Prayers for others – various

“Prayer is not meant to be an end in itself. Prayer is about connecting with the priorities and values of God. If it is immersing ourselves in a deep connection with God, so that we can live differently and help to manifest God’s reign a little more in our world – then it definitely has immense value”. (John van de Laar, in response to this (perhaps provocative) quote by Chris Kratzer from his new book: ‘I beg of you, stop praying, and while you’re at it, stop quoting the Bible at people too. None of it matters… Get off the couch of your convenient Christianity, change the underwear of your self-centred spirituality, put down the cheese puffs of your personal Jesus, and walk up the steps out of your privileged basement of empty prayers, and actually do something about them. What the world needs now isn’t your prayers, Bible quoting, or cleverly constructed theology. What the worlds needs now is people of Love doing loving things for the love of others, over and above their own desire to be loved in return, or even loved at all”.)

O Lord, open my eyes
that I may see the need of others,
open my ears that I may hear their cries,
open my heart so that they need not be without succour.
Let me not be afraid to defend the weak
because of the anger of the strong,
nor afraid to defend the poor,
because of the anger of the rich.
Show me where love and hope and faith are needed,
and use me to bring them to these places.
Open my eyes and ears that I may, this coming day,
be able to do some work of peace for you.
(Shona prayer, Zimbabwe. In: “The Prayers of African Religion”, John Mbiti © 1975 SPCK, London, U.K. In the US: Orbis Books, Maryknoll NY, USA, 1975, pp. 148-49)

Prayers of the people
Loving God,
Thank you for all the blessings and joys in our life.
And thank you for this time when we can bring to you the burdens on our hearts.
Lord, we pray for everyone going through hard times
For people grieving the loss of loved ones or broken relationships,
For those who’re in a time of transition and find the uncertainty challenging,
For those who long for meaning in their lives and for a sense of connectedness.
May your grace and light shine on us all.

Dear God, we acknowledge the despair and anger in our country
at the toll of women hurt and killed by their current or past partners
We pray for all women who feel unsafe in their homes and vulnerable
as they go about their daily lives
Lord, in your eyes, there is nothing so broken that it isn’t fixable or redeemable
And even in the darkest times and places, your love and light always prevail
Thank you for all who support and advocate for vulnerable women.
May the policy-makers, police, legal and social workers,
and all men and women work together for solutions to keep women safe.
May your grace and light shine on us all.

Eternal God, we pray for the Uniting Church,
for Christians and for people of faith around the world
May our love of God unite us in our love for our world
and guide our actions and messages
We pray for our Government and leaders around the world
For wisdom and compassion to illuminate their policies
We pray particularly for those in conflict zones,
For the people suffering in Ukraine and Gaza
Open all our hearts, loving God
That there may be peace on earth, and let it begin with each one of us.
We offer to you all our prayers spoken and whispered in our hearts,
In the name of Jesus, Amen.
(Source: Joanne van Ravenswaaij, offered for worship at Brunswick UC, 05/05/2024, Easter 6B)

As God’s children, aware of our dignity and mission, let us raise our prayers and affirm our desire to be a holy people of God.
Loving God, transform our hearts, our families, our communities and our society.
Make all your people holy and one in Christ.
Water of life, quench the thirst that exists in our society, the thirst for dignity, for love, for communion and holiness.
Make all your people holy and one in Christ. 
Holy Spirit, Spirit of joy and peace, heal the divisions caused by our misuse of power and money, and reconcile us across different cultures and languages. Unite us as God’s children.
Make all your people holy and one in Christ.
Trinity of love, lead us out of darkness into your marvellous light.
Make all your people holy and one in Christ.
Lord Jesus Christ, we are made one with you in baptism and therefore we unite our prayers to yours in the words you taught us.
Our Father…. (Lord’s Prayer)
(Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2016)

Gracious God, as the disciples brought others to Jesus
that he might lay his hands upon their lives and bless them,
we offer our thoughts and prayers for the people we bring to you now.
And, like the disciples, we bring ourselves as well.
We come to you who is able to do so much more than we can imagine,
we come to you because already, risen and ascended Jesus,
prays for us and for all we bring to you in prayer.
Jesus, Saviour,
we pray today for a world so often in turmoil,
caught up in fear or war, injustice,
the neglect of the vulnerable, and of creation.
Teach us how best to use the freedom we have been given
to serve you and to make common cause with all who seek the wellbeing of others.
We pray for people in positions of influence, that they seek the common good.
May we have the wisdom to nurture what is good and guard against what is harmful.
We pray for all who advance knowledge and extend the frontiers of science,
thanking you for the many benefits we enjoy as a result.
God only wise, may knowledge be used for good alone.
May we return often to the well-spring of wisdom,
that we may share what you have given us to drink with a thirsty world.
In Jesus, we discover that already life has overcome death,
goodness has triumphed over evil,
forgiveness has won the victory over sin,
love has conquered hate.
We renew our faith and commitment to your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
Glory be to you,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
One God, now and for always. Amen

God of all creation, you have loved this our ancient land long before humans knew it existed or explored it. We thank you for the diversity of the country and its people. We are moved by its magnificent mountains, its verdant valleys and pastoral plains, for the riches of its mines and agricultural lands, and for the beauty of the forests, lakes and rivers.
We thank you for the first Australians who know and love this continent with an intimate and profound sensitivity. We acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of the early settlers and we celebrate the diversity of races that now call Australia home. We celebrate too the unique flora and fauna of the continent.
Forgive us when we are like wombats hiding in dark burrows rather than like people living in the light. Forgive us when we are like galahs, making so much noise that we can’t hear the cries of the lost or the wounded. Forgive us when we are like bower birds, so busy collecting pretty possessions that we miss the wonders around us. Forgive us when we are like inquisitive emus and quick to take flight and run. Give us the grace to emulate the tranquility kangaroos in the shade of a gum tree, the cheerfulness of the laughing kookaburras and playfulness of dolphins.
And give us the courage we need to be the best that we can be.
LOVING GOD, IN YOUR MERCY, HEAR OUR PRAYER
Loving God we acknowledge that we are blessed; in this land you have given us peace and freedom. In this country we have a society with a rich variety of people that have come from many lands. We thank you for the church in Australia. Inspire us to promote the unity of your church as we pray for all its congregations and its clergy. We pray for the Federal and State Governments of this country and for all in positions of authority. We pray that they may govern wisely and justly so that all may live in peace and safety.
LOVING GOD, IN YOUR MERCY, HEAR OUR PRAYER
And as we meet in this sacred place this morning we pray for the needs of the whole world, for peace and goodwill over all the earth. We pray for countries ravaged by war, famine, fire or floods. Look with mercy on all to whom great sorrow has come through war or tragedy, help those who are injured, and support those who are dying. Console and protect those who have lost family or friends and give light to those who despair.
LOVING GOD, IN YOUR MERCY, HEAR OUR PRAYER
In a world torn apart by divisions and strife, lead all those in authority back into the way of peace, to heal what is damaged and to unite what has been torn asunder. In all lands we remember the unloved, the aged and the little children; the sick in mind or body.
LORD IN YOUR MERCY, HEAR OUR PRAYER
We pray for all refugees everywhere, and for the internally displaced including in Gaza.
We pray for refugees and asylum seekers in limbo awaiting the outcome of visa applications.
We pray for refugees in makeshift and unsafe camps, and for the humanitarian support that provides the essentials for their living. We pray that all who deal with asylum seekers to do so with compassion, respect and fairness.
LORD IN YOUR MERCY, HEAR OUR PRAYER
We pray for ourselves and for each other. Give us a vision of what we are capable of becoming. As Jesus changed water into wine at the wedding at Cana, we ask that you transform us, so that despite being ordinary people we become capable of doing extraordinary things. Give us all the courage to affirm the values of faith, integrity and love and to proclaim the sure and certain hope that these sacred ideas will triumph and endure.
LORD IN YOUR MERCY, HEAR OUR PRAYER
And finally, gracious God, support us all the day long,
Until the shadows lengthen nd the evening comes,
The busy world is hushed, the fever of life is over, and our work is done.
Then, Lord, in your mercy, grant us safe lodging, a holy rest and peace at the last.
This and all our prayers we offer in the name of Jesus our Christ.
(Source: Meriel Wilson, slightly updated 2024)

Pray for the World and the Church

Holy God, we hold space for hope
Hope of healing of all that is broken in our communities, our nation and in the world. We long for a world where robust equity allows thriving inclusion of all.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
We hold space for hope
Hope for comfort when we do not sense your presence where we desire to find you, and guidance to see your presence, where, in our stubbornness, we refuse to look.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
We hold space for hope
Hope of healing in the midst of a global pandemic as we experience distress, isolation, and loneliness. We long for a world where those who feel forgotten due to poverty, illness, caregiving, incarceration, persecution, and depression experience your love through our actions
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
We hold space for hope
Hope for a return to the blessing of gathering in community at our churches, schools, meetings and workplaces. We long for a world where we may once again break bread together.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
We hold space for hope
Hope for the needs and concerns of those gathered here, the hopes expressed by those who pray and leave their messages here, and those hopes carried without the words to name them
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Healing God, work a mighty work in our lives today,
Mending all that is broken,
Making your loving presence known,
Forgiving us for our part in creating the problems of our time,
Working miracles in our midst,
That healing and being healed, we may return to beloved community. Amen.
(Source: Virtual Chapel)

Prayers for others – using an image of suitcases of all kinds
We pray for those in Ukraine, fleeing to places of safety with suitcases packed with the ordinary things of life so they may simply live. Their lives suddenly coming down to one small suitcase, dragged through the snow and rain and bitter cold.
We are reminded of people who have had to flee violence and war in many places – Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, who left with their suitcase of dreams for freedom and for a better life. We pray especially today for those in immigration detention here in Australia, for those still in PNG and Nauru, and for the Biloela family.
We pray for those whose travel plans have been disrupted these last two years and whose suitcases have gathered dust. We are mindful of those who were not able to travel to be with loved ones in their final days and weeks, those who were separated from family members, those whose lives have been traumatised by loss and grief.
We pray for those with courage to leave domestic violence situations, who silently and carefully pack their bags to leave, seeking safety and peace of mind.
We pray for those displaced by natural disasters of flood, fire, famine, and those who have no time to pack their bags…We pray for those affected by the devastating floods in Queensland and New South Wales, where suitcases were sodden or washed away, along with everything else in family homes and businesses. We pray for those affected by the climate emergency who have already been displaced from their homes in low lying areas in the Pacific.
We pray for those whose suitcase of dreams has been battered, and for those discarded along the way….
We pray…..
We pray for own baggage that weighs us down…..
May we know once again that we are not isolated beings but connected, in mystery and miracle, to the universe, to the divine, to community, to each other.
Ever present God, you are with us in the hour of need. Bring hope, bring healing.
Stir our compassion and imagination, as we in turn seek our best loving response. Amen.
(Source: Sandy Boyce, Uniting Church in Australia)

