Love

Be Connected (John 15:9-17)

cmkenlinLeave a comment

It’s all about love.
The love you have for us even if we don’t deserve it.
The love your followers had for you
even if they didn’t understand you.
The love we have for you even when we don’t show it.
The love we fail to give to others
even when you have showered us with love.

We know we don’t follow your teachings, Lord.
Forgive us when we compare ourselves to others
in ways that make us superior to them.
Open our hearts to love rather than judgment.
Forgive us when we focus on our own needs rather
working to make this world a better place.
Open our eyes to love rather than self-indulgence.
Forgive us when we refuse to listen to others and
insist that our truth is the only truth.
Open our ears to love rather than intolerance.
Forgive us for clinging to our treasures
rather than sharing with others.
Open our hands to love rather than selfishness.
Remind us to love others as you have loved us.

Lord, you came to us and shared our human life.
You know our frailties and our weaknesses.
You came to us because of love.
You are with us today because of love.
You will return to us because of love.
As you have loved us and supported us,
we support those in our community.
We ask that you be with those among who are in need.
We name ___.
We also ask that you be with the unnamed,
the ones we carry in our hearts and
the ones who have not shared their need with us.
Create within us a community
where all feel willing to share their hopes, their desires and their needs.
We are your people, we are your children, and we are loved.
Help us to live our lives in love.

Lord, you taught us how to pray many years ago, and we lift our voices up now
using the words you taught us, “Our Father…”

Be Whole (1 John 4:7-21)

cmkenlinLeave a comment

We are your children, made in your image,
formed by you and loved by you.
Help us to feel that love within ourselves.
Open our hearts to accept your love freely.
Help us to love and to accept ourselves
as you have shaped us.
None of us can claim perfection or live up to your teachings.
And yet you still love us and give us grace.
Help us to feel that grace deep within our souls.
And remind us to share your grace with others.

We are your children
but we live in a world that is separated and divided.
A world where many feel unwelcome or marginalized.
A social climate that rewards materialism and
casts blame on those who are impoverished.
A political agenda that reinforces the fear of the “other.”
A world that celebrates the rich, the powerful and
the beautiful.
None of us can claim perfection or live up to your teachings.
And yet you still love us and give us grace.
Help us to reject the world around us and
to see your image in the faces of those we meet.
Jesus taught us that there is no “other.”
We are to act as one people, one community.

We are your children
and as you support us, we support those around us.
We ask that you be with ___ and share your healing touch with them.
In love, we lift up those who have gone unnamed
and have not yet realized that they are made whole in your love and grace.
We ask also that you be with us, a white congregation,
and begin to open our eyes
to the ways our society is not fair to our brothers and sisters of color.
Help us to see how our known and unknown biases
shape our interactions and our beliefs.
Take away our defenses so we can share honestly with one another.
Give us the courage and strength to have the conversations that will bring us together as one.

Jesus taught us that there is no “other.”
Gracious God, we lift up our voices today
asking for your help to make this world your world.
We use the words Jesus taught us, saying “Our Father…”

Be Reconciled (1 John 3:16-24 )

cmkenlinLeave a comment

Love is not just words, love is action.
We know, Lord, it is not enough to
tell someone who is hungry that we will pray for them.
We must also feed them.
Better yet, help us to find a way
to ensure your abundance is shared with everyone.
Give us the wisdom we need to make this world a better place,
to make a difference by what we do and say in your name.

Your love for us is never-ending. Your love fills our hearts and our minds.
As an act of love, you have given us your teachings,
you have given us grace, and
you have given us your son to show us how to put your words into action.
Help us to follow in his footsteps.
Urge us to action and fill our hearts with the desire
to make this world a better place.
Use our hands, move our feet, open our eyes and free us from doubt and fear.
We can follow your teachings.
We are your people and you give us strength.

As your people, we have come together in community
to grow and share our faith.
We honor you and lift you up in worship and praise.
We also lift up those among us who are in need of your strength and grace.
We name ___.
But we ask you to also be with those among us who have not been named.
Some may be embarrassed to ask for help and choose to remain silent.
Some may feel unworthy of your love and hide from your presence.
Some may feel separated and alone from the congregation
and don’t know how to connect.
Gracious God, you know our needs better than we do and
we ask that you be with us and help us to be the people
you know we can become.
We know that you are with us always.

Love is not just words. Love is action.
Love is truth spoken in kindness.
Love is peace and justice.
Love is forgiveness and reconciliation.
Love is faithfulness to people and to ideals.
Love is a willingness to share your gifts and talents with others.
All this and more, Gracious God, is how you show your love to us
and how we show your love to others.

