God Of Love...
Intercession
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:
The Church of Christ
Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority
The local community
Those who suffer
The communion of saints
These responses may be used:
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
God of love, it was alright for you. You knew your anger was righteous. I don't have that reassurance. I never know whether my anger is legitimate or way over the top. I'm so afraid I shall flare up in anger, then discover I've got hold of the wrong end of the stick, and look stupid. And I'm afraid of over-reacting, and of scaring away or hurting other people so that my relationships are damaged beyond repair. God of love, help me to let go of all these fears, and to have the courage to express what I feel even when that means expressing anger. And remind me that the more true to myself I can be, the more you're able to take hold of my life and mould it for good.
God of love, in these days when Christianity is marginalised in our country give us such enthusiasm and insight that we prepare the way for those who will come after us. Enable your Church to stand up for the truth but never to fear questions, and to enfold all groups of people in such love that it overflows to all. As we remember those who have prepared the way for us, we thank you for their faithful witness often in the face of extremem personal danger. And we pray that we in your Church today might share their courage.
Today with the world-wide Church we pray especially for the church in Spain, and its bishop, Bishop Lopez-Lozano.
God of love, we see the media presentation of the war in the Middle East and we make up our own minds as to whether we're for or against the war. But it's only an armchair exercise. We continue to pray for wisdom for our leaders, protection for our service personnel and basic human rights for the people of Afghanistan. And we pray that we might make the effort to stand up for what we believe to be right so that we too take responsibility for the actions of our country.
God of love, in family and community life it's often easier to keep quiet than to speak up and risk anger or upset. Give us all the confidence to be ourselves so that we may follow the path of Jesus, the way that he made smooth for us. Teach us not to fear other people's displeasure, but to always seek your truth and to always offer your love. Give us compassion in our search for truth and justice and remind us that whether we want to or not, by our actions and our being we prepare the way for future generations.
God of love, we hold in your presence those of our families and friends who are sick and who need your special touch. Increase the skills and the compassion of those who treat them and enable the sick to fully respond to their treatment. We name them before you....
God of love, may those who are suffering the great pain of bereavement be aware that you are with them in their agony and that you can use it ultimately for their benefit. Show them the resurrection so that they might know that not only are their loved ones with you, but that they themselves can rise again above their present pain into a new and wonderful life. We pray especially today for ... and for those who lost someone at this time of year in previous years....
We ask these prayers through him who always dared to be himself and who prepared the way for us, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Merciful Father,
Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Church of Christ
Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority
The local community
Those who suffer
The communion of saints
These responses may be used:
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
God of love, it was alright for you. You knew your anger was righteous. I don't have that reassurance. I never know whether my anger is legitimate or way over the top. I'm so afraid I shall flare up in anger, then discover I've got hold of the wrong end of the stick, and look stupid. And I'm afraid of over-reacting, and of scaring away or hurting other people so that my relationships are damaged beyond repair. God of love, help me to let go of all these fears, and to have the courage to express what I feel even when that means expressing anger. And remind me that the more true to myself I can be, the more you're able to take hold of my life and mould it for good.
God of love, in these days when Christianity is marginalised in our country give us such enthusiasm and insight that we prepare the way for those who will come after us. Enable your Church to stand up for the truth but never to fear questions, and to enfold all groups of people in such love that it overflows to all. As we remember those who have prepared the way for us, we thank you for their faithful witness often in the face of extremem personal danger. And we pray that we in your Church today might share their courage.
Today with the world-wide Church we pray especially for the church in Spain, and its bishop, Bishop Lopez-Lozano.
God of love, we see the media presentation of the war in the Middle East and we make up our own minds as to whether we're for or against the war. But it's only an armchair exercise. We continue to pray for wisdom for our leaders, protection for our service personnel and basic human rights for the people of Afghanistan. And we pray that we might make the effort to stand up for what we believe to be right so that we too take responsibility for the actions of our country.
God of love, in family and community life it's often easier to keep quiet than to speak up and risk anger or upset. Give us all the confidence to be ourselves so that we may follow the path of Jesus, the way that he made smooth for us. Teach us not to fear other people's displeasure, but to always seek your truth and to always offer your love. Give us compassion in our search for truth and justice and remind us that whether we want to or not, by our actions and our being we prepare the way for future generations.
God of love, we hold in your presence those of our families and friends who are sick and who need your special touch. Increase the skills and the compassion of those who treat them and enable the sick to fully respond to their treatment. We name them before you....
God of love, may those who are suffering the great pain of bereavement be aware that you are with them in their agony and that you can use it ultimately for their benefit. Show them the resurrection so that they might know that not only are their loved ones with you, but that they themselves can rise again above their present pain into a new and wonderful life. We pray especially today for ... and for those who lost someone at this time of year in previous years....
We ask these prayers through him who always dared to be himself and who prepared the way for us, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Merciful Father,
Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
