Sabbath prayer is like a tree in winter, resting as it remains planted near streams of living water. Coming out of Sabbath prayer is like a tree in spring, at the weakest point of the branches emerge the miracle of the bud.

Our prayers today will try to capture that miraculous moment of prayer in bloom. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I will begin a prayer bud and you will help it to blossom with the promise that our prayers will bear Kingdom fruit. As you fulfill these prayers that I begin, you are invited to pray out loud or silently in the language that is most comforting to you.

Let us pray:
Triune God, we acknowledge that You are…
Today we are so very grateful for…
Like the tips of a tree branch, the places where you bear fruit can be the points of our greatest weakness. You welcome the little child. You encourage the mustard seed. You honor little Zacchaeus, the outcast.
But we struggle with the weak tips of our lives.
We struggle with…
We remember together that where we are weak, You are…
As we remember sacred weakness,
Christ we intercede with you on behalf of the vulnerable.
We cry out on behalf of…
We pray for those in power, that …
We pray for those without power, that …
We take a moment to listen.
Gracious God, You are revealing …
Oh Christ, You who are our Sabbath, we praise You for …
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen