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A Prayer for…Spiritual Leaders

These are times of high anxiety and deep anguish. The pandemic continues to affect every aspect of our communal life, and we still anticipate the peak of cases looming on our country’s horizon. Spiritual leaders in our interreligious world are trained and equipped to accompany people in times of angst and suffering; nevertheless, no one can ever be prepared for this kind of crisis and the emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual toll it is taking on the global community. Today we offer “A PRAYER FOR…SPIRITUAL LEADERS” seeking to care for their local communities while simultaneously tending to their own personal circumstances in this trying time.

Hebrews 13:4

“Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you.” 

Let us pray:

Holy One, Spirit of Comfort: we remember the spiritual leaders in our midst who are speaking your word and accompanying your people in and through the chaos of the coronavirus. Sustain all whom you have called – whose faith traditions may differ but whose purpose is united in neighborly service and love borne out of your Divine promises. We pray for priests, rabbis, ministers, imams, pastors, guides, shamans, monks, preachers, nuns, deacons, chaplains, and all clergy persons fostering care in these mercurial days. May they be beacons of hope and vessels of mercy; give them strength, wisdom, compassion, and the assurance of your presence as they tend to others. Amen and amen.

Rev. Justin Lind-Ayres

April 4, 2020     

A Prayer for…the Unemployed and Furloughed

The Lord our God is our provider and our sustainer. Today, we recognize all those who are being impacted by the economic struggle brought on by the COVID-19 crisis. As time passes and the nations of the world work to contain the coronavirus, job loss, furloughs, and pay cuts become a reality for more and more people. Let us gather together as one human family to pray and support one another during this challenging time.

Psalm 145:13-14

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The LORD sustains all who fall,

and raises up all who are bowed down.

Let us pray:

Merciful Provider, you sustain and nourish all who are in your kingdom, from the birds of the air, to the beasts of the earth, to your human children. You seek out the needful and the suffering and raise them up. You provide for the hungry, the thirsty and those in need of shelter. Lord, we lift up our prayers to you for all who are being impacted by the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. For those whose incomes have been reduced, for those whose jobs have been suspended and all who are facing unemployment – across all industries, companies, and positions. Holy one, you sustain all who fall and raise up all who are bowed down. Provide for the families and individuals who are enduring economic hardship. Draw your people together in one supportive and loving community. Amen.

Sarah Swindall, Pastoral Intern

April 3, 2020

A Prayer for… University and College Presidents

I would like to share some words from Augsburg University’s President Paul Pribbenow, addressing the community at the onset of the COVID-19 virus. He wrote,” thank you for your patience – and thanks most of all for the remarkable effort you are making to support our students and each other in these distressing times… I am feeling especially for all of you whose grace and generosity with and for each other gives me great hope”.

Being a leader takes courage, discipline, and determination. While a great leader can bring great success, it also comes at the cost or risk of being judged and overwhelmed. The Bible speaks to many leaders and how God blessed them for their work. We would like to offer a prayer for leaders who choose to step up and lead during these challenging times.  For Augsburg University President Paul Pribbenow, his leadership team (PLT), our sibling Evangelical Lutheran Church in American colleges and universities, and all other institutions of higher learning in the United States and abroad as they carry the mantle of leadership guiding their institutions to meet the challenges of shifting to alternative methods of instructing, manage finances, oversee the quality of the academics, support programs, consult and cooperate with Regents as well as planning for the future.  We offer this scripture and prayer to all UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE PRESIDENTS…

Romans 8:28-30 (NRSV)

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Let us pray.

Loving and gracious God, we thank you for the gift of wisdom. We offer a prayer of thanksgiving for University and College Presidents. We thank you for the gift of their leadership. For their ability to stand and lead in trying times. We ask that you be with them and bless them, to hear your words of peace, and to not fear for you are with them. We ask that you strengthen and guide them and their leadership teams to direct and guide during this challenging time. We ask that you hush any voices that would lift against them in judgment, for you have created them for such a time as this. Give them confidence to know that all things will work out for good, for you have called them to this great work. We ask, Lord God, you bless their families and homes with unity and your peace.  Protect them to lead and may all experience a hope that does not disappoint. And to you be the power and the glory. Amen  

Rev. Babette Chatman

April 2, 2020

 

A Prayer for…Athletes and Coaches

When the National Basketball Association suspended the 2019-2020 professional season due to coronavirus, the shockwaves were felt throughout the sporting world. And within a few days, nearly all professional, college, high school, and youth athletic programs were cancelled until further notice. The culmination of this reality for the athletic world was the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Japan. Into this disruption, we offer “A PRAYER FOR…ATHLETES AND COACHES.”

Hebrews 12:1

 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.”  

