Prayers of the Church, 14^th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 18 – September 6, 2020

Let us approach the throne of grace on behalf of the Church, the world, and one another.

A brief silence is kept.

O dear Lord, why do we always get these hard readings on a holiday weekend? We want to take a break from talk of sin and reconciliation, discipline and hard conversations. Please help us to thank you for the guidance and promise your Son gives us, even in such awkward encounters. And fill us with your Spirit, so we are equipped to put into practice what Jesus has given us for such times.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Make your Church courageous in warning people of their sinfulness, and humble in confessing its own sin. Help it to graciously offer forgiveness to any who turn to you. Give it the lovely righteousness of your Son, and make it his dwelling-place, and an outpost of your Kingdom.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Hear the prayers of your faithful people who suffer persecution, torture and even death because of Christ. Do not let the waters of hatred overwhelm them; and grant them grace to persevere in faithfulness.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Bless this congregation with humility, gentleness, and wisdom. Help us to speak even hard truth with such love, that others seek the forgiveness, mercy, reconciliation and life that comes from Christ.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Lord, there are families, congregations, and communities in which people have hurt one another badly. They struggle with betrayal; anger; and hatred. They need encouragement to confess and repent when they have done wrong. They need courage to forgive when they have been wronged. They need help to relearn trust and concord. Refresh them with your Spirit; nourish them with your Word; and bestow on them such grace and mercy in Jesus Christ that they may accomplish those things that are needful, to your glory and for the sake of their fellowship.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

You have given great honor to those entrusted with worldly power and authority. Give them also the wisdom to know that they must give an account of their stewardship to you, the King and Lord of all nations. And give them the desire and the strength to accomplish your will for the good of all people entrusted to their care. Teach us how to settle differences peacefully; and to act honorably, speak respectfully, and live justly.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Sin can distort Paul’s words about how those who bear the sword carry out your wrath against wrongdoers. Guide, strengthen and bless those in the military and law enforcement, to be worthy instruments of your will. Help them to bring safety, freedom, and justice to those who suffer at the hands of evildoers. Heal their bodies, minds, and spirits when they are victims of evil. By their labors, lay the groundwork for peace to grow and flourish.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

There are so many people whose lives are shadowed by suffering! We lift their names before you, especially {List}. Grant them health, hope, guidance, and the joy of your presence in their lives. Fill all who care for them with compassion; and bestow your salvation upon them all.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your “little ones” who, though they have died to this world, live eternally in your embrace. Give us the grace to live as your little ones, too.  Help us to trust and obey you. Help us to aid, warn, and forgive each other. Give us your mercy, and for Jesus’ sake, lead us into your Kingdom. Grant us the joy of seeing your face and of worshipping you in the company of all you have redeemed.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Conform our prayers to the heart of Jesus, hear them through the interceding of your Holy Spirit, and grant them in accordance with your gracious will. Amen.

Prayers of the Church, 13^th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 17 – August 30, 2020

Let us pray for the church, the world, and all people according to their need.

A brief silence is kept.

Heavenly Father, thank you for Peter! Last week we thanked you for his witness. Today we thank you – not that he stumbled, but that even as Jesus rebuked Peter, he still loved and forgave him. Lord, we know you will rebuke us, sometimes sharply, when we are a stumbling block and unwitting agent of Satan. Give us grace to repent and humbly take up our cross again, following Jesus alone.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Grant that your Church never be a hindrance to your Son nor a stumbling-block to those whom he came to save. Center its life and proclamation in the Cross of Jesus. Cause it to follow wherever Jesus leads, even unto death. By its witness and example, draw many hearts to repentant faith in Christ, and to the desire to overcome the world’s evil with his good.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We pray for our sisters and brothers in Christ whose cross-bearing is no figure of speech but the reality of their lives. Let them not be overcome by evil; and keep them steadfast in their faith. Give us the desire and the opportunity to speak in their defense, pray on their behalf, and provide for their needs.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Help this congregation to live out the words of Saint Paul: Let our love be genuine. Make us abhor evil but hold fast to the good. Teach us to love and honor each other. Let us serve you fervently. Make us joyous in hope, patient in tribulation, and constant in prayer. Give us grace to be generous and hospitable, and to bless even our persecutors. Help us to rejoice with the joyful and to weep with the mourners. Teach us to live in harmony, and to not be wise in our own sight. Give us grace to repay no one evil for evil; to do what is honorable; and, so far as it depends on us, to live peaceably with all. And grant that we are not overcome by evil, but that in Christ, we overcome evil with good.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Keep in your dearest care all victims of violence and injustice, especially when evil has been done to them in the name of religion. Stir up all your true servants to give them aid, comfort and shelter; for you are glorified by deeds of goodness, mercy, hospitality, and peace, not by acts of cruelty, violence or hatred. And fulfill your promise to deliver them from the hands of the wicked.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Give integrity, wisdom, and humility to those entrusted with power and the authority over communities, corporations, and nations. Help them to do what is honorable, just, and generous. Help everyone to find honorable employment, and the means to support themselves and their loved ones. And help our society to provide just and timely assistance when people cannot work.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Strengthen and help the many entrepreneurs, employees, and businesses facing massive challenges to stay open, let alone flourish. So much rides on the goods and services, the wages and products, the stake in the wellbeing of communities, that they provide! Help us to value their contribution to our common welfare, and seek ways to help them to prosper justly and creatively, for the good of all.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Deal mercifully with all whose lives are shadowed by suffering, sorrow, or any kind of adversity. Especially we pray for: {List}. Have pity on them and redeem them; turn their sorrow into gladness, and their pain into shouts of thanksgiving. Give them gentle, wise, and compassionate caregivers, and reunite them with all who love them.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Father, receive our beloved dead into your never-failing embrace. Help us to love each other with true affection; to live peaceably and honorably; and above all, to cling to Jesus and his Cross. Lead us into your promised Kingdom which you have prepared for all whom you have delivered from the power of sin and death. And there let us bless you and live together in your peace forever.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Hear our prayer, O Father, and grant all that glorifies you and builds up your people. This we ask for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

“Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide.  You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections” (2 Corinthians 6:11-12).

No one is able to “make” another do anything.  Yes, we can be coerced by force, but we have been given a free will which we exercise often.  We are free to do as we please.  We are also free to learn how to love as the Lord loves.  Is this not then the challenge to all who believe?  Are we not called to become as Christ?  Your own affections will restrain you.  Are they for this world or for the Lord?

Lord, teach me how fleeting this world is.  Guide me to see that in this world there is heartache and disappointment.  Lead me in the way of everlasting life that I may walk in the way of truth.  Help me keep my eye upon the prize that I may learn from You how life was created to be lived.  Let me not be constrained by my worldly affections, but by You, the author and finisher of my faith.

Lord Jesus, have You not taught us to love as You have loved us?  Have you not said that we are to love the LORD and our neighbor?  Lead me in this way, Lord, that I would now and always be guided by the law of love and not by the affections of my heart which will lead me astray.  Teach me the way to abide in You and guide me to seek how to have You always abide in me.  Amen.