October Corporate Prayers

10.2.22
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the joy it is to gather as your church and proclaim the goodness and the glory of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is so very good for us to sing and celebrate the gospel and to be reminded of what we were and who you made us to be; we forget who Christ is and the work he has accomplished through his life, death, and resurrection. We're a people so taken with the world around us and our circumstances. We forget the Son stepped down out of heaven and assumed such a lowly estate here on earth. We forget Christ lived a perfect, holy, and sinless death but died the death meant for sinners. We forget Christ died and was laid in a grave but got up and walked out of that grave. We forget Christ walked in this same dirt we tread but ascended into the glory of heaven. We forget he is always with us both in the dark of the valley and the sunlight of the peak. Father, forgive us. Forgive us for looking around at our worldly place and forgetting Christ is bigger than it all, and his glory is greater than it all. Forgive us for forgetting Christ is with us until the end of the age. Spirit, help us to remember who Christ is and what he has done for us. Help us in all and through all to glorify Christ as our holy and perfect Savior. Help us to be a people who know him more deeply each day. It's in the wonderful name of Christ that we have gathered, and in his name we pray, Amen.

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10.9.22
Loving God, we thank you for the blessing that it is to gather in Your name this morning. You are so very good to us, and we rejoice at the mention of your Name! Jesus, You are Emmanuel, God with us. This name and Your presence isn’t just for us at Christmas time, its ours wherever we go, in the seen and all of the unseen, hidden places in our lives. What a gift it is to know that the steadfast love of the God who created the heavens and earth also loves us with a love that is firmly fixed, immoveable, loyal and faithful.
God, we admit that the storms of this life and the evil of this world are weighing us down. Many of us are broken and hurting, and feeling torn to shreds by relentless trials and storms. Help us to see that.....What was intended to tear us apart— you intend it to set YOU apart; that You always work good out of bad, You always turn hard things into good gifts. Because no matter what tries to tear us apart, God you hold our hearts. And no matter what bad was meant to harm us, Your strong and loving arms have us. Help us to surrender our hearts to You. In these moments when we feel overwhelmed with despair, draw us close to You. For Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light. You provide rest for our souls. May our songs and our words be a sweet sound to you, Lord. It is in Your wonderful Name we pray, Amen.

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10.16.22
Father, we adore you and your name is holy. As we sing these songs of praise we ask that you would hear us and that our worship would be pleasing to you for you are truly all we have and all we need. For it is from you, through you and in you that we have all things. For those of us who came today with joy and gladness, we praise you. We thank you for times of abundance and blessing. Times of celebration through life's milestones of birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, new jobs and growing families. We rejoice together with our brothers and sisters. But others of us today, are reminded of the storms we face. We look ahead and all we see are waves brimmed with white caps ready to crash over us. The water is deep and chaotic and it seems as though you are sleeping. Unaware and absent. Forgive us. In your mercy remind our hearts that you are Emmanuel. You are God with us. The waves we see are in your hands leading us to the shore of your peace and provision.
As we enter into our time of being in the word, prepare our hearts. Lord even now show us those things that we need to bring before you in repentance and also things we need to bring to each other for forgiveness so that we can hear from you without distraction. You are faithful and just to forgive, thank you Lord.
Amen
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Father God,
You are so good. You are so mighty, strong, loving and compassionate. You are perfect, holy and wise. We are far from that. We choose our ways over yours, day in, and day out because we are a fallen, sinful people, without hope on our own. But God, you sent your Son Jesus to come to earth and live a perfect life, to die a death we deserve, and to rise again on the third day, securing our place in heaven with you forever. For Jesus’ perfect sacrifice and his saving grace, we thank you and we praise you. Please be with us this morning. Help us to come into your house and be renewed by your word and the fellowship of the saints. And let us go from here, more like you than when we came. We love you and we thank you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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10.23.22
Church, we are privileged to have an example of how to pray taken directly from the words of Christ.  Would you please join me in the Lord’s prayer?

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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10.30.22
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift it is to gather as your church; to sing and celebrate the glories of Jesus Christ. Oftentimes we miss the necessity of this time together. Monday comes and everything returns to a speed we struggle to keep up with. We live such hurried and wearying lives it's hard to find a moment just to sit and be still. To find a moment to find some peace. And despite the warning signs we continue to heap it on ourselves. And for what? At what cost? We're exhausted. We're anxious. We're angry. We're threadbare. We're sick. We're restless. Instead of creating space for you in our lives we've elbowed you out. Father, forgive us. Forgive us for not taking the chunks of time we need to be with you and instead filling those moments with other things. Things that simply stretch us thin or crank us up. Spirit, teach us where rest –true and good rest– is found. Remind us that true and good rest is found only in Christ. In the atoning work he's done to purchase our soul's rest from this weary world that often tells us our eorts simply aren't good enough, do more. Christ tells us it's done, now come find your rest in me. May that be the longing of our hearts, the treasure we pursue. It's in the wonderful name of Christ that we have gathered, and in his name we pray, Amen.