Community

Filled by the Spirit (Acts 2:1-21)

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Creator God, you equipped those who followed you with the gifts that they needed,
you gave them the words that they needed to share your teachings,
your spirit marked them and filled them with prophecy,
with visions and dreams.
Fill us today with your prophecy.
Mark us as your’s and remind us of the gifts you have freely given us.

We come here each week to gain strength from one another,
to learn from one another,
to care for one another.
Mark us as your’s, fill us with your dreams and visions,

Your early church was at first afraid and stayed huddled together.
But your Spirit filled them, gave them strength, gave them courage and wisdom.
Your Spirit fills us, draws us here each week.
Strengthen our faith, give us the courage to share your teachings with others,
give us the wisdom to understand your plan for this church,
open our hearts to your desire for us and for this congregation.

The Spirit descended upon your followers in the past,
descend upon us now today and in our future.
Father, Son and Holy Ghost, you are with us always.
You provide the strength we need in today’s chaotic world,
you encourage community and taught us to work together to fulfill your plan.
We ask that you be with ___ and fill them with your healing grace.

Your early church gained strength and spread out across the world, carrying your word.
Give us the strength to open our hearts to those we encounter in our daily lives,
help us to share the story of our faith with others.
Open our minds and hearts to where you are calling Church of the Apostles today and in the future.
We have accomplished much in forty years.
Stir our imagination for what should take place in the next forty years.
Fill us with your Spirit, your visions, your dreams, and your prophecy.

Creator, you equipped those who followed you with the gifts that they needed,
you gave them the words that they needed to share your teachings,
We use the word your Son taught us,
“Our Father…”

Teacher, You Came to Us (Mark 5:21-43)

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Teacher, you came to us, as one of us.
You came to where we were and experienced our lives.
Your focus was not on rules, but on relationship, on community.
You sought justice and fairness rather than maintaining the status quo.

We gather here today, as your community, as your followers.
Our lives have changed because we know you.
Change us further with your love and your grace.
Fill us with a desire to seek justice for those around us.
Remind us that we have the ability to make a difference in our world,
by small deeds or large deeds:
A smile, a meal, a letter to our congressman, a donation to the food bank,
standing up for someone who is being bullied, or
protesting against an environmental or economic policy.
This is our world but we need to work to make it your world.

Teacher, you came to us, as one of us.
But you were not one of us.
You were able to heal the sick and raise the dead.
Your acts and your teachings, then, show us the way today,
even when we may stumble and lose our direction.
As we look around this sacred place,
remind us of those in our congregation who are hurting or are in need of healing.
As a community, we know that it is up to us to support one another,
but we ask that you also be with them and grant them your peace and grace.

We gather here today, as your community, as your followers.
Our lives have changed because we know you.
Change us further with your love and your grace.
Help us to realize that our community extends beyond this place.
Our actions impact others within and beyond this place.
As Americans, we use more natural resources than others in this world.
Remind us to take care of this world, our home.
Remind us that your community is the entire human race,
and that we are to work for justice for all your people.

We ask that you teach us, that you change us, that you use us.
We are your children, all of us, regardless of our race or our birthplace.
Open our hearts to your plans, to your desires,
unite us in community, a fellowship of your believers, your followers.
You spoke of faith, and demonstrated love and respect to those around you.
Help us to to live as you did; help us to share love and peace with those around us.
As you taught us, as you modeled your faith, you gave us the words to pray to your Father.
We lift our voices today, using the words you taught us,
“Our Father…”

Do Whatever He Tells You to Do (John 2:1-11)

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Do whatever he tells you to do.
That’s what Mary told the servants to do at Cana.
Lord, help us to have the same faith and the same discipline.
Help us to follow you and to do what you tell us to do.
Open our ears to your directives.
Open our hearts to your love.
And, open our eyes to your plan.

Your mother, Lord, had faith in your ability to make a difference in this world.
You gathered disciples from unlikely candidates
and they also had faith in you.
They carried your story forward and have made disciples of us.

We are your followers, Lord.
We gather here each week
and make up the body of Christ in today’s world.
Strengthen us,
Use us,
Teach us,
Lead us,
We want to do whatever you tell us to do.