We lift up our voices in the words that your son taught us so many years ago,
“Our Father….”

Be Honest (Luke 24:36-49)

cmkenlinLeave a comment

We come before you and we cannot hide our true selves.
We cannot hide our pain, our wounds, or our deepest needs.
Gracious God, you see us truly, and we cannot hide from you.
There is no camouflage that can allow us to keep any part of ourselves secret.
There is nothing about us that you do not know and, more importantly,
there is nothing about us that keeps you from loving us.
We are your children. You have formed us in your image.
And as your children, we are deeply loved and uniquely cherished.

We sometimes hide ourselves from the world.
We smile and tell those around us that everything is great.
We are afraid of allowing others to see us as wanting or in pain.
We want to be seen as strong and in control.
But you see us as we truly are. We cannot hide from you or from your love.
And as you love us completely, open our hearts
so that we can also love ourselves completely.
Heal our wounds and fill our hearts with your peace and your grace.
And as we hear the sacred story of others,
help us to create a space that allows for acceptance and understanding.
Help us to share ourselves with others completely and freely.

Help us to own our past and to recognize the value of our history.
Give us the courage to share our sacred stories with those around us.
Give us the wisdom to understand how our experiences and
how our past has shaped us and made us the people that we are today.
As we have learned from our past, help us to teach others.
Help us to share the story of your love and your teachings with others.
We stand before you, openly and as your children.
As you are with us always, we ask that you especially be with those among us
who need your strength and healing grace. We name ___.

We are your children, Lord.
We lift up your teachings in praise and thanksgiving.
And, as your children, we use the words that you taught us so many years ago,
“Our Father…”

“Life, Death, and Jesus Christ” (Mark 14:1-11)

cmkenlinLeave a comment

We come to this sacred space every week,
to hear your word and your teachings.
Help us to come to you with the excitement
of those who welcomed you to Jerusalem.
Fill our hearts with the joy of your love.
Free us from concern about what others think
and encourage us to wave our palms in the air
as we celebrate and share your love.
Make us like the children who dance in the streets.

As your followers, help us to really feel your presence.
Open our hearts to the fullness of your love and grace.
Open our eyes to see how you have touched our lives
and the lives of others.
Open our hands so that we are willing to share our gifts
and treasure with others.
Open our mouths so that we can speak your truth.

As your followers, we have formed a community in this space
and in this world.
In this journey of Lent, we have prepared to encounter the mystery.
We cannot say we understand it fully, but together, we learn
from each other and from you.
Your mystery overwhelms us, surrounds us and fills us
with both joy and sorrow.
As you embrace us, we ask that you be with those among us
who are facing illness, worry and doubt.
Help them feel your peace and your grace.

As your followers, we celebrate your life and prepare for your death.
Our shouts of Hosanna in the Highest may turn into whispers,
but remind us again of your truth and your teachings.
We remember the prayer you taught us and we lift up our voices together,
“Our Father…”

Help Us to Follow You (Ephesians 5:1-10)

cmkenlinLeave a comment

Heavenly Father, you sent your Son to us as our Teacher.
As children copy their parents, help us to copy the actions of your Son.
Open our hearts so that we can love you fully.
Open our minds so that we can be receptive to your teachings.
Most importantly, give us the strength to follow you
and to love others as you did.

Our world is not a just world.
There are many who do not act in love,
but instead act in greed or evil.
Help us to be the example of a life lived in love.
Help us to live as the good, the just and the righteous.

We mourn those who have been killed, injured or impacted
by the violence in our world.
We grieve that our children and teachers have learned the lesson of fear
instead of the lesson of education.
We find wisdom in the voices of the teenagers and young adults
who raise their voices today to say, “No More.”
They are following your teachings.

We are saddened by stories of famine, of refugees, and war.
And we admit that we turn away and
say we cannot do anything to save them.
We are sickened when we hear how pollution or chemical spills
poison our water and our land.
And yet, we choose financial gain rather than
acting as the guardians of our world.
We see courage in the voices of those who speak up in protest
of policy and legislation that harms rather than protects.
They are following your teachings.

Lord, there is so much pain and suffering in our world.
And yet, we do not give up. We are your children, your followers.
Be with us in our struggle even as we support those among us who are ill or in pain.
We ask that you be with ___ and surround them with your healing grace and peace.
Open our hearts so that we can love you fully.
Open our minds so that we can be receptive to your teachings.
Open our ears so we can hear the needs of those around us.
Most importantly, give us the strength to follow you and to love others
as you did.

