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prayers of the people

POP: the body of Christ

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1 – Most gracious God, you sent forth your faithful and true witness out into the world who beckoned us to follow and believe. And now we are bold to pray as Christ’s body out into the world. We thank you for every service that proclaims your love,
2 – When we see the work of mission beginning inside the walls of this church,
3 – When we serve with people committed to making a difference in this community and beyond, 1 – When we grow, and love and serve and pray, we stand out and faith and remember…
All – We are the body of Christ.
2 – When we witness the work of those gifted with talents of teaching and healing
3 – When we gratefully rally for people in power who are committed to your love and service
1 – When we can translate and interpret scripture for the sake of those longing to hear the good news 2 – When we use the gifts you have granted us with grateful hearts, we remember…
All – We are the body of Christ.
3 – Mighty God, as your body commissioned to serve out in the world, we also ache for the people you love who are suffering.
1 – When violence and unrest rips through nations,
2 – When children are fitted for war and starving on street sides,
3 – When abuse and neglect cause chaos in your good creation.
1 – When we are bombarded with news of lives lost, corrupt systems, and feelings of hopelessness, we remember our cause to cry out with the people suffering because we know….
All – We are the body of Christ.
2 – When racism and classism continues to influence our decisions,
3 – When the dull ache of loss continues long after loved ones have passed,
1 – When sickness wears at the best of our energies to fight
2 – When we are overwhelmed by the pain that seeps into your creation, we cling to one another as we boldly demand your kindom come. We pray in the confidence that you hear our prayers because…
All – We are the body of Christ.
3 – So as your people, fashioned for your good work in the world, we pray boldly that your Holy Spirit move through us
1 – As we work peacefully for justice
2 – As we worship and pray and praise
3 – As we beckon for your ear and lift up our prayers to you in the name of Christ, for… All – We are the body of Christ.
1 – And we are bold to pray as he taught us:
Our Father, who art in Heaven…

 

Submitted by Rev. Lindsay Conrad, First Presbyterian Church, Ann Arbor, MI.

POP: living your story

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God of love, you speak worlds into being,
your word fills us,
your breath gives us life.
We give you thanks for your story,
from before time began to long past our imaginations
you have been spinning the greatest story every told.
Help us to see your creative hand at work,
and to join our stories to yours.
We give you thanks for your presence with us,
and for your grace that makes all things new.
We give you thanks for your love that lights our way,
and for your peace that passes all understanding.
…
Though we do not always feel grateful,
we continue to give you thanks and praise, O Lord,
even as we pray for your world in need.
Break our hearts for what breaks yours, O God,
that your word may enter in and take root,
growing and bearing fruit for your kingdom.
We bring before you those who are grieving,
and we pray for your comfort that wipes away every tear.
We bring before you those who despair,
and pray for your hope that illumines possibility.
We bring before you those who are sick,
and pray for your healing of body, mind, and spirit.
We bring before you a world of violence and war,
and pray for your spirit of peace to enter all our hearts.
We lift up to you this, your church,
and pray for your light of love to fill us,
heal our divisions, help us to trust and follow you,
guide us in your way,
that the story we tell with our lives may be a story of grace.
…
God, you created in love, you redeem for love, you sustain with love.
Help us to love in the same way that you love us—
with passion, with fierce hope, with challenge as with comfort.
May our encounter with you transform us into the people you call us to be,
loving, serving, and caring for the world.
We pray these and all things in the name of the One who loved all the way to the cross and beyond the tomb, Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray together…

 

Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, the Presbyterian Church of Palatine, IL.

prayers of the people: deliver us and set us free

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Let us pray to our God, saying,
Lord, in your righteousness, deliver us and set us free.

Holy God, you knew us before we took our first breath.
You uttered your living Word and brought forth light, love, and life.
You gathered us from the dust of the earth and called us your people.
You sent us into the world to proclaim your mighty and wondrous deeds.
You are with us even now as we continue our call.
Lord, in your righteousness, deliver us and set us free.

Mighty God, you have done great things; who is like you?
You alone are our rock of refuge.
You alone are our strong fortress.
You alone are our hope and in you alone is our trust.
Lord, in your righteousness, deliver us and set us free.

Merciful God, your love never ends.
We confess to you that we do not always share your love as we should.
Where you have called us to live as one body, we exist as divided members.
Where you have called us to give our Spirit-given gifts, we ignore your call.
Where you have called us to forgive, we have forgotten your mercy.
Lord, in your righteousness, deliver us and set us free.

Gracious God, do not be far from us!
Strengthen us that we might be givers of your grace and
may your steadfast love be known to all of your children.
Send your Holy Spirit to empower our hands to
clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and love all as you have first loved us.
Lord, in your righteousness, deliver us and set us free.

Loving God, hear today the prayers that we lift up to you.
Be with those of us who are [name of community].
Give us hearts of courage and songs of your grace
to tell others of your righteous acts and deeds of salvation.
Lord, in your righteousness, deliver us and set us free.

Abundant God, be with those of us that yearn for your restoration and healing.
Today, we ask your blessing upon [list names of those in need of healing].
We who are [name of community] also lift up to you those who we bring before you
with our lips or within our hearts…
Lord, in your righteousness, deliver us and set us free.