Remind us that there is abundance in this world.
As you changed over a hundred of gallons of water into wine for a wedding,
help us to see that we live in a world of plenty.
We may feel there is not enough, but you have given us more than enough.
Unclench our fists as we try to hold onto more than our fair share.
Encourage our generosity.
Open our eyes to the needs of those around us, locally and globally.
As you have blessed us, we need to also bless those around us.
As your disciples learned from you, help us to also learn your teachings
and help us to share those teachings with others.
As your community shared with one another, and supported one another,
we support each other.
We ask that you be with __ .

Do whatever he tells you to do.
That’s what Mary told the servants to do at Cana.
You have told us what to do.
We know what we are to do and we ask that you give us the strength to do so.
You have given us the words to say and we use those words today,
“Our Father…”

Remembering Our Baptism (Luke 3:15-17, 21-22)

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As we enter into a new calendar year and the church season of Epiphany,
our expectations are high.
We have made resolutions and plans for the upcoming year.
But some of our resolutions have already been broken.
Some have been forgotten and
we have already made excuses for why we will not be able to keep others.
Our willpower can be weak and we know that we are not worthy.

And yet, All Loving and Personal God, you know us to our very depths.
You know our strengths and our weaknesses.
And you love us anyway and in all ways.
You see who we are today and who we could become tomorrow.
You know our thoughts, our deepest desires and our darkest fears.
We are your children, Lord, and as such,
we are deeply loved and uniquely cherished.

Lord, you chose to be baptized within a group, sharing in their sense of community.
We have joined your community, with our baptism, with our confirmation,
and with our pledge to be your disciple.
We ask that you be with us in our journey,
that you help us to see what needs to be done here to make this world your world.
We ask that you give us the strength we need to carry out your plan.
We ask that you support us in our desire to be better people,
to help us to keep our New Year’s resolutions, but most importantly, to be your people.
We ask that you remind us of our baptism, remind us that at that time,
we joined your universal church, the body of Christ.
And as the body of Christ, we support each other and raise each other up in prayer.
We ask that you be with those among us who need your healing touch and sense of grace.
We name ___.

In the act of baptism, we know that you are with us.
You give us the power of forgiveness.
You renew our spirits.
And, you call us to be your people, always.
As your people, we use the words your Son taught us,
“Our Father,…”

What We Share (Mark 6:1-13)

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Lord, we recognize that the person we see in the mirror
may not match the vision we have of ourselves
and does not match the vision our friends and families have of us.
The world around us focuses on the image, the perception,
but you taught us what we do and how we act is more important
than our words.

Call us to be the people you want us to be.
Send us out to be your face to the world.
Use our hands to do your work in this world;
use our hearts to share your love in this world;
use our voices to call for your justice in this world;
and, use our faith to help us discern your plans for this world.
We are your disciples in today’s world.
Send us out to be your face to this world.

Lord, we recognize that the person we see in the mirror
may not match the vision we have of ourselves
and does not match the vision our friends and families have of us.
As we look around this sacred place that we return to each week,
do we truly see the people who sit beside us?
Do we know the gifts and talents that you have given to them?
Are we helping each other to nurture and grow those gifts and talents?
Or are we shutting them down and failing to believe in them?
Help us to support and grow one another.

Call us to be the people you want us to be.
Let us start here, within this community,
but help us to move out into the world that surrounds us.
Help us to support one another, and to grow each other into your disciples.
Remind us to have patience with one another.
Remind us that none of us have all the answers and that we learn from one another.
Remind us that we are a community and we need to support each other.
While we focus on those within our midst who need our attention,
we know that you are always with us.
We ask that you be with ___, granting them your healing grace and providing them with your strength.

Lord, we recognize that the person we see in the mirror
may not match the vision we have of ourselves
and does not match the vision our friends and families have of us.
Many of the people that you have called did not feel up to the challenge that you set before them.
Help us to meet the challenges you set before each of us.
Remind us that we are your children, built in your image,
each of us loved and uniquely cherished, and given the gifts needed to meet the plans
you have set before us.

Call us to be the people you want us to be.
We give ourselves to you and offer ourselves to you.
Send us out in the world with only your teachings.
As your disciples, we know and use the words that your Son taught us,
“Our Father….”

