Healing

You Call Us to Your Table (Luke 14:16-24)

cmkenlinLeave a comment

Lord, you call us to your table
and we accept your invitation.
We come, not because we fully understand,
but because we want to know your truth.
We come, not because we feel worthy,
but because we know you love us anyway.
We come, not because we are at peace,
but because we are in search of your peace.

We ask that you open our ears to your invitation.
Open our eyes to the opportunities you place before us,
chances to make connections in a broken world,
and encounters that open our minds to new possibilities.
Use us to extend your invitation to all that we meet.
Help us to embody your teachings in our words,
our thoughts and our daily activities.
As you have extended love to all,
fill our hearts with an unending love for others
so that we can share your love with others.
Fill us with the desire to be as invitational as you were.
Surround our table with those hungry for your truth
and your peace.

Lord, you called those to your table that others ignored
and overlooked.
You sought peace and justice for those without power.
You healed those who were sick.
We ask that you be with those among us in need of your healing grace.
We name ___ .
We ask that you also be with those who go unnamed,
with those living in fear and uncertainty,
and with those who feel forgotten and ignored.
May they feel your invitation deep within their hearts.
May they emerge from the shadows and take their place
fully in this life, healed and complete,
knowing they are loved and accepted.
And as they step forward, invite us to fully embrace and welcome them.

As we accept your invitation, we lift our hearts in celebration and joy,
and we lift our voices to you, using the words you gave us many years ago,
“Our Father….

The Light of the World (1 John 1:1-10)

cmkenlinLeave a comment

Our world can be a dark and scary place.
Creation shows us her power with hurricanes and fires.
Oceans rise, storms rage and islands are destroyed.
Nations quarrel and politicians squabble.
Women, children and men are used and abused by others in power.
The poor grow poorer and too many people go hungry.
People of color feel unsafe.

As we look at the pain in our world,
we don’t see ourselves as responsible.
We blame the system and hold ourselves outside of that system.
We confess that we hold others to be accountable
while making excuses for ourselves.
When we do this, we know we are walking in the darkness.

Remind us to follow in your light, to be the light to others.
Remind us that in your light, we are forgiven and made clean.
And help us to share that good news with others.
You have revealed yourself and your love to us.
Help us to share the fellowship we have with you.
Help us to be in fellowship with everyone we meet.

As we let the light that is inside of us shine,
may we see clearly the reality around us,
May we use your light to show your plan here on earth
and to guide our feet.
May we use your light to help us identify the needs of those around us.
May we use your light to identify the inequity in our world
and to help us take steps to create a just and peaceful world.
As your followers, we support each other.
We ask that you be with those among us who need your strength and healing touch.
We name __.
We ask that you be with those among us who are celebrating and
are filled with joy.
We name ___.

As we walk in your light, and as we share your light with others,
we use the words your Son taught us.
“Our Father…”

Our Connection with Others (Exodus 12:1-14 )

cmkenlinLeave a comment

Gracious God, we gather here in your name.
We are members of this church, but more importantly,
we are your children and
we are brothers and sisters with one another in faith.
As your children, we are loved and in turn,
we are to share your love with all people.
As we look around today, we see how we impact others.
We are teachers. And, we are students.
We are helpers. And we are helped by others.
We feed the hungry. And, in turn, we are fed as well.
As we touch others, we are also touched.
As we change lives, we become changed people.

We gather here in your name, with faith in your promise
that you are also here with us.
As you are connected with each of us,
we are connected with one another.
Help us to truly see one another.
Help us to see your image in their faces and
help us to follow your teachings.
Help us to share your love with others,
within our church, within our local community, and beyond.
Help us to be your people.

We gather together as your people.
We support one another in time of illness and crisis.
We ask that you be with those among us, named and unnamed,
who need your grace and strength.