We pray for all who are hungry, who do not have enough to live with dignity. May they find generosity and inclusion in their local Christian communities.
God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for all who live in loneliness or isolation. May they know friendship and community.
God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for all who are abused in any way, whose homes or neighbourhoods or places of work or study are places of fear, not of safety. May they be strengthened and freed from abusers and fear. May they find your good plans for them and hope in you.
God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those with disabilities and those who feel alone. We pray too for all who are shunned, from whom people turn away. Please help them to be included and to know that they are loved by you and that you have good plans for hope for them.
God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We also pray for all who have been displaced, who live in exile and in fear of losing everything they have ever known. May they know your peace and strength in their lives.
God, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.
God’s promise of freedom, forgiveness, inclusion, justice and peace are fulfilled in Jesus. He is the life-giving light which even the deepest darkness cannot extinguish. It is through Jesus that we are able to come close to God and discern God’s plans of hope for us.
We pray the prayer Jesus taught us (LORD’S PRAYER)
(Source: World Day of Prayer 2022)

Prayer
O God, in whose image all people are made,
Have mercy on us.
O Jesus, healer and lover of all souls,
Have mercy on us.
O Holy Spirit, source of courage and hope
Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, divine community, gather us as one,
Have mercy on us.
We weep as Rachel for her children.
Hear our prayer.
We weep for innocent victims of hate and violence everywhere.
Hear our prayer.
We weep for the perpetrators of violence and hate.
Hear our prayer.
We weep over our country and our world as Jesus wept over Jerusalem.
Hear our prayer.
We pray for healing for those wounded in body or spirit.
Hear our prayer.
We long for mercy and truth to make a home with each other,
where righteousness and peace embrace.
Hear our prayer.
Lead us in examining our own consciences
for the remnants of prejudice and hate within us.
Hear our prayer.
Protect our brothers and sisters of Islam,
that they may live in the peace which is their true proclamation.
Hear our prayer.
Inspire us to act in ways that bring all people closer to our promised reign of peace.
Hear our prayer.
For the dead we pray,
Lord have mercy.
For the wounded we pray,
Christ have mercy.
For a transformed world we pray,
Lord have mercy.
(from a Pilgrim UC liturgy)

Wondrous Creator, you inhabit this world
not shying from it’s suffering and shame
walking in the gardens and on hard pavement
you are with us in our fearful and darkest hours.
We fragile humans pretend not to see the pain
we run from the uncomfortable situations
yet you are there in the midst of war and conflict
you never deny that you love all of your creation.
Peter was wracked with fear and denied you
yet your love was bigger than his great failure
forgiveness and restoration are your gifts to us
and we all need that in great measure today.
Help us to walk in the dark and scary places
give us strength to witness to your abiding love
make us compassionate and full of faith
so we might bring your love to a troubled world. Amen.
(Source: Carol J Gallagher, Facebook post)

An Intercession
There is so much wrong in the world, God,
Most is of our doing; most is because of our choices
Most suffering and injustice is a result of human unkindness
Yet, some is not.
Disease and misfortune strike faithful and faithless
The world so often is not how you would have it,
And life is so often not as we would have it.
Have mercy on us. 
Yet, let that “us,” not simply be me and mine,
But all who suffer,
All who are afflicted,
All who are attacked,
All who are disadvantaged,
All who are oppressed,
All who are unwell,
All who need your help.
You are God,
You are at work in the world for good.
Help us tell this truth
Things might not miraculously change as we pray that they would,
But be at work in the lives of those enslaved.
Give them hope
Call us anew to work for their good.
Be at work in the lives of those who are poor.
Give them hope
Call us anew to work for their good.
Be at work in the lives of those displaced from their homes.
Give them hope
Call us anew to work for their good.
Be at work in the lives of the despairing,
Give them hope
Call us anew to work for their good.
Be at work in the lives of those unwell and in need of healing.
Give them hope
Call us anew to work for their good.
Be at work in the lives of those lonely. 
Give them hope
Call us anew to work for their good.
Be at work in the lives of those sad and grieving
Give them hope
Call us anew to work for their good.
Be at work in the lives of those who are stressed and distressed 
Give them hope
Call us anew to work for their good.
Be at work in the lives of those unhappy or depressed 
Give them hope
Call us anew to work for their good.
Be at work in the lives of those frail of mind, body or spirit 
Give them hope
Call us anew to work for their good.
Be at work in the lives of all people.
Give us hope
Call us anew to work for good.
Help us to know you, know your work and know your love, 
That we might be led deeper into faith. 
This we pray.  Amen
(Source: Jon Humphries, August 2021)

L-rd G-d,
we invite you here to be in this place with us.
Be the center of our circle.
All thanks and praise be to you,
Who are the Knower of hearts.
Where we bring concerns,
bring us peaceful, calm minds
in all wisdom.
Where we are processing,
let us nurture one another in kindness,
guiding each other toward you.
(Free prayers for one another)
L-rd, hear our prayer.

Bring a fresh wind to our passions!
Give us loving hearts.
Let us sense where you are moving
so we can let go of excess.
Make us like gentle water,
flowing to the lowest place
In order to bring balance.
(Free prayers for loved ones and neighbors)
L-rd, hear our prayer.

Restore our spirits in joyful dance
so our strength to do your will
in all self-control would not grow weary
As we patiently grow in faith,
rooted and grounded in Christ.
(Free prayers for enemies)
L-rd, hear our prayer.

You created the expanse of the universe
and the bonds between molecules.
You are closer to us than our own breath,
closer than our own souls.
(Free prayer for yourself)
L-rd, hear our prayer

Jesus, our Healer,
Protect our whole selves
so that we might love you more each day.
We pray all this in your precious name, Amen.
(Source: Ellen Morey, Jesus Radicals)

Lord God, our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer,
on this day and in this place, with awe and gratitude,
we acknowledge your presence with us.
Remind us that you are with us always wherever we go, whoever we are with and whatever we do. We pray this morning for all people everywhere affected by natural disasters, civil conflicts or war. We pray for the people of Afghanistan and other countries where suicide bombers enact their deadly deeds as we continue to pray for, and work for, peace in the world.
GOD OF LOVE
And we pray for the people who have experienced trauma and devastation in their lives. Bless everyone actively involved in helping all those affected as they try to recover from the heartbreaking devastation. Surround everyone affected by these disaster with kindness, comfort and hope for the future.
GOD OF LOVE
We pray for all Australian Defence Force personnel on active service here in Australia on peacekeeping duties overseas. We pray too for all those providing pastoral care to them; bless them and keep them safe. We pray for their families as they struggle with worry and anxiety; grant them the courage and the faith to cling to hope.
GOD OF LOVE
We continue to pray this morning for the peoples of Sudan and South Sudan. Bring peace to their troubled lands as we join them in their hopes for a positive future where the ravages of war become a thing of the past. Give them the faith and fortitude to forgive their enemies and forge a new and noble future. We commit ourselves to remember in our daily prayers the people in our sister diocese of Juba.
We continue to pray for all those who have been bereaved during the long years of war; for families trying to rebuild their lives and for the children still suffering from the effects of what happened to them, their families and their friends. Comfort, sustain and surround them with loving and healing friendships. We ask that much be given to those who have lost so much, and that You lighten the darkness of those who despair.
GOD OF LOVE
We pray for the church worldwide, infuse the leadership with sound judgement and inspire all Christians everywhere to be true to the example given to us by Jesus Christ. Where there are divisions, we ask that You sow the seeds of tolerance and understanding. We pray for our Archbishop and for all clergy in the Adelaide diocese, especially Tracey as she continues to lead us on our spiritual journey.
May the future of the parish be filled with blessed hope as we all strive to become more of who we aspire to be. Inspire us to acts of kindness and concern for each other.
GOD OF LOVE

We pray for all who are suffering, those in physical or mental pain, and those who are terminally ill. Surround them with your love and light and support and sustain all the people providing care for them. We pray for those who have been recently bereaved and for those who mourn; comfort them as they grieve. We pray particularly for those we have been asked to remember in our prayers today.
GOD OF LOVE
We pray for ourselves and for each other.
We acknowledge that you called the rich to travel towards poverty, the wise to embrace folly, The powerful to know their frailty; who gave to strangers a sense of homecoming in an alien land and to stargazers true light and vision as they bowed to earth.
We lay ourselves open to your signs to us
stir up within us a holy discontent over a world
which gives its gifts to those
who have plenty already
whose talents are obvious,
whose power is recognised.
and help us both to share our resources
with those who have little
and to receive with humility the gifts they bring to us
and make us restless
till we journey forth to seek our rest in you
Finally, Gracious God, support us all the day long
until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes
and the busy world is hushed and the fever of life is over
and our work is done
then Lord in your mercy grant us safe lodging a holy rest, and peace at last,
through Jesus Christ our Lord
AMEN
(Source: Meriel Wilson, St Chad’s)

INTERCESSION
Creator God, we thank you for Jesus – the Light of the world. We thank you for those in every generation who have faithfully pointed to him and who have spread his light in even the darkest times.
Lord Jesus, may we find the courage to point to the hope and comfort and peace you offer, especially in times of difficulty and sorrow. May we witness to your love and your goodness, your presence and your compassion.
And we offer thanks for the family of God’s people meeting throughout the world this day – all of us gathered only too aware of our faults and our limitations, but knowing too, that you, Lord Jesus, can take the tiniest spark and fan it into a raging fire.
Give us the courage and the desire to seek to serve you as best we can – and in that service may we reflect the life you lived.
We offer you our prayers for those who struggle with this season. We think of the bereaved, of those who cannot afford to celebrate as they might want, of those with no one to share a table, and of those for whom childlessness is accentuated at this time.
Loving God, bring your comfort, fill us with your strength, and grant all your peace…
We pray too, for places in the world where conflict and violence are rife… for places where nature has been harsh – and where we have been thoughtless in caring for God’s creation. Grant us greater concern for one another and an even greater willingness to do whatever we can for each other and for the world itself.
So may we work with you, Loving God, to make this world, the world you intended it to be – a world where people care and love and laugh, a world where justice reigns and peace is evident and where all know they belong. These prayers we offer in the name of Jesus who taught us to pray: LORD’S PRAYER

