to heaven, we wonder? We know there is energy there, and a life-giving force that ordained and sustains everything within that astonishing, celestial sphere. And even above that vast plain, stretching billions of miles, you are there, Shining One, concerned with even our fleeting thoughts and dreams. Yes, we are puzzled when we reflect upon the intricacies of your love; but we rejoice that we finally answered your knock and opened the door to our destiny.

We are only one speck in your grand universe, Sacred Designer, yet through your grace it was upon this earth that Jesus chose to dwell, showing us how to live as people of God.  His life gave witness to your own unwavering love, while we have fomented dissension, disquiet, and distrust in recent days, especially in our own land.  Have mercy upon us, we pray, and forgive our errant ways.  Wipe away all our missteps, especially . . . . . . . . . . Clear our vision and unite us in your wisdom, that we might be among those who build a future free of arrogance and suspicion.

In your mercy, receive these silent prayers of our hearts . . . . . . . . . . and also these praises and concerns offered on behalf of our friends at Church Street:

  • Prayers appreciated: A broken leg has mended well
  • One in isolation is thankful for prayers
  • Gratitude for prayers: New meds seem to be working well
  • Thankful that vaccinations taking place at a nursing facility
  • Insight and humility for our nation’s leaders, that they may look to God as their model in serving others
  • For help to arrive: Sister overwhelmed with caregiving
  • Prayers for successful heart surgery Friday
  • Sustaining one enduring chemo side effects
  • New employment for young mother
  • Healing of one recuperating from heart surgery
  • That vulnerable couple may obtain virus vaccines soon
  • Healing prayers for wife and mother at Mayo’s
  • For a peaceful transition of power in nation’s capitol
  • Healing: Husband seriously ill with Covid
  • Prayers for a good lab report for sister
  • For insurance to approve a chemo drug
  • All grieving the deaths of loved ones
  • Friend: Healing of wounds from car wreck
  • Prayers for ill granddaughter and another being tested for virus

As darkness covers the earth, may we take our ease, cradling our hearts in the great mystery of your love that binds every prayer in the cosmos together. Grant us, and all whom we cherish, a peaceful night, we pray; and tomorrow, with your help, we shall rise to love, to forgive, to show mercy, to make peace, and to share the good news of Christ, who opens the door to eternal life:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

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BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Prayers for the Church Street Family

January 13, 2021

Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade

Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit into every troubled breast!
Let us all in thee inherit; let us find that second rest.
Take away our bent to sinning; Alpha and Omega be,
End of faith, as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty.
(UMH 384)

Loving Spirit, we know that you weep when your people are deeply divided, at war with each other and within themselves; your tears fall when voices of hatred and disrespect breed instability. It seems that violence is buried deep in our bones and even makes its home in the little grey cells of our minds. Why else would we be so quick to harm and so slow to bring healing? Forgive us for failing you and one another. May our own tears join with yours until they flow into your great stream of justice and mercy. Take away out bent to sinning, we pray, and set our hearts at liberty.

God of the Starry Silence, the daylight hours whisper their goodbyes. They have been your sacred gift to us, as is this lengthening span of darkness.  Let us reflect upon the unmerited joys that you have sent our way:  . . . . . . . . . .  And grant that the good we may have done in the earlier hours give witness to your own generosity emerging through us, your human vessels. Even in the ebony hours, you gaze clearly through the window of our souls. With each passing night, we pray you might observe growing integrity, humility, and faith within.