Faithful God, your power and your righteousness reach the heavens.
Hear us, your servants, as we follow you to the day when
faith, hope, and love will be upon the lips of all of us, your children.
These things we pray in the name of your Son who taught us to pray saying…

submitted by Stephen Fearing, student at Columbia Theological Seminary

epiphany prayers of the people

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God of wonder and mystery,
God of the stars and the universe,
God of winding ways and straight paths,
we gather today with gratitude for the gift of your constant presence,
your trustworthy guidance,
and your daring risk-taking with us.
You dare to love us despite our inability to respond fully.
You dare to care for us, despite our challenge in caring for others.
You dare to walk with us, despite our fickleness.

On our own journeys toward the stars and guiding points you put before us,
you continue to lead us forward,
guiding us by the teachings of Jesus
to seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly in your loving shadow.
As we struggle with the political wrangling of this world,
the wars waged for both justice and greed,
the violence committed daily against the innocent,
let alone the pain of broken relationships and loss,
you remain steadfast in your care and devotion
for your entire creation throughout the universe.
It is almost too much to take in sometimes.
And even in our doubts and disbelief,
our struggle to understand and constant misunderstanding,
and our flat-out ignorance about your ways,
you remain constantly present to us.

We pray for peace in this world, Lord,
the kind of peace in which we celebrate diversity,
are joyfully challenged by adversity,
and share in the joy that is to be found everywhere.
We pray for those who are lonely,
that you might lead us to reach out and be friends.
We pray for those who are hungry,
that you might lead us to offer sustenance.
We pray for those who are lost,
that you might lead us to give hope and direction.

We pray for the countries of the world,
that we might find a way to work together to lift one another up.
We pray for our leaders in Washington,
that your Spirit might guide them set an example for our country and the world
to work together rather than against one another.
We pray for our denomination,
that we may seek to build up this body
and seek to repair the theological divisions that are tearing us apart.
We pray for officers, both those returning and those newly installed,
that they may continually seek your Spirit in their lives and their daily decisions
as they lead this congregation.
And we pray for ourselves,
that we might continue on this journey,
learning the lessons you offer,
seeking the fullness of your perfection,
and live as you would have us live.

These prayers and hopes we offer in confidence and gratitude of your love and presence…

Submitted by Rev. Eric Ledermann, University Presbyterian Church, Tempe, AZ

liturgy for the fourth Sunday of Advent

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Prayer of Approach and Confession for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Most High, we sing your praises, for your love endures forever. The Virgin Mary bore the ultimate revelation of your divine love, the baby Jesus. And now we thank you for the privilege of bearing your love in the world. We confess that often we have failed you in this commission. At times, we have questioned this call, saying “How can this be?” Other times, we have failed to offer love out of fear of rejection or self-involvement. Send your Holy Spirit upon us. Strengthen us and show us where revealing your love can bring new life. Amen.

 

Words of Assurance

When Mary found that she would bear God’s love in the world by giving birth to a baby, she asked the same question: “How can this be?” And the angel answered: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Nothing is ever impossible with God. Be therefore assured that by the power of the Holy Spirit we, too, shall carry God’s love into the world. Amen.

 

Prayers of the People for the Fourth Sunday in Advent

God of Wonder,
We come before you in anticipation of what is to come;
We are excited
We are fearful
We are relieved
We are uncertain
In all these emotions, you are here with us.

God of No Limits,
We give you thanks for the boundless gifts you have given us:
This universe which you have created with its infinite mystery;
This earth that sustains us with its resources and beauty;
This created life, with all its relationships, of which we are a part;
For all these acts of love, we give you thanks.

God of Love,
We give you thanks for your Church
The community of those who came before, are here now, and are yet to come.
Help us to work together in the building of your kingdom here on earth
That we might live in justice, peace and harmony with all.

God of Many Blessings,
We call to mind all the ways in which you have blessed us individually,
With family and friends that fill us with belonging,
with studies and ministries that challenge and excite us
with good health and happiness.
In silence, O God, we give you are thanks for other blessings that you have laid before us….

God of Wisdom and Understanding,
As we give thanks we also hear the words of Scripture, urging us to bring all the concerns of our hearts to you.
And so we come with prayers of petition and intercession:
For a time when all this world might know peace
When hunger and oppression might end
When those who suffer might know freedom from pain
In our individual lives, O God, we name and offer the sighs of our hearts.
Hear them now as we call out these prayers to you……….

God of Patience and God of Surprises,
Teach us, in this time of waiting, to be open to let go of all those things
That hide your presence from us.
Catch us by surprise, catch us with wonder,
Fill us with the gift of your grace and your love
In this time of Advent and all the days to come.

In the power of the Spirit and in the name of Jesus, your wonderful gift to us,
we pray the words he taught us to say: Our Father…

 

Commissioning for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

May you be strengthened as you go forth
To carry God’s love, as Mary did.
A love that is radical, powerful, and life-affirming.

 

Submitted by Rev. Daniel Hayward, Trinity Ingleside and Newington United Churches, South Stormont ON Canada. Written by Karen Boivin, Daniel Hayward and Maggie Melanson while MDiv students at Queen’s School of Religion, Kingston ON.