Matthew

The Remembrance of Christmas Past (Isaiah 11:1-10 and Matthew 3:1-12)

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Gracious God, we know that our past influences our present and our future.
The past has shaped us, taught us how to view the world around us,
and created internal truths that are not easily challenged.
Open our eyes, Lord, to your truth, to your teachings.
Remind us that while we see, our eyes may not
see clearly and that truth may be hidden
by carefully placed shadows.
Remind us that our ears can be lied to by twisted words of half-truths
and by appeals to our unknown biases.
Ring out your truth, Lord, and open our eyes to see the entire picture.
Ring out your truth, Lord, and help us to hear the call of righteousness.

When we look back on our lives, Lord, we can see where we made mistakes.
We can see where our choices hurt other people and even ourselves.
Our mistakes can weigh us down, keeping us from trusting others,
building walls between others because we don’t know how to apologize, or
filling us with fear of making new mistakes.
We can hold onto resentments and cling to our anger
until we no longer remember exactly what the issue was.
Ring out your love, Lord, and help us put down our heavy burdens.
Ring out your love, Lord, and help us to find reconciliation with one another.

In this Advent season, we remember the past and prepare again for your coming.
As we look at those around us who will be joining us at your table,
we give thanks for those who have influenced us and made us
who we are today.
We lift up those among us, here and in our daily lives, who need support.
We name ___.
We celebrate and take encouragement from the joys of life,
thanking you for the gift of laughter and fellowship.
Ring out your truth, Lord, and open our eyes to the joys and concerns of our community.
Ring out your truth, Lord, and help us to embrace all of our neighbors
building a sense of your community throughout our world.

As your people, we have followed the voice crying out in the wilderness,
to prepare a way for your truth, to follow your teachings and to share your love with others.
As your people, we use the words taught to us so many years ago,
“Our Father…”

Bah! Humbug! Time for Change (Isaiah 2:2-3 and Matthew 24:36-44)

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The spirit of change, like a strong wind,
is blowing around us, pushing us one way
and then another.
We feel out of control at times,
and can easily lose our balance.
Fearful that our situation could change at any moment,
we cling to our treasures tightly and stake a claim on what is ours.
As your truth rings out,
remind us that there is more than enough for all to share.

You sent us your son and
we followed him up the mountainside.
We sat at his feet listening to his teachings.
And the spirit of change blew from Jerusalem
throughout the entire world.
The people listened and were transformed.
As your truth rings out,
remind us to also walk in your path and
to follow your teachings.

The spirit of change flows through us and around us.
We touch it in the life-giving water of our baptism and
we feel it in the wind that pulls down the colorful leaves of autumn
and we taste it when we feast on the harvest grown from the earth
and we hear it in the crackle of the Yuletide fire.
We ask you to use the spirit of change to transform us
so that we can share and use your teachings to transform others.
We lift up our cares and concerns to you, and ask that you
be with those among us who need your extra strength and healing grace.
As your truth rings out,
remind us that we may never know how much of a difference we make
in someone else’s life, but help us to realize that our every action and
our every thought does have an impact on this world.

The spirit of change is all-powerful and always present,
around us and within us.
We feel that power when we gather together as your people.
We remind ourselves of that power
every time we use the words your son taught us,
“Our Father…”

Sharing in the Needs of the World (Matthew 25:31-46 )

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Gracious God, we gather together in this sacred place,
as your people, as your followers.
We know your love and believe in your promise and your grace.
We know the story of your Son and we shared in his teachings.

As your people, how can it be that we don’t live our lives
to fulfill your plan?
We have been touched by your love, and yet we withhold our love from others.
We have received your forgiveness and absolution,
and yet we refuse to forgive others.
We have been given many talents and gifts,
and yet we refuse to share with others.
We have been granted your peace, and yet we refuse to make peace with others.

Make us sheep and not goats, Lord.
Open our hearts to feel the needs of those around us,
to truly understand how to empower others.
Open our ears to hear the cries of those around us,
to truly hear their pain and their desires.
Open our eyes to see the reality of the world around us,
to truly believe in the needs of others and the societal need for reform.

Make us sheep and not goats, Lord.
The needs of those in our community may not match our personal desires.
There are people in our community who are hungry, God.
We may not be hungry, but use our gifts and our talents to feed the hungry,
physically, emotionally and spiritually.
There are people in our community who feel oppressed and victimized, God.
We may not feel oppressed, but help us to recognize oppression in others,
and give us the strength to stand up for those without power.
There are people in our community who are unable to achieve acceptance, God.
We know that we are beloved in your eyes,
help us to share that love and acceptance to all we meet.

