Prayer For Someone Being Ordained
Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labour and not to ask for any reward except our knowing that we do your will, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father God, may this be your servant's experience. Guide him/her and direct him/her as he/she seeks to lead your people. Make him/her a wise and able teacher. Fill him/her with your love that he/she may tend the flock eagerly and willingly. Enable him/her to do the work of an evangelist, so that by all means he/she may save some. Keep him/her faithful in all times of testing, humble in times of success, and joy at all times in your service.
Gracious and eternal God, we give you all thanks and praise with great joy, gratitude and love in our hearts.
Throughout the ages you have been faithful to your covenant people. In every time and place, you have chosen servants from among your peopleto guide them, to point the way, to help others see the Good News in their lives and in the world.
We are grateful for these ancestors in the faith, who followed despite their fear and misgivings, placing their trust in you alone.
We pray, especially, this afternoon for each other, for the sisters and friends and colleagues and mentors and midwives in this space and in the RevGals.
We ask that you would give us the endurance of Noah's wife, whose name we never learned, but who participated faithfully in a building project that must have seemed like folly.
Give us, O Lord, the cunning and brilliance of Shiprah and Puah, who were willing to risk their own lives to help others bring life into the world.
May we have the faith of Moses' mother, recognizing God's call to let go of what we love, trusting God will guide our reed baskets to safety.
Please give us the strength of Esther, who was willing to speak truth to power. May we know that it was for just such a time as this that we have been called to serve your people.
We ask for the faith of Hannah, who was willing to take her complaint before God and who loved her son enough to trust his very life to God.
Give us the strength of Deborah who led the people Israel as judge and prophet. May her wisdom give direction and courage and guidance to the people we lead.
We seek the faith of Mary, who sat at your feet. And the faith of Martha, who showed her love in service and hospitality. May we never judge each other or ourselves for being more like one than the other.
We ask for the honesty of the woman at the well, who was willing to ask questions, and who answered in truth. Give us her courage, O Lord, to leave our water jars by the wells that will never satisfy, so we may trust in your Living Water and may run off to share the news of your grace with all whom we meet.
May we be like Euodia, Lydia, Dorcas, Phoebe, and Eunicewomen who recognized the Good News in Jesus Christ and joined Paul and Peter in spreading the Gospel across the world.
And may we have the faith of Mary, who received startling news from the angel and put aside her fears, worries, and doubts to live with boldness into the life God was dreaming for her.
For all the people who have paved the way for us, we give you thanks. For parents, pastors, teachers, friends. For all who helped us hear the call in our lives, we give you thanks.
And, for your son, who came not to be served, but to serve; who came to give his life that all may have life, we give you thanks.
Bring your Holy Spirit upon us all now, that we may be for you a holy people, baptized to serve you in the world.
May your transforming grace equip us to be your servants in this community and in the world.
In Christ's name we pray,
Amen.
Loving, strengthening God,
through your church you call people
into positions of leadership
and to care for you people.
Such a task loving God
can be filled with joy one moment
and frustration the next.
So today we pray for those
you have call to be Elders in this church
thinking especially of the task of Pastoral Care
of your people here.
Give to those you have called the strength and the wisdom
to care for your people.
Lord it is not always doing it themselves,
but about being part of a team
sharing with the whole congregation
making sure that this your church,
cares for its people
physically, mentally and spiritually,
ensuring that it is not only the few who are cared for but all.
Loving God may those you have called,
find their faith and trust in you
strengthened and their vision
of your Kingdom enlarged.
Amen
Gracious and loving Lord,
in perfect assurance of Your presence here
we pray your fulfillment of these blessings upon this minister
who has been called from among these people to assume the office of
pastor, preacher, prophet and servant.
God, we pray that you will utterly possess N. in all of his/her duties, that he/she may daily incarnate your love and mercy with those he/she is called to serve,
never flagging in commitment, never despairing of the ultimate coming of your kingdom, and never doubting the sincere desire of his/her people to be brought closer to God through all the ways of justice and compassion.
Let this your servant N. begin and end every day with you, dear God, renewing his/her faith and repairing it where it is weak;
praying into the mysteries of life and death which s/he will be called upon to celebrate, and to endure, with his/her people;
fearlessly examining his/her conscience for sins of commission or omission and resolving cheerfully to make reparation where it is needed;
searching his/her soul for sources of integrity and steadfast faith;
turning over his/her weariness to Your care;
relinquishing his/her failures toYour mercy,
and refreshing the vows that s/he makes here today.
We devoutly hope that strength of body, mind and spirit shall remain his/her primary fortunes all his/her life long, and that s/he will be constantly refreshed in those powers by the judicious expenditure of them.
Bring our N. joy in ministry, Divine One, and we will give you praise for all that you do through this imperfect but obedient and devoted vessel.
Bring him/her joy, and let him/her be your instrument in every act and every prayer,
for however long and in whatever places it may please and serve You.
All this we pray with devout thanksgiving for your many blessings. Amen.
Father in heaven, we rejoice in what You have done in the lives of those ordained today. The Savior called them, He taught them, and He greatly used them. And today they stand on the threshold of a lifetime of ministry. Our passionate concern, Lord, is that You will use them way beyond their highest expectation. We know that You are able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us. And today we thank You for their parents and grandparents, their spouses, their children, their loved ones, their friends, their teachers, their mentorsgodly men and women who have built into the lives of these young men, preparing them uniquely for the occasion to which You are calling them.
And we pray that You will keep them, each one, clean from the midst of a corrupt generation. May they shine their lights in the midst of a darkened world. We pray that God will use them with increasing effectiveness for His greater glory. Your Word tells us that when You call us to do anything, You will always provide the resources needed. And may they draw deeply from the rich well of grace. We are excited to think of how desperately they are neededmen who are committed to the gospel of the grace of God, the exposition of the Word of God, and the faithful and loving service in the will of God. Keep them on their knees, learning the power of prayer and always asking the question, Is it really worth doing anything if I can do it without prayer? Give them the passion of our Savior who at the end of His life commanded His disciples, Go therefore and make disciples (Matthew 28:19).
Father, as a good Shepherd, go before them, lead them in a plain path to do Your will and to do it courageously. Keep them from sin and, in their success, prevent them from believing their own press reports and humble them under the mighty hand of God. Multiply their giftedness to extend and enrich the body of Christ. Reproduce in each individual the body of Christ, the heart of Christ, and the life of Christ. And now, men, we exhort you. Acts 20:32 states: Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. And we ask it expectantly and believingly in the wonderful name of our Savior and Lord. Amen.