Month: November 2023

Eternal God, you are our God and we are your people.
You have claimed us as your own and have placed a seal on our hearts.

You nurture and sustain us in the garden of life.

Living God, we thank you for your gift of life eternal

and for all those who, having served you well,

now rest from their labours.

Today we give thanks for those who during the last twelve months

have died and entered into glory

including Marjorie, Patrick, Joan, Kevin, and those whom we hold in our hearts.

We thank you for their life and love,

and rejoice for them “all is well,

and all manner of things will be well.”

Be near to those who are grieving. Hold them.

Fill them with your comfort and peace.

Compassionate God, you attend to the wounded places of our hearts and lives,

You grieve with us in our losses and our fears.
You journey with us in our celebrations, our sorrows.

You are close even in the mundane routines of our days.
You delight in us, and you love us.

We pray for our siblings in faith in need of healing grace ….. we name them before you in the silence of our hearts.

We pray for our Households of Faith. May each family rest in your peace and be filled with your joy. May love rule in their hearts and fill their homes.

We pray for this world,
for the places and precious people

who are striving to recover from the effects of climate change.

We pray for peace among nations. May the weapons of war be laid down.
Make us instruments of that peace.

We pray for our children and our youth

that they may come to know you more fully,

growing to be all of who they have been created to be.

Give us an unwavering passion for justice,

and a tenacious faith that will not rest

until the hungry are fed,

until the oppressed find relief,

until the outsider finds welcome.

Hear us now as pray as you have taught us: Our Father.

Loving God, we hold in your healing presence those who suffer pain and ill-health,

with their families, friends and those who care for them:

May they know the deep peace of Christ

We hold in your healing presence those who suffer in mind and spirit, and all who

care for them…

May they know the deep peace of Christ

We hold in your healing presence those suffering due to broken relationships, we

pray for the marginalized, the silenced…

May they know the deep peace of Christ

We hold in your healing presence those struggling with isolation, anxiety, mental

health challenges….

May they know the deep peace of Christ

We hold in your healing presence those struggling to overcome addiction or

abuse, those supporting and working with them, and all whose suffering has

distanced them from those who love them…

May they know the deep peace of Christ

Loving God, we hold in your healing presence those grieving the loss of loved ones

and those who are walking through the dark valley of death and those who care

and support them.

May they know the deep peace of Christ

We hold in your healing presence and peace those whose needs are not known to

us but known to you. In silence, we offer our prayers ….

May they know the deep peace of Christ

God of compassion and love, we offer you all our suffering and pain. Give us

strength to bear our weakness, healing even when there this is no cure, peace in

the midst of turmoil, and love to fill the spaces in our lives.

Glory to God from whom all love flows, glory to Jesus who showed his love

through suffering, and glory to the Holy Spirit who brings light to the darkest of

places. Amen.

God, we have a lot on our hearts today. We’ve prayed prayers of lament, holding the heaviness of so many problems. We’ve prayed prayers of commitment, grasping at courage to make changes, to care in ways that matter. We want to live as your people in this world, every day. We need more strength than our own. We rely on you to fill us with love, with hope, with peace, in whatever situations we find ourselves in.

We pray for those in our midst, in our community, around the world, who struggle to find what they need to live.

We pray for those who are hungry, or homeless.

We pray for all affected by conflict, by war.

We pray for those who are grieving.

We pray for those living with illness, struggling with worries or sadness.

We pray for those facing decisions, or unwanted changes, or waiting for things beyond their control.

We pray for those supporting others.

You give us strength, God. You are the source of our life. You lead us to peace.

Thank you.

Amen. (prayer by Jane Kuepfer)

O God, this morning we come into your presence with both cries of lament and praise on our lips. We bring our lament and anguish for the devastation and loss of life in both Israel and Gaza, crying out for your intervention, your work of grace in this land where Jesus walked and ministered. God, move in the hearts of leaders of both sides, calling them to agree to a ceasefire, opening their hearts and minds to Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

We also pray for countries such as Ukraine, Haiti and more recently Myanmar where war rages, civil unrest is the norm, and where people suffer and grieve the deaths of family and community. Lord, may the church rise up and become agents of your peace…may your will be done in and through us. God we lament and grieve with those within our church families who today face significant health challenges or are caregivers. We pray for your healing hand over those who suffer and for strength & grace for all who provide care, support and love. Jesus, remind us daily of your words, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

O God we receive your peace with joy and thanksgiving, and give you praise. We also give praise and rejoice with those in our midst who today celebrate healing and wonderful answers to prayer. We also give praise God for your leading and guiding, for daily provision of food and for the gift of life for this day. Holy Spirit, live in and through us in such a way that the world around us may see the face of Jesus. Father, we give you thanks.