Make us sheep and not goats, Lord.
Remind us that just because it is not our problem,
does not mean that the problem does not exist.
Remind us that we don’t need to have all the answers,
but we need to listen openly with a desire to understand.
We know your love and believe in your promise and your grace.
We know the story of your Son and we shared in his teachings.
As your followers, we know that you are with us.
We ask that you be with ___ as they need your healing grace and strength.

As your followers, as your sheep, we lift our voices up to you,
using the words your Son taught us, “Our Father…”

inspired by http://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/7762/whitechurchquiet-and-the-inconvenience-of-love

Betrayal (Matthew 26:17-30)

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Betrayal can take many forms.

Our bodies betray us as we age.
Things we used to do easily become difficult.
Help us, Father, to accept these changes and to adapt.

Our friends betray us by ignoring our times of pain.
We expect them to know what we need and become angry when they fail us.
Help us, Father, to openly reach out to others and tell them what we need.

Our careers betray us when jobs are lost.
One day we head off to work. The next day, we search the want ads
wondering where we went wrong.
Help us, Father, to recognize our self-worth.

Jesus, you knew the pain of betrayal.
We know the pain of betrayal
and we recognize that we are, sometimes, the betrayer.
And we know that sometimes we betray you, Lord,
just as sometimes we betray ourselves.

Betrayal can take many forms.
And yet your forgiveness is constant.
Your love is constant.
Be with those among us who need your strength and love.

Jesus, you knew the pain of betrayal and yet you stayed with your disciples.
You taught them the words we use today,
“Our Father..”

Water of Our Baptism (Matthew 28:16-23)

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We are often unprepared for the situations we find ourselves in.

No matter how many parenting books we read, no matter how many conversations we have before the birth,
no one is prepared for that moment we realize we are now the parents.
We alone are responsible for this child.
We talk about how to drive in the snow and ice,
but the first time we find ourselves sliding on the ice,
we are never prepared for that sinking feeling and the panic of being out of control.
We say that we stand up for our principles and for what we believe in.
And then we are faced with peer pressure,
opposition from those we believe have power over us,
and we give in.

You have shown us that even Jesus’ disciples faced doubt
and were unprepared at times.
Fill us with your Holy Spirit, prepare us for those unexpected moments.
Give us the strength and wisdom we will need to get
through those moments of panic.
Remind us we are not alone in those cold and lonely moments
in the middle of the night.

The water of our baptism poured into us, filled us with your grace.
Grace we cannot earn and cannot say we deserve.
But as our parents loved us,
you love us unconditionally and without reservation.
Open our hearts to your love.
Fill us again, and always, with your grace.

The water of our baptism heals us.
The water of our baptism flows to and from each of us,
connecting us as the body of Christ,
uniting us as one.
We know that you are with us now as you were with us then.
Be with those among us today who are feeling pain and need your healing touch.

As your baptized children, we know the power of prayer.
We lift our hearts to you in prayer, using the words your Son taught us,
“Our Father…”

Teach Us (Matthew 22:34-46)

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God of Love, Life and Laughter
Teach us to celebrate each day
and to cherish our loved ones.
Remind us that life is to be enjoyed
and experiences are to be shared.
Laugh with us as we make our journey,
sometimes gracefully and sometimes
rather clumsily.

God of Forgiveness and Grace
Teach us to freely apologize when we are wrong
and to set blame aside when we have been wronged.
Remind us that we are humans and
we will make mistakes.
Comfort us when we feel alone and isolated.

God of Strength and Wisdom
Teach us that it is alright to lean on others
and to accept their help.
Remind us to be aware of those around us who need our help.
Empower us to speak for those without a voice
and to make a way for those who are lost.

God of Creation, our Father God and our Mother God,
Remind us to follow in your son’s footsteps.
Jesus taught us to love one another as we love ourselves,
Teaching us in words and in deeds.
We are also your children, made in your image.
Open our eyes so that we see that image of God
in each other’s faces and in their actions.
Soften our hearts so that we can allow others to touch us
and impact our lives.
Use our hands to do your will in this world.

God of Love and Light
You are with us always
showing us the way.
We ask that you be with __
And we use the words that Your Son taught us,
“Our Father…”

Our Public Face (Matthew 6:5-13)

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Lord, we confess that we often wear a public face.
We say what we think that people want us to say
even if we think differently inside.
We do what others expect us to do
rather than what you would expect us to do.

We lift our prayers and concerns up to you
and know that you hear our every word.
You know our public words
and our private thoughts and actions.
You know what we ask for and
you know what we truly need.
You know us completely and you cherish us
as we are.
We know that you are with us and
we feel your loving presence with us always.

Help us to merge our private and public lives
into the life that you have modeled for us.
Help us to see what is important in our lives.
Remind us that worldly riches and earthly things
are temporary.
We say the words, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
Give us the strength and will to make those words come true.

