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