Prayers of the People | Epiphany 4C | January 31st, 2016

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Prayers of the People

Epiphany 4C

January 31st, 2016

Here's a prayers of the people for the 4th Sunday after the Epiphany (Year C) inspired by Jeremiah 1:4-10, Psalm 71:1-6, and Luke 4:21-30.

God of our birth,
you are our refuge and our strength,
our deliverer and our rescuer,
our rock and our fortress.
From creation's beginning, you have been our God
and covered us with your steadfast love no matter our circumstances.
It was you who took us from our mother's womb
and called us beloved long before we could ever reciprocate such love.
We praise you with all glory and honor!

We confess that often we do not follow you as we should.
We come up with so many excuses,
     that we are too young,
     that we are too old,
          too rich, too poor, too strong, too weak, too set in our ways.
Help us to be free from fear, to accept your call upon our lives
and to do so with courage and imagination.

We give you all thanks and praise,
     that you are a merciful God,
     that you have never, and will never, give up on us,
     that you shower us with you love in our baptisms.
With thanksgiving we remember the story of your Son,
     as he attended a wedding and transformed scarcity into abundance.
May we, in all that we do and are, reflect the abundance he calls us to share.

Merciful God,
we pray especially this day for those among us who are in need of abundance,
     we pray for loved ones, family and friends...
     we pray for community leaders and our nation's politicians...
     we pray for those seeking office, that they may do so with justice and peace...
     we pray for those battling addiction and substance abuse...
     we pray for those living with chronic physical illness...
     we pray for those living with chronic mental illness...
     we pray for this congregation, that we might do you will...

Good and gracious God,
we lift these prayers to you for surely you care for us as your children.
Gather us together that we might live your Gospel in the world,
following your Son with the guidance of your Holy Spirit.
This we pray in Christ's name.  Amen.

 

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Stephen Fearing

Stephen was born in 1988 in Cookeville, TN, where his parents met whilst attending Tennessee Tech. Shortly after, they moved to Dalton, Georgia where they put down roots and joined First Presbyterian Church, the faith family that taught Stephen that he was first and foremost a beloved child of God. It was this community that taught Stephen that it was OK to have questions and doubts and that nothing he could do could every possibly separate him from the love of God. In 1995, his sister, Sarah Kate, joined the family and Stephen began his journey as a life-long musician. Since then, he has found a love of music and has found this gift particularly fitting for his call to ministry. Among the instruments that he enjoys are piano, trumpet, guitar, and handbells. Stephen has always had a love of singing and congregation song. An avid member of the marching band, Stephen was the drum major of his high school's marching band. In 2006, Stephen began his tenure at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC where he majored in Religion and minored in History. While attending PC, Stephen continued to explore his love of music by participating in the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Jazz Combo, Jazz Trio, as well as playing in the PC Handbell ensemble and playing mandolin and banjo PC's very own bluegrass/rock group, Hosegrass, of which Stephen was a founding member (Hosegrass even released their own CD!). In 2010, Stephen moved from Clinton to Atlanta to attend Columbia Theological Seminary to pursue God's call on his life to be a pastor in the PC(USA). During this time, Stephen worked at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Silver Creek Presbyterian Church, Central Presbyterian Church, and Westminster Presbyterian Church. For three years, Stephen served as the Choir Director of Columbia Theological Seminary's choir and also served as the Interim Music Director at Westminster Presbyterian Church. In 2014, Stephen graduated from Columbia with a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Arts in Practical Theology with an emphasis in liturgy, music, and worship. In July of 2014, Stephen was installed an ordained as Teaching Elder at Shelter Island Presbyterian Church in Shelter Island, NY. Later that year, Stephen married the love of his life, Tricia, and they share their home on Shelter Island with their Golden Doodle, Elsie, and their calico cat, Audrey. In addition to his work with the people who are Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, Stephen currently serves as a commission from Long Island Presbytery to the Synod of the Northeast and, beginning in January of 2016, will moderate the Synod's missions team.