Christmas Prayer

Loving God, Help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate
and open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings,
and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children,
and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
           Robert Louis Stevenson
 

Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 
    Luke 2:10-11 

     Polish Christmas Carols Website 

Polish Carols Website

Prayer for Week of December 15

 Bonhoeffer Memorial: Wroclaw, Poland

God of the Newborn Baby and the Aging Parent,
 
Thank you for the Compassionate Care Project through EST which has allowed Poland's older adults, who experienced years of Communism and some even the horrors of World War II, to know you better through classes at EST on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, women of the Bible, gospel music and many other Theological topics.  We thank you for providing individuals and institutions in the U.S. who feel called to support such a ministry, and those in Wroclaw, Poland, who feel called to create it.  Bless each life touched.

Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.
- Leviticus 19:32

Prayer for Week of December 8

Gracious and generous God,
 
You have given generously to each of us.  Thank you for each life represented by those who have given so generously to EST throughout 2009.  You have used these gifts to your greatness and glory in sharing your Word, caring for dying children, creating a safe place for all to worship and serve you, educating minds young and old, and serving those who need you most in Poland.  For those who have given and those yet to give, we offer our thanks and ask your blessing.

"Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the Lord with a whole heart."   Chronicles 29:9

Prayer for Week of December 1

Heavenly Father,

How we give thanks for the vision of your flock in Poland. What grace, what zeal to reach a people needy for your love and salvation. How grateful we are to have met them face to face, and to have heard the testimonies of faith and healing. Cause your face to shine upon them, O Lord, in the multitude of your blessings, and the supply of every need. Let workers to go into the whiten fields abound, and finances be supplied to carry on their every work. Encourage your people there, O Lord. May they never be without the sense of your presence. As you have said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." 

In the name of the one who is love and the high priest of our confession of faith, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, 

for he is good; his love endures forever.

   Psalm 118:1

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

    Psalm 118:24 

Prayer for Week of November 17

Almighty and Merciful God,

We ask your continued blessing on the leadership at EWST whom you have empowered with Your Spirit.  Guide them in their daily decision-making; inspire them to bring creativity and vision in this time and place; sustain them when they are perplexed or in the darkness of doubt.  Speak Your Word and allow the Light of Your Will to illuminate as they work to build community and understanding.  Grant to us all the grace, peace and serenity to live life fully and faithfully to You, O Giver of All Gifts.  Amen.
 
"Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine..." Ephesians 3:20

Prayer for Week of November 10

Creator and God of all, 

Your living Word  has set us free. From all the evil of this world, we are set free to be brothers and sisters in the Word and in truth. We are set free to be agents of your light, together, in this world of darkness. Help us Lord to be servants for your Kingdom. Amen

"If you abide in my word you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." 

John 8:31-32 

Prayer for Week of November 3

Gracious and loving God,

We pray that those in Poland, who spread God's word and do God's work, will know that those whose lives they have touched will remember them forever.  May Christ always provide these friends with someone by their side who will lift them up. May Christ always provide them with answers to the questions that they seek answered, and a window to open whenever a door is closed. Amen.

"For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God."

    Ecclesiastes 9:1

Prayer for Week of October 27

O God who transcends the borders of time and space, we offer to You our thanks and praise for the ways in which You reveal Yourself to us in relationships with others. May Your Spirit continue to bless the relationships between those who worship in Poland and those who worship in America. Guide us in our shared ministries and strengthen the ties that bind us in Christian love. For it is in Your Son's name that we gather and pray. Amen.


"For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God." 
    Colossians 1:8-10

Prayer for Week of October 20

 

Loving and merciful God, we praise you for the work you are doing through Second Baptist Church of Wroclaw.  We thank you for the pastors, Wojtek and Bogdan, who shared their passion for Christ with us, and provided the opportunity to partner with them for an afternoon.  We ask that you bless them with creativity, energy, wisdom, and unfaltering love as they minister to their church.  And we ask that you bless the congregation as they grow in understanding of your grace and truth, so that Second Baptist may shine brightly as a beacon of hope to all those around her.

