Prayers from Palm Sunday 2016 at 8:15am

Prayers using verses from Psalm 31, written and lead by Valerie Andersen

A prayer from Psalm 31

Vs. 1: In you, O Lord, do I take refuge: let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me.
Holy and gracious Father: You are our creator and provider, encourager and protector. We come to you with thankful hearts for rain, for changing seasons, for the joys of life - the new life of Lark John Rehbein - as well as the trials of life - .... May we live boldly knowing You have claimed us as Your own. 

O Protecting God:  Hear our prayer. 

Vs. 3: For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;...

Open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts, so that we can see and do that which you have called us to do. Remove the scales of indifference from our eyes and the bindings of fear and ignorance from our hands and feet. Increase our trust in You. Give us courage. Lead and guide us to bring Your love and grace to the unbelieving, the afflicted, disenfranchised, weak and vulnerable, to those we fear or do not understand, whether near to us or far away.

O Servant God:  Hear our prayer.

Vs. 5: Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me ...

Dearest Jesus: We are in awe of you. You died for us. As You faithfully heeded the Father’s will, dying for our sakes, may we commit to that same will, losing our broken, worldly selves, for the sake of those around us so that they too will know the blessed assurance of Your love and full promise of Your glory.

O Saving God:  Hear our prayer.

Vs. 9 and 14: Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted with grief; my soul and my body also...But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.”

Heavenly Advocate: We are in pain. Those we love are in pain. Our sin causes physical, emotional, and spiritual torment. We pray especially for ... Help them. Comfort them. They are Yours. 

O Healing God:  Hear our prayer.

Vs. 16: Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love!!

O Holy God: May we see your face today. May we reflect your grace, and may our lives encourage others to fall more deeply in love with you.  

And all God’s people say:  Amen.

Prayers from March 6 - 8:15am

Prayers written and led by Cathy Pauley

Dear Gracious Heavenly Father,

O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

Lord, as our country prepares to choose the President of the United States of America, be with the candidates and give them strength. We ask that the Holy Spirit be their guide.  As citizens vote, we ask that they pray for a leader who trusts in you, Lord.  We thank you for this great Nation, and we ask that you protect its people here and abroad.

God of protection. Hear our prayer.

Lord, we lift up Deacon Tao as he leads our outreach to the Hmong community.  Lord, we ask that you give him strength and courage to reach out to these beautiful people.  We ask that you place Your Light in the Hmong community, not only in Stockton and the United States, but in Thailand as well.  We ask, Lord, that you open doors for him and his family to find employment and a home.   God of Love, hear our prayer.

Lord, we ask that you protect our service men and women whose selfless service protects our Nation.  We ask that you keep them safe and keep their families safe who wait for their return.  We lift up Chaz Johnson, Bradley Kramer, Daniel Pauley, and Margaret Wilson, and ask that you bless each of them.  We also ask Lord that you shine your Light wherever they are and bring peace, the peace that only you can bring to the world. God of Peace, hear our prayer.

Lord, we ask for spiritual and physical healing to those suffering. We ask that you give comfort to those undergoing treatment that causes pain and discomfort.  Be with those afflicted with cancer including my Pops, Marlene, Gina, John, Paul, and others we name in our heart. God of Healing, hear our prayer.

Lord, we ask that you look with compassion upon all who through addiction have lost their health and freedom. Restore to them the assurance of your unfailing mercy and remove the fears that attack them. God of Compassion, hear our prayer.

Lord, we thank you for the long-time St. Andrews member and office volunteer of by-gone years, Marie Shields, whom you called home last week.  We ask that you give comfort and peace to her family and friends who mourn her death, but rejoice that she no longer is suffering and is with You. God of Mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord, we lift up the “least of these” special people in the Good Shepherd Family Ministry. We ask for strength and compassion for those who volunteer in that program. We thank you Lord, for all those who love them as you have called us to. God, our Shepherd, hear our prayer.

Lord, we lift up Pastor Dan, Bruce, Holly, Tracy, Ann Marie, Brandyee, Newday Preschool staff, our mission and ministry council and all those who serve. We also remember our persecuted Christians throughout the world who suffer for the Gospel. And Lord, bless those who are training with The Sending Place, Rachelle, Jeanne and Brianna. Prepare them Lord to share the Gospel and share your Love in Ukraine and Ecuador.  We also ask for protection for Ann Marie and Mike who are in Costa Rica. God of Ministry, Hear our prayer.

Lord, walk with each of us as we continue our journey through Lent.  We ask that you help us focus on this season of reflection, repentance and preparation for the celebration of the death of resurrection of your son, Jesus Christ. Lord, you have blessed each of us to be a blessing to others.  We thank you, Lord.  And all of God’s people said, “Amen.”

Sunday March 6th Prayers

Prayers lead by Laura Moore on Sunday, March 6, 2016

Adapted from The Battle Plan for Prayer by Stephen and Alex Kendrick

Lord, Your name is great, just as You are great.  And while You are one God- Creator of all, without rival- we praise You that You are more than we realize and everything we need.  Thank you for allowing us to call on You at all times, in all circumstances, and for promising to be our All in All at every moment.  We worship You today Lord God, our Savior, our Sustainer, our Friend, our reason for living.  Lord in Your mercy…Hear our prayer.

Lord, too often and in too many ways we have put ourselves first- above our loyalty to You, above our recognition of sin, above our need for repentance, and above a humble reliance on You for everything.  But where we have worked so hard to build ourselves up, we now see that we actually have been tearing away at what our relationship with You can be.  Today, Lord we come to You with nothing but gratitude, asking You to purge us of pride and help us see things as they really are.  Lord in Your mercy…Hear our prayer.

Lord, sometimes we are overwhelmed with the cares of this life:  the violence in our city, politics, conflicts with others.  Help us to give it all to you Lord.  Help us Lord God to be a godly example in the roles and with the responsibilities that You have entrusted us with.  Lord in Your mercy…Hear our prayer.

Lord, give us a greater heart for the lost- a heart that doesn’t ignore them or work around them, but rather breaks for them.  Hurts for them.  Guard us from even subtly downplaying their need for You or considering their salvation someone else’s job to worry about.  Open our eyes as we travel throughout each day, watching for You to open doors so we can give effective testimony to Your goodness and faithfulness.  Lord in Your mercy…Hear our prayer.

And do battle against our enemy, O Lord, that he would not succeed in blocking the truth from getting through to those who are dying without it, without You.  Thank you for allowing us to be part of this kingdom priority.  Help us to see it as a privilege, not a burden- a willing sacrifice for the incredible sacrifice that You have made for us.  Lord in Your mercy…Hear our prayer.

Lord, we know we are in skillful hands as we pray for You to show us Your will and lead us faithfully into it.  We accept from You specific guidance through Your word to give us “a lamp to our feet and a light to our path” (Ps. 119: 105)-for this moment.  Thank You for being heaven-and-earth beyond us in size and scope (Is. 55: 8-9), yet somehow stooping down to involve Yourself in our details.  Tune our hearts to the desires of Your heart.  Align our minds with Your thoughts.  Guide our path to the center of Your plans.  And help us pray and live in accordance with Your will.  We love you, and we will follow You.  And all God’s people agreed and say, “Amen”.

Prayers from Sunday, February 7th

We were blessed to have Martha Bockari lead us in prayer on February 7th at 10:45am.

Heavenly Father, by your guidance of your holy spirit, through your son Jesus Christ our lord and savior, we come to you in prayer. We praise you for the beauty of your creation.  Loving God, you give us every good gift, and we cannot count all of the blessings you pour into our lives. Forgive us for our ungratefulness.  We thank you for your steadfast love and saving grace.  

Loving God, we marvel at the kind of love you have for us. We love you because you first loved us. Please teach us how to love better. Guide us to work according to your will so that our words and actions attest to your love.

O gracious God, as we meditate on the glimpse of Jesus’ glory witness by your disciples, Peter, James, & John on the mount of trans figuration, may that scene be for us as well a sign of the glory that is coming for us all from our Lord's journey to the cross, the tomb, and then the resurrection. Fill our hearts with that hope of glory and help us to praise Your Holy Name

Almighty and loving Father. Please provide comfort, strength, healing power, joy and peace to everyone according to their needs.

Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. You have the whole world in your hands o Lord God almighty; please protect our cities, towns, villages and all who live in them from all harm, danger, and evil draw your church together, o God, into one great company of disciples, together following our teacher Jesus Christ into every walk of life, together serving in Christ’s mission to the world, and together witnessing to your love wherever you will send us, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord into your hands, gracious God, we commend all these  our prayers with those we have in our hearts, trusting in your mercy , through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior -Amen.

Prayers from Sunday, February 21st

Thank you to the family members of one of our small groups  - parents and their kids - for writing and leading us with these prayers on Sunday, February 21st.

(Adoration)

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come to you in adoration for all you have done for us.  Your creation is so beautiful and meant for our pleasure.  The mountains, oceans, rivers, deserts are given to us to enjoy and live in.  The nature you have given to us provides the sun, air and rain, which in turn provides for our needs.  All your wonderful creation you have willingly given us but none of this compares to your perfect heavenly realm.  One day we will be in your glorious and perfect place so we can adore you in your presence.  Being in your glory, will be more than we deserve. 

Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

(Confession)

Dear Heavenly Father,

We confess that our lives are busy and unfocused on you.  Some days we spend more time away from you and forget all that you have done for us.  Help us to let go of the things that take more time away from you or even the things that replace you in our lives.  We confess that we don’t take more time to listen and read your word.  Clear our hearts of the things that take priority over you.  Help us to think about our relationship with you, and help us to make the choice to spend more time with you.  We confess that we don’t disciple enough and spread your word to others.  Help us to be bold and outspoken to those who are unsaved.

Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

(Thanksgiving)

 Dear Heavenly Father,

 We thank you for laying down your life for us. As we move into the Lenten season, we're reminded of your sacrifice and the incredible grace you've given us. We don't deserve anything, yet you provide so much and we often fail to thank you for our blessings. We're thankful for the opportunity to fellowship with our church family, small group families, and where two or more are gathered in Christian fellowship. Thank you for the freedom we have in this great land to worship openly. And while we don't always appreciate them at the time, we thank you for the storms and trials that come our way, because in those times when we must surrender to you, we realize that you will never leave or forsake us. Thank you for blessing us so that we in turn can reflect your light to those around us. 

 Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

 (Supplication)

Dear Heavenly Father,

We would ask that in our happy moments, we praise You.  In our difficult moments, we seek You.  In our quiet moments, we trust You, and in every moment, we Thank You.  Heavenly Father, please lift us up and make us strong,please steady us where we feel unsure, please strengthen us where we feel weak, please bless us and affirm us while we follow You.  And, Dear Heavenly Father, we would ask that we keep our faith in You, and that You keep us humble and confident so that we may do what You ask of us.  Dear Lord, we ask that You be gracious to us and hear our prayers, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Prayers from Sunday, January 31st

Our prayers for Sunday, January 31st were written and read by Angel Weber and her son Luke. Feel free to use them in your own prayer time. Blessings

Holy Lord, you do not distance yourself from the pain of your people, but in Jesus you bear that pain with all who suffer at others’ hands. With your cleansing love bring healing and strength foster youth and all others who suffer harm at the hands of others; and by your justice lift them up that in body. mind and spirit they may rejoice again. In your mercy…..

Dear God, giver and sustainer of life, thank you for the gift of rain. Continue to bless us with more rain so that we may receive the fruits of the earth for our benefit and for your praise through Jesus Christ our lord and savior. In Your mercy…..

O blessed Jesus, you ministered to all who came to you. Look with compassion upon all who are battling addiction and have lost their health and freedom. Restore them the assurance of your unfailing mercy. Remove the fears that attack them. Strengthen those who are engaged in the word of recovery. To those who care for them, give them honesty, understanding and preserving love for your mercy’s sake. In your mercy…..

Heavenly Father- be with those who are sick. Strengthen them, comfort them, bring them peace. Wrap your loving arms around them and give them courage to face whatever your plan may be for them. Lift up their families and friends who care for them. Give them hope and courage, wisdom and patience. In your mercy…..

Holy Lord, change the hearts of our enemies. Help them to see the power of your glory. Assure them of your unfailing love and forgiveness. Give them the hope and courage to seek a new life in YOU. In your mercy…..Amen.

January 3rd Prayers

Prayers for Sunday, January 3^rd @ 10:45am, Using “Prepare Him Room”

Prepare Him room, prepare Him room, Let the King of glory enter in.

Good morning Lord – what joy is in our hearts this Christmas – that which was foretold by the prophets has come to pass.  The mystery of your love is clear in the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  He is the one we have been waiting for.  His kingdom, Your kingdom, is at hand.

Lord we praise you for the Church, our fellow believers in Christ on the earth.  As our world changes give the church wisdom to follow you, clinging not to our own comfort but, by your guidance, open to how you are bringing your kingdom into the world.  Work in us to bring your gospel message of salvation to all who do not know you.  Come Lord Jesus,

Prepare Him room, prepare Him room, Let the King of glory enter in.

Just as Solomon set us an example by asking you for wisdom above riches or fame, we pray that the government and religious leaders in this world would seek You. In this New Year, we ask that Your kingdom would come and Your will would be done on earth in greater ways than ever before. Lord, bring justice and peace to troubled nations and peoples. Give our leaders wisdom, compassion, and humility. Come, Lord Jesus.

Prepare Him room, prepare Him room, Let the King of glory enter in.

Father, we are all too aware of our own city’s troubles.  Crime, homelessness, unemployment, drought, and a sense of helplessness fill the headlines. But You, O Lord, bring light to the darkness and fill the hungry. Restore Stockton. Through our city’s leaders, our church congregations, and our relationships, bring healing and hope. Thank you for the many tireless workers serving You and others. Encourage them and show each of us how to love our neighbors as ourselves. Come, Lord Jesus.

Prepare Him room, prepare Him room, Let the King of glory enter in.

We are called to lives of compassion.  Give us hearts and hands to share your mercy with those who are oppressed, neglected, mocked, and ridiculed; those suffering from addiction and mental illness.  Help us to love out of the love you have shown us.  We pray for those in need of healing, especially those we name in our hearts….  Come Lord Jesus

Prepare Him room, prepare Him room, Let the King of glory enter in.

Thank You for giving us this time to quiet our hearts and speak with You. As we enter 2016, help us to hear Your voice in our daily lives. Let us hear you knocking on the door of our hearts. We ask that our hearts would be ready and prepared to follow You wherever you lead, and that we would be continually mindful of Your loving presence. Come, Lord Jesus.

Prepare Him room, prepare Him room, Let the King of glory enter in.

And all God’s people say, Amen.