And despite the thinness of our faith, we entrust to you all those persons and situations that are uppermost in our hearts, especially . . . . . . . . . . And in this interval of silence, we also share both the celebrations and the worries of our church family, knowing your loving Spirit is only a breath away:

  • Prayers appreciated: Friend released from hospital
  • Gratitude: Recovery from surgery has gone well
  • Thanksgiving: One’s depression has lifted
  • Member grateful – released from rehab
  • One offers thanks for continued healing from pneumonia & virus
  • For help to arrive: Sister overwhelmed with caregiving
  • Prayers for wife facing serious surgery and for worried family
  • Peaceful resolution to our nation’s bitter divisions
  • That holy wisdom may guide our country’s leaders
  • Co-worker who died from virus and his family
  • Healing -husband seriously ill with Covid
  • Courage for one beginning chemo
  • Three children grieving the death of their mother
  • Friend recovering from serious car wreck
  • Healing for teenage granddaughter with Covid
  • Family grieving sudden death of father
  • A father depressed due to isolation
  • Two healing from serious heart conditions
  • For new meds to slow the growth of one’s cancer
  • Courage and strength for one facing major surgery Friday
  • Healing for one enduring cancer treatments
  • For new employment: Young mother stunned by her layoff

Alpha and Omega, into your hands we commend ourselves, for you created and redeemed us. This night, may your grace enter every troubled breast, giving peace and rest. And tomorrow may we rise to walk that straight path you will be fashioning for us as we sleep. We ask all these things in the name of our Savior, who bears the love that never fails and who taught us to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

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BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Prayers for the Church Street Family

January 12, 2021

Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from far away.
 You search out my path and my lying down,
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
 Even before a word is on my tongue,
    O Lord, you know it completely.
 You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is so high that I cannot attain it.

 Where can I go from your spirit?
    Or where can I flee from your presence?

How softly the sun slips behind the tree line, signaling the close of another wintry day. As the darkness descends, we turn toward you, Holy One, bowing in thanksgiving for the gifts these hours have brought, particularly . . . . . . . . . .  We remember, O God of Reawakening, that strength and courage are born in us when we face trials and tribulations that arrive unannounced.  Through these struggles we presently bear, and there are many, thank you for fortifying us with resilience we did not know we possessed.  Make us strong and sturdy, O Lord, that we might serve as your enduring ministers in this world as long as we are needed.

Our hearts are open books to you, Prescient God, and whatever corner we happen to turn, you are there already.  What a glorious and humbling mystery it is that the One who created the universe is interested in our everyday lives!  As the psalmist proclaimed: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; so high I cannot attain it.”  Help us, we pray, to accept the timeless truth that your concern for us is both individual and unending.

Therefore, in this quiet hour, we name our mistakes and make our silent pleas . . . . . . . . . . Whatever we have done to injure another, show us how to make it right; and whatever burden we have, we know you will help us sort things out when the new day comes. And although you know them already, we pray you would receive also, Dear Lord, both these thanksgivings and these troubling situations that shadow the joy of your people at Church Street:

  • Thankful niece has recovered from Covid
  • Gratitude for a grandson’s scholarship offer
  • Family thankful for their new home
  • Thanksgiving: A husband and wife received vaccine
  • Prayers for wife and medical team – possible surgery tomorrow; assurance for worried family members
  • Peaceful resolution to our nation’s bitter divisions
  • That holy wisdom may guide our country’s leaders
  • Healing prayers for husband with Covid pneumonia
  • Courage for one beginning chemo on Friday
  • Healing for teenage granddaughter with Covid
  • God’s presence with family, father (60) died suddenly last night
  • Two who are healing from serious heart conditions
  • For new meds to slow the growth of one’s cancer
  • Courage and strength for one facing major surgery Friday
  • Prayers for daughter, recurrence of cancer
  • Dear friend hospitalized, diagnosis unknown
  • Prayers that one’s side effects of chemo are minimal
  • Couple seeking to retrieve funds lost in a scam
  • For God’s guidance in finding employment

We lean upon your encompassing presence throughout this night, Silent One, realizing that you are always keeping watch over those who are closest to our hearts, and all who are lonely and hurting. And as we sleep, infuse our hearts with the joy of knowing your grace. Accept all our prayers offered in the name of the Trinity of Love: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

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BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Prayers for the Church Street Family

January 11, 2021

Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade

O Keeper of the Hours, daylight is seeping away and the twisted fingers of the oaks seem to be waving good-bye to the foggy hillsides.  For many, sundown seems to come too soon, for deadlines have not been met, boxes on to-do lists have not checked off, meetings have not yet adjourned. Ah, but in your wisdom, you know our inner weariness and wish us to open that gate of rest. Let us cross through that passageway soon with grateful hearts, for in the evening hours you have important things to teach us. Soothe our minds and calm our spirits, we pray, that in the stillness to come we might even hear the soft beating of your heart  . . . . . . . . . .

Your Son Jesus said that eye has not seen nor ear heard what you have planned for us in that other realm. And despite our setbacks, fears, and grave disappointments, you have already gifted us in this earthly province with wonders beyond imagining: for life itself, in all its mystery and joys, for the guiding light of your church, for friends who never forsake, for family members who care, for your belief in us, for those who labor on our behalf, and for all these other graces you have bequeathed us through your mercy . . . . . . . . . . How blessed are we who need not measure up; we are accepted and blessed as we are! Thanks be to God!

Sentinel of the Night, as the shadows deepen, let us release our grip on all those tensions that have plagued us this day: our beloved nation fraying at the edges, friends who are in trouble, paychecks that are insufficient, the virus that wears a threatening grimace, unraveling relationships, loved ones who have died without a tender embrace. Let us open our hands and, one by one, may we offer to your transfiguring grace all these burdens and others that have made a home within us . . . . . . . . . . .

Take all these, we pray, and wrap them in your renewing grace. As you are the God who never sleeps until all his sheep are nestled in, we will rest easier with you on the lookout. Tend your people of Church Street, receiving both their joys and their pressing needs:

  • Thankful that one is home from hospital
  • Gratitude for an unexpected gift
  • Thanksgiving that cancer was detected early
  • One celebrates news of her cancer remission
  • Member released from rehab and now in his home
  • Member grateful for clear cancer scans offers
  • Member thankful: Healing well after knee surgery
  • Wisdom for national leaders and healing of our country’s wounds
  • Continued prayers for one with heart condition
  • That a new drug may slow the growth of one’s cancer
  • Courage and strength for one facing major surgery this week
  • Dear friend hospitalized, diagnosis unknown
  • Prayers that one’s side effects of chemo are minimal
  • Healing of beloved husband with covid pneumonia
  • One who begins chemo treatments on Friday
  • That a couple may retrieve funds lost in a scam
  • For God’s guidance in finding employment
  • Members mourning the death of a dear friend
  • God’s presence with the lonely and isolated
  • Continued prayers: One recovering from heart surgery

Guardian of the Worn and Weary, we lie down in peace; and as we enter that world of slumber, we are confident that all shall be well. Calm our spirits till they are one with yours, and receive all these prayers we offer in the redeeming name of your Son, who taught us to say:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

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BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Prayers for the Church Street Family

January 7, 2021

Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade

O God, Our Refuge and Strength, although hours have passed, we can still hear the roar of the angry crowd, the breaking of glass, the noise of destruction. The unsettling sounds, sights, and shock of yesterday we will not soon forget. And we live under the specter of future turbulence. Heal our painful memories, we pray, and enable us to put an end to the fear we harbor inside. Turn our unease into strength and resolve, O Mighty Stronghold, that we may never settle our disagreements in a violent manner.

Eternal Harmony, you are the servant of none, and in your goodness, you embedded your rhythm and unity within all creation. Malevolence in all its forms introduces a dissonance more far-reaching than we realize. You have given us the life-song of Christ as our template, so may his psalm of love, peace, justice, and forgiveness be the anthem we sing with the living of our days.