Let us pray:

God of the Incarnation, of flesh and bone: you gift us with physical bodies that take joy in the rigor of sport and competition. We pray for athletes and coaches whose passions have been put on pause due to the dangers of COVID-19. For professionals, college student-athletes, and young competitors who must refrain for team building, normal conditioning routines, and community engagement, we lift to you. With the sporting world in upheaval and as athletes’ dreams are delayed, we ask that you hold all whose lives and livelihoods are dependent upon the economy of competition. Helps us all to join the great cloud of witnesses, to run together the race before us with perseverance hoping that healing and restoration will come, through the power of your Spirit. Amen.   

Rev. Justin Lind-Ayres

Prayer for April 1, 2020

A Prayer for…Children and Youth

Parents and guardians are keenly aware that children and youth are often attune to any anxiety in the air. And when the household, communal, national, and global anxiety is as thick as this dense COVID-19 fog, the effects on children and youth can be stifling (figuratively and literally!). Like all of us, they too take the anxiety into their bodies. We offer this prayer for all the young ones among us who are struggling physically or emotionally while seeking to cope to new norms brought about by this anxiety-producing pandemic. This is “A PRAYER FOR…CHILDREN AND YOUTH.”

Mark 10:14: “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.’”

Let us pray:

Mothering God, like a parent with open arms, you beckon children and youth to receive the very gifts of heaven available in your tender embrace. Hold the little (and not so little) ones in these anxious, dangerous hours of coronavirus. Give kids calm, give them comfort, give them the care they need to endure and thrive. We pray for children on poverty’s edge in need of nourishment; for teens missing their friends; for youth seeking to learn in this massive disruption to educational systems; and for all young (and not so young) ones among us who are sacred. May your promise of presence and blessing of love surround and keep us all, your beloved children. This we pray trusting in the invitation of Jesus. Amen.

 

Rev. Justin Lind-Ayres

Prayer for March 29, 2020

A Prayer for…Postal and Delivery Workers

As our nation changes with each new day, we become more and more aware of who provides essential jobs and work that keeps our nation functioning and our people provided for. Today, we express our gratitude for the Postal Workers and all package delivery workers who risk exposure to Covid-19 as they carry out their work and interact with so many people.

Psalm 138:7-8

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Mighty Deliverer, your steadfast love and abundant hope strengthen our spirits in difficult times. We give you thanks for all those whose jobs are essential, whose work keeps your people fed, provide necessary items for living, and who keep our lines of communication open. We especially give thanks for all the Postal workers and package delivery personnel who often must walk in the midst of trouble to carry out their work. God we give thanks for their sacrifice, their dedication, and their strength.

We ask you, O Lord, to protect them from exposure to Covid-19, keep them healthy and safe from all harm. Strengthen their spirits and their bodies. We pray that all those in power are granted the wisdom and the resources to protect these vital and precious members of our community. We put our trust in you, O God and know that your love endures forever and you will never forsake the work of your hands. All this we pray in your name. Amen.

Sarah Swindall

March 28, 2020

“A PRAYER FOR…”

Welcome to “A Prayer For…,” a prayer ministry of the Campus Ministry Office of Augsburg University. We believe prayer is efficacious, a holy conversation with God that enables us to share our struggles and joys, lamentations and celebrations, blessings and hopes for ourselves, our neighbors, the world, and the whole of God’s creation. We plead, we prod, we protest, we praise – with lift all our prayers onto God trusting that they are received in divine mercy and love. It is in prayer we are freed to speak the truth of our hearts onto God so that we may abound in hope together through the power of the Holy Spirit—the very breath of God, the breath that makes all things new.

In these days of the COVID-19 pandemic fraught with anxiety, isolation, suffering, and discombobulation, the Campus Ministry team is offering daily prayers for our Augsburg community and beyond. We recognize that there is so much to pray for in this unprecedented time. “A Prayer For…” is one way we can collectively share in the holy conversation with our God as each day we lift up one specific concern or people or need or situation or hope in prayer. The prayers will run the gamut in tone and topic varying each day as together as a community we hold before God “A Prayer for…” Over the course of the days and weeks ahead, we will contribute to an on-going catalog of prayers we can use at any time throughout this challenging journey we share together.

The authors of these prayers – Rev. Babette Chatman, Pastoral Intern Sarah Swindall, and Rev. Justin Lind-Ayres – welcome you to share your prayer topics with us. You can send them onto us by emailing Campus Ministry team member, Janice Dames (dames@augsburg.edu). We will seek to incorporate your ideas into our communal prayers. As we enter into prayer together from afar through this simple yet profound ministry, may God in Christ Jesus strengthen us and keep us united together in peace and love.

“A PRAYER FOR…COLLEGE STUDENTS”

So much has radically changed in such a short time. College students at Augsburg University, at our sibling Evangelical Lutheran Church in America colleges and universities, and at all other institutions of higher learning in the US are bearing the stressors of COVID-19 while also striving to move on-line in course work and continue the educational process. We offer this scripture text and prayer for all COLLEGE STUDENTS navigating new realities.

Proverbs 8:1: “Does not Wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice?”

