A Congregational Prayer, October 14, 2007
Offered by Rev. Vincent A. Fasano
Good and Gracious God, we thank you for the mystery which is your
church, and for gathering us into this Household of faith.
All that which is good comes from your hand:
Every breath we draw - a gift of your time;
Every moment of life – a gift of your grace;
Every desire to follow your will – a gift from you
through your Holy Spirit.
Foremost among your manifold gifts, O God,
We thank you for sending your son Jesus into the
world -
-the one person full of grace and truth…
-the one person in whom the fullness of You, dwells,
completely…
-the single one in and through whom your Kingdom has
indeed
come. Near!
Mighty one, may your Spirit re-open our ears and our eyes, that we might
hear, see and “seek first” your Kingdom.
Pray show us again and again:
that though small and slow growing, the
Kingdom’s bloom is assured;
that all our presumptions about who is in and who is
out will
undoubtedly be reversed;
that every act of mercy, every embrace of the enemy,
every choice of
kindness, every insistence on justice
is your Kingdom – come !
In these moments, we offer prayers for those of this Household of Faith,
and beyond, who have special concerns:
those suffering and burdened by illness of the
body, or confusion of the mind;
those who are frightened, and those hospitalized;
those whose relationships are broken or shattering;
those who taste grief and know emptiness.
God of all comfort, hear our prayers of intercession.
Mighty God:
we are all falling far short of being church,
the Household of your intention;
far short of proclaiming
the good news of the Kingdom;
far short of being the body of your Son on earth.
This is our confession.
we have failed the mission.
So we pray that you will receive us
in our honesty and in our brokenness
hoping and trusting that you will put
a new and right spirit within us.
Come gracious one, we open ourselves anew to you.
In Sermon, Scripture and song,
pray teach, lead, correct, enable.
Come, Holy Spirit, dwell within.
Enable each of us -
-along with all creatures and all creation-
to look forward to the future with confidence.
Fast-forward our vision to that time of joy and completion,
when,
”...the kingdoms of this world are become
the Kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ,
and He shall reign
for ever, and ever.” Rev. 11:14
For it is in His name we pray, Amen.