In the solitude of this evening, with our silent breaths, we offer gratitude for the ways in which your grace has touched us this day, especially in these instances . . . . . . . . . .  And absolve us of these missteps we have taken in recent times . . . . . . . . . . In your mercy, receive all these personal prayers offered by your friends in the Church Street family:

  • Grateful for prayers: A surgery went smoothly this morning
  • One thankful for a promising medical report
  • Gratitude: Member healing well from hand surgery
  • Appreciation for all who helped restore order during yesterday’s violence in D.C.
  • Continued prayers for one with heart condition
  • Prayers for all who are working to heal our nation’s wounds
  • Comfort for families whose loved ones died in the January 6 fracas
  • That peace with justice will become our way of life
  • Healing for friend in her 7th week of hospitalization with Covid
  • Healing for daughter with recurrence of cancer
  • Comfort for family mourning death of mother
  • God’s presence for all who are lonely and isolated
  • Prayers for rapid distribution of vaccine
  • Continued prayers for one recovering from heart surgery
  • Strength for member coping with chemo side effects
  • Prayers for educators and students at every level
  • Courage and strength for one beginning chemo tomorrow
  • God’s presence with one who is discouraged

In this season of Epiphany, we remember the Star that pointed the way for the cluster of weary travelers. As we rest this night, may its beam continue to shine above us, infusing us with the assurance that we are never really lost when Christ is with us. And when morning comes, may we feel that its beam within, as we rise to worship and follow that road of service that leads to Jesus, who taught us to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

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BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Prayers for the Church Street Family

January 6, 2021

Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade

Thus says the Lord:
Stand at the crossroads, and look,
    and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way lies; and walk in it,
    and find rest for your souls.

(Jeremiah 6:16)

O Holy Light That Shines Even in the Darkness, hold your lantern high, we pray, that your mighty beam will shine upon those who walk bruised, burdened, and blinded through the our broken world.  Our pain is deep and we question the unease, the uncertainty, the unknown swirling around us.  Our eyes fill with tears when we view the rioting and bloodshed smeared across our computer and television screens this very eve.  Surely you weep with us, as you witness our nation, most blessed of all nations, responding to our disagreements with violence.

O Restorer of Peace, we too stand at the crossroads as did your people in the prophet’s time.   In all our unrest, help us remember that our lives are forever intertwined. Despite your steady call for peace, we confess we are not harbingers of harmony ourselves.  Too often we have allowed our egos and willful emotions to rule the day.  Save us from ourselves, O Lord, removing bitterness within, that we may again be known as ones who choose the good way and walk in it, for it is the same road traveled by the Prince of Peace.

With you, O Holy One, all things are possible.  And so we ask you to calm the discord so prevalent our Capitol.  Where there is woundedness, bring healing; where there is ruin, bring restoration; and where there is malice, bring amity. In doing so, you will be reminding us that we are your people and you are our God.

We depend upon your watchfulness, your forgiveness, and your steadfastness to see us through all our trials, and we humbly offer our gratitude. The light of your grace is made known through these joys that are shared by your friends at Church Street.  May that same grace work within these personal situations most recently expressed by our church family:

  • Family celebrates nephew’s return home after a 3-month stay in hospital with Covid
  • Member thankful her business is recovering
  • Couple eagerly await a new baby
  • Thanksgiving: One healing well from knee surgery
  • Family grateful that mother has moved from hospital to rehab
  • Pray for God’s presence with one having surgery tomorrow
  • Rest and recovery for one with heart condition
  • Healing for friend in her 7th week of hospitalization with covid
  • Healing for daughter with recurrence of cancer
  • Comfort for family whose mother died today
  • For rapid distribution of vaccine for healthcare workers and the elderly
  • Husband continuing recovery from serious heart ailment
  • Strength for member coping with chemo side effects
  • Prayers for educators and students this first week of school
  • Courage and strength for one beginning chemo on Friday
  • God’s presence with one whose medical tests were disappointing
  • For chemo to further shrink pancreatic tumor

Remind us, Good Lord, that your love bridges any distance; and even in the most remote valley of fear, our cries reach the ears of your heart. So quiet our spirits this night as we slumber in the arms of your grace, for we know Heaven’s Star watches over us and Jesus prays with us:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

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