As we gather together, we use the words your son taught us,
“Our Father, …”

With Honor and Faith (Genesis 29:15-28)

cmkenlinLeave a comment

Gracious God, despite our flaws you find ways to work with us,
to make us better people,
to use us to fulfill your plan here on earth.
Jacob cheated his brother and then was deceived by Laban.
We confess we sometimes work in ways that serve our own self interests.
But as members of your community,
we know that we should work for the good of all.
Be with us and encourage us to be honest,
to be faithful and to act in peace with one another.

Gracious God, work with us and use us to fulfill your plan here on earth.
We ask that you work with us to build and reinforce your community.
Help us to act with honor and respect toward everyone,
those who believe as we do and those who hold different beliefs.
Be with our political leaders and encourage them to act with honor,
to speak for the voiceless, to lift up the powerless, and
to provide justice for all.
Be with us and encourage us to also act with honor
and help us to share our best with others.

Gracious God, we are your children,
first born or last born,
each of us deeply loved and uniquely cherished.
As your children, we ask that you shape us and mold us.
Make us the people you want us to be.
Give us the strength and the wisdom to make the right choices.
As your children, we know that you are with us always.
We ask that you be with those among us who need your healing grace
and strength. We ask that you be with _____.

Gracious God, we trust in your promises.
We know that your timeline may differ from ours,
and yet we know that we can be impatient
We ask that you be with us and fill our hearts with your peace.
We ask that you be with us and open our eyes to your plans.
We ask that you be with us and open our ears to the cries to those around us.
We ask that you be with us and use our hands
to build this world into your world.
We ask that you be with us and use our voices to share the story of your love
with those around us.
And as we trust in your promise, we use the words that your Son taught us,
“Our Father…”

Fearing and Obeying the Lord (Matthew 10:24-39)

cmkenlinLeave a comment

Jesus, you never told us that following you would be easy.
You often warned us how difficult the road would be.
As your followers, our job should not be easy.
You taught us a different way of living,
a way of community and of being at one with each other.
What is whispered, we are to shout from the rooftops.
When we see injustice in this world, we are not to close our eyes.
We are not to look the other way and say, well that is just how things are.
But we are to take action and try to speak for those without a voice,
to stand up for those without power.

You never told us that following you would be easy.
Give us the courage we need to be your followers.
Help us to focus on your teachings
and not on our false sense of security.
Help us to be like the early church who knew they needed to break away
from a world that did not follow your teachings.
Following you will not be easy.
We will need to lift up our voices and speak out against injustice.
We will need to make ourselves vulnerable
and take a chance on being hurt.
We will need to understand our own biases
and work toward changing our unjust social and justice systems.
We will need to work together, to love one another, and to value one another.
We will need to freely share our gifts and treasures with one another.
Give us the strength, the courage and the wisdom to follow your teachings.

You never told us our new life would be easy,
but you encouraged us to be one with each other.
We lift up and support those among us who need our help.
We ask that you be with ___ and grant them your healing touch.
We celebrate being in community and
we lift up our recent Vacation Bible School with joy and happiness.
As you taught us, we are teaching our children.
Help us to share your teachings with everyone we meet.
Help us to act out your teachings in our interactions with others.
We remind ourselves of your teachings every time we use the words you gave us,
“Our Father…”

Our Sense of Humility (Luke 14:1, 7-14)

cmkenlinLeave a comment

Gracious God, we know that when we invite someone
to have a meal with us, that it is a special event.
We don’t have dinner with just anyone.
We give you thanks for always inviting us to your table,
for always making us welcome and
for providing a generous feast.
Sharing food with each other at a common table
sparks conversation and allows us to share ourselves with others
on an equal setting.
Help us to find opportunities to be with one another
and to share our lives with others.

As humans, we compare ourselves to others
and strive to excel, to be seated at the best seat at the table.
Remind us, Creator God, that you have made us in your Image
and that each of us is the child of God, deeply loved and uniquely cherished.
As your children, we sit around the family dinner table
and share the story of our day as equals.
May we be able to tell the story of how we shared the good news of your teachings,
the story of how our voices were raised to speak for those without a voice,
the story of how we stood up for those without power and
the story of how our love changed someone else’s day for the better.