Let us pray to the Lord,who is our refuge and stronghold.
For the health and well-being of our nation,
that all who are fearful and anxious
may be at peace and free from worry:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For the isolated and housebound,
that we may be alert to their needs,
and care for them in their vulnerability:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For our homes and families,
our schools and young people,
and all in any kind of need or distress:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For a blessing on our local community,
that our neighborhoods may be places of trust and friendship,
where all are known and cared for:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
We commend ourselves, and all for whom we pray,
to the mercy and protection of God.
Merciful Father,accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
(Source: The Church of England)

Holy Love, holding us like a stillpoint in the swirl of life, drawing us like a magnet to give of ourselves in service and compassion, hear us as we pray:
Fill us with life. Lead us to love.
We hold in the light of your love those in this room and beyond who are in physical, emotional, mental or spiritual pain. May they experience your comforting presence and may we be your face of friendship and care.
Fill us with life. Lead us to love.
In this week when …. (events in the world are brought to mind)
Grant us all resilience and hope, lift us from discouragement, come to our assistance, we pray.
Fill us with life. Lead us to love.
Finally, we give thanks for the glimmers of joy this week…. (events in the world are brought to mind)…. for signs of seasonal change and the delights of nature, for friendship and kindness that endure. May these gifts assure us that your Spirit is alive and well in our world and encourage us to practice resurrection in our own lives.
Fill us with life. Lead us to love.
(Rev Christine Gilbert, St Andrews by the sea, Glenelg)
We offer these prayers in the name of Jesus who taught us to pray…(LORD’S PRAYER)

We pray for the world, the church and for ourselves:
Eternal and ever- loving God,
we believe our worship draws us near to you, and towards our neighbours on earth.
May we all learn before it is too late
to respect the uniqueness, fragility, interrelatedness, and sacredness of our earth and all creation.
We pray for peace in our torn and troubled world and for countries that
discriminate against and marginalise our brothers and sisters.
May weapons and prejudice be discarded instead of people,
guns silenced instead of the voices of the poor,
and, in a world facing pandemic and fear,
may all Peoples learn to respect the integrity, diversity, and unity of all, and that love is not a luxury.
We pray for the our First Nations sisters and brothers ,
We acknowledge the grace and gift they have offered to us, despite the discrimination and marginalisation they face every day.
We pray especially:
That the Uluru Statement from the Heart may not fall on deaf ears,
that it may be seen and heard as a cry from the heart for real truth telling;
that its gracious invitation to walk together into a new future might be grasped by all and that true recognition in the constitution becomes a reality
so that our nation will be healed. May we grow in faith, love and hope, and our commitment to walk in solidarity with our Indigenous brothers and sisters.
We pray for the witness of our church community:
Help us to understand
that no planning for the future, however necessary,
no program, no matter how carefully conceived,
can relieve us of the necessity of going forward
into a future that cannot be fully planned —
of risk, of danger, of hope
in your incalculable grace.
We pray for ourselves:
Not one of us has ever found or given enough tenderness
or love in his or her life, enough truth, freedom,
beauty, goodness, and joy.
We are always travelling to a new tomorrow.
We pray because you have put within us an unquenchable hope.
Amen
(Source: Dr Marelle Harisun, with acknowledgement of an original prayer in Terry C Falla (ed.) 1994 Be Our freedom Lord: Responsive prayers for contemporary worship (2nd ed.), Open Book, p. 187. contemporary worship (2nd edition) Open Book1994, page 187)

“Leaning In: A Prayer of Intention” is a sung prayer of intercession that aims to break down the distinction between the typical “us” and “them:” of such prayers. It also shifts away from petition (asking God to do things) toward intention (setting a path of joining in what God is doing in the world). You can find sheet music for this song here.
We pray for the lonely ones
knowing that some of us are lonely
and we pray for the heartbroken ones
knowing that some of us are heartbroken
All our hearts and minds are leaning in with clear intention
joining in your way of love in the world
We pray for the wounded
knowing that some of us are wounded
and we pray for the regretful ones
knowing that some of us are regretful
All our hearts and minds are leaning in with clear intention
joining in your way of love in the healing
We pray for the starving ones
knowing that some of us are starving
and we pray for the imprisoned ones
knowing that some of us are imprisoned
All our hearts and minds are leaning in with clear intention
joining in your way of justice in the world
We pray for the dying ones
knowing that some of us are dying
and we pray for the newly born ones
knowing that some of us are arriving
All our hearts and minds are leaning in with clear intention
joining in your way of love in the world Amen.
Christopher Grundy (c) 2013 Hand and Soil Music

Intercessory prayer is the purifying bath into which the individual and the community must enter every day.
(Source:Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Response following prayers for others:
     In our lives, and in your world
     bring healing and life renewed. 

Response after prayers for others:
Together we will create brave space.
Because there is no such thing as a “safe space” —
We exist in the real world.
We all carry scars and we have all caused wounds.
In this space
We seek to turn down the volume of the outside world,
We amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere,
We call each other to more truth and love.
We have the right to start somewhere and continue to grow.
We have the responsibility to examine what we think we know.
We will not be perfect.
This space will not be perfect.
It will not always be what we wish it to be.
But
It will be our brave space together,
and we will work on it side by side.
(Source: Micky ScottBey Jones)

Introduction to prayers for others
A teacher asked his students how can you tell when night has given way to day. Students were eager to please saying, “Night has given way to day when you can make our an outline of a tree in the distance or when you can tell a cow is a cow and a horse is a horse.”
The teacher shook his head no and said, “You can tell night has given way to day when you look into the eyes of another and see a brother and you see a sister. If you look into the eyes of another and you don’t see a brother or a sister, it is still night.”
Imagine if our lives joined as a living prayer seeing one another as brother and sister, in spite of our differences. Imagine if we joined together not in the words, “Lord, have mercy” but in becoming the presence of mercy together for those who need it the most. Imagine if we entered the darkest places of division and distrust and called forth the dawn daring to see and name one another as sister, brother.
(Source: Rev Steve Koski, Facebook post, May 2019)
Prayers are offered…….

For Those Trapped
We pray for those trapped,
Those trapped by their bodies,
Those trapped by their minds,
Those trapped by their gender,
Those trapped by their circumstances,
Those trapped by their situation
Those trapped by rules
Those trapped in expectations
We pray for those trapped,
Those trapped by their biases
Those trapped by their prejudice,
Those trapped by their worldview
Those trapped by their mindsets
Those trapped by their cultures
Those trapped by their religion
Those trapped by their theology
Those trapped by their ideology
Those trapped by their politics
Those trapped by their economics
We pray for those trapped,
Those trapped by their trappings
Those trapped by their privilege
Those trapped by their wealth
We pray for those trapped,
Those trapped by their poverty
Those trapped in slavery
Those trapped in exploitation
Those trapped in danger
Those trapped by oppression
Those trapped by injustice
We pray for trapped,
Not exempting ourselves,
We who are just as trapped as any
And need your saving just as much.
Amen.
(Source: Jon Humphries, Prayers that Unite)

Praying 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
God,
Source of compassion
Being compassion
Source of all comfort
Being love
Comfort us all in our troubles
So that we might comfort all in any trouble,
With the comfort we have received from you.
In thanksgiving and praise
As well as hope and faith,
We pray. Amen.
(Source: Jon Humphries, Prayers that Unite)

for what shall we pray, O God?
where there is death,
let us offer life,
where there is brokenness,
let us be healers,
where there is loneliness,
let us offer a welcome.
for what shall we pray, O Jesus?
where there is cruelty,
let us seek justice,
where there is bitterness,
let us sow kindness,
where there is hatred,
let us offer hands of love.
for what shall we pray O Spirit?
where there is anger,
let us be the breath of hope,
where there is violence,
let us be peacemakers,
where neighbourhoods are in ruins,
let us rebuild communities.
for what shall we pray?
for more tenderness than tensions,
for more listening than lecturing,
for more forgiving than pointing fingers,
for more concern for the forgotten than the favoured,
for more humanity than hatred.
hear our prayers, God in Community, Holy in One,
hear our prayers, Amen.
(Source: © 2020 Thom M. Shuman)

Lyrics: Everyday Life
What in the world are we going to do?
Look at what everybody’s going through
What kind of world do you want it to be?
Am I the future or the history?
‘Cause everyone hurts, everyone cries
Everyone tells each other all kinds of lies
Everyone falls, everybody dreams and doubts
Got to keep dancing when the lights go out
How in the world I am going to see?
You as my brother, not my enemy?
‘Cause everyone hurts, everyone cries
Everyone sees the color in each other’s eyes
Everyone loves, everybody gets their hearts ripped out
Got to keep dancing when the lights go out
Gonna keep dancing when the lights go out
Hold tight for everyday life….
At first light, throw my arms out open wide
Hallelujah……

O God, we pray this day:
for all who have a song they cannot sing,
for all who have a burden they cannot bear,
for all who live in chains they cannot break,
for all who wander homeless and cannot return,
for those who are sick and for those who tend them,
for those who wait for loved ones and wait in vain,
for those who live in hunger
and for those who will not share their bread,
for those who are misunderstood,
and for those who misunderstand,
for those who are captives
and for those who are captors,
for those whose words of love
are locked within their hearts
and for those who yearn to hear those words.
Have mercy upon these, O God.
Have mercy on us all.
(Source: Ann Weems from “Kneeling in Jerusalem,” quoted in “Greeting the Day – Morning Prayers and Meditations from Around the World,” edited by Brian Wright)

The prayer of Coventry Cathedral: Father, Forgive
The hatred which divides nation from nation,
race from race, class from class: Father, forgive. 
The covetous desires of people and nations
to possess what is not their own: Father, forgive. 
The greed which exploit the work of human hands
and lays waste the earth: Father, forgive. 
Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others: Father, forgive. 
Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned,
the homeless, the refugee: Father, forgive. 
The lust which dishonours the bodies of men,
women and children: Father, forgive. 
The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves
and not in God: Father, forgive. 

