Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Preparing to Pray 11/2/05
O Lord, open our eyes, that we may see the needs of others.
Open our ears, that we may hear their cries.
Open our hearts, that they need not be without help.
Let us not be afraid to defend the weak
because of the anger of the strong,
nor afraid to defend the poor
because of the anger of the rich.
Show us where love and hope are needed,
and use us to bring them to those places.
Open our eyes and ears, that this day we may
do some work of peace for you. Amen.
—from The Worship Sourcebook, p. 221, in observance of World Hunger Sunday (see below).
Articles for Prayer This Week
In public intercessory prayer this week, we pray…
- for peace and justice in Ethiopia, where riots broke out this week in response to disputed parliamentary elections (Associated Press)
- for peace in Iraq, where a suicide bomber killed 20 Iraqis this week in Ramadi (Khaleej Times)
- for healing in Pakistan, where the death toll from the earthquake is now over 70,000 human lives. (The Hindu)
- for comfort for the Church of Santa María Reina in Tijuana, whose priest was found handcuffed and shot to death
- with gratitude for the life and courage of Rosa Parks, who was laid to rest this week
- for the Phong family in Cambodia, the Moldovan family in Romania, the N’diaye family in Senegal, as we read about in the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee’s World Hunger devotional (PDF) for World Hunger week
Themes for Prayer and Worship This Week
- World Hunger Sunday (Christian Reformed World Relief Committee)
This prayer is adapted from the CRWRC World Hunger devotional (PDF)
Our Lord and provider,
we pray this week for the hungry to be fed, and for the means for fighting famine:
land reform, sustainable farming methods, adequate incomes to buy food, ways to store food, and access to local markets to buy and sell food.
Open our hearts, that your children need not be without help.
- “Our Treasures in Christ” (Calvin Institute of Christian Worship)
- Paul’s Third Missionary Journey: Acts 19 (Calvin College Healthy Habits: Apostle Paul Pedometer Challenge)
This prayer is based on the devotional reading for Week 7 (PDF) from the Healthy Habits site:
Christ Jesus, you are the Messiah that was promised, and you are Lord of your kingdom.
We believe in the mighty spiritual power invoked by the name of Jesus, and that the Holy Spirit can conquer any evil ones.
Forgive us when we, like the crowd in Ephesus, distract ourselves from the real issues of the Kingdom.
- Lectionary Gospel Text: Matthew 25:1-13 and HC Lord’s Day 14 (Center for Excellence in Preaching); Revised Common Lectionary resources from textweek.com
Pondering the Purpose of Worship
In addition to our prayers in preparation for worship, we ponder the purpose of worship. This week, we reflect on these words of wisdom about worship as we gather.
The way we talk in worship affects the way we talk in the rest of our lives, and vice versa. In the place of worship, we cannot pray or sing faithfully without our words being full of the sorrows and joys of life. Conversely, the words of worship—prayer words, sermon words, hymn words, Bible words, creedal words, words of praise and penitence, protest and pardon—are like stones thrown into the pond; they ripple outward in countless concentric circles, finding ever fresh expression in new places in our lives.
Worship is, as I have said, a key element in the church’s ‘language school’ for life. The point is not to go through life speaking in a ‘stained-glass voice.’ The point is to let the language of worship shape our witness outside the sanctuary.
—Thomas G. Long, Testimony: Talking Ourselves into Being Christian, p. 47
Earlier: Preparing to Pray 10/26
More Resources for Preparing for Worship
Interdisciplinary Application • News • World • Worshipers • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink