Category: Prayer items

Call to Worship

(inspired by Matthew 3:1-12, Mark 1:3, Isaiah 40:3)

We come to prepare the way;
The way for Christ –
the hope of Christ, the peace of Christ –
to enter our world,
to enter our hearts.
We cry out together in the wilderness:
The kingdom of heaven has come near.
We come to be part of the light–
the light that shines in the darkness.

Opening Prayer

Holy God,

We long for your peace, and trust in your promise;

we hear your call to turn toward you,

to change our lives and welcome you in.

Meet us here and fill

our minds with your wisdom

and our hearts with your peace,

that our worship together

may open us to the challenge

of your dream of wholeness for all.

In the Name of the One who is coming, we pray.  Amen!

CONFESSION AND THANKS

Lord God, You have promised to come and sort out all things and all people.
We have gathered in the midst of time to reflect on Your purposes,
to prepare ourselves for Your coming,
and to give You praise.

We confess our sins,
what we have done wrong,
what we have failed to do right.
We live in a world full of wickedness and injustice,
led by sinful men and women who need Your mercy, as we do.
We have hurt others and been hurt by them.
Forgive us and lead us in better ways, we pray.
We ask this in the name of Your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ,
the one whose coming we await to make all things right.

For every good meal you have shared,
for every kind word you have received,
for every good book on your shelves,
for every good idea in your heads,
for every good message on your phone
may our good Lord be thanked.

For the gardens that rest,
for the nights of good company,
for the music of Advent,
for inspiring speech and positive writing,
for clothes that fit,
for the wisdom of age and the smiles of children,
may our wise and bountiful Lord be thanked.

For people who have taught and nurtured us,
for thoughts which have helped and restored us,
for friends who have listened to us and stayed alongside,
for the work of Your Spirit in our lives and in the lives of others,
may our gracious God be thanked and praised,
now and always,
Amen

Prayer of Intercession

(inspired by Isaiah 11: 1-10, Matthew 3: 1-12)

Let us pray for the Spirit of Wisdom to rest upon us

A spirit of understanding and knowledge

Grant us to live in harmony

God’s mercy prevail

Let us pray for God’s steadfastness to gird our spirit

May peace prevail like lamb and wolf

Grant us to live in harmony

God’s mercy prevail

Let us pray, for voices crying out in the wilderness

Women living in fear, children hiding

Grant all a place of harmony

God’s mercy prevail

Let us pray, repent of harm done to the innocent

Clear the chaff of abuse and hurt

Bear the Spirit of harmony

God’s mercy prevail

Let us pray for the God of hope, joy and peace to fill

All hearts, one voice glorify

God, prepare the way

God’s mercy prevail, Amen

BLESSINGS

Can you be a voice crying in the wilderness?

Can you proclaim that God is active in the world?
Maybe?The time is near, of the crowning of the year.
We sing with angels,

setting the roadways and the buildings humming 
As people who are being changed,

we go into a world that is being changed.
Ready to share the Good News

that the long expected Jesus is coming,

that we are being freed from whatever binds us. 
Glory be to God!

Who walks with us, sings with us, and struggles with us,
each and every day. Amen

Gathering prayer/Call to worship

I was glad when they said to me,
‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’.

We gather here today God, standing in Your house,
ready to encounter You in word, song, prayer and in one another.

May Your peace fill this place,
that together we might turn our hearts and minds to You,
and dedicate this time in praise of Your glory.
Amen

confession/repentance

God,
We live in the in-between times,
where we know the light that You bring,
yet still we fear that the darkness will overcome.

We are sorry for the times this week where we have thought the darkness more powerful than Your light.

(Hold a moment of quiet for reflection)

Ever-present God, You bring light that banishes all darkness.
Help us to trust that the day will dawn and the night will be no longer.

In Your gracious love, You shine Your light upon us,
that we might know Your forgiveness.
Call us, God, to put on the armour of Your light,
that we might be emboldened by Your mercy to be bearers of Your love,
today and evermore.
Amen

Thanksgiving/Gratitude

God, You bring hope for restoration,
even beyond the imaginable.

You surround us with peace,
that we might be bound together in Your love,
held in right relationship that enables each of us to flourish.

We thank You that in Your generous love
You promise light beyond the darkness,
peace beyond the war,
and life beyond death.
Amen

Prayer for Others during Advent

Into our troubles and weaknesses,
Into the barren places of our souls, Come Lord,
Come down, come in, come among us and make us whole.

Into the war torn and the refugee,
Into those who live in conflict, Come Lord,
Come down, come in, come among us and make us whole.