And, as we follow you in love, we use the words you taught us so long ago.
“Our Father…”

Made in God’s Image (Romans 12:1-8)

cmkenlinLeave a comment

Creator God, you have made us in your image.
To each of us, you have given special gifts and talents.
We may not feel special, but we are uniquely made
for your purpose.
Help us to understand that purpose.
Help us to fulfill that purpose.
Help us to use our gifts and talents to their fullest.

Giving God, you have given much to us.
Remind us that our gifts are not only for ourselves,
but are meant to be shared.
Our world is full of plenty,
even when we feel in need.
Help us to recognize and to appreciate all that we have.
Open our hands and hearts to others.
Encourage us to share freely and to accept the gifts of others.
Help us to celebrate our gifts and to use them in joy.
Help us to worship you with full hearts, minds and bodies.

Loving God, you have brought us here together in this sacred space.
Remind us to continue acting in community with one another
during the week.
Help us to share your love and your teachings with others.
As we support one another, we ask that you be with those among us
who need your healing touch and your strength.
We name ___.
As we celebrate joys with each other, we thank you for ___.
Encourage us to continue to build relationship with one another,
to make friends of those who used to be acquaintances,
to make peace with those who used to unsettle us,
to comfort those who are grieving, and
to recognize and appreciate the differences of others.

As your children, we lift up our voices, using the words your Son taught us,
“Our Father…”

Love, Yours and Ours (Matthew 22:34-46)

cmkenlinLeave a comment

You told us the greatest commandment is to
Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul and with all your mind.
Next, we are to love our neighbor as ourself.
Remind us, Lord, that love is a verb.
We are to love and to love means to act.

It is easy to love you, Lord,
and to love our family and friends.
We can say we love the stranger whom we have never met.
It is not as easy to love the stranger who cuts us off in traffic,
the person who holds a different political viewpoint than ours,
the stranger who is incarcerated,
the co-worker who doesn’t pull their weight,
or the person we think is taking advantage of the system.

Remind us that we don’t have to feel love,
but we need to act with love which means
acting in fairness.
Help us to see the image of God, your image,
in the faces of those we meet.
Help us to treat everyone with fairness.
Help us to act with love in each encounter.
Remind us that each of us is a child of God,
deeply loved and uniquely cherished.
Give us the strength to take action
to protect the powerless,
to speak for those without a voice,
to listen for the needs of those around us,
to lift up those who have stumbled,
and to feed the hungry.

As your children, and acting in your love,
we support those in our community.
We ask that you be with those among us who are in pain
and who need your extra support. We name ___.
But we also celebrate with our community.
We lift up in joy ___.

We thank you for the love you have extended to us,
love that we have not earned but freely accept.
Help us to now freely share that love with others.
As we feel your love, we lift up our voices and our hearts to you,
using the words your Son taught us, “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…”

Living in Community (2 Timothy 3:10-17 and Psalm 119: 97-106)

cmkenlinLeave a comment

Gracious God, we thank you for the role models in our lives.
We may not realize it until later, but in every encounter,
we share a lesson.
We are the teacher and we are the student.
Help us to carry the right message to others.
Let them see your love in our actions and in our words.
Help us to see your image in their faces,
and to see your lesson in each encounter.

Creator God, we thank you for the relationships in our lives.
You have created within us a desire for community,
a desire for family and a desire to belong.
Help us to create a world where there are no others,
a world filled instead with our brothers and sisters,
mothers and fathers, children and grandchildren.
One family.
One community.
Your children.

Teacher God, we thank you for Scripture.
Through space and time, your words continue to speak to us.
We thank you for the gift of your Son.
Through space and time, his examples continue to speak to us.
Use our hands to help the poor and sick,
as Jesus did.
Use our voices to speak up for the powerless,
as Jesus did.
Use our eyes to see the world around us clearly, without bias,
as Jesus did.
Use our ears to listen for those in need of help,
as Jesus did.
Open our hearts to follow your teachings,
as Jesus did.
We ask that you continue to speak to us
and to teach us.

Healing God, we thank you for the gift of forgiveness and renewal.
We thank you for the gift of second chances and do-overs.
And as we support one another in our learning process as your disciples,
we also support each other in times of illness and grief.
We ask that you be with those among us who need your strength and peace.
We name ___.
As your students and as your children, we lift up the words your Son taught us,
“Our Father..”