Lord God, as we walked and prayed at Chandler Run, we noticed things with our natural senses that speak to us of the good, holy, and beautiful work that you are doing and will continue to do in the lives of people there.
We pray that just as vines are intertwining as they grow up into the fence there, that neighbors would get to know each other and live interdependently with one another.
We pray that just as you have blessed us with abundant rain in recent weeks, there would be new growth and teeming life at both Chander Run and Liberty Vineyard Church. We pray for your blessing on both places – for deep roots, beautiful flowers, and ongoing flourishing. Help us to be faithful to nurture growth, whether it springs up from intentional plantings or from the wildness of the land where a huge plant nursery stood for many years! May we show radical hospitality to all, and may we be known for how we welcome and love our neighbors. Help us to love on our neighbors while they’re here, whether for a short time or long, in our very transitional society. Thank you, Lord, that you notice the little things. We pray that each person would slow down and notice the little things, too. And that each one would know you, God, as the God of not only the big things but also of the little things.
We pray that people here would stop and turn, as we, the church, continue to call out, as Jesus did in Mark 1:15, to repent and believe in the good news. Would you cause people to turn from sin and turn towards Christ. We ask you to draw people out of uncertainty and into the kingdom of God. As people repent and believe in the good news, we ask that many would be baptized!
We ask you, Jesus, to help people to listen to your words of life in Matthew 6, after you drew your disciples’ attention to the birds of the air and the grass of the field. We ask you for grace for each one to “not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” We ask you to help people instead to “strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
We ask you, God, that you would form an integrated community here by breaking down barriers between neighbors. We long for kingdom fruitfulness that would be life-giving and a blessing to all. We ask that you would remove anything that is not life-giving that would spoil the fruit you are bringing forth.
We pray that the both the pool and the mailboxes would be meeting places where community is formed and connections are forged. We ask you to transform every part of this new development into a new community and that Chandler Run would thrive!
Thank you, God, that you know each person by name. You know each one’s story. You have given each one value, meaning, and purpose. We pray that each one would find their true identity in you, Christ Jesus.
We pray for every Bruce, every Wanda, every household, every baby. We pray for our immigrant new neighbors, that their fellow neighbors would not harass them, and that no other political group or law enforcement would do anything but be civil towards them and be kind.
We pray Psalm 59 for and with our entire community: “Deliver [us] from [our] enemies, O God; be [our] fortress against those who are attacking [us] … But [we] will sing of your strength, in the morning [we] will sing of your love; for you are [our] fortress, [our] refuge in times of trouble. You are [our] strength, [we] sing praise to you; you, God, are [our] fortress, [our] God on whom [we] can rely.””
Lord, thank you for speaking to us, for showing us what you wanted us to see, and letting us hear your voice. We know we do it imperfectly, and life is messy, life is complicated. We admit that we have trouble with the imprecatory Psalms and don’t understand them. But you, Lord, understand that we are complicated and messy, and you love us still. We thank you that you are compassionate and gracious, that you love from eternity past to eternity future, you hold us and every person in your eternal embrace. Even though we try to wriggle away, you beckon us closer still. Help us to remember the beloved ones who are here and who are coming in our prayers and to sow as many good seeds as we can for the kingdom and glory of God!
We ask all these things in the precious name of our Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen!