Month: October 2023

Thank you, God, for the joy of today.
It is still morning, and yet so many good things have come our way.

Thank you to all those who call this church home, in body and spirit.
Thank you for the joy of worshiping you, our Creator. We pray as a community of believers, a church family in your care, as we nurture and care for one another. We welcome our newest members and embrace our collective yearning as we desire to be disciples of healing and hope.

As we cling to the common threads that bind us together we are witness to the letting go of nature all around us. The clouds let go of moisture in rain and snow. Trees letting go of their leaves, revealing their naked beauty. The winds let loose and blow everything away.
As the days grow short, and the nights grow long, help us this week to have compassion for those who struggle to let go of fears; the fears of an unknown diagnosis; those who are embracing a loved one in order to let go,’ all who are suffering and in need of healing and comfort; all those who are grieving; the fears of the news of this world of all those who are fleeing bombs and bullets, and all people who live with the fear of violence.

God of hope, thank you that you are with us in all our fears,
and that you bring joy even in the midst of them.
Thank you for your faithfulness through time,
for the ways you have been there for us in the past,
and the assurance that nothing can separate us from your love. Amen

Adapted from: Leading in worship by Carol Penner

Lord Jesus, True Vine,

in our need we come to You.

Amidst the troubles and sufferings of the world

we come to You.

Teach us to remain in You

and to find Your life flowing in us

providing strength, hope, and resilience.

Trim away all that is unproductive in our lives and your church.

Prune also that which is productive so that

fruit borne will be even more plentiful:

the fruit of peace, love, justice, goodness, generosity.

As we abide in the embrace of Your life-flowing love

may Your wisdom inspire

ongoing learning and unlearning

as we grow as disciples of healing and hope.,

We come this morning,

hearts heavy with images of violence we have seen on the news,

places of fear and terror, places of war, where

human suffering and disregard for human life is deep and broad.

Oh God, how You must weep.

Our hearts turn to the land You called holy,

where missiles shower death and destruction

chaos and terror.

We pray today for Israelis, for Palestinians…

and because you teach us to pray for enemies,

we pray for Hamas terrorists.

For those who are fleeing, we pray for sanctuary

For those who are staying: safety

For those who are fighting: how do we pray???

For those whose hearts are breaking we pray: comfort

For those who see no future: hope

God of peace, prune back all that stands in the way of peace.

We pray for people in leadership and power –

who have decisions to make

which impact world peace and the wellbeing of many.

We pray for our nation, and its leaders.

May changes and decisions be shaped by the values of the kingdom.

We pray for those in need in our church and community.

Wherever hearts are breaking,

bodies are failing,

minds troubled

families and relationships conflicted

uncertainty deep

loads too heavy to bear,

Lord, come with Your help and healing,

Your compassion, loving kindness, and grace.

Lord Jesus, True Vine, in our need we abide in You.

Amidst the troubles and sufferings of the world

You faithfully abide with us.

As your followers desiring to walk in our ways,

we offer our prayers in Jesus’ name. Amen

Holy One, maker of heaven and earth,

you formed the mountains, the desert places, the fertile lands.

You created autumn colours, tart apples, refreshing rains,

and you made us.

You love us. You see us. You know us.

Thank you for guiding our lives and holding all of creation in your loving hands.

In the knowledge of your love and your power,

we bring before you our prayers for the world you love, the church you call, and the needs of our hearts.

Lord of all,

guide the leaders of our world and inspire wisdom for all making decisions.

Send your peace on earth the peace that comes from making justice.

May the weapons of war be laid down,

the dignity of all upheld. May the oppressed be set free.

Lord, oh how you must weep to witness the violence done in your name,

the violence we further through intolerance of differences,

the pride of privilege, complacency amidst injustice.

Lord, have mercy.

God of compassion,

in you alone we find our help.

you watch over all day and night,

you provide all we need.

Thank you for safety, security, and freedom

we so easily take for granted.

Thank you for harmonious relationships,

meaningful work, and this community of faith.

Grant us vision and courage to walk the path which you are leading us.

As we take the reimagining church road, we hold to the promise that you are

able to do abundantly more than all we could ask or imagine.

Our journey is in your hands. We place our trust in you!

Listening God, you are familiar with all our ways,

our greatest joys and our deepest pain.

You know our dreams and our hopes.

You know what causes us to stumble or stray.

Your desire for our flourishing is steadfast.

May your hand of blessing rest upon and uphold

those whose needs are deep,

those whose suffering or pain is known only to you.

