Intercession #4
Loving God,
God of bridge-builders,
we pray in a time of sabotaged and broken bridges.
We weep over our region
where peaceful places are peaceful no more,
where communities which tolerated difference
live in fear, distrust and hatred,
where the fist is offered in place of a welcoming hand.
God of peace, you weep with us and weep for us.
We pray for the bridge-menders.
We pray for those who today risk danger
as they go back to broken bridges
to attempt to repair dreadful damage.
We pray for those who are courageous enough
to attempt to cross those bridges,
even when it may not be safe.
We pray for those who are willing to meet
in the middle of a bridge,
even when it is unstable and frightening,
ready to join hands with those on the far side.
God of peace and reconciliation,
protect and guard our peacemakers.
Give them your wisdom,
your gentleness
and your strength.
In the name of Jesus Christ, who brought together those who were separated,
AMEN
Intercession #5
In the words of Isaiah 40 we read of the coming King who cares for his people like a shepherd for the sheep, and says that ‘he carries them close to his heart’. As we pray our prayers for others now, every now and then I will say: ‘Lord carry them…’ Please join me then in repeating ‘Carry them close to your heart.’
Loving God, who keeps promises and gives us hope,
we pray for your world.
We have ruined so much which you meant to be beautiful and good.
In so many lands, people struggle to survive, and live with daily fear.
They see their environment destroyed, their freedom restricted, their leaders corrupted, their future very uncertain. War, and famine, and disaster, and chronic poverty, and the many faces of exploitation, wound and scar our world.
Let each of us name in our hearts before God a nation, a people, a community, who have been on our minds this week.
[Pause…]
Lord, carry them…
Carry them close to your heart.
In our own community, we pray for our neighbours.
Some are really happy and life is good; there are family reunions, weddings, new babies, happy retirements, excellent and satisfying jobs. We rejoice with them.
Let us each name in our hearts those in our community who are happy. We ask that you will show them how to share the richness of their lives.
[Pause…]
Lord, carry them…
Carry them close to your heart.
For others, this is such a hard time. We pray for those who face a time of separation, and loss, and disappointment, and anxiety, and illness, and being uprooted, and grief.
Lord, you are their God of comfort and hope.
Let us each name before God those in our community who have been specially on our minds lately.
[Pause…]
Lord, carry them…
Carry them close to your heart.
We pray for ourselves. We are your people, and we too represent many of the conditions of humanity. We, too, are the loved and the lonely, the secure and the uprooted, the confident and the terrified, those who feel very close to you, God, and those who have rarely felt further away.
In silence, we pray for those sitting on either side of us. And we pray for ourselves.
[Pause…]
Lord, carry us…
Carry us close to your heart.
In the name of Christ Amen
Intercession #6
Paul’s Prayer: Ephesians 1: 15-18 (CEV)
15 I have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. 16 So I never stop being grateful for you, as I mention you in my prayers. 17 I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. 18 My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God’s people.
We pray for our world.
For those in leadership
For those dealing with disaster
For nations looking for wise, just, humane solutions to the challenges of the floods of people seeking refuge
For organisations confronting corruption
. 17 I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. 18 My prayer is that light will flood your hearts
We pray for our city and the work places of this city.
For those exhausted by long hours of work and living with constant stress over deadlines and demands
For those who love their work and also those who are not happy in their work environment and dread facing each day
For those who have no work and no purpose, and feel useless and on the scrap heap
For those with heavy responsibilities and great opportunities
. 17 I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. 18 My prayer is that light will flood your hearts
We pray for the schools, colleges and universities where our children and grandchildren study.
For school principals
For teachers and lecturers
For support staff
For the children
. 17 I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. 18 My prayer is that light will flood your hearts
We pray for our neighbourhood
For our Salvation Army neighbours
For those who will soon arrive to live at Common Ground
For business people in the shopping centres and local offices
For Gungahlin college
For emergency services up the road.
17 I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. 18 My prayer is that light will flood your hearts
We pray for this church.
For our minister Mark and the Church Council
For all our groups that meet
For Food Pantry and Food Garden and Play Group and Boys Brigade
For all the community group who meet here through the week
17 I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. 18 My prayer is that light will flood your hearts
We pray for ourselves.
For our families, trying to be good parents.
For those who are struggling with health issues, for themselves and those they love.
For households that are falling apart
For individuals who are at turning points in their lives
For those who are lonely and finding it hard to find their place in a strange city.
17 I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. 18 My prayer is that light will flood your hearts
Intercession #7: 2015
For our prayer today, we will use as an anchor point some of the words from Ephesians 3 that we heard earlier.
We are reminded of ‘how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,’ and of our God who ‘is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine’. There is room enough for all of us in those words.