What We Reconcile (Ephesians 2:11-22)

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One thing that humans do very well
is to identify differences between ourselves.
White, black, rich, poor, educated, illiterate,
conservative, liberal, male, female, young, old.
It is easy to see these different labels and
to hear the biased arguments on the daily news and talk shows.
Lord, we ask that you be with our political leaders and
to focus their hearts on what is best for the country,
not on what is best for them or for their party.
We ask that you open their eyes to your plan here on earth
and open their hearts to lead our country to work towards that plan
as a united people.

We gather here each week in this sacred place.
As we look around the community that you have gathered here today,
remind us to reach out to those we don’t yet know,
to say a simple hello and to start getting to know one another.
Each of us may know you differently, Father,
but we come here each week because we want you in our lives
and we want to know you better.
We know that your Son taught us that we strengthen our faith
by living in community with one another,
growing and nurturing one another.
Our differences can make us stronger,
remind us to celebrate the gifts and talents of others,
knowing that we are each unique and deeply loved
and knowing that we are called to be your people.

You gave us your Son who taught us peace,
peace and justice for all, regardless of our status.
Encourage us to seek out peace and justice for all we encounter.
Open our hearts to your will and to your plan.
Remind us that we are one with Christ, one with each other as your community.
We know that you are with us always.
We ask that you make your grace and presence known to ___
as they are in special need of your healing touch.
We are citizens of the United States, but also citizens of the world.
Remind us that every nation is our neighbor,
remind us that this creation is ours to protect,
remind us that we are all your children,
remind us that we are one.

As your children, as your united people,
we use the words you taught us,
“Our Father…”

What We Claim (Ephesians 4:25-5:2)

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We have come to you in different stages of our lives, Lord.
Some of us were baptized as infants
and have no memory of the living water
that welcomed us into this community.
No memory of the promises that were made on our behalf.
Others joined as children, young adults, or even older.
We remember the promises that we made
to unite with Christ,
to unite with this community, and
to unite with the church.

The water of our baptism cleansed us and welcomed us.
Out of the water of baptism we rose with new life,
forgiven of sin, and renewed with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Help us to remember this feeling every day, Father.
Remind us that we are your children and we are to follow your ways.
Remind us to work for the good of the community,
rather than what is best for us individually.
Open our hearts to the needs of others,
open our eyes to see the need for justice in this world,
open our hands to fulfill your plan in our world
and open our ears so that we truly listen to one another.

We come together again this week in this holy space,
as members of your community.
We work together to feed the hungry,
to share the teaching of your word to others,
to live with one another in a committed body of Christ.
Living in community with one another,
we may find that we have different ideas on how to do something,
but remind us that each of us wants what is best for the church,
for your church, for your community of believers.
Remind us of our baptism into the community of believers.
Help us to remember this feeling every day, Father.

As your children, we know you are with us every day.
We feel your presence with us, always.
Be with those we name, those who may need your grace and healing touch,
be with __.
As members of your community,
we work to support one another.
Be with us as we grow in our faith.
Help us to be with one another
with honesty, with forgiveness,
and most of all, with understanding and acceptance.
Fill us with your Holy Spirit.
Unite us with Christ,
with this community
and, with your church.

As your children, as your community, we raise our voices to you,
using the words your Son taught us,
“Our Father…”

Be Love (James 1:17-27)

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Father God, you gave us your son.
Your son who showed love with his every action
and his every thought.
Help us to do the same.
Remind us that our thoughts shape our actions.
Our thoughts of judgment may keep us
from reaching out a helping hand.
Our thoughts of fear may keep us
isolated and alone.
Remind us to filter our thoughts
through the lens of love.

God of light and love,
fill us with the warmth of your presence.
Open our ears to your teachings,
open our hearts to your desires, and
open our eyes to truly see the people around us.
Mold us into the people you want us to become.
Help us to put your teachings
into action in this world.
Give us the strength and the wisdom to make our world,
your world here on Earth.

God of truth and wisdom,
remind us that faith and understanding
should be demonstrated in acts of doing.
Bless us in our work here on earth.
Forgive us when we struggle to love one another,
and be with us when we seek to make amends
to those we have hurt.
Open our eyes to the pain of those around us and
give us the strength to comfort and help one another.
We ask that you be with __ in the upcoming days and weeks
and we lift up our concerns to you.