Comfort the grieving,

Strengthen the weary.

Lead the wandering by your hand of grace.

Restore those whose hearts ache and burn.

Surround the lonely and the aged with your joy and hope.

Draw near to us as we draw near to you.

May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

We pray in Jesus, name.

Let us join in prayer as conflict escalates, human suffering deepens, and the grieved and traumatized cry out for comfort:

Prayer of Lament and Intercession for Palestine and Israel

By Palestine-Israel Network

Since the October 7 Hamas attack near the Gaza Strip and Israel’s crushing military reaction, violence and destruction have escalated in the land we often call “Holy.” As we lament the carnage among Israelis and Palestinians, let us also pray for those working for a future that ends the deep and longstanding injustices that lie at the root of the crisis.

Prayer of lament and intercession for Palestine and Israel

God of love and justice, our hearts are perplexed, paralyzed and broken at the recent carnage in Palestine and Israel. We lament the loss of life and the suffering of so many innocent people on both sides. We are shocked at the inhumanity of soldiers and militants, especially when they act in the name of God.

We lament that our prayers for peace seem to go unanswered. We wish you would intervene. We cling to your promise of a different world, but we see so few signs of its fulfillment. Why?

In our feeble faith, we declare your desire for life and for peace.

Holy Spirit, strengthen our resolve to advocate for peace, justice, equality, and compassion for all. Don’t let us turn our face away.

Comfort all who are overwhelmed with loss—loss of life, loss of homes, loss of safety and security.

God of the vulnerable and the oppressed, neutralize the power of tyrants in their thirst for domination and control. Renew the strength and resolve of leaders committed to nonviolent resistance and change.

Remember the Christian communities in the land where Jesus walked ad where the church was born. May their witness to your love remain bright among their Muslim and Jewish neighbours. May they recognize your hand in their lives, even amidst the suffering.

God of all nations, guide our own government in responding in ways that support the legitimate rights of all, especially those who are most vulnerable, those who continue to suffer after decades of occupation, dispossession, and denial of basic human rights.

May your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Yours is the kingdom, the power, the glory, now and forever. Amen

God of all blessings,
source of all life,
giver of good gifts:
we thank you for the gift of life,
for the breath that sustains life,
for the food of this earth that nurtures life,
for the love of family and friends
without which there would be no life.

We thank you for the gifts of creation:
for the beauty that the eye can see, colours, landscapes, and seascapes
for the joy that the ear can hear,
geese winging their way southward, rain gently falling,

for the delights of tastes and flavours

berries and melons, tomatoes and squash

.
We thank you O God, for setting us in communities:
for families who nurture our becoming,
for friends who love us by choice,
for companions at work,
who share our burdens and daily tasks,
for strangers who welcome us into their midst,
for people from other lands and cultures
who call us to grow in understanding,
for children who lighten our moments with delight.

In silence or aloud we name our thanksgivings to you, O God…..

We also thank you O God, for your faithful presence amidst the

troubles and sufferings of the world and our lives.

Draw near the grieving, the lonely, the weak.

Grant strength to those enduring treatments and their side effects,

those awaiting medical tests and next steps.

Surround with peace those living with limitations of many kinds

and those whose unhealed hearts burn within.

Hold with comfort those walking the shadow of death and their loved ones.

In silence or aloud we name our need to you, O God ……

We raise our thanks to you God, who hears our laments

and our words of praise,

who cares for the world, our loved ones, and our needs.

We give thanks that you open new possibilities, new beginnings, new life

that stir our hearts again with thanksgiving and praise.

For all your good gifts, your love, and your amazing grace

we lift our hearts in thanksgiving in Jesus’ name. Amen

Oh God, as we gather together this morning around the table of our Lord, we recognize and celebrate the beauty and wonder of the Body of Christ around the world. We gather as one body, believing in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus’ death on the cross. Thank you Jesus for paying the price for our sin, for the gift of redemption, and for the hope of eternal life. We lift up our praise and thanks to you God.

We pray as well for the unity of the Spirit to bind us together in love. We affirm Paul’s words that “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. As the bread and cup is shared today around the world in different cultures and languages, may we together remember the death and resurrection of Jesus, and as such be obedient to His command. Grant us courage to proclaim Jesus to our families and our world through words and actions.

We also pray for believers around our world who are suffering persecution or discrimination as a result of their faith in you Jesus. Grant courage, strength and perseverance; pour out your grace on their lives. May their faith be a holy witness to those who do not yet know you as Saviour and Lord.