As we join together at your table, we form your community,
the body of Christ.
We come together every week in this sacred place,
to be one with each other, to put others first before ourselves.
We ask that you be with those among us who need your grace and your healing strength.
We name ___.
We support one another and share grace at your table of abundant plenty
regardless of where we sit at the table.
Bring us together in community and in harmony.

We come together to the table set by your Son,
following the teachings of your Son, and
using the words your Son taught us,
“Our Father….”

The Sense of Human Touch (2 Kings 5:1-14)

cmkenlinLeave a comment

We fear what we do not understand
and pull away in an attempt to protect ourselves.
In Naaman’s time, a disease to be feared was leprosy.
In our recent history, we have treated AIDS victims as lepers,
and before that, we whispered the word cancer using
other terms instead.
In today’s world, we hide diagnoses of addiction and mental illness.

Help us to be giving and healing people, Lord.
Open our eyes to the needs of those around us,
and when we are in need, bring a loving touch to our lives.
Remind us that the human touch and the smallest act of caring
can make a huge difference in someone’s outlook on life.
We can make eye contact and say good morning
to the homeless man on the corner of the street
rather than walking past him as if he doesn’t exist.
We can listen for the answer, spoken and unspoken,
when we ask someone how they are doing.
We can offer assistance without judgment to a family
impacted by a child’s mental illness.

We fear what we do not understand
and pull away in an attempt to protect ourselves.
We want easy answers and
don’t want to take the time to understand a different point of view.
We want to blame others for their situation in life.
If they had been more responsible, they wouldn’t be homeless.
If they had worked harder, they wouldn’t have lost their job.
If they had taken better care of themselves, they wouldn’t have gotten ill.
Remind us that finding reasons for others’ failures will not keep us safe.
Remind us that we are your community of believers and
we are to act as your body in Christ.

Help us to be giving and healing people, Lord.
You showed us in your teachings how to model that behavior.
Help us to act as you did, giving respect to all,
treating everyone with love without judgment.
Help us to touch the lives of those around us with kindness and acceptance.
As you shared our world, we know that you are still with us.
We ask that you be with those among us who need your presence.
We name __.
As your followers, we lift up the words you taught us,
“Our Father…”

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

cmkenlinLeave a comment

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…”

Your Healing Touch (Mark 7:24-37)

cmkenlinLeave a comment

God of light and love,
We confess that even when we think we are treating people fairly,
our actions may be tainted by our biases and by our interpretations.
Overwhelmed by the world and desiring privacy,
it can be easy for us to turn a cold eye to the needs of those around us.
It can be easy for us to judge others and blame them for their situation.
Fill our lives with your light, illuminate the shadows of our lives,
and show us what we are not seeing clearly.
Let your light show us the grays in our life,
those spaces where the decisions are not always black and white
and then let your love help us to make the right decision.
As you fill us with your love and light, remind us that we are loved
and heal us as you healed others.
Let the energy of your love fill us with every breath we take.

We gather here in this sacred place.
For the next few minutes, be with us as we sit quietly
and we ask for your healing touch,
for ourselves,
for those that we love, and
for those that we know of but may never meet.
As we breathe in, we feel the energy of your love,
drawn into ourselves,
touching every part of us,
healing what is broken and in pain.
As we breath out, we feel ourselves expanding,
expanding out to unite with one another,
becoming one with each other,
here in this sacred place.

God of light and love,
Open our hearts with your love, help us to share our love and our lives
with people who are not always first in our minds.
Your son showed us this love and compassion when he helped the
Syrophoenican woman, a person some would call an enemy.
As your children, we are loved deeply and uniquely cherished.
Help us to see your face in those that we meet and
help us to extend your gift of healing to others.
We may not be able to cast away their demons,
but we can lend our ears to hear their stories,
we can lend our hands to help pick them up,
and we can use our voices to stand up for them.
Your son came to us in love and
taught us how to truly care for your creation.
And in love, he taught us the words we use today,
“Our Father…”