Christmas Prayer

 What do I want for Christmas?
      I want to kneel in Bethlehem,
           the air thick with alleluias,
                the angels singing

       that God is born among us.

In the light of the Star,

      I want to see them come,
  the wise ones and the humble.
I want to see them come
    bearing whatever they treasure
         to lay at the feet
 of him who gives his life.


 What do I want for Christmas?
       To see in the stable
             the whole world kneeling in thanks
                   for a promise kept:
                         NEW LIFE.
For in his nativity
       we find ours.
               Ann Weems

Oh Gracious and Loving God,

Revive us and transform us this season as you transformed the world through our Savior's birth in Bethlehem.

Prayer for the Week of Thanksgiving

"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done."    
I Chronicles 16:8

Prayer of Thanks

Gracious and Loving God,
We are thankful and encouraged by the ways you are using our friends in Poland to spread your love and hope to the people of Wroclaw through their
interfaith conferences, their "Days of Reformation", and their involvement in the recognition of Bonhoeffer as a formal patron of Wroclaw. We give you thanks for such a mighty ministry from your small group of faithful followers at EWST.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."    Phillipians 4:13

Prayer for Week of October 12

Eternal God,
We thank you for the time of renewed spirits and friendships with Wojtek and Marek and the Board of EST. Continue to guide all of us, Oh Lord, as we seek, and respond to, your direction in our lives. Help us to trust you more, for you are the only one who can make us more than we are.

"But as for me, I will look to the Lord,I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me."  Micah 7:7

Prayer for Guidance

Spirit of the Living God,

Guide those from EST and the United States involved in the EST Board meeting in Raleigh on September 22-25. Make it a time to renew spirits and friendships, and rejuvenate your call to create a closer, stronger Christian community in Poland. Be especially with those newly called to serve you through the board, and with those traveling from Poland. Let your Spirit of hope and your heart of joy be felt by all as your mission is discerned for EST.

"  Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."     Romans 15:13 

Prayer for Week of September 1

Father God of all people in all languages,

Touch the lives of those being served through EST-faculty and staff, former graduates, new students, adults in the third generation program of continuing theological education, students at other universities whose lives are being shaped by EST, former and future mission trip participants, terminally ill children in the hospice program,  and people of multiple faiths who have found a common ground of reconciliation through EST. Be present in Poland as we feel your presence where we are right now.

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God."

        1 John 3:2

Prayer for Week of August 18

Heavenly Father,
Be present with the faculty, students and staff at EST who  are serving you through the summer with camps, Bible classes, mission trips, music festivals and other ministries.  We thank you for the creativity that each individual brings toward your ministry in and to Poland.

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might... "

        Ecclesiastes 9:10
 

Prayer for the Week of June 29

Lord God,
For the leadership of EST, we pray for your guidance, your blessed wisdom, and your peace.  Thank you for the faithfulness of Wojtek Szczerba, Piotr Lorek, and Marek Kucharski, all trained by the visionaries you sent to start EST, and now serving as its leaders.  We ask for your presence in their lives and for your blessings on their families who sacrifice for your service.  

"The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,

The Spirit of  wisdom and understanding, 

The Spirit of counsel and might, 

The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord."

                        Isaiah 11:2
 

Children's Hospice in Wroclaw

Children’s Hospice in Wroclaw cares for terminally ill children, helping them in their own homes. Patients mostly suffer from incurable neurological conditions, but approximately 30% are children with cancer. Staying in the family home is very important for a sick child and cannot be overestimated. The children can spend the last days of their lives surrounded by family, living as normally as their condition allows them. It is not only the sick child that is the patient, but also the whole family that needs constant support from a doctor or psychologist. The hospice provides this support during the illness and in the most difficult time any family would have to face – after the death of a beloved child, brother or sister. The aim of the hospice is life and hope, which can often work miracles.

EST's involvement in this Hospice is through sponsorship of special days for the children and their families and by helping to raise funds. In May, EST participated as one of the sponsors for a picnic at the botanical garden in Wroclaw. Also, EST is in the process of developing more direct involvement with the children and their parents.  

Dear Gracious and Loving God,

We thank you for the ways you are growing and strengthening the relationships between EST and the community.We give thanks for their involvement with the Children's Hospice in Wroclaw. Please bless these children and their families as you continue to provide strength and hope and peace. For those who answer your call to service in this special ministry we ask that you fill them with your Holy Spirit, that they might bear the Spirit's fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Prayer for the Week of May 25

Dear Lord, Help us to see your providence and your blessings as you continue to give our  friends in Poland strength, wisdom and hope in the midst of tragedy and heartache, ice storms and floods. We pray for financial support for the needs and ministries there. We also ask for guidance, wisdom and inspiration for the staff and the  board as they discern your plans for EST's future ministries.

