Pastoral Prayer for Reformation Sunday

In the words of Martin Luther, "To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing."
Holy God,
On this Reformation Sunday we are reminded that you call us to look at our faith and go deeper. To explore and question to better understand our relationship with you Great Creator. 500 years ago, Martin Luther did just that and we thank you God for all the people throughout history and in our lives who have helped us examine and know you better, O God.

God, we give you great thanks for this community of which we live in. For the town of Weymouth and all the elected officials. We thank you God for Paul and all the volunteers who work with him on the Substance Abuse and Prevention Team in town. God we pray for Paul, Darrell, Michelle and all of the avid supporters who work so hard and tirelessly to end the opiod epidemic here. God we also give thanks for the first responders who are there, treating and taking care of people who have overdosed. As they see overdose after overdose and none of it making sense, we pray O God that you are there with them. Instilling the same compassion they had for the first overdose to all who are affected. Be with them we pray, when times become so hard and their compassion wears thins. We pray God, that our community continue to see people who are struggling with addiction as your children and not their disease.

God we also thank you for the hope that is in the world, the light that shines which we know as Jesus. We thank you for the hope that Christ brings to us and we thank you for the hope that others bring to us as well. Hope is a form of Your great love and for that we give thanks and pray that we bring hope to one another.

God as October comes to an end we pray for all the causes that we remember this month. For breast cancer awareness and other cancer awareness, and for domestic violence we pray. We pray for all the men and women who have been assaulted, who have been victims of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. God we pray for all the people who are currently dealing with cancer, or who have died from cancer or who are left on this earth to mourn a loved one lost to cancer. 

And God we pray this coming week that the children have a fun and safe halloween. As they dress up and pretend to be anything they want to be, we pray that we continue to support our children's dreams. That we reinforce their talents and abilities and encourage each child to live out their dreams. 

Forgive us when we squash a dream. Forgive us when we move away from you God. Forgive us.
As together we pray, Our Father....