You will each have your own special issues and needs, and the connections that you have will bring special people and situations to your mind. Let me share some things from beyond this congregation. Ron and I spent the week before last in Perth observing some of the meetings of the 14th National Assembly of Uniting Church. In that big gathering of Uniting Church people from around Australia they tackled many very challenging and often emotional issues. How can we be at our best as a people of God in our congregations? What action do we need to take in the light of the Royal Commission into abuse of children in institutions including ours? As Christian citizens how do we respond to asylum seekers, or international aid, or marriage issues, or care for those in remote and isolated communities? We heard speakers from churches in other countries, from Asia, Africa and the Pacific as they shared some of the critical challenges they face. We witnessed the moving ordination of two Aboriginal men who have been ministering in prisons. We met some fine people who were trying to hear the voice of God, even when they did not always agree with each other. All of them in their places, and we in ours, belong to the family of God and despite our difficulties our hope is in God.
So let us pray. Beginning with part of the prayer in Ephesians…
Ephesians 3:14-21 (New International Version – UK)
A Prayer for the Ephesians
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,
15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
Lord God, we pray for your whole family in heaven and on earth. We hold in our hearts before you the people who met in Perth for Assembly. As each one has gone home, to all the States of Australia and to their homes in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, you have gone before them. Today you are with each of them, present in whatever is facing them today. Some have gone home disappointed. Some have gone back to a world of war, famine, disease and oppression. We pray for those in exile from their homes, those in danger and those in despair. We pray for those who have been given new hope and renewed courage through the fellowship of friends. May they be strengthened in power through the Holy Spirit.
We pray for other communities who have been meeting this week, also tackling difficult issues and wanting to make a difference for good in our nation. God of the nations, give each community a dream and a vision of the sort of nation and world that will please you because it is just and offers grace.
Let us each name a community known to us, near or far away, in silence before God.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge— that you may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God.
God of love and grace, we bring the needs of this our own community. As always, we have mixed feelings. We come at a time of celebration and joy with thankfulness for what you are doing among us. Some of us come in the middle of heartbreak and pain. We come with unanswered questions about our future. We come with thanksgiving for blessings through our lives – and regrets for those things we wish had been different. We come in health. We come in weakness and anxiety. We remember Alistair’s friend John in hospital and pray for strength and wisdom for all who are caring for him.
Let us each pray for those sitting near us, and those who are not here but specially on our hearts, even if we don’t know their needs today.
Let us hold on to the truth that the love of Christ is so wide and long and high and deep that it is beyond our understanding, and that whatever our prayer today, there is room in God’s love for us.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Intercession #8
Lord Jesus Christ,
We come like the woman who came to the well, needing to find water, refreshment.
We come, like the woman with an empty bucket, hoping to reach the source of life.
We come, like the woman who was an outsider, a stranger, not always acceptable in her community.
We come, like the woman with questions and uncertainty and shame.
And here you are, waiting for us.
Christ Jesus, you wait for us, offering the water of life.
So we come with our thirst and our prayers for our world, our country, our church and ourselves.
We pray for the countries in our world. Each of us thinks of a place and a people who we know, each country with its own problems and challenges. We have come together this morning from many different places and so now, in silence, let us name before God the place that is on our heart today. Give wisdom to their government, peace in the land and justice for the people. [Silence]
We pray for our country Australia as our leaders relate to other countries in our region. Please guide the leaders of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Malaysia and Nauru as they discuss important issues with the Australian government. Please give them all respect for each other. Help them to listen carefully and try to understand each other. Please help them to work together for good, compassionate and just solutions to the difficult issues that face them all. Show them ways in which they can work together for the well-being of our whole region.
We pray too for the public servants who advise and resource governments in their work. Give them refreshment when they are tired and frustrated, and energy and clear thinking for the important tasks that they face every day.
In our wider community, we pray for people on the land. We pray for farmers and other rural works where there seemed to be too much water, and a flood, or not enough water and a drought. Give them courage to face each day and the support of others who work beside them to find the best ways to live and thrive in our environment.
We pray for our families. Lord Jesus Christ, we ask for your living water to revive families that are struggling. We pray for our marriages. We pray for our children.
We pray for the parents who bring their children to this building during the week for Play Group and Child care, for Boys Brigade and callisthenics, for Oasis and Billabong and for the Food Pantry. When they are tired, and cranky, and wondering how to cope with all the demands on their time and strength, please show them that you offer living water, to refresh and restore them.
We pray for families who don’t know where their children are, and are worried and grieving. We pray for families who have been damaged by many kinds of abuse and whose wounds are not healed. We pray for families who wait with someone they love who is travelling the road from life to towards death.
Lord Jesus Christ, you know us all. You know our hearts and our hurts. You see our loneliness and our sadness. You know our questions and our fears. For us, now please pour out the living water, the water that gives new life.
We pray this in confidence that you hear us.
In the name of Christ,
Amen
Intercession #9 Communion Table
Perhaps those who met around that first table for the last meal shared with Jesus before his death were a lot like us.
Some were anxious. Some were afraid of the future.
Some were missing their family because they had been away from home for a long time.
Some thought they were brave and full of confidence.
Some were soon to do something they would deeply regret.
Some were concerned about the political situation in their country.
Some were wondering how they/family would survive without their regular income.
Some wondered what was going to happen in this strange city with enemies all around.
Some felt like getting into a fight.
Let us picture ourselves now sitting around that table with Jesus.
Let us pray:
Jesus Christ, our Saviour and helper, we come with our humanity and our needs to sit with you. You know each one of us. You know our names. You know our situation. You know our hearts.
We pray for those around your table who are worried today. Give them your peace.
We pray for those around your table who are afraid of the future or unsure about how to step into their future. Give them your comfort and hope and a vision for your will.
We pray for those at your table who are lonely and missing their family. Give them a loving community among us.
We pray for those whose confidence may be tested. Give them your humility.
We pray for those here and known to us who are risking making a very bad choice in their lives. Give them a reason to stop and consider, and be wise.
We pray for those who are concerned for our country and those who have responsibility for making good decisions on our behalf. Give them wisdom and good judgement.
We pray for those here today and in our community who are worried about having enough to pay the rent and feed their family. Give them friends, and give us hearts of generosity to share what we have.
We pray for those at your table who feel insecure, or angry, or heartbroken. In your mercy, grant to them what they need.
Jesus Christ, we are here in all our frailty. Our world can be a broken and damaged place to live.
In your kindness, have mercy on us and redeem us. Grant us your peace. Help us to be your peace and mercy in our world.
In your name we pray . Amen
Intercession #10 World in his hands
Song: He’s got the whole world in his hands
Into your strong hands, Father God
Into your wounded hands, Saviour Jesus
Into your comforting hands, Holy Spirit
We place these prayers
Into your hands
We pray for our world.
In silence, let us name places and situations of danger and conflict that have been on our minds and hearts
Into your strong hands, Father God
Into your wounded hands, Saviour Jesus
Into your comforting hands, Holy Spirit
We place these prayers
Into your hands
We pray for our nation.
For political leaders who carry the burden of decisions on issues that matter profoundly for us all
For scientists, business leaders, peak organizations and those in local government who work to offer wisdom and good sense for the health and well-being of the nation
For those who are struggling with all the challenges of life at this time and are feeling discouraged and crushed by the problems
In silence, we name before God national issues that are on our hearts at this time.
Into your strong hands, Father God
Into your wounded hands, Saviour Jesus
Into your comforting hands, Holy Spirit
We place these prayers
Into your hands
We pray for this wider community.
For those who are working really hard and those who have no meaningful work
For those whose starting out in life and those who are nearly at the end
For those whose relationships are wobbly
For those who are very scared about their health and their future
For those with hard decisions to make
In silence, we name before God people in our community
Into your strong hands, Father God
Into your wounded hands, Saviour Jesus
Into your comforting hands, Holy Spirit
We place these prayers
Into your hands
We pray for ourselves
When there are more questions than answers
More mystery than certainty
More that is hidden than is revealed
For those who are grieving and those who are anxious
For those bouncing with energy and those struggling to keep up
For those who offer leadership among us and
For those who are waiting for the right time to share their gifts
We name in our hearts the young, the very old, the cynics, the questioners, the trusting and ourselves.
Into your strong hands, Father God
Into your wounded hands, Saviour Jesus
Into your comforting hands, Holy Spirit
We place these prayers
Into your hands
Amen
Lords Prayer
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name
Your kingdom come
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us
Save us in the time of trial
And deliver us from evil
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory
Forever and ever. Amen
Intercession #11
Some promises of God for a fearful people for a New Year
Isaiah 43
I, the Lord, created you
and formed your nation.
Israel, don’t be afraid.
I have rescued you.
I have called you by name;
now you belong to me.
2 When you cross deep rivers,
I will be with you,
and you won’t drown.
When you walk through fire,
you won’t be burned
or scorched by the flames.
3 I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
the God who saves you.
…
4 To me, you are very dear,
and I love you.
That’s why I gave up nations
and people to rescue you.
5 Don’t be afraid! I am with you.
God knows us by name
God loves us
God is with us even in our worst times
Let us name before God some of the places and communities that have been on our hearts lately:
Overseas: nations struggling with the complexities of the enormous dislocation of people fleeing from war and violence; communities facing starvation because of drought, famine and blockades;
God knows us by name
God loves us
God is with us even in our worst times
In Australia: Bushfire victims in [….]; those dealing with drought, flood, storm damage [current needs]; families supporting members with disabilities; households torn apart by abuse; families on the move to new jobs and new homes
God knows them by name
God loves them
God is with them even in our worst times
Locally: our new friends in this local community; those who are not well; those who are on holidays and needing rest and refreshment; those preparing for babies and weddings and new jobs and new schools
God knows us by name
God loves us
God is with us even in our worst times
In silence, let us each bring our own prayers, for others and ourselves, saying the name and knowing that God’s love and care reaches all of us.
To me, you are very dear,
and I love you.
That’s why I gave up nations
and people to rescue you.
5 Don’t be afraid! I am with you.
Amen
Margaret Reeson
Margaret Reeson 