Let us pray:

God of all wisdom and understanding, we thank you for Augsburg University and other centers of learning seeking to educate leaders for work and witness in your world. In these days of upheaval, uphold college students adapting to the real consequences of the coronavirus. Living arrangements have shifted, coursework is taking on new forms, jobs and internships have retracted, study abroad programs cancelled or postponed, and the scramble to adapt to the ever-changing situation is maddening. And all the while, health risks loom. Into this chaos, holy One, reveal your steady presence and empower all students engaged in higher education: calm anxious hearts and minds; ease the burdens of isolation; bolster community through social media; give focus to the coursework that needs tending; and give your peace, the peace that passes all understanding made known through your Spirit of Wisdom and her ways. Amen.

 

Rev. Justin Lind-Ayres

Prayer for March 23, 2020

Blessings for the Journey

We offer you these words from our Friday, March 13, chapel service as we begin the spring break week. Blessings to you during spring break whether you are traveling or will be staying here in the Twin Cities.

WELCOME & INVOCATION

Grace and peace to you, pilgrims on the journey following in the way of Christ.

Today, our liturgy was going to be focused on prayers of blessing for travelers heading out on Spring Break journeys. We were going to offer special prayers for travel groups, sports teams, and classes all striking out on various adventure. Then, Covid-19. And plans changed. Travel cancelled. Hopes delayed.

Yet, here we are gathering around a word of promise that no matter our journeys ahead – changed or unchanged, near or far – It is God who goes with us, it is God who leads us in right paths for God’s name sake…it is God who is our rod, our staff, our comfort. It is God walks alongside us as we disperse from Augsburg amid uncertainty in the world; yet, we are certain that the goodness and mercy of God will follow us each and every day of the journey.

So we gather now to sing, to hear the promise of God’s presence, to pray for those who are traveling as some trips headed out, and bless us all as we prepare to leave, that we may go out with good courage knowing that God in Christ Jesus goes with us.

PRAYER

Let us pray.

God of the journey, you kept Abraham and Sarah in safety throughout the days of their pilgrimage; you led the children of Israel through the midst of the sea; and by a star you led the Magi to the infant Jesus. Protect and guide those who set out to travel; make their ways safe and their homecomings joyful.

We pray in this time of uncertainty and health crisis around the world for hospitals, nursing homes, and other health facilities seeking to provide care;

for the leaders responding and making difficult decisions, especially at the World Health Organization, the CDC, and the Minnesota Health Department;

calm fears among us and others on college campuses and in elementary, middle and high schools give patience to us all, grant guidance for administrators making decisions;

strengthen local governments, officials, and politicians – that their decisions for public safety also recognize the humanity and beloved-ness of us all.

Tend, O God, to those who are ill, who are quarantined,

whose lives are upended by the corona virus.

Bring healing, bring restoration, bring wholeness to communities.

Help us to realize that you are with us at all times and in all things;

that your loving grace in Christ Jesus enfolds us today, tomorrow, and always.

Amen.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Deuteronomy 31:8
It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Proverb 3:5-6,
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

Jeremiah 29:11
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

SPRING BREAK PRAYER

 

As many prepare for their Spring Break Journey:
we pray for safe travel in cars, buses, plane or boat. We pray for caution and no one driving distracted

The only work you are required now to do is to give your most intense attention to God’s still, small voice within.

May god bless us with strength for the journey.

Protection and guidance from all hurt, harm or danger.

May we experience renewal, rest, peace, joy, and self-care in God’s love.

May God bless the earth beneath our feet,
Bless the path whereon we may go;
Bless the space we rest our head.

We pray that everyone will be able to make it where they need to go safely. In your name, we pray. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May Christ be the power and wisdom of God to you.
And may the Holy Spirit keep your, thoughts and words,

in God’s good grace.

We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,

In the name of Christ. Amen.

 

Chapel Series Begins “Our Shared (Im)migration”

sharedimmigrationJoin us for worship in the chapel as we begin our Chapel Series, “Our Shared (Im)migration: Pilgrim Clasps Hand of Pilgrim,” exploring our many journeys, Jesus as a refugee, and hope amidst the challenges of 2017.

Tuesday, 1/10, 11:30am: Babette Chatman, Community Collaborative Partner, Redeemer Center for Life & Redeemer Lutheran Church, preaching.

Wednesday, 1/11, 10:40am: Pastor Sonja Hagander, College Pastor & Director of Ministries, preaching

Thursday, 1/12, 11:30am: Interfaith Mini-Convo with Dr. Audrey Lensmire, Assistant Professor, Education Dept., and Director of the EAST program.

Friday, 1/13, 10:40am: Pastor Mike Matson, Chaplain to Student Athletes, preaching.

We gather in Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center – Everyone is welcome!

 

Chapel Worship Schedule

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays: 10:40am – 11am

Tuesdays and Thursday: 11:30am – 11:50am

Wednesday Night Communion: 9:30pm