Into the homeless and the unemployed,
Into those who feel abandoned, Come Lord,
Come down, come in, come among us and make us whole.

Into the sick and the disabled,
Into those with mental health concerns, the affects of Covid and with cancer, Come, Lord
Come down, come in, come among us and make us whole.

Into the poor and the starving,
Into those who are oppressed or abused, Come Lord
Come down, come in, come among us and make us whole.

Into the lives of loved ones,
Into those from whom we are estranged, Come Lord,
Come down, come in, come among us and make us whole.

Into our joys and celebrations,

Into our work and our achievements, Come, Lord
Come down, come in, come among us and make us whole.

O Christ we long for your coming. Hasten that day when those who seek you in every nation will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south and sit at table in Your Kingdom. Hasten the day when your Kingdom will come in all its glory and suffering and pain and sickness and oppression and death will be overcome forever. Hasten the day when we will be resurrected as a great multicultural family and live in peace, harmony, joy and love together in your kingdom. Amen

Blessing for Advent

May starlight guide your steps towards this place of wonder
May angels sing their news as you travel to the manger
May promise fill these days as we watch at the edge of birth
and may faith tell you, Emmanuel will be with us soon, in human skin

Around the world this day,

the universal church celebrates the “The Reign of Christ.”

Christ Jesus, friend of the poor, the meek and the merciful,

has been enthroned above all authority and power

in this world and in the world that is to come.

            Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth,

            serve the Lord with gladness

            come into his presence with singing.

God has placed everything under Christ’s wounded feet,

appointed the one who wore a crown of thorns

as the supreme head of the church, his body.

            Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

            come into his courts with praise.

            Give thanks and praise his loving name!

 The reign of Christ as King is directly tied to and the result of his humiliation and redeeming work. Because of his incarnation, ministry, suffering, death, and burial, the Father raised him from the grave and placed him at his “right hand.”

PRAYER FOR YOUTH

For all youth and young adults in this community, for the younger generations in
our own families, and for those who remain distant from us, that they may all grow
closer to Christ the King,
we pray to the Lord.

For all those who accompany youth and young adults on their faith journey in the
Church, that they may be strengthened and supported for the invaluable work they
do in Christ’s name,
we pray to the Lord.

For youth and young adults who teach, witness, and share their faith and accompany
their peers along the journey towards Christ the King, that they may be strengthened
in their vocation,
we pray to the Lord.

For young people who are serving our communities through their work and labor,
that they may be guided in their vocational pathway in service to others and to the
whole world,
we pray to the Lord.

For young people who are students, those in apprenticeships and trade schools,
and young men and women in formation, that their minds may always be open to
wisdom and transformation,
we pray to the Lord.

For this community and for parishes, missions, campus ministries, organizations,
and schools around the world, that we may continue to engage and accompany the
young people we encounter,
we pray to the Lord.

AMEN

Prayer for others/intercession

On this Christ the King Sunday we remember that Christ’s kingship does not shy away from the agony of the cross, the vulnerability of the incarnation, the risk and betrayal of human relationships in times of danger and threat. In our prayers for others, we are committing those we pray for into the hands of One who knows the frailties and troubles of human life.

And so we pray with compassion for those who hurt and fear and cry today
because they have been let down by systems or circumstances or the ones they love.
We remember those whose lives are most affected by climate change,
who face hunger, thirst, fire or flood in the heart of their homes.
Grant wisdom and conviction to those who hold the power to make a difference,
on global, national and individual levels.

We pray with love for those who are lonely or in pain,
and for those who care for family and friends in times of need.
We acknowledge the stress of being a carer
and the sometimes conflicting feelings of those who are cared for.
Bring comfort and encouragement, dear Lord, to situations of conflict,
and rest for those who bear the heaviest burdens.

We pray with faith for those we love the most,
and for those who have no-one to name them before You.
May Your presence surround and bless them today and always.
May they know they are loved and known and seen by You.
For those who grieve the loss of one they loved,
we pray especially that You will encourage them with strong memories
and a confidence in Your loving purpose, which holds all souls in life.
May we all take comfort from Your words,
“Today you will be with me in Paradise.”
We give You thanks for the witness of those who knew and followed You as their Lord and King,
and showed us what it meant to be a Christian.
May they know of our grateful love for them, now and always.

AMEN

Blessing/Closing Prayer

Creator God, Christ the King, Living Spirit,
go before us to give light to those who sit in darkness
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
surround you and keep you,
now and ever more.