You know our public words
and our private thoughts and actions.
Nudge us when you see us acting like hypocrites.
Nudge us when you see us ignoring those in need.
Nudge us when we begin following a different path.

We know that you are with us always.
We ask that you especially share your grace and strength with ___
We pray with the words that Jesus taught us,
“Our Father….”

The Gifts You Have Given Us (Matthew 25:31-46)

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God of Thanksgiving
We are your people.
You have given us the gifts of empathy and compassion
Your son showed us how to value the powerless,
Open our hearts to the powerless today.
Help us to stand up for them and to support them in their journey,
recognizing that we are on this journey together.

God of Thanksgiving
We are your people.
You have given us the gifts of insight and appreciation.
We realize that as you have blessed us, we must also bless one another.
You have given us gifts, spiritual and monetary.
Open our hearts so that we share willingly with one another.
Take the judgment away from our acts of charity.
Help us realize that we are no better than the ones we are helping.

God of Thanksgiving
We are your people.
You have given us the gifts of responsiveness and recognition.
We know that we have the strength to stand up for those who have no voice
You have given us the task of making this earth the same as heaven,
we say those words every week, and every day,
your will be done here on earth as it is in heaven
Help us to make it so.

God of Thanksgiving
We are your people.
You have given us the gifts of mercy and humanity.
We are your children and we know that you are with us
Be with ___
Open our hearts to those around us who are in need
Give us the strength to stand up for those who need support
Make us the ones who not only share your story but also put your words into action.

As your children, we use the words that your Son taught us:
“Our Father, …”

Light of the World (Matthew 2:1-12)

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We celebrate the birth of your son,
who has come to be one with us,
to experience life as we know it.
Many others came to celebrate as well.
The Magi, ones who did not believe in you,
came to celebrate and to give their praise.

If the Magi, who did not believe,
can celebrate you and give you
their earthly treasures,
how can we not give you ourselves?
We are the believers, Lord.
We have heard your teachings and
we follow your ways.

A star lit the way for the Magi to follow.
Your teachings have told us we are to be the light of this world,
we should be the stars who light the way for those around us today.
Just as we know that the sun will rise tomorrow,
we know that you are with us always,
we know that you have given us the gifts and talents we need to fulfill your plan,
we know that together with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are strong,
we know that our faith does not remove the struggles in our lives,
but gives us the ability to persevere and to overcome those challenges.
There are those among us today who need your grace and healing strength.
Be with them and help them to feel your presence.

We are to be the light of this world.
At the end of our lives, when we come face to face with you, Lord,
will we be asked how we loved one another?
Help us to answer that we shared ourselves freely and openly with each other.
Open our hearts today and give us the opportunity to share our love, our treasures and our talents with others.

Christ came to us in love.
Remind us to share that love with others.

In love, your son taught us to pray. And, in the spirit of love, we raise our voices together, using the words he taught us,
“Our Father…”

Reach Out to Us (Matthew 2:1-12)

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God of all Grace,
You find many ways to reach out to us.
Through our preparation for the Christmas season,
we have seen you find ways
to touch people of faith,
to touch a humble teenager in the middle of nowhere,
to touch a roaming band of shepherds,
and, now three Magi who bring gifts from afar.
The Magi were not Jewish and were from a different culture,
and yet they helped bring the news of the gift of your son.

God of all Grace,
You find many ways to reach out to us.
You reach out to us in our daily lives,
using the events of our lives to share yourself with us.
When we are fearful, you are with us to give us strength.
When we celebrate our accomplishments, you share in our joy.
When we hear devastating news, you are with us to comfort us and
to bring us hope.
When we see unfairness and injustice in our world,
you give us the strength to fight for peace and justice.
You are with us always.
Open our hearts so that we feel your presence and desire to follow you.

God of all Grace,
as our Creator, you gave us free will.
That free will allows us to make bad choices,
choices based in fear and selfishness.
Open our eyes so we can see our choices more clearly;
help us to make better choices, choices that follow your plan.
Make us more like the Magi, and less like Herod.
Help us to share our gifts freely and to listen to your teachings.
Reach out to us in ways we may not expect.
Touch us in ways that deepen our faith.
Speak to us in our dreams and in the silence of the night.
Question our choices when we fail to live up to your desired path.

God of all Grace,
You find many ways to reach out to us.
We know that you are with us always.
We ask that you be with __, members of our faith community,
who need your extra grace and healing touch.
Reach out to them, surround them with your healing light and
embrace them in your love.
Strengthen them as they face their challenges.
And, strengthen us, as your community.
We feel your presence among us.
And, as you reach out to us, we also reach out to you,
using the words your Son taught us,
“Our Father…”