 

“You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”  Mathew 5:14-15

Prayer for Week of October 13

O Heavenly Father,

As our friends at EST prepare for their "Days of Reformation" conference (Oct. 30 to Nov. 1), we pray you will be ever present in the final days of planning and also to all who gather together for this event. Use this conference to strengthen and grow the relationships between EST and the community, especially as EST strives to raise money and awareness for Hospice for Kids. Lord, soften hearts and bring this community of faith together to show support for the families of these children in Hospice.

"The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."    Luke 1:37

Prayer for Week of October 6

Holy and Omnipresent God,

As the international Board for EST meets in Little Rock, Arkansas, this week, be present in the room. Give each person serving you in that capacity the courage and inspiration to seek peace there, in Poland, and throughout the world. May your vision be theirs. For Wojtek and Marek, as they travel from Poland, may the support, encouragement, and enthusiasm with which they are received, by both the Board and those in churches they visit, sustain them through the winter months as they faithfully seek to do your will.

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one is a part of it."   
    1 Corinthians 12:27

Prayer for Week of September 29

Dear God,

We lift up Liz and Doug Searles and their weekly circuit ministry of language classes, bible studies, pulpit supply, and youth and music programs. We ask for travel safety and also for financial and creative resources as Liz and Doug continue serving congregations and communities within Lodz and beyond. May your grace, O Lord, make possible that which seems impossible to us.

"Hope thou in God."   Psalm 42: 5

Prayer for Week of September 22

Gracious and Loving God,
During this time of new beginnings  in the academic year, we lift up those faithful ones who have served you at EST in unsung ways- the security personnel who protect and secure the property, the custodians who maintain the building, the receptionist who welcomes all to the ministry, and all those who serve you in ways often unacknowledged and unnoticed.

"Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up your hand! Do not forget the humble."   Psalm 10:12

Prayer for Week of September 15

We thank you God,
for the relationships you are building between your servants in Poland and the United States. We pray you will continue to grow this work you have begun in us: a work of love and service.

"... Always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it..." Phillipians 1:4-6

Prayer for the Continued Journey

Lord,
Mold us that we as strangers in a foreign land may stand with those we visit as brothers and sisters in, and as, the living example of Christ.

"Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel."
Philippians 1:27

Prayers for the Journey

God of All Places,
Be with those from the U.S. who are traveling to Poland today and tomorrow to be at EST for a Mission Study Trip. Keep them and their families in Your safe arms. Thank you for those who have been guided by You in planning extraordinary experiences- Rebecca, Marek, Piotr, Wojtek, and Linda- and all of the faculty and staff.

"...For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up..." Psalm 91:11-12a

Go forth, traveler, in the name which is above every name. Be of good courage. Hold fast to that which is good. Render to no one evil for evil. Support the weak. Help the afflicted. Strengthen the faint hearted. Honor everyone. Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.

And may the blessing of the eternal God,
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
be upon your going out and
your coming in.

For in Christ there is no east or west, in him no south or north:
but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide earth.

Prayer for Week of August 25

Beloved God,
As people from Tampa and Raleigh prepare to leave for a Mission Study Trip to EST and Wroclaw, to Auschwitz and Birkenau, and to Krakow, prepare their hearts to be moved and changed. We know that You have amazing experiences and relationships in store for all.


"But as it is written, eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for
those who love Him."
1 Corinthians 2:9

Prayer for Week of August 18

O Generous God,
Bring new people into your ministry at EST to provide financial, spiritual, and prayer support, not just to build up your work at EST, but to build up their own hearts and lives.

"But this I say, he who soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully."
II Corinthians 9:6

Prayer for Week of August 11

God Who Hears All Prayers,
We thank you for the ways in which the prayers of this group have been answered in Poland. For all those who have given so generously of their time and hearts to pray, we thank you. Keep us ever mindful that if we ask, you are faithful.

"Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Prayer for Week of August 4

Lord God,Be with Piotr and Alina Lorek, as they prepare for their first child in August. Thank you for the ways that Piotr has served you faithfully at EST, first as a student, then as Director of Biblical Studies and now as Academic Dean. Thank you for the ways that you continue to move in the lives of leadership at EST, and the ways you bless them and their families.


"Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and those whoso shall receive one such child in my name receiveth me."
Mathew 18:4

Prayer for Week of July 28

O Loving Father,
Thank you for the ways that you have used those trained at EST to build up the body and spirits of believers in Poland. We especially lift up with gratitude Second Baptist Church of Wroclaw and its ministers who are graduates of EST and continue to serve joyfully in an impoverished and needy community.

"The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
Romans 5:5

Prayer for Week of July 21

Beloved Father,
Be with students and faculty from EST who are working in summer ministries, including camps for youth, children, and women and churches; Vacation Bible School clubs; community outreach and other missions. We pray you will also be with the seven youth from the Evangelical-Reformed Church in Poland as they visit the United States July 13-August 11. May the work of all of these groups be sacred, their energies unbounded, and the lives of those they touch be forever changed. May those of us in the United States seek to emulate such a spirit of service.

"Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." Phillipians 2:4

Prayer for Week of July 14

Lord God,
Be with the women from the United States and the women from Poland who are participating in the annual Women's Camp in the mountains of Poland from July 18-25. We pray for the health of the campers and their families. Provide the women with the renewed strength, faith, and courage to live as women believing in You and reflecting You around them. As the polish women learn English, fill their hearts with the Scripture taught them that knows no language but Yours.

"I will left up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help? My help cometh from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth." Psalm 121: 1-2

Prayer for Week of July 7

Father of All,
We know you call some of us to go to the mission fields You have created, and others of us to support those who go. Be present in the hearts of those You have chosen to provide for those You have sent. Move them to be part of Your work in Poland by the sharing of their resources.

"And all that believed were together, and had all things in common." Acts 2:44

Prayer for Week of June 30

Oh Merciful and Omniscient God,
You are at this time preparing the hearts, minds and spirits of those who will travel from the United States September 2-9 to study and serve with your faithful servants at EST in Poland. Give each traveler the time to focus on You and prepare to be shaped and changed. Thank you for those in Florida and North Carolina who heard your still small voice and responded with a willingness to go.

"God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause Your face to shine upon us. That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations."
Psalm 67: 1-2

Prayer for Week of June 23

Heavenly Father,
As missionaries from EST travel from their home countries of Germany, Switzerland, and the United States over the summer, keep them in Your loving care. Guide them as they seek support for Your work in Poland through EST and through them. Bless their families who serve You through them.

"The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace."
Numbers 6:24-26

Prayer for Week of June 16

Gracious and Loving God,
Be with Doug and Liz Searles, the first PCUSA missionaries to Poland. Bless their work in Lodz and throughout Poland. Give them strength and renewed energy for their summer work with youth and churches. Be with their family in the U.S. and those they have grown to love in Poland. Thank you for their faithfulness to You.

"If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8: 31-32

Prayer for Week of June 9

O Beloved God,
As faculty and students leave EST for the summer to do missions and serve You in Poland and beyond, keep them safe and bless their endeavors. Refresh each of them physically, mentally and spritually and bring them back to EST in September with renewed energy and excitement for the 2009-2010 academic year.

"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." Isaiah 26:3

Prayer for Week of June 2

Heavenly Father,
You are at this moment calling faithful servants to go to Poland September 2-9. Move hearts and minds of those who want to grow in You to be willing to study and serve in Wroclaw. Give them courage to be bold and step out in faith on a mission trip to Poland.

As students prepare to leave EST, help them to walk in You, rooted, built up and established in faith, as they have been taught by your faithful servants.

"As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith you have been taught." Colossians 2:6-7

Prayer for Week of May 26

Omnipresent God,
During this week, as EST and the City of Wroclaw host the first Protestant Festival, be ever-present to all who gather there. Let your Spirit move among those from the churches and Christian organizations that serve You in Poland, just as it moved among those in the early Christian church.

As potential students visit EST, open their hearts to a desire to study Your word with Your servants there.