Mother God, you have given us many gifts.
Each of us is deeply loved and uniquely cherished by you.
In addition to the gift of truth, you have given us the gift of laughter
and the gift of celebration.
You have given us the gift of relationships and
we know that we are stronger when we come together
as your children, as brothers and sisters in Christ.
As you find joy in each of us, help us to see that same joy in one another.
Remind us to enjoy the life you have given us.
Remind us to use our gifts to help one another
and to make this world a better place.
As we lifted up our concerns, we also lift up our joys
in praise and thanksgiving.

Father God, you gave us your son.
Your son who showed love with his every action
and his every thought.
Your son who gave us the words we use today,
“Our Father…”

We Are Connected (Mark 12:38-44)

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Gracious God, we may not want to admit it,
but we are more like the scribe than the widow.
We dress our children in the latest fashions and
upgrade to the newest iPhone.
But we don’t think about the child who may be working
in those factories overseas to give us our latest gadgets
and our athletic wear.
We say we want to protect the environment,
but our constant need for energy depletes the rain forest
and poisons the water.
We put our needs before the needs of others.

Help us to be more aware, Lord.
Help us to see how we are connected with one another,
with nature, and with you, Lord.
Help us to see how our private and our public choices
impact each other, impact our world,
and impact our relationship with you, our Creator.
Help us to remember we affect people we will never know
and will never see.
Help us to put ourselves in someone’s story,
to hear their circumstances without judgment
and to see your image in their face.

Creator God, you created a world that contains all we need.
Remind us that our gifts and treasures are not a reflection of our faith,
but more a reflection on the circumstance of our birth
and our ability to make our way in a material world.
As your disciples shared their gifts and talents with the early church,
so too, are we to share with each other.
Help us to see the inequities of this world
and give us the strength to stand up for justice and peace.
Use us to fulfill your plan here on earth.
Fill our hearts with the desire to follow the examples of your Son, Jesus.

Remind us that being a church does not only mean gathering together
in this sacred place.
Being a church means taking our message out to the world,
in deeds more than in words,
showing others your love and your grace.
Help us to be more like the Widow,
give us the strength to give ourselves freely to each other,
without fear, and without doubt.

We know that you are with us always.
And, we know that faith alone does not guarantee us a pain-free life,
but we know that with your presence, and with the help of each other,
we can be supported and comforted in this world.
We ask for your healing presence for those among us who need it the most.
We name ___

As the widow, we come to this sacred place, and together,
we use the words that your son taught us:
“Our Father…”

Happily After (Mark 10:2-16)

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Gracious God, we all long for that happy ever after.
We have ideas about how life should be,
dreams of what could be, and, hopes for what will be.
As children, we learned to crawl and then to walk,
but understood we might fall down and
would need to pick ourselves back up.
As we grow older, picking ourselves up and
dusting ourselves off becomes harder.

Through our lives,
we have learned that it is our relationships that define us.
that strengthen us, that stretch us, and shape us,
our relationship with you and our relationship with others.
It is our relationships that will help us pick ourselves up when we fall.
And it is our relationships, sometimes, that cause us to fall.
Thank you, Teacher God, for the people you have brought into our lives,
friends we have know for years and others who are around only for days or months,
people who taught us love and people who brought conflict to our lives.
We were to know each of them and they were to know us.
Your son taught us the power of relationships,
bringing people together to fulfill your plan.
You are the one constant in our lives. We know that you are with us always.
Be with those among us who need to be comforted and to feel your healing touch,
we name __ in particular and ask that you be with them

Forgiving God, we have all faced the disappointments of life.
We have disappointed others and we have been disappointed.
Our dreams about what could be sometimes fall short.
We have learned the couple on the top of the wedding cake
does not always live happily ever after.

As your church, we come together to support each other, to learn from each other,
and to celebrate the love you have shared with us.
As you have shown forgiveness and understanding to us,
we are to share that love with those around us.
Help us to open our hearts to those around us.
Remind us to focus on developing our relationship with each other,

and our relationship with you, Gracious God.

Remind us to partner with one another, to strengthen the bonds between us.

We have ideas about how life should be,
dreams of what could be, and, hopes for what will be.
Remind us that our reality is up to us.

Together we are your church, and as spouses work together and create a partnership in marriage,

so must we work together to make this world your world here on earth.

As your children, we lift our voices together, using the words that your Son taught us,

“Our Father…”