A Pastor's Prayer List

[Scott McAllister]

Martin Luther once said "It is best to start every day with an hour of prayer; and on really busy days, it is best to start with two". I decided that perhaps this morning I would bring my prayers online and continue praying for the next hour. That might make this post a bit rambling for the average reader, but what I cannot express eloquently, "the Spirit will intercede for us with groans words cannot express".

Gracious and wonderful God, we give thanks for this beautiful day. For the rains that sustain us and wipe away the dirt and grime; for the food that you place before us and adequately nourish us with; for the work that you have given our hands to do; for the faith that sustains us each and every day; for friends and family who hold us up in times of trial and celebrate with us in times of rejoicing; for the gift of prayer and the opportunity to commune with you through Christ. Every good thing we have comes directly from your hand, and it's doled out to the Creation that you love. May we in turn be brought to love one another, sharing with those who have little, knowing that those who have little still have much to share with us. Help us to create relationships of mutuality, recognizing the face of Christ in everyone we meet, rich and poor, knowing full well that Jesus once said to us, "whenever you do something for the least of these, I tell you, you have done it unto me". With each little action of grace, with each tribute of service, we remember it is Christ whom we serve.

Discerning Spirit, you call us all into ministry, inviting us to give from our giftedness and not just our wealth. We pray for our ministries, asking that you would offer us wisdom, courage, tact and strength as we journey into your calling for us and pray that you would offer us the boldness to receive your encouragement. The world can be a dark place, and much that is around us is broken. Homelessness and displacement is rampant around the world: we pray for those who have been chased from their homes by soldiers and militias, violently thrown into the streets, and for those who have lost their homes in the midst of an economic calamity, and for those who have never had a place to call their own, who rely each and every day on the kindness of strangers. Grant them your warming touch and move the rest of us to compassion. In the midst of our technological world filled with communication the irony is that many find themselves lonely and isolated, disconnected from others. May we be a light to all those around us, seeking out the lost and letting them know of your all encompassing love. Violence runs rampant throughout our streets, wars rage in foreign countries, and abuse still happens in our homes. Quietly victims suffer. May we be their voice to the world and be the makers of peace around us.

There are many who are suffering in our own worlds as well; may we remember them.

Cat, who suffers from abuse at the hands of her parents. Praise your name that you have granted her the courage to leave. Be present with her as she seeks to discover herself, her gifts, her talents and her value in your eyes. May healing be brought to her entire family; may her parents and her siblings learn to discern right from wrong; may hope for reconciliation grow rather than wane.

Jean, who worries as only a mother can for her daughter in Alberta. Should it be your will, grant healing to Melissa (daughter) as she undergoes surgery for a detached retina. May sight return so that she can return to work. May her physical needs be met. And may Jean be comforted.

For Rob, who struggles with a heart condition. May he find healing in your hands as well. And may he and his wife, Cathy, find the courage to be open and honest with their daughter, Shannon about Rob's condition.

For the McBurney family as they struggle with the loss of the family matriarch. May you grant them comfort and peace, and my you create space for new growth as the family seeks to continue on united with one another in the love that you grant.

For Audrey Holstein, and her family. As Audrey slips futher and further into dementia, and becomes less and less herself, may her family find comfort in her comfort, and may the celebrate the smiles and giggles that are still present, even as they seek to deal with the loss of speech and communication.

For John's family, as John continues to recover from a head injury. Emotional turmoil is rampant, fear is still present, even though he has already come a long way in his journey. May they find strength to celebrate the recovery and the love to cast out their fear. May healing continue and may courage abound.

For Sandy's family: we celebrate with them the courage they have found in returning to our congregation. Though they may still feel awkward at times, may they know the love that this community has for them, and may the realize that they are always welcomed as the beloved of God.

For Marian and her class as they struggle through the rigours of Greek exegesis, a definite academic terror. Be with them and grant them perspective, knowing that the knowledge of language is not necessary to rest comfortably in your grace. But for Marian, we pray also for strength and wisdom and peace as she deals with the tragedies of a suicide and a teenage accident victim, and struggles with her own congregation to pastor them through a trying time.

For David as he struggles with unemployment, which has led to his inability to make child support payments and has led to him having his liscense revoked, which now makes it difficult to find employment. We remember his vicious cycle and pray that he will find the strength to swallow his pride and ask for help, so that he may find new life and new meaning again.

For Jenn and MJ as they continue to struggle and mourn the loss of their unborn child. May they find comfort in their 1 year old daughter, and may they see God's hand of comfort.

