If you have adapted one of these pastoral prayers or written some of your own would you be willing to share them with other pastors? Just Send them to me and I'll post them here to help other pastors. keith.drury@indwes.edu

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Sunday, December 21, 2008

Pastoral prayer by Jimbo

Pastoral prayer by Jimbo

How good we are at wearing masks, at playing roles, at pretending. We fool strangers, we fool our friends . . . sometimes we even fool ourselves. But we never fool you, O Lord. All our best tricks are of no avail. No amount of smoke and mirrors can keep you from seeing us as we truly are.You even see through our worship when it is simply a facade behind which we attempt to hide our greed and selfishness and self-righteousness. You see through the pious phrases of our prayers, when they are no more than a sneaky effort to get you to do our will. You see through our acts of charity when they are merely an attempt to buy a good reputation.So certainly, Lord, you must have seen right through the waving of the palms and the shouting of “Hosanna!” – all those people praising you for all the wrong reasons, all those people wanting you to be someone else, another kind of Lord. Forgive us as you forgave them, we pray.Then open our eyes, that we may see clearly who you are and what kind of people you are calling us to be. Open our eyes to the wonders around us in the created world and in the human community. Enable us to see your artistry in the curved stem of the tender sprout, in the red patch on the blackbird’s wing, and in the dance of light on the surface of the stream. Help us see your spirit at work where people have learned to love in spite of the obstacles of race, class, age and culture; where kindness is done in secret and without the expectation of reward; and where people who have the power to exact revenge choose instead to offer forgiveness and pursue reconciliation.(Joys)As we remember so many of the ways in which we are blessed, we also are aware of the ways in which we and others still suffer. The world is a broken place, polluted, filled with violence and injustice, fear and famine, sorrow and sickness. We pray for those who live where hatred is flourishing, fueled by political and religious differences. We pray for those whose lives have been devastated by disasters, whose patience is wearing thin as they wait for relief. We pray for those called to leadership and those who bear the responsibility to see that those in need are helped. We pray for those who work in dangerous and unpleasant places to bring aid to others who have no where else to go.Now, Lord, guide us into to the rich storehouse of your Word and help us find there the wisdom we need to live faithfully and the courage we need to follow you wherever you lead us. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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