Prayer List
May the sounds of Advent stir a longing in your people, O God.
Come again to set us free from the dullness of routine and the poverty of our imaginations.
Break the patterns which bind us
to small commitments and to the stale answers
we have given to questions of no importance.
Let the Advent trumpet blow,
let the walls of our defenses crumble,
and make a place in our lives
for the freshness of your love,
well-lived in the Spirit,
and still given to all who know their need and dare receive it.
Amen.
*Prayer by Howard Thurman
This week we pray for:
Alice Schmitthenner
Prayers for Alice, a longtime Westminster member, who is in hospice care at Danbury and is nearing the end of her life. May our prayers also surround her sons Augie and Tom and their families.
Natalia, the Hamricks' daughter-in-law
Prayers for Natalia who passed 35 weeks of pregnancy and is grappling with a sudden rise of her blood pressure.
Chris Stewart
Prayers of comfort and peace for Chris, former transitional minister at Westminster as he grieves the death of his brother Emery Clarence Stewart, III. You can read Emery's obituary
here. Our prayers also surround Chris' family.
Judy Keffer, Kara Aker's Grandma
Prayers for strength and comfort as Judy (former custodian at Westminster) grieves the death of her loved one Steve.
Emily, daughter of Dawn Kridel
Prayers for comfort for Emily as she is grieving the death of her beloved cat companion of many years, Spooky.
We continue to pray for all as the US Supreme Court hears the case, Dobbs versus Jackson Women's Health Organization, concerning a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. We pray for wisdom and that the wellbeing of women and families will be protected.
As temperatures drop, we pray for those who do not have a safe and warm place to call home. We pray for all in our community who are supporting the operation of the Severe Weather Shelter at the Salvation Army.
We pray for the lingering challenges at the US southern border, and especially for the many around the world seeking asylum, help, and care.
We pray for the people struggling for freedom, peace and justice; for places torn by conflict, famine and violence. This week we pray for all those who are heartbroken over the loss of the lives of 3 students at Oxford High School in Detroit, MI. We pray for comfort for those who mourn; for willingness and courage for elected officials and communities to do more to reduce gun violence in this country. We give thanks for all who work to make this world a more peaceful place.
As the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus spreads across the world, we pray for wisdom so that all will do the right thing to protect the wellbeing of our communities. We pray for exhausted medical staff who care for the sick; for people in countries with no access to the vaccine.