"In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you..." John 14:27

HOPE...

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. "  Romans 15:13

"For  I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."  Jeremiah 29:11

"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."  Romans 5:5 

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast..."  Hebrews 6:19 

AMEN 

Prayer for Week of April 27

Lord God,
We in the United States are inspired by how you are using our friends in Poland to spread your love and peace and hope in the midst of tragedy and heartache. We pray for strength and courage as you continue to lift up your faithful servants during this difficult time.

Jesus said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 

        Mark 6:50

"Pray without ceasing..."  
        1 Thessalonians 5:17


"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
       Romans 12:12
 

Faithful Hearts in the Midst of Tragedy

God of Grace and Love, hear our prayers.

Our hearts go out to our friends in Poland. We pray for the many family members who lost loved ones in the plane crash.  For those family members Lord, we ask for your comfort and your peace, the peace that passes all understanding. For the people of Poland we ask for strength and wisdom and courage in the midst of uncertainty and sadness. Give the nation stability and hope as they walk in your love, today and all days. 


"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8: 37-39

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: he is my God, and I trust him.”  Psalm 91:1-2

People pray in front of the coffin with late Polish President Lech Kaczynski during a ceremony following the arrival of the coffin at the military airport in Warsaw, Poland, Sunday, April 11, 2010. Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria and some of the country's highest military and civilian leaders died on Saturday when the presidential plane crashed as it came for landing in fog near Smolensk, western Russia.
(AP Photo/Alik Keplicz)

Easter Greeting from EST

Prayer for the Week of March 30

Dear God,

Keep us ever mindful of the new life and the renewed hope you have given us in the resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Help us to live as new people in your grace and love.  Keep us faithful in prayer,  diligent in your service, and connected as your children. Amen.

But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen..."   Mathew 28:5-6a

Prayer for the Week of March 16

Lord God of all ages,

We thank you that EST has answered your call to bring scripture to the young and the old, to the wealthy and the poor, to those beginning their careers and those who have completed theirs. In the spirit of Reformation, EST has made your word accessible to all so that all may be equipped for every good work.  We pray for those who participate in the EST programs: the B.A. program, the School of Leaders, the English program and the Academy of Third Age. We pray that these participants  will be steadfast and will see God working in their lives and ministry as they study His word and learn His truth. Amen.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. 
    2 Timothy 3:16-17

Prayer for the Week of March 2

Lord God,

We know that those who serve you faithfully full-time, such as the faculty and staff of EST in Wroclaw and Liz and Doug Searles in Lodz, take little time for themselves to rest. We pray that you will find that quiet place for each of them to restore their souls.

Because so many people were coming and going that [the apostles] did not even have a chance to eat, [Jesus] said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

            Mark 6:31

Prayer for the Week of February 16

God who calls each of us,

Thank you for the willingness and faithfulness of those who have answered your call in Poland to serve you through the Evangelical School of Theology. You have used them to call others and prepare others for their call. We thank you for the success of the recent Ecumenical Gatherings and we pray for the Protestaant Festival to be held April 20-25.

I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" and I said, "Here am I. Send me!"  
      Isaiah 6:8

Prayer for Week of February 2

God who is the source of strength,

Our friends at the seminary are struggling with snow and ice, roof repairs, and financial challenges. We ask you to guide those in leadership positions at EST. Guide those serving you to have the strength to climb new heights.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.
                    Habakkuk 3:19

Prayer for January 27

 

"Lord, please help us to understand the depth of the horrors that our new friends in Poland have endured in their lives. Open our eyes to see something of what they have seen and experienced. Open our ears to hear something of what they have heard and shared with us. Most of all open our hearts to feel something of what they have felt. By the miracle of your grace help us understand the ways of your redemptive love, and guide us to be agents of that love. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

God, Our Father,
 
Thank you for the joyful message of your love that EST has shared with students, faculty, staff, and those throughout Poland, the United States and the world. We pray with glad hearts that you will continue to bless the seminary and its work through the Festival of Protestant Culture, the University of the Third Age and the ongoing relationships that the seminary nurtures with all people including us.  May each day bring moments of joy to your servants at EST.
 
 

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with Joy.”
         Phillipians 1:4

January Prayer

Omniscient God,

As this new year dawns, bring hope into the hearts and lives of those who serve you at EST and in Lodz, and those who support them.  We know that your will is being done in Poland, and we pray that your eternal hope of all things good to come will be the light that shines in the darkness of winter.




"Hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us."
                            Romans 5:5
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