"And they, continuing daily with one accord,…did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." Acts 2: 46 - 47

Prayer for Week of May 19

Lord God,
Strengthen the faculty and staff of EST in these difficult times, to stay faithful to Your will for them in Poland. Give them courage and wisdom.

"God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
2 Timothy 1:7

Prayer for Week of May 12

God of All and in All,
We are grateful and humbled by the ways you are using EST to bring together Your people of faith- from different countries, from different denominations, from different perspectives. Remind us that we are all one body in Christ.

The body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
I Corinthians 12:12

Prayer for Week of May 5

Most Gracious and Loving Father,
As the seminary holds an open house this week for potential students; we pray you will open the hearts of men and women who want to study your word and become better equipped to serve you in full time ministry or in the workplace.

"Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." Psalm 37: 5, 7

Prayer for Week of April 28

Dear God,
In these difficult economic times in Poland and the United States, still us so that we know that You are God. Use EST to exalt you among the nations on this earth, and to bring peace within hearts.


"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

Prayer for Week of April 21

Lord God,
As you choose your servants to travel to Poland in September for study and service, strengthen them for the journey. Prepare their hearts and minds to be open to You and Your will for this trip.

"I am Your servant; give me understanding, that I may know Your testimonies."
Psalm 119:125

Prayer for Week of April 14

Beloved God,
Thank you for the ways in which You have transformed the lives of Your leaders at EST, and the ways that they live their lives as a witness to Your new creation. As spring unfolds on this earth, help us to live our lives anew in You.

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17

Prayer for Week of April 7

Dear God,
We praise you for the sacrifice of your Son, and for the sacrifices of those whom You used to form, shape and mold EST. Help each member of the faculty and staff to sense Christ living in them.


"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

Prayer for Week of March 31

Almighty God,
As we celebrate the strength of EST's ministry in Poland, make us ever mindful that the glory is yours Lord.

"God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Galatians 6:14

Prayer for Week of March 17

Our Heavenly Father,

We lift up to you the hearts and minds of the students at the seminary. Prepare all of them for your work in Poland and around the world.

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2: 15

Prayer for Week of March 10

Dear Lord,
Guide and guard the lives of those in Poland seeking to live their faith in actual and visible ways, in spite of a culture that often is hostile to your people.





"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord..."
2 Timothy 1: 7-8a

Prayer for Inspiration

Almighty God,
Strengthen, encourage, and inspire the faculty of EST as Wojtek and Marek return to Poland and convey to the faculty, the love and support of their faith family in America.

"We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father."
1 Thessalonians 1: 2-3

Prayer for Strength

Dear God,
as Marek and Wojtek return to the seminary instill in them a joy and a strength for their work. Renew the hearts of all who fulfill your ministry in Poland, both here and abroad.


"Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not loose heart." Galatians 6:9

Prayer of Praise

Oh Lord,
We offer a heartfelt praise for the ways that prayers offered up to you have been answered. We thank you for moving hearts and minds in Poland and the United States toward your greater good through EST.


"Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you."
Joshua 3:5

Prayer for Direction

Oh gracious and loving God, We thank you for the opportunity for board members and leaders of EST to gather together in your name in Memphis, Tennessee this week. We ask that everyone attending this meeting be open to your will as they determine and direct the path of the Seminary in 2009.



"And this is the confidence which we have in Him that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of Him."
1 John 5:14-15

Prayer for Guidance

God of love,
whose compassion never fails; we ask you to prepare Wojtek and Marek for their travels to the U.S to meet with supporters and with EST board members. Give them wisdom, creativity, strength, and peace as they seek your will in their lives and in the life of the seminary.


“And so, from the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints of light.” Colossians 1: 9-12

Prayer of Gratitude

Dear Lord,
We offer up a prayer of gratitude for all those who have sacrificed time, money, and talents during 2008 to support your ministry through EST in Poland. You have found faithful servants who offer what you have given them for your work at EST. You also inspire those at EST with creativity and resourcefulness to be good stewards. We give you thanks.


"Each must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7