Dismantling Racism 
O God of Love
I ask you to heal my broken heart with your expansive love.
Let love flow through me that I may heal the brokenness caused by racism. Turn my anguish into the power of love so that I may be counted as one drop in an ocean of drops that transforms the world as we know it into the world as you know it can be. Amen.
(Source: Devoree Clifton Crist, MD, from A Child Laughs, pg. 61)

Prayer for the Side-lined, Lost and Over-looked People
Holy One, may your Realm of Love come for
the insignificant, unremarkable, over-looked people of the world;
for the un-noticed and simply ordinary people;
back-water sort of people who will never make much impact.
For them
May your kingdom come.
Holy One, may your Realm of Love come for
those who are lost; who have disappeared or are missing;
for the up-rooted, exiled and enslaved ;
lost-rights sort of people who will seldom be seen or heard.
For them
May your kingdom come.
Holy One, may your Realm of Love come for
the fearful, the terrorised and the abused people of the world;
those who are unjustly imprisoned or entrapped;
voiceless people who will hardly dare to seek help.
For them
May your kingdom come.
Holy One, may your Realm of Love come for
the subjugated, silenced and subdued people of the world;
for the lonely, the lacking, the faded, the frightened;
shadowy people unable to bring attention to their suffering.
For them
May your kingdom come.
Holy One, may Your Realm of Love come for
the handicapped and disabled people of the world;
for the redundant and poorly educated; the timid and un-appreciated;
struggling people who have to strive for support and respect.
For them,
May your kingdom come.
In the dynamic of your Love, may your Realm become a reality for them all. Amen.
(Source: 2011 Glenn Jetta Barclay, Aotearoa/New Zealand)

Pray for All
Pray for victims of violence, be it physical, emotional or political
Pray for those who suffer hurt, harm or sadness, that they might find healing.
Pray for those afflicted by situation, state or habit that they might find freedom.
Pray for those oppressed by life, circumstance or others, that they might find release.
Pray for those impoverished in terms of wealth, education or lack of compassion, that they might find increase
Pray for those who hate, harm and do ill, that they might repent.
Pray for perpetrators of violence, be it physical, emotional or political, that they might stop.
Pray for those who hurt, harm or cause sadness, that might change.
Pray for those who afflict others by situation, state or habit, that they might be transformed
Pray for those who oppress others by life, circumstance or power, that they might undo such things.
Pray for those who impoverish others in terms of wealth, education or lack of compassion, that they might find compassion.
Pray for those who love, that they might inspire others.
Pray for those like us and unlike us that we might find understanding.
Pray for those who are similar to us or different from us that we might build respect.
Pray for those who share our beliefs or believe different to us that we might find a common ground.
May we pray for all,
For we all need prayer
And all need to pray.
So we pray. Amen
(Source: Jon Humphries)

Prayer for Conscience and Courage in Times of Public Struggle
Loving God,
lead us beyond ourselves
to care and protect,
to nourish and shape,
to challenge and energize
both the life and the world
You have given us.
God of light and God of darkness,
God of conscience and God of courage
lead us through this time
of spiritual confusion and public uncertainty.
Lead us beyond fear, apathy and defensiveness
to new hope in You and to hearts full of faith.
Give us the conscience it takes
to comprehend what we’re facing,
to see what we’re looking at
and to say what we see
so that others, hearing us,
may also brave the pressure that comes
with being out of public step.
Give us the courage we need
to confront those things
that compromise our consciences
or threaten our integrity.
Give us, most of all,
the courage to follow those before us
who challenged wrong and changed it,
whatever the cost to themselves.
Mary, Mother of Jesus,
you confronted the systems
of the world
in order to do the will of God.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of those burdened
by oppressive laws
and give us courage
to join them in the struggle.
St. Marguerite Bourgeoys,
founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame,
you challenged even the church
in order to send women missionaries
into foreign lands.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of women everywhere
and give us courage to support them.
St. Thomas Aquinas,
doctor of the church,
you were condemned
by the bishop of Paris
for reconciling the theology of the time
with the thinking of the time.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of new ideas
and give us courage to test them.
St. Maximilian Kolbe,
you gave your life
in place of a condemned prisoner
in Auschwitz.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of life
and give us the courage
to protect it.
St. Polycarp,
you were executed for refusing
to proclaim “Caesar is Lord.”
Touch our conscience
on behalf of just government
and give us the courage to demand it.
St. Joan of Arc,
you were burned at the stake as a heretic
by the church itself
for refusing to betray
the voice of God in you.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of the visionaries
in church and society
and give us the courage
to share their risk.
St. Basil the Great,
doctor of the church,
you challenged the wealthy
to redistribute their wealth to the poor.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of those who are paid unjust wages
and give us the courage
to proclaim that cause.
Shiphrah and Puah,
you saved the life of the child Moses
by breaking the law of the land.
Touch our conscience
on the subject of unjust laws
and give us the courage to protest them.
St. Stanislaus, Bishop of Krakow,
you denounced the abuses of the king.
Touch our conscience
with an awareness of civil abuse
and give us the courage to confront it.
St. John the Baptist,
you were beheaded
for speaking truth to power.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of immoral public policy
and give us the courage to speak our truth.
St. Teresa of Avila,
doctor of the church,
you were under suspicion by the Spanish Inquisition
for developing a new form of spirituality.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of those who break new paths
and give us the courage always
to embrace new ways
for the good of the world.
St. Hildegard of Bingen,
Benedictine abbess,
you claimed your own authority
despite ecclesiastical interdict.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of the forgotten
and give us the courage
to assert the rights of those
abandoned by the system.
St. Hugh,
Bishop of Lincoln, England,
you practiced tax evasion
in an attempt to deny the king money
to launch a crusade.
Touch our conscience
about the national budget
and give us the courage to critique it publicly.
Holy Pope John XXIII,
you opened the church to the modern world.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of new ideas,
in support of new understandings,
and give us the courage to risk them.
Holy Mohandas Gandhi,
you freed India from English jurisdiction
through nonviolent resistance.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of the oppressed of the world
and give us the courage to resist oppression
in ways that are not themselves oppressive.
Holy Sister Juana Inés de la Cruz,
you were criticized for writing
the first theological work by a woman.
Touch our conscience
in regard to the role of women
in church and societies,
and give us the courage to promote their rights.
Holy Mary Ward,
founder of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
you were arrested by Rome and declared heretic
for founding a women’s religious order
unenclosed and free of episcopal control.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of the full authority of women
and give us the courage to live it.
Holy Maura Clarke
and Companions,
you were brutally murdered in El Salvador
for supporting refugee priests, people and catechists
in their struggle against an oppressive government.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of the oppressed in both state and church,
and give us the courage to join them
in the struggle.
Holy Stephen Biko,
you devoted yourself to raising consciousness
in apartheid South Africa
and died for the doing of it.
Touch our conscience on behalf of hard truths
and give us the courage to pursue them
whatever the cost to ourselves.
Holy Cesar Chavez,
farmworker and organizer,
you organized migrant workers
to struggle for just wages
through boycotts and civil disobedience.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of workers’ rights
and give us the courage to strive for them.
Holy John Howard Griffin,
author, you made yourself black
in order to expose the horrors of racism.
Touch our conscience on behalf of the marginalized
and give us the courage to embrace their cause.
Holy Philip Berrigan,
you spent half a lifetime
in prison to protest the nuclear policies
of the United States.
Touch our conscience as citizens of the globe
and give us the courage to give our lives
to making life better, safer, more human
for the rest of humankind.
Finally, Great God,
give us the kind of faith in you
that was the mainstay of those before us
who followed you from
Galilee to Jerusalem doing good,
raising the dead to life
and singing alleluia all the way.
God of Conscience,
God of Courage
give us whatever grace we need
to work for the coming
of the reign of God
now, here and always. Amen.
(Source: Joan Chittister, OSB)

“Let Justice Ring” Lyrics
by Andy Kirk from the album Wake Up My Soul
Verse: 1
Forgotten sons and hopeless daughters
The hungry child without a father
You love the broken man
Empty lives in desperate need
The humbled hearts the least of these
Find rest within Your hands
Pre Chorus:
(So) break our hearts
For what breaks Your heart
Chorus: 1
Let the saints of God be brought to life
Let your children be set free
To a broken world with one voice we sing
Let justice ring, Let justice ring
Verse: 2
Open eyes and hearts to see
Awaken love inside of me for those
Who’ve lost their way
Break the walls of hurt and shame
Release the power of Your name
For You are the God who saves
Pre Chorus:
(So) break our hearts
For what breaks Your heart
Chorus: 2
Let the saints of God be brought to life
Let your children be set free
To a broken world with one voice we sing
Let justice ring, Let justice ring
Bridge:
Let justice ring, Let Justice Ring, (yeah)
Chorus: 3
Let the saints of God be brought to life
Let your children be set free
To a broken world with one voice we sing
Let justice ring, Let justice ring
Let justice ring, Let justice ring
Down Chorus End: 4
Let the saints of God be brought to life
Let your children be set free
To a broken world with one voice we sing
Let justice ring, Let justice ring
Let justice ring, Let justice ring

All the poor and powerless
All the poor and powerless
And all the lost and lonely
All the thieves will come confess
And know that You are holy
And know that You are holy

And all will sing out
Hallelujah
And we will cry out
Hallelujah
And all will sing out
Hallelujah
And we will cry out
Hallelujah

All the hearts who are content
And all who feel unworthy
And all who hurt with nothing left
Will know that You are holy
Will know that You are holy

And all will sing out
Hallelujah
And we will cry out
Hallelujah
And all will sing out
Hallelujah
And we will cry out
Hallelujah

Shout it
Go on and scream it from the mountains
Go on and tell it to the masses
That He is God
(5x)

And we will sing out: Hallelujah
And we will cry out: Hallelujah
And we will sing out: Hallelujah

Prayers for others
God of mercy and love let us serve you in our world
We pray for desert people,
who live in a dry, parched land who lack water
who travel constantly so that they might live.
Give them living water. Let the deserts bloom into flower.
We pray that those who work on climate change
may find solutions so that the erosion of soil may be halted or reversed.
We pray that water and other vital supplies might not be used as a weapon of war in countries where resources are scarce.
God of mercy and love let us serve you in our world
We pray for countries where justice seems far away,
where human rights are ignored.
Let us remind those in power that prisoners are not forgotten.
We pray that the dignity of life is respected
and remember those who have lost that dignity
through age or infirmity or neglect.
We pray for situations
where the sex of a baby may lead to abandonment,
where women are not offered the same opportunities,
or are actively demeaned or mutilated.
May we act to challenge injustice
and seek to affirm your love for all humankind.
God of mercy and love let us serve you in our world
We pray for those who have no peace –
for those who are troubled and torn apart by lack of self esteem
for those who torment and victimise the vulnerable.
We pray for men and women affected by violence in the home
and for those who live by violence.
We pray for those who are trafficked
and for those who organise and profit from selling other humans.
May they learn of your love
and somehow come to newness of life
even in the midst of despair.
God of mercy and love let us serve you in our world
Loving Lord let us not stand aside and tolerate
lack of basic human resources,
dehumanising practices,
or the use of violence to disempower your people.
Give us strength to act and challenge hatred,
and instead bring your justice and mercy.
In your name we humbly ask that we may be a channel for your peace and love. Amen.
(Source: UK Methodist Church website)

God of mercy and justice, shake us up!
Make the pain of the victims and their families our pain,
God of mercy and justice, shake us up!
Uproot the culture of abuse in our communities.

God of mercy and justice, shake us up!
Inspire us to reshape the Church,
God of mercy and justice, shake us up!
Attune us to the Gospel.

God of mercy and justice, shake us up!
Arouse our solidarity,
God of mercy and justice, shake us up!
Commit us to creating a culture of care with our Church.
(Source: Andrea Dean, inspired by Pope Francis’ Letter, 20 August 2018)

Prayers of interecession
Given the need in general, but particularly in the light of reports of the deaths of prominent people in the media who have taken their own lives, this may be a prayer to offer…
From a Recovering Sucidalic
Christ of grace and compassion
The thoughts cannot be un-thought,
The plans cannot be unmade,
The past remains the past,
But hope can be restored and life can be lived.
Help me to discern my gifts and talents.
Show me how others need me to help them,
Even when the only thing I can offer at times is the opportunity for them to use their gifts and talents to help me.
As someone who has stood at that brink,
I know that there is no judgement or pity, only compassion.
Having looked into the peace that I thought promised by the void,
Be with all who struggle with the pain that they feel in living.
Be with all whose stress and anxiety has become unbearable
Be with all whose reserves of hope are running on empty.
Be with all whose sense of self has withered to a longing for others to be set free from the burden of their presence.
Be with all who have lost all sense of meaning and purpose.
May they know you
May they know love.
May they share your vision of their worth
May they know their purpose and meaning as hope.
Be with those who are suffering.
Enfold them in your love.
Hold them in your grace.
Continue to whisper to them hope and comfort,
And the offer of strength for living.
This I humbly pray. Amen.
(Source: Jon Humphries, Prayers that Unite)

A related hymn may be O Love that wilt not let me go, written by George Matheson who contemplated suicide after he’d shared with his fiancée the shattering news he’d just received from his doctor that he was losing his sight and would become blind. His fiancée couldn’t take this future life and broke off the engagement. Shattered, he stood on a bridge, peering down into waters as grey as his mood but as he stood on a rail to join those waters, it seemed as some strong unseen hand was pulling him back. And that’s how we got his hymn, “O love that wilt not let me go.” Read the hymn through again with this in mind, and feel the power of his inspired words.
And this plea by John Pavlovitz to young people considering suicide is excellent.

A reflection – and response
This reflection could lead into a response with ‘stations’ of salted water in bowls placed on tables or elevated in some way. After reading the reflection, people could be invited to dip their fingers in the salted water and trace the tears down their face, and pause in silence to remember those in the world and in our communities whose own tears call for our tears of compassion – and then a response. There could be multiple ‘stations’ around the worship space, and at the end there could be a symbolic pouring of the ‘tears’ into a larger container – the enormity of the tears of the world. Or some could be poured into the baptismal font. 
I woke up this morning feeling like I need a good cry. The conditioned part of me snarled, “Come on. Don’t be ridiculous. Get up and get on with it. There are things to do today. “ A deeper, more tender, vulnerable part of me whispered, “Cry. Your tears are sacred and soulful. I’m afraid if you don’t allow the tears to flow you’ll leave your heart behind. People may appreciate your ideas but they need your heart.”
I cried. I was a blubbering mess of snot and tears. I don’t necessarily feel better but I do feel more whole as I enter this day. I have always been curious that the resurrected Christ carried his wounds with him. He asked his friends to touch his wounds. Living the resurrected life is connecting in our woundedness. Father Greg Boyle wrote, “ If you’re a stranger to your own wounds, then you’re going to be tempted to despise the wounded.”
Some consider tears a weakness. We live in a cynical age where it is easier to be snarky, sarcastic and angry than it is to be vulnerable, honest and real. Charles Dickins wrote, “Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts.” Some things, important things, things of the heart and soul can only be seen through eyes that have cried.
Pope Francis asked for the “gift of tears” ahead of his visit to Auschwitz. He said he preferred to go to the concentration camp in solitude and silence. He said, “I would like to go to that place of horror, without speeches, without people… to enter alone, to pray and ask that God may give me the grace to weep.”
The gift of tears? Yep, I had a good cry this morning. It was a gift. I feel more connected to the gift of this day and pray I might be a gift to the woundedness in others I encounter.
(Source: Rev Steve Koski)

Join in “pilgrim prayers” for women overcoming violence
People across the world will have an opportunity to join in a special prayer for women who are standing strong in the face of gender-based violence. Each Thursday, beginning 31 May, the World Council of Churches (WCC) will release via its website and social media a prayer shared by members of “Pilgrim Teams” who have been visiting communities in conflict, and hearing the stories of women who are facing sexual harassment, rape, domestic violence and other injustices. These “pilgrim prayers” will reflect the experiences of Pilgrim Team members who, during the past two years, have been witnessing the deep wounds among women in conflict situations. Pilgrims visited Abuja, Jos and Yola in Nigeria in August 2017, and Burundi in December 2017. In February 2018, pilgrim teams visited Cauca, Uraba, Atlantic Coast, Bogota, Barranquilla, Valledupar and Bolivar in Colombia. A visit also took place in Juba, South Sudan in May this year. “In all the countries we have visited so far we were not prepared for the stories that our sisters have shared,” said Isabel Apawo Phiri, deputy general secretary of the WCC. “Our sisters are carrying unspeakable wounds. The women’s strength comes from their faith in God who is able to transform the conflict to justice and peace.”
The weekly prayers will be shared as part of “Thursdays in Black,” a global movement resisting attitudes and practices that perpetuate rape and violence.

We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit prays in us with sighs too deep for words. —Romans 8.26

Deeper than my words,
deeper than my knowing,
Spirit, pray in me.

I open the door of my heart for you.
I hold the arms of my spirit open for you.
Welcome. Spirit, pray in me.

I only hold the space.
I do not hear your prayers,
your sighs too deep for my hearing.

I do not know how to pray.
I only know how to be still,
Spirit, as you pray in me.

(Source: Steve Garnaas-Holmes, Unfolding Light)

Jon Humphries shared an activity he did at his church, Turramurra Uniting, for prayers of petition:
Everyone received a small piece of card (about the size of a business card. A4 folded in half length ways. Then in half and then in half again). Instead of a read prayer, I invited people to enter into silent prayerful reflection together.
I named in turn categories and each person was invited to reflect on one or two people, situations or issues that they would bring prayer to in relation to each category. For each category I allowed a minute or two for reflection. I encouraged them to write a reminder about each thing that they named so that they literally carried their prayer out with them into the week and their living in the world.
1. Their personal family and friendship circles.
2. The local community.
3. The Church – local, denomination, world- wide etc.
4. The nation
5. The World
The final category was, given that the Spirit or their conscience or mind had opened them to being prayerful about their list, to reflect on how God might be calling them to join in God’s work in these situations or issues or in the lives of the people named. How might they remember not only to be prayerful about the things on their list, but follow Christ in working for good in regards to each of them.
Each person was then encouraged to put the card in their phone case, wallet, purse or pocket and seek to remember to be prayerful about it in the week to come.
(Facebook post 2018)

Sad (a poem speaking to us of all the turmoil in the world)
There is something immensely sad
resounding in the depths,
and carrying on the airwaves.
That is finding a response in us.
The groaning of the earth
is felt by the sensitive.

We don’t know what we are listening for,
but we hear it.
We don’t know what is moving us,
but we register it.
Others’ tears we brush from our own cheeks.
Others’ wounds run fresh with our blood.

We are intrinsically connected.

While the waves jolt us,
and the earth appears even to expel us,
as if we were superfluous,
we are still rocked in unison.
The tide carries us in one direction.
We make landfall on a common shoreline.

One person’s healing becomes another’s hope.
One person’s hope is sowed as a seed
to grow in the heart of the other
until love takes root, and
sprouts as the tree that heals the nations
and the broken earth.

Yes, there is something immensely sad
resounding in the depths,
and carrying on the airwaves.
There is an ache, a worry at the edges of our thoughts,
that we might recognise what it is we fear.
And yet name the shapes we see in the dark.

But for light, we might indeed be lost.
But hand in hand we carry a torch each,
that from our hands will never be knocked.
Not while your tears are brushed
from my wet cheeks,
and my heart healed by your love.
(Source: Ana Lisa de Jong, Living Tree Poetry, October 2017)

Prayer for others
Gather in our hearts Lord
Bring peace through our words.
Gather in our hearts Lord.
Bring peace through our listening.
Gather in our hearts Lord.
Bring peace through our actions.
Gather in our hearts Lord.
Bring peace through our silence.
Gather in our hearts Lord.
Bring peace through our lives.
A time of silence is kept. Could invite candle lighting during this time.
May our silence: speak the peace of God.
May our silence: sing the peace of God.
May our silence: bring about the peace of God. Amen.
(Source: Christian Aid website)

An Africa Mercy Community Prayer
Merciful Father,
You have called us from many tribes and nations,
Drawn us from many cultures and creeds,
As rich and poor, young and old,
You have embraced us together with all the hurting people of this world,
You have welcomed us as part of your eternal family.
Compassionate Christ,
You have shown us so much of the world’s injustice and pain,
And in its midst you are always there.
Let us see you in those with deformed faces and broken lives.
Let us hear you in the grieving and the oppressed,
Let us know you in the hungry and the vulnerable,
Transforming Spirit,
You whose indwelling presence brings renewal and restoration,
Flow through our hands and pour out healing,
Flow from our hearts, extend hope to the hopeless,
Flow through our lives with saving grace,
Flow through all we do and make others whole.
Eternal God, Creator, Redeemer, Comforter,
One in essence, Three in person,
Touch and transfigure us,
Let your love grow strong and deep within us.
Let your compassion bloom and overflow through us,
Let your righteousness bear fruit of mercy love and justice,
Until your world is changed,
And all creation is restored and made new.
(Christine Sine, Godspace)

When our neighbors live on the street wandering from place to place…
where is the love?
When powerful men use their power for sexual favors…
where is the love?
When our neighbors turn to narcotics because life holds so little hope for them…
where is the love?
When medical care is neglected because it just costs too much…
where is the love?
When shooters come into churches and gun down worshipers…
where is the love?
When Jesus speaks truth to power, loves fully, and is crucified for it…
where is the love?
Holy One, We don’t understand! It makes no sense! God who dreams of loving community for all humanity, help us to understand!
Move us in this hour to do our part to heal our culture and bring your kin_dom to earth. Amen.
(Source: Tim Graves, Liturgy Bits)

God, draw us to you in constant prayer, that we might grow in the intimacy that makes your passion ours.
(Source: Common Prayer, adapted)

These words could be added to the end of the Prayers for Others, as we pray for ourselves:
May we daily be mindful
not only of others’ needs
but those of ourselves,
taking time to be still,
rest from our busyness,
and in your embrace
breathe in your peace
God of wholeness, we pray. (followed by a time of silence)
(Source: John Birch, Faith and Worship)

Let us pray:
O God
to those who have hunger, give bread
to those who have bread, give a hunger for justice.
to those who have thirst, give clean water,
to those who have water, give a thirst for righteousness.
to those who have war, give peace
to those who have peace, give a renewed call to be peacemakers.

Creator God, Loving, Persistent,
Thank you for the risk takers for justice.
Thank you for the persistent ones for righteousness.
Thank you for the imaginative ones who call us back to the concerns of our hearts
for the hungry, the thirsty and the war weary.

Thank you for never giving up on us.
May we never give up on you. Amen.
(Source: Adapted from “tablemanna” as part of the time of prayer for SACC Ecumenical Partners for Justice and Peace)

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
(A prayer, usually with connection to one or more of the lections for the day, to gather the spoken and silent concerns/joys/thanks expressed by the congregation and lead into a more structured Intercession. Sometimes this prayer also borrows lightly from other sources e.g. Uniting in Worship 2 or publications of the Iona Community.)
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Tender and loving God,
comfort of the sorrowing,
strength of the suffering,
embrace them in your mercy
and by the presence of your Spirit,
moving as a gentle breeze,
or blowing as a turbulent storm,
strengthen us to serve them.
Hear our prayer
for those whose names are on our lips
and those for whom we pray in silence…
In Jesus’ name we pray …   (The Prayers of the People continue…)
(Source: Jeff Shrowder, The Billabong)

Prayer of Intercession
Bless your people, O God of light and glory.
Bless your people across land and sea, from north to south,
with your healing and peace.
No matter the names and nationalities
and races and religions by which we call ourselves,
we are yours.
Work out a reconciliation among us that extends to the heavens
and draws together all creation.

We pray for those in anguish,
whose hearts are broken and weary with weeping.
We pray for those overwhelmed by despair,
struggling for hope, desperate for life.
We pray for shelter to those who need a hiding place,
and relief to those who are weighed down by burdens.
We pray for our brothers and sisters sitting beside us in the pews.
We pray for our brothers and sisters in this town and around the world.

With the strength of your rock beneath our feet
and the joy of your call giving wings to our spirits,
we set our faces to follow you through all of life.
Make us foolish for you and for the work of the cross.
We pray in the name of our Light and our Salvation. Amen.
(Source: Rachel Hackenberg, RevGalBlogPals)

Dear God, please enlarge our hearts to love each other,
to love our neighbour, to love our enemy as our friend.
Love and ever more love is the only solution
to every problem that comes up.
If we love each other enough,
we will bear with each other’s faults and burdens.
If we love enough, we are going to light a fire in the hearts of others.
And it is love that will burn out the sins and hatreds that sadden us.
It is love that will make us want to do great things for each other.”
(Source: Dorothy Day)

Beloved as we are, this does not exempt us from experiencing darkness – betrayal, loss, grief, death. We face these things every day, we get distracted by the darkness, so we need to be reminded of the light, of God’s great love for us. We need to be reminded that God is taking care of us. (Source: Br. John Braught, Society of Saint John the Evangelist)

How Long? (a song, but could be spoken as well, with silences)
God, we thank you for your blessings, the plenty we enjoy
Your abundance is enough for everyone
But when children die of hunger we know we’ve lost our way
How long will we allow it, God, how long?

CHORUS:
God, our hearts need a revival, our vision needs to change
And the Gospel needs to capture us again
We need you to renew in us the passion and the praise
That make us live as Jesus – here, today

God, we thank you for our sisters, our brothers ‘round the world
And we celebrate your image in each one
But when difference leads to violence and fear turns into war,
How long will we allow it, God, how long?

CHORUS

God, we praise you for the beauty, the diversity on earth
And for all the ways this planet keeps us strong
But when life itself is threatened as we recklessly consume
How long will we allow it, God, how long?

CHORUS

(Source: John van de Laar, Sacredise)

For People of a Big God Who Think Small
For people of a big God,
Who think small,
We pray.
For followers of a radical Christ,
Who live conservatively,
We pray.
For those gifted by the Spirit,
Who wait on the service of others,
We pray.
For the people of a just God,
Who participate and perpetrate injustice,
We pray.
For those on the giving way of Jesus,
Who keep to, and for, themselves?,
We pray,
For those accepting of the Spirit of God,
Who refuse to be guided or counseled,
We pray.
For those who are immersed in the grace and forgiveness of God,
Who stand in judgement of others,
We pray.
For the Body of Christ,
Who fail and fall short of his glory
We pray.
For those who live with the presence of the Spirit,
Who turn a deaf ear to her still small voice,
We pray.
For us,
For we carry the marks of all these things,
We pray.
Lord, have mercy,
Christ, have grace,
Spirit, bear with us,
In God’s love
May this be so.
Amen
(Source: Jon Humphries)

God of all places
God of all places and climes,
we are glad to thank you for our friends and partners in faith and vision throughout the world,
for people with the strength of character
to survive in difficult circumstances,
And to live out their faith
In joy and thanksgiving for all your gifts.

Prayers for ourselves and others
We bring to mind our times of discouragement and disconnection…
(time of silence is kept)
Wild wind of the Holy Spirit
Breathe, blow, fan the fire of life in us.

We bring to mind those known to us in need of comfort, peace or healing…..
(time of silence is kept)
Wild wind of the Holy Spirit
Breathe, blow, fan the fire of love in us.

We bring to mind instances of human suffering that we have become aware of…..
(time of silence is kept)
Wild wind of the Holy Spirit
Breathe, blow, fan compassion’s fire in us.

We bring to mind situations where we see injustice…..
(time of silence is kept)
Wild wind of the Holy Spirit
Breathe, blow, fan your justice in our hearts.

We bring to mind those concerns and cares we hold in our hearts and minds…..
(time of silence is kept)
Wild wind of the Holy Spirit
Breathe, blow, refresh the life you have given each of us.

We pray in the name of Jesus who taught us to pray (Lord’s Prayer)

Song: composed for the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, 2006, in Porto Alegre, Brazil:

Gracious Friend
Gracious friend, and God of compassion,
we reach out to you for understanding
whilst hardly understanding ourselves.

We turn to you for eternal truths
yet can barely look ourselves in the eye
when our words are less than honest.

We ask that our open hearts be blessed by you
yet dither and deny
when your existence is questioned and challenged.

We take part in catastrophic wars
yet turn to you looking for peace
and fail to understand when the war rages on.

We ask that poverty ends here, ends now,
yet look over our shoulder in horror
when a hand is held out in desperation.

God of our understanding,
help us see the real face:
ours and yours.

Help us see the real needs,
ours and theirs,
and help us catch a glimpse
of a world that can be. Amen.
(prayer by Alma Fritchley, in Ruth Burgess (ed) Moments of our Nights and Days, Wild Goose Publications, 2014, p.262)

God,
God who is Love,
God who is Christ,
God who is Spirit,
Help us be your prayer of love in the world.
For those who suffer, we pray.
May we work to alleviate the suffering of others,
Raising compassion in our own hearts and the hearts of all people,
Advocating for justice,
Giving generously in charity and care.
May we not add to any suffering through our actions, behaviour or lifestyle.
For those who are vulnerable, we pray.
May we we work to make life safe for those whose wellbeing is at risk.
People displaced from their homes.
People at the mercy of institutions and systems of power such as governments and other agencies like the Church.
People who are or have been victims of evil and are seeking healing and wholeness in the wake of trauma and distress.
May we not add to their difficulties or risk by our ignorance or apathy
Or by our inadvertent buying into the ways of society.
Or through our prejudice or bias.
For those who live in poverty, we pray
May we strive for a more equitable world where all have what they need for a dignified existence of meaningful purpose.
May we work for justice
Working hard to change our attitudes, economics, and consuming
Working hard to advocate for just policy and practice of our governments and institutions.
May we no longer be complicit in their oppression
and a barrier to a just world through our unintentional and intentional support of a worldview which means more for me and mine at whatever the cost, before wanting some for others.
For those who are unwell, we pray.
May we work for the healing and wholeness of all.
May we deal with, and help, those whose wellbeing is compromised by the state of their health, their mental state, or the state of their relationships.
May we support the work of people and organisations who care for and bring healing to those who need it.
May we not erode the wellbeing of other through our words or actions,
Neither by our lack of words or action.
So may we, who seek to wear your name, not become a cross for others.
Instead, way we take up your cross of sacrificial, costly love.
May we bear it
to each other
to all others
to ourselves
May we thus be your people
Your body
Your hands
Your feet
Your prayer
This we seek to do and be.
May it be truly so.
Amen
(Jon Humphries)

Using a song e.g. Helen Wiltshire’s ‘A Prayer for Sacredness’ (Helen’s songs are free to download, from the Pilgrim Uniting Church website – scroll to publications and click on ‘Here’s a New Day’ which links to a PDF of new songs set to familiar tunes).
Sing one verse and then pause for reflection. The idea could be used for other songs.

May we love goodness and give praise
and offer reverence all our days.
May joy infuse our day and night,
as hope fills life with inner light. Reflect on and/or name our joys

May words of justice fill our ears
and faithful trust dispel our fears.
May insight make us truly wise
as beauty’s gifts our hearts surprise. Reflect on and/or name our concerns

May spirit, soul and thought combine
with feelings, body, heart and mind.
May sacredness our lives infuse,
as love and truth we daily choose. Reflect on and/or name prayers for ourselves

As we give thanks and offer praise,
God’s peace will fill our nights and days.
As we give care and gently bless,
we walk the path of sacredness. Reflect on and/or name our prayers for peace. 

Africa – photos
These photos from ‘People in need – Cordaid‘ (UK) could be used most effectively in ‘prayers for others’, simply by projecting each of the four photos in the set. The images seek to draw consumers’ attention to the fact that the money we spend so easily in our daily lives can make a huge difference to people living in disaster areas. Could choose to music (instrumental, or music to a well known song that evokes a message). Thinking ‘Brother, sister, let me serve you’ could be music played during the slides….
BBC ‘best of 2015’ photos
Here’s a link to other photos that could be used in a similar way – some may need a descriptor or voice over explanation to resource the prayers. There are twelve images from 2015’s Environmental Photographer of the Year competition which have been released as part of the 111 shortlisted works of photographic art due to be showcased. Over 10,000 entries were submitted by photographers and filmmakers from more than 60 countries around the world. Run by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), the competition was launched in 2007 and created to enable photographers to share images of environmental and social issues with international audiences, and to enhance our understanding of the causes, consequences and solutions to climate change and social inequality.

Lord God, we give you thanks for all your gifts to us—for daily food, for health, for each breath we take, for freedom to choose, and for the gifts of your word, your power and your love. Our hearts are truly overwhelmed, O God, when we consider how you have entrusted so much to us. May we be worthy of that trust—may we be a people who are unafraid to live as fully and as richly as you want us to live.
Help us, O God, as followers of Jesus, to multiply all that you have given us, to risk spreading your word and perhaps see it misunderstood, to gamble by loving those whom others think worthy only of hate, to take chances by doing good to those who have not done good to us. Help us be faith filled and desire to increase your glory and your goodness in this world. Make us people who share in both word and deed that which you have given to us.
We pray for the church gathered today, both here and around the world, that it may encourage all of its members to discover, develop and use all their gifts, those of nature and those of grace.
We pray for those who are poor in body or in spirit, for those oppressed and heavy laden, for those sick or in despair.   Minister by your Spirit and by us, to all those for whom we have prayed, and help us walk faithfully in the path of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Source: Life in Liturgy, UCC)

Using symbols – deflating balloons.

A desperate world by John van de Laar
We are a world that is desperate for you, God.
When powers struggle for dominance,
and war, oppression and abuse result;
When groups of people oppose one another
because of ideology, religion or culture;
We need a God who is bigger than ourselves,
and our personal interests.
Prayer may be offered for specific areas of conflict in the world.

When people are disregarded and devalued
because of poverty, geography or disease;
When compassion and justice is withheld to some
because of sexuality, race or gender;
We need a Saviour who is more compassionate than we are
who includes even those we would exclude.
Prayer may be offered for specific people and places of suffering in the world.

When resources are mismanaged and abused,
and the world and its creatures are destroyed;
When motivation is scarce and creativity is in short supply
to address the challenges that we face;
We need a Spirit who is more powerful and more creative
than we could ever be.
Prayer may be offered for specific challenges and issues that we struggle with in the world.

Lord God, Loving Saviour, Empowering Spirit,
we offer you these prayers
because we need you so desperately.
Captivate us, call us and fill us,
that we may be carriers of your eternal life
to this world that you love so dearly. Amen.

‘A Prayer for the World’, by Rabbi Harold Kushner
Let the rain come and wash away ancient grudges, the bitter hatreds,
held and nurtured over generations.
Let the rain wash away the memory of the hurt, the neglect.
Then let the sun come out and fill the sky with rainbows.
Let the warmth of the sun heal us wherever we are broken.
Let it burn away the fog so that we can see each other clearly.
So that we can see beyond labels, beyond accents, gender or skin colour.
Let the warmth and brightness of the sun melt our selfishness.
So that we can share the joys and feel the sorrows of our neighbours.
And let the light of the sun be so strong that we will see all people as our neighbours.
Let the earth, nourished by rain, bring forth flowers to surround us with beauty.
And let the mountains teach our hearts
to reach upward to heaven. Amen.
For the new year
Our LORD, We pray for this coming year and what it might mean for us as a nation. We pray that people in places of power administer their responsibilities correctly, remembering the weak before any others. We pray they listen and take note of the issue they should address and respond to the cries of help in our society.
We pray, as your church, for our neighbouring families who have struggled over Christmas, trapped in debt, strained relationships that have broken up families, children neglected, elderly isolated. We ask for wisdom to know how to share the security of your love so others can discover the reassurance you bring that our lives are important to you.
We reflect on our own situation not for selfish reasons but to have a better idea of what it means to make a difference to other’s lives.
Whether in our workplace or in the home, or out with our friends help us to hear the cry for help whether from a work colleague, our nearest and dearest or friend. We ask for the insight and energy to respond and be there for them in their time of need. Let them know that in us, through your strength, they can find a safe space to share and that their voice is heard and we are ready. In the name you gave us to pray, Jesus. Amen.
(by Rev. Dr. Alister W. Bull, Church of Scotland, ‘Starters For Sunday’, 2015.)

To walk in your light
Help us, Lord,
To walk in your light.
Gracious God, we call to mind the world Church;
particularly our partners around the world …(an opportunity to name them)
We acknowledge our divisions and mistakes
and thank you for transforming them even as we pray …
A silence is kept.

Help us, Lord,
To walk in your light.

We call to mind the wounds of our world,
born of collective greed and terrible blunders
by politicians, bankers, business,
and those of us who live beyond our means;
and we seek you help and guidance
as we work to bring wholeness and justice to our world …
A silence is kept
Help us, Lord,
To walk in your light.

We remember all who nurture children,
parents, schools, local authorities and foster carers;
May we take seriously our responsibilities
as parents and communities;
we need your guidance and grace,
your protection and courage …
A silence is kept
Help us, Lord,
To walk in your light.

We call to mind those who have died …(may name them if you so choose)
.. and those who are dying now …(may name them if you so choose)
especially those unnoticed and unloved.
A silence is kept
Help us, Lord,
To walk in your light.

We call to mind the way you have dealt with us so lovingly in the past,
and we commit our future into your keeping.
Teach us, to walk in your light,
and lead us on right paths as we live according to your kingdom,
through Jesus Christ, Amen.
(Rev. Chris Vermeulen, Church of Scotland, ‘Starters For Sunday’, 2013.)

Prayers for people
We yearn for the healing of all people.
May our hearts be filled with the fire of love
and our minds with the thirst for justice.
May we be emboldened to speak out against oppression,
and empowered to work for peace and justice.
May we feel the touch of your life-giving Spirit
and be healed. Amen.

A source of help
O God,
We look to you for strength to make a difference.
May we be a source of help to others.
While we thank you for our own families
we think of families who are struggling.
The most vulnerable.
The children in need.
The children who are unsafe
The children who are hungry and sick.
The distant brother
The younger sister
The partner neglected
The spouse who’s hurt
The grandparents who long to see their family
The son who is angry and lost
The daughter who hates looking in the mirror
The parent seeking wisdom
The single person struggling with pressures
May we extend compassion,  show patience and understanding,
and live with perseverance and openness,
May we show kindness, and give hope to others where there was none before,
May others see by what we do that we follow a God who cares through all times.
May they see that God has changed us so we can dare to change the world to be more like God’s home. In the name you gave us to pray, Jesus. Amen.
(by Rev. Dr. Alister W. Bull, Church of Scotland, ‘Starters For Sunday’, 2015, adapted)

The gift of generosity
Gracious God, may we know the gift of generosity and the joy that it can bring.
Generous with time, helping those who need a hand.
Generous with care, being there when times are bad.
Generous with wealth, thankful that we have so much.
Generous with hope, reassuring those who fear.
Generous with prayer, when there’s illness or distress.
Generous with love, giving without counting cost.
Gracious God, may we know the gift of generosity
and the joy that it can bring both to those who receive and to the one who gives.
© John Birch, faithandworship.com

A Changing Prayer (a prayer which may be used to conclude prayers for others)
God, the author change,
Christ, the embodiment of change,
Spirit, the bringer of change,
We need to change.
Our world needs to change.
Our religion needs to change.
Our discipleship needs to grow – which is change.
Help us to change.
Help us to want to change.
Help us discover how to change.
Help us, Lord.
Change us, Lord.
Amen – May it be so. (c) Jon Humphries

An Ugly Prayer
God of beauty and wonder
We are sorry for our ugliness of spirit which brings ugliness into your beautiful world.
We are sorry…
For the ugliness of politics
For the ugliness of bigotry
For the ugliness of racism
For the ugliness of prejudice
For the ugliness of injustice
For the ugliness of slavery
For the ugliness of sexism
For the ugliness of gossip
For the ugliness of oppression
For the ugliness of war
For the ugliness of violence
For the ugliness of persecution
For the ugliness of cruelty
For the ugliness of degradation
For the ugliness of selfishness
For the ugliness of greed
For the ugliness of consumerism
For the ugliness of evil
For the ugliness of ignorance
For the ugliness of indifference
For the ugliness of apathy
For the ugliness of mean spiritedness
God of beauty and wonder,
Teach us, who are created in your image, to value true beauty.
May we look for the beauty of the spirit.
May we strive for beauty in our souls,
May we work to bring beauty of
love,
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Grace,
Compassion,
Mercy,
Charity,
Forgiveness,
Gentleness
Faithfulness
and
Selflessness
May we bring all such things into the world,
so that the beauty of creation may be echoed in the beauty of us who are created.
As Christ revealed what the image of God might be for us,
May we seek to grow in that image as well.
This we pray. Amen. (c) Jon Humphries

