prayer – Rev. Dr. Joseph McBrayer

2026.01.25 Prayers for the World

Here are the Prayers of the People I offered in worship on Sunday January 25th, 2026 at Oak Grove United Methodist Church in Decatur, GA, USA.

God of love, compassion, and justice,

We thank you for people and technology that helps us to remain connected in the unity of worship today.

We ask that you would keep us safe and warm this day and help us to remember our un-housed neighbors and friends.

We pray for the many needs of our community and for all those on our prayer lists. At the church and for those we are remembering in our personal prayers today.

We come to you today with much on our minds and hearts as there is so much turmoil and animosity in our world.

We pray for all those experiencing violence in the world remembering the people of Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Venezuela, Ukraine, in our nation in Minneapolis, and here at home.

Keep us safe from harm and keep us safe from doing harm by our actions or inactions, by our words spoken or not spoken.

We lament the injustices of the world and in our own nation. We pray for the families and friends of Alex Pretti and Renee Good — whose lives should not have been ended.

We pray for little children and families who have been separated in ways that lessen their humanity and lessen our own humanity.

We pray too for the officers, political leaders, and all those who would use words and actions to justify or cause the inhuman treatment of people, citizens or not.

May your Spirit convict their hearts and minds -and ours -and help us all to see the humanity of others.

Teach us to lament the actions and language of violence and the Dehumanization of people who are made in your image. Help us to honor the dignity and worth of all people.

May we not grow cynical or numb to the realities of others and may you help us to not simply turn away because things are too difficult to look at —create in us clean hearts that seek understanding, honesty, and compassion.

May we not give in to the temptation to worship the idolatry of power, but, as Jesus teaches us, may we seek to care for the weak, the downtrodden, and the outcast as our actors of worship by loving our others and you O God.

Remind us that we are called to be part of the good in the world — help us to know that we are not alone and that together, we can work for your beloved community to be made here on earth as it is in heaven.

Help us to live into the prayer your son taught us, saying:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.

Prayer for June 30th, 2019

the morning prayer written for June 30, 2019 at Oak Grove UMC
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God of love and compassion,

We gather this day to celebrate the death and resurrection of your son Jesus the Christ,
Who came and dwelt among us to show us how to live, how to love,
and how to carry out your commandment to love both you and our Neighbor.

We pray this day that you would remind us of your deep compassion and care for the poor, the marginalized, and excluded;

We pray that you would remind us of how you saw no boundary too great to cross–
that you came and transgressed even the boundary of the human and the divine through the incarnation of your son Jesus, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
AND that you invite us to tear down barriers that separate our human family.

Help us remember that you call us to even sometimes, like those faithful people in our gospel story today, to tear a hole in the roof and join in your work
to make a way where there was no way
that those who need to be found might be found in you.

We pray today O God
that you would comfort those who are separated from their families:
for children and migrants at the border,
for parents in Atlanta incarcerated and unable to see their families,
for families separated by divorce and discord.

We pray for those who feel left out by society and the church,
and we pray that through this community of faith they might sense your divine love, which is willing to literally move heaven and earth to be known to us and to know us.

We trust and lift to your divine care
all those who are receiving care and recovering in hospitals,
and those on our prayer lists who await surgery and treatment,
and for our senior pastor Glenn Ethridge and his family.

We pray for all those who have died and for their loved ones— may the families and friends know your peace and love through us.

God of compassion,
we ask that you would help us to be faithful,
to follow your call to be like Jesus,
and to be empowered by your Holy Spirit to be the church here and now.

With Your grace, heal our hearts.
With Your grace, unite us in action.
With Your grace, repair our communities.
With Your grace, help us to find a way to welcome all children everywhere,
That they (and we) may know that Jesus loves them,
Not just because “the Bible tells them so,”
But because they have known Your love in real and tangible ways,
And they (and we) would know that nothing,
absolutely nothing, can separate them from Your love.*

We ask this prayer in the mighty name of your son Jesus of Nazareth, Amen.

*a portion of this paragraph from the UMC Prayer for Solidarity with Migrant Children, alt.

Prayerful Wandering/Wondering

paying attention reflection of chapel Prayerful Wandering/Wondering

Each week on my walking to and from meetings on campus I try to implement (what I call) an intentional practice of “prayerful wandering/wondering”–on the way back to my office from one place on campus or another, I intentionally look up and pay attention and walk in the direction I feel God’s Spirit leading me. Often, I find myself surprised to see people I haven’t seen in a while, notice people’s emotions and have a sense of their feelings (even if I do not speak with them I might say a quiet prayer for them), and find a way to build in a more Spirit-led practice of awareness into my life. JRR Tolkien reminds us that “not all who wander are lost” and this Holy Wandering and Holy Wondering can be life-giving, empathy-increasing actions that allow us to see the gifts and potentials of our people and communities.

This practice helps me in my work as a campus minister (and in my doctor of ministry research/project) as it helps me to better understand people and their experiences in life as well as giving me a deeper appreciation of the community and spaces around me. Also, I frequently end up wandering a whole lot further than if I would have just walked straight back to my office!

I hope to continue this practice implementing and other practices which help us to see, understand, and respond with God’s loving action.

Prayers of the People 2014.08.03

2014.08.03 Prayers of the People
written for The Gathering at Glenn UMC

“In order to see we must first admit we have been blind…”
-Rev Josh Amerson

God who leads us, loves us, and heals us,
we have come here today seeking you–
Open our eyes through music, fellowship, song, and scripture;
we pray that the Holy Spirit continues to teach us,
that we might know your healing touch,
See you at work in the world,
And be surprised and changed by encountering YOU.

We all come today with concerns:
with questions, with prayers, with longings;
we pray that your Holy Spirit would stir up in us
the courage to listen, to hear,
to challenge, and to be changed.
We pray today for people–
–people both near and far from us–
who need to experience your love and care:
for those who are fighting cancer,
sickness, and mental illness,
may you open our eyes that we might see,
and be your healing hands.

for people who are in the midst of
injustice, war, and violence,
may you open our eyes that we might see,
and be instruments of peace .

for survivors of every kind of abuse,
may you open our eyes that we might see,
and be compassionate, listening souls and shoulders.

for people who are caught up in systems
of oppression and economic injustice,
may you open our eyes that we might see,
and be agents of justice and change.

for people who are blinded and consumed
by consumption and materialism,
may you open our eyes that we might see,
and live out of your abundant economy.

for people who lead our
nations and local communities,
may you open our eyes that we might see,
and be compassionately engaged, civil, civil servants.

and for those who appear to be near to you
and those who appear to be far off,
may you open our eyes that we might see,
And help us recognize and behold you among us.

May we, all your people, know your healing touch–
and, by the power of your Holy Spirit,
may you open our eyes that we might see,
And GO to be the servants of your kingdom
with, and to, the hurting, broken, and surprising world. Amen.