We pray for vision for this congregation. That you would help us to discern our gifts and step out in faith to put those gifts to work both within the church and in service to the greater community. We know that your hands are guiding us forward, and that in seeking our way forward we may still have to look back at our history. Grant me the wisdom needed to guide this community forward and the tact to be able to communicate that vision to all parties, being diplomatic whenever possible and forceful only when necessary. May this congregation open it's eyes to the need to make space for people of younger generations and people of different cultures. May they be open to the needs of newcomers and not just their own need for another elder or board member.

We pray for the session, for the elders. They are tired and they are drawn after leading this congregation through a period without pastoral oversight (for those reading, I just started in September) and through several months of conflict. May they find healing and strength for their sould in you and your Word. May they find wisdom in your scriptures. May they find continual hope in your Son.

We pray that reconciliation will continue to happen in this congregation, as it has been happening for the last few weeks. We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. Friends still struggle to speak to friends. The old still struggle to speak to the young. Tradition and new vision divide us. May we be able to find common ground in you, O Lord, for you are the God of unity and not of division. But at the same time, we recognize that there is need for change, and a need to address the problems of today, which are different from yesterday's problems. so grant us the ability to come together and speak openly about our fears and our concerns and the state of our congregation, so that we may step boldly into the future with faith.

We pray for our board of Managers and our Funds and Fellowship group. May they find purpose not in the upkeep of the building and the paying of bills, but may they find purpose in your Word, seeking to understand your will for the use of our assets, and how we might pray with our chequebooks and worship with our material posessions.

We pray for our Christian education team, embattled though they have been, they are beginning to see light in a congregation that is recognising its need to reach out and include its children in worship and in the life of the community rather than simply separating and ordering Sunday mornings according to age group. Grant them tenacity and perseverance to continue to advocate for our children and youth and vocalize their needs, so that they might also have the ability to grow in faith. Grant them the wisdom to sustain and nurture relationships in new ways, in ways perhaps unthought of, so that our children and youth know that they are not only welcome, but are a part of your Church and of your ministry to the world.

We pray for our PM, and the President of the USA, and it's president-elect. They are our national leaders, and they are the ones who will lead us forward into this bold new world of the 21st century. The world is in need of their leadership. New leadership, yes, but also leadership that takes its guidance from you. Leadership that is mindful of those who have less; leadership that is mindful of the impression it is making on its children; leadership that rejects power in death and embraces the Power of the suffering servant; leadership that looks beyond itself and the good of a certain class or nation and looks to the good of the entire planet. That is the kind of leadership that only you can offer, Lord. You are the cosmic Creator, capable of mighty acts of renewal and of resurrection life. May your presence shake this world to its foundations and push us to move in new directions that serve the life abundant that you bring.

We pray for the Presbyterian Church in Canada, and for its moderator, and for its employees up at the national offices: grant them direction, grant them vision, grant them wisdom, for they are our leaders, and it is their steps that we will often follow in. This denomination is much in need of vision at this time, and refreshment. So may your Spirit blow through us like a hurricane, upending our those traditions that have left us handicapped and handcuffed, and leaving behind those traditions that point to resurrection and new life. May the national office and the congregations of this denomination seek to work together to build new life in our midst, and to sustain this denomination in its work for God.

And let us not forget the Universal Church around the world and all the saints who have gone before us. Though we have many faces and many flavours, the entire Church gathers on Holy days to celebrate the joy of life and the celebration of new birth. May we see the beauty of death and resurrection, knowing that in order to live to you we must die to ourselves. We take our cadence from those who have gone before us in faith, the Church's forefathers, the disciples, the apostles, the people of the early congregations in Corinth and Ephesus, those to whom Paul wrote his letters, the lives of Saints around the Meditteranean in the 1st and 2nd centuries, the great thinkers of the faith like Justin Martyr and Irenaeus and Augustine and Francis of Assissi and Aquinas and Luther and Calvin and Barth and Moltmann and Rahner, we give thanks for their commitment to your Word and to the thought they have provided on how that Word interacts with our own contexts and cultures. And we give thanks for every member of your Church, great and small, who have for centuries lived out your resurrection message, gaining strength from your love to renew the world around them. May we learn from their example. And we pray for the Church of tommorrow, that faith would continue to abound and astound, that Christ would not die in our hearts, that we would not simply crucify the Lord today one last time, but that we would be crucified ourselves - our fear, our hatred, our bigotry, our hypocrisy - in order to live more full to Him - His peace, His service, His hope, His love.

All this we offer up to you in the hope that Christ will come again, and that someday we will be perfected, completed and restored to our rightful reflection of your image.

In all things on earth and heaven, we simply pray as Christ taught us,

Thy will be done

Amen

[Louis Pominville]

Rev. Scott,

Thank you for honoring us with your prayer and be assured that all of us will add these to our individual prayers.

God bless,
louis

NB Although new to your congregation, I know and fell that you are a blessing to them as you have been in our lives.