A prayer in response to the sadness of human history
God in Christ,
who challenges us to care,
Be with all who suffer and those who would cause suffering.
May your healing work in those whose pain seems to know no hope of ending and which pushes them to the edge of their sanity and into the desert of hopelessness.
Come alongside them in the wilderness of their desperation that they may know comfort and support.
May your joy break though to those trapped or walled in by sadness, and whose lives are muddied by difficulty and struggle.
May they glimpse a future with some sense of positivity.
May your gentleness soak into the spirit of those whose view of life is immersed in negativity and which results in them viewing only negative aspects in situations or circumstances and only seeing negative options for action.
May they find redefinition which opens up that which is truly good, rather than seeing the negative as good.
May your forgiveness wipe clean the sense of betrayal or need for vengeance for those who feel wronged or offended.
Pour in your grace into the void left by what people feel has been taken or robbed from them so that the cycle of pain may be disrupted to open the potential for healing and hope.
May your peace transform those whose hate and anger boil and rage within them towards violence.
Open their hearts to be filled with compassion that they might truly know the mutuality of our humanity.
May your love infiltrate all of our living as people and take the place of our selfishness or apathy.
As you opened a new way of being for us, may we embody the change that is needed to end the misery of suffering that we as humans release into the world.
May it be so.
May it be so.
May it really be so.
Amen. (c) Jon Humphries

A Care-Less Prayer
Caring God,
Expressed in Christ,
Help me to care less.
Less about what I look like
Less about what others look like
Less about what others do wrong
Less about what others have done wrong to me
Less about what I want
Less about what I think that I need
Less about what I don’t have
Less about what I want to have
Less about what I am yet to have.
Help me think less about the trivial in my life.
Less about the small things.
Less about annoyances
Less about what frustrates me in others

Prayers of the people
We are your people, God
In this time and place,
you have called us to pray for those in need.
We pray for the people whose names the world knows,
whose stories are told daily in the news…. A silence is kept
God in your mercy/hear our prayer.
We pray for people in places of suffering
whose names only you and their friends and family know
and whose lives you cherish….. A silence is kept
God in your mercy/hear our prayer.
We pray for the people whose names and lives we know,
those who today are in pain or distress or trouble,
those who are happy, those who are sad….A silence is kept
God in your mercy/hear our prayer.
We pray for ourselves, God,
you know each of us by name.
We bring you ourselves and our prayers. A silence is kept
Amen.

Youtube clip, Peace in our time – words and music by Melvyn Cann, Australian musician and composer, sung by Rachel. The youtube link has the words of the song printed as text (not on the clip itself), and images overload on the music so it could easily be projected as a meditation in a time of war, or generally in prayers for others.

God for all who at this moment in time are threatened with death
for no reason other than the colour of their skin, their ethnicity,
or that they are seeking enough to eat, we pray.
For all who risk their lives on a journey
to find a place of freedom and hope, we pray.

For all who are willing to exploit others for their own enrichment,
for those who are willing to imprison and kill others for their own poetical ends,
and for those who can stand by while the innocent are made to suffer
and who profit from that suffering, we pray.

We pray that hope will not die in the hearts of the afflicted.
We pray that joy and the possibility of renewal will not be suffocated in the hearts of the afflicters.
We pray that all whose lifestyles are propped up by the suffering of others
will not long be deaf, blind and numb to their complicity but will rise up and demand change.

We pray for the one-day-to-come-world when death is done,
and all our wildest hopes become our everyday experiences.
We pray in the name of the suffering, innocent Jesus. Amen.

Prayer for Conscience and Courage in Times of Public Struggle
Loving God,
lead us beyond ourselves
to care and protect,
to nourish and shape,
to challenge and energize
both the life and the world
You have given us.

God of light and God of darkness,
God of conscience and God of courage
lead us through this time
of spiritual confusion and public uncertainty.
Lead us beyond fear, apathy and defensiveness
to new hope in You and to hearts full of faith.

Give us the conscience it takes
to comprehend what we’re facing,
to see what we’re looking at
and to say what we see
so that others, hearing us,
may also brave the pressure that comes
with being out of public step.

Give us the courage we need
to confront those things
that compromise our consciences
or threaten our integrity.
Give us, most of all,
the courage to follow those before us
who challenged wrong and changed it,
whatever the cost to themselves.

Mary, Mother of Jesus,
you confronted the systems
of the world
in order to do the will of God.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of those burdened
by oppressive laws
and give us courage
to join them in the struggle.

St. Marguerite Bourgeoys,
founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame,
you challenged even the church
in order to send women missionaries
into foreign lands.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of women everywhere
and give us courage to support them.

St. Thomas Aquinas,
doctor of the church,
you were condemned
by the bishop of Paris
for reconciling the theology of the time
with the thinking of the time.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of new ideas
and give us courage to test them.

St. Maximilian Kolbe,
you gave your life
in place of a condemned prisoner
in Auschwitz.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of life
and give us the courage
to protect it.

St. Polycarp,
you were executed for refusing
to proclaim “Caesar is Lord.”
Touch our conscience
on behalf of just government
and give us the courage to demand it.

St. Joan of Arc,
you were burned at the stake as a heretic
by the church itself
for refusing to betray
the voice of God in you.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of the visionaries
in church and society
and give us the courage
to share their risk.

St. Basil the Great,
doctor of the church,
you challenged the wealthy
to redistribute their wealth to the poor.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of those who are paid unjust wages
and give us the courage
to proclaim that cause.

Shiphrah and Puah,
you saved the life of the child Moses
by breaking the law of the land.
Touch our conscience
on the subject of unjust laws
and give us the courage to protest them.

St. Stanislaus, Bishop of Krakow,
you denounced the abuses of the king.
Touch our conscience
with an awareness of civil abuse
and give us the courage to confront it.

St. John the Baptist,
you were beheaded
for speaking truth to power.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of immoral public policy
and give us the courage to speak our truth.

St. Teresa of Avila,
doctor of the church,
you were under suspicion by the Spanish Inquisition
for developing a new form of spirituality.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of those who break new paths
and give us the courage always
to embrace new ways
for the good of the world.

St. Hildegard of Bingen,
Benedictine abbess,
you claimed your own authority
despite ecclesiastical interdict.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of the forgotten
and give us the courage
to assert the rights of those
abandoned by the system.

St. Hugh,
Bishop of Lincoln, England,
you practiced tax evasion
in an attempt to deny the king money
to launch a crusade.
Touch our conscience
about the national budget
and give us the courage to critique it publicly.

Holy Pope John XXIII,
you opened the church to the modern world.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of new ideas,
in support of new understandings,
and give us the courage to risk them.

Holy Mohandas Gandhi,
you freed India from English jurisdiction
through nonviolent resistance.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of the oppressed of the world
and give us the courage to resist oppression
in ways that are not themselves oppressive.

Holy Sister Juana Inés de la Cruz,
you were criticized for writing
the first theological work by a woman.
Touch our conscience
in regard to the role of women
in church and societies,
and give us the courage to promote their rights.

Holy Mary Ward,
founder of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
you were arrested by Rome and declared heretic
for founding a women’s religious order
unenclosed and free of episcopal control.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of the full authority of women
and give us the courage to live it.

Holy Maura Clarke and Companions,
you were brutally murdered in El Salvador
for supporting refugee priests, people and catechists
in their struggle against an oppressive government.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of the oppressed in both state and church,
and give us the courage to join them
in the struggle.

Holy Stephen Biko,
you devoted yourself to raising consciousness
in apartheid South Africa
and died for the doing of it.
Touch our conscience on behalf of hard truths
and give us the courage to pursue them
whatever the cost to ourselves.

Holy Cesar Chavez,
farmworker and organizer,
you organized migrant workers
to struggle for just wages
through boycotts and civil disobedience.
Touch our conscience
on behalf of workers’ rights
and give us the courage to strive for them.

Holy John Howard Griffin,
author, you made yourself black
in order to expose the horrors of racism.
Touch our conscience on behalf of the marginalized
and give us the courage to embrace their cause.
Holy Philip Berrigan,
you spent half a lifetime
in prison to protest the nuclear policies
of the United States.
Touch our conscience as citizens of the globe
and give us the courage to give our lives
to making life better, safer, more human
for the rest of humankind.

Finally, Great God,
give us the kind of faith in you
that was the mainstay of those before us
who followed you from
Galilee to Jerusalem doing good,
raising the dead to life
and singing alleluia all the way.

God of Conscience,
God of Courage
give us whatever grace we need
to work for the coming
of the reign of God
now, here and always.
Amen.
(Sr Joan Chittister, OSB)

MUSIC
Creating God
The lovely fragility of this song could be a prayerful response to prayers for the world and for the people. Here’s a Youtube video with images that might be used. Words are below. Sung by Fran McKendree.

Creating God, your fingers trace
The bold designs of farthest space:
Let sun and moon and stars and light
And what lies hidden praise your might.

Sustaining God, your hands enfold
Earth’s mysteries no one yet has told;
But waters fragile blend with air
Enabling life, proclaim your care.

Redeeming God, your arms embrace
All now despised for creed or race;
Let peace descending like a dove
Make known on earth your healing love.

Indwelling God, your gospel praise
One family with a billion names;
Let every life be touched by grace
Until we praise you face to face

Creating God, your fingers trace
The bold designs of farthest space:
Let sun and moon and stars and light
And what lies hidden praise your might.
(Words: Jeffery Rowthorn, Music: Rob Sabino)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFTmXe9mRfk

O God, Who Formed Creation
AURELIA 7.6.7.6 D (“The Church’s One Foundation”)
O God, who formed creation and made each living thing,
We’ve seen the devastation that war and conflict bring.
We long to stop the violence and end the scourge of war;
We yearn for peace and justice, now and forevermore.

We join in celebration of those who’ve heard your call
To bring together nations and seek the good for all.
We thank you for their labors to bring a lasting peace,
That we might live as neighbors and justice might increase.

Some care for your creation, some daily feed the poor;
Some offer education, or seek an end to war.
Some labor bringing healing, or care for refugees;
It’s you, O Lord, they’re serving, in doing each of these.

This work to heal the nations becomes our calling, too.
For reconciliation is first a gift from you.
As we have been forgiven, may we reach out to share
The peace that comes from heaven with nations everywhere.

(Written by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette as a hymn for the celebration of United Nations Day 2007, October 24. Youtube clip here

Leaning In, by Christopher Grundy © 2018. Permission given congregations to play recording during worship or education programs, and to stream online.