THE PRAYERS,
1st Sunday after Christmas, Cycle B (December 27, 2020)
Or St. John, Apostle and Evangelist (add these italicized petitions)
O come, let us adore Christ our Lord, and kneel before him with our prayers and supplications.
A brief silence
Father, we praise you for your Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Savior. {We thank you for St. John, the Beloved Disciple, who knew and loved him so well.} Let Jesus fill us with grace and truth, so that our joy may be complete.
Provide the Church with pastors, bishops, and theologians who teach and admonish your people in all wisdom. *17By the gift of your Spirit, let the Church’s every word and deed
be in the name of the Lord Jesus, to your glory and for the good of all whom he came to save.
Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.
We pray for those who are persecuted for the sake of Jesus. They are your chosen ones, holy and beloved. Adorn them with compassion, meekness, and patience. Let the peace of Christ rule their hearts, so that their tormentors repent, and flee to the Savior for forgiveness.
Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.
Make this congregation a company of the upright. Let us delight in, study, and proclaim your mighty works of salvation. 2Clothe us with love, binding us together in perfect harmony. Let our lives display your redeeming power. Help us to draw our neighbors, friends, and families to faith in your dear Son.
Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.
Bless grandparents, parents, and all who share with our children the joy of knowing you. Let them cradle little ones in your love and goodness.
Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.
Give our earthly leaders the holy fear that is the beginning of wisdom. Help them to study your works and perform your precepts. Let faithfulness and uprightness, graciousness and mercy, guide those who take counsel for the nations. Bestow upon all peoples the blessings of food, shelter, health, employment, justice, and peace.
Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.
Angels proclaimed peace and good will at Jesus’ birth. But many evils still trouble the world. Shield and guide all who risk their lives on behalf of others. Prosper all they do that conforms to your will. Give their loved ones hope and patience. Bring healing and comfort to the wounded, and redemption to the fallen. Establish your peace among us all, that weapons of war can be fashioned into instruments of your peace.
Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.
Be gracious and merciful to all whose lives are shadowed by suffering in this season of light, especially: {List}. Grant that they behold your salvation,31 dwell in your love, and glorify you in the company of all who love them.
Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.
Dear Father, you have bestowed on our beloved dead the fullness of your salvation, and we commend them into your care. While we walk the pilgrim-path of life, grant that your dear Son should dwell in us richly, filling us with peace, love, forgiveness, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. For these are the gifts of Christmas that shall last forever.
Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.
Receive our prayers, dear Father, for the sake of your dear Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
