Intercessions
6th October 2024
Everlasting God, we join together in praying to you for the needs of the church, the world, our communities and ourselves, trusting in your love which reaches out from before the foundation of the world.
Lord in Your mercy
Hear our prayer
Loving God, we bring before you the worldwide church, all so different and diverse, yet all seen, known, and loved equally by you. We pray especially for our brothers and sisters facing persecution. We pray for God’s protection against rising extremism over his church and that believers will know God’s comfort and find ways to grow in their faith. We pray for our communities of Christ The King both here and in Tavira. We pray for God’s wisdom and protection of our leaders both lay and ordained and we look forward to where you will take us in the days ahead. We pray that through a spirit of unity and sound teaching that we will each become more ready to spread the good news of our saviour Jesus Christ. Today in the worldwide church we pray especially for The Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea.
Lord in Your mercy
Hear our prayer
Holy God, help us to recognise your generosity and open-mindedness, give us the wisdom to recognise when we are straying from your ways and the courage to repent and change direction. Help us to live into the words of James – be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. Not to just listen to your words but to do what they tell us to do. Guard the Church against self-righteousness and hypocrisy but to work only in the rule of love. We ask that as the church universal seeks to move forward, it will do so with love, mercy and justice at its heart.
Lord in Your mercy
Hear our prayer
Creator God, we pray for your world. Forgive us when we are ungrateful when spiritual blindness prevents us from appreciating the wonder of your creation and the endless cycle of nature. Forgive us for taking without giving, reaping without sowing. We pray for the farmers of the world, many of whom still use those methods described by Jesus and we especially pray that they may be treated with fairness for their labours. We pray also for those who are suffering so badly from climate change, for the people ravaged by Hurricane Helene in the US, and for the flooding in Nepal. For communities struggling with lack of power, housing and social structure. We pray for the heroism of first responders in rushing to help the people in danger from the rising waters. And ironically here in the Algarve we pray for life refreshing rain.
Lord in Your mercy
Hear our prayer
Heavenly Father we pray earnestly for peace, we look in horror as tensions escalate all over the world, but particularly in Ukraine, in the Middle East, in Sudan and Haiti. We pray for our World Leaders to have the wisdom of Solomon and the strength and courage to model Jesus and bring the world back from the brink of a wider conflict.
Lord in Your mercy
Hear our prayer
Father God, we thank you for the love we share with our families our friends, and our church family. We recognise that we have many faults and they love us in spite of ours. Help us to be flexible and adaptable in all our relationships and also capable of accepting constructive criticism. We ask for you to be with us always, grant rest, peace and harmony and help us as your church to reach out and shine your light into this community.
Lord in Your mercy
Hear our prayer
Loving God and Lord of life, we pray for those friends and families on our prayer list. We pray for the gift of courage to face up to and cope with illness. We pray for it for ourselves, and for those who we now name before you quietly within our hearts.
We thank you for those who through their courage have come through illness and for those facing the reality that there is little light at the end of their earthly tunnel.
Lord in Your mercy
Hear our prayer
Gracious God, give us ears to hear and minds to understand your message for the children of your kingdom so that we may look forward with patience and confidence to that time when we will join you in the peace of eternity. We especially pray for any we know who have recently died and are on that journey to you.
Lord in Your mercy
Hear our prayer
Faithful God, we thank you for the opportunity of being together in prayer. As we look forward to the week to come, we are again mindful of James’ words from his letter – every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly heights, who does not change like shifting shadows. We pray for an awareness of your love and support in all we face and do.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.