Prayers of the People/Intercession on Redemption
O Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, look upon us and have mercy on us;
you who are yourself both victim and priest, yourself both reward and redeemer.
Keep safe from all evils those whom you have redeemed, O Saviour of the world. Amen.
Iranaeus of Lyon
Almighty God, who because of your great love for humanity, gave your beloved Son to die for us upon the cross: Grant us a living faith in our Redeemer, and a grateful
reminder of his death. Help us to love him better for his exceeding love for us; and grant that our sins may be put away, and nailed to the cross, and buried in his grave, that they may be remembered no more; through the same your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
W. Walsham How, Language Adapted for Modern Worship by Stuart Strachan Jr.
Inspired from Isaiah 43
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. they shall not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire you shall not be burned, the flame shall not consume you.
There is a balm in Gilead, to make the wounded whole.
Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; everyone who is called by my name.
There is a balm in Gilead, to make the wounded whole.
Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears! Let all the nations gather together, and let the peoples assemble. I am about to do a new thing.
I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
There is a balm in Gilead, to make the wounded whole.
For I give water in the wilderness to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.
Everlasting God, revive our souls, that we might drink from your spring and overcome discouragement; that we may praise your mighty acts. We are called by you, to do a new work in your name. Amen.
African American Spiritual
Gracious and loving God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit: We praise you for how wide, how high, and how deep is Your vast love for all people. Incarnate in Jesus, You offered Your life for the healing of the world through the forgiveness of all our sins. Your arms outstretched on the cross embrace us all as Your love transcends our divisions and differences.
Breaking out of the tomb, You broke the powers that bind us and released us to live new and free. Your wide and welcoming love for all challenges us. Forgive us when we find it hard to forgive others. Teach us how to value and respect one another. Give us the necessary strength and courage to reach beyond ourselves.
To those who are unfamiliar, and even those we find disagreeable: Make us a safe place in a dangerous world, a people in which Your Hope lives, Your Love welcomes, Your Compassion restores and Your Grace lifts all who are downcast. We pray for our deeply divided world: for peace in all lands that are war torn or threatening violence or retribution. We pray for those affected by the racism that injures us all.
We pray that our state and federal officials can find ways to work effectively across partisan lines, valuing the common good above all else. We continue to lift up to You those who mourn, whether their grief is fresh or lingering. We pray for the ill and injured of this community and congregation.
Heal body, soul, mind and spirits … and strengthen caregivers. All these things we lift up to You, our loving God, confident that You hear our prayers and care for us in all seasons of our lives. Now, Jesus Christ, Son of David, have mercy upon us. Amen.
God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; God of hope, of new life–All our times are in Your hands. We thank and praise You, for you are the Lord of our yesterdays, and our todays and our tomorrows.
In You, the old is redeemed and everything has become new! Knowing that You are good and strong, loving, wise and faithful; we trust you with all that’s on our hearts today–from that which brings us to tears in laughter, to that which causes us to weep in sorrow.
Loving God, we thank You for the grace You have shown to us this week, for prayers to which You’ve said “Yes,” and those to which You’ve said, “No. I have a better idea.” We also give you those things that keep us awake at night, and fill our days with anxiety.
We pray for those struggling to rebuild lives from natural disaster and for those recovering from human disasters, from political and economic disputers; from wars, and from terror attacks near and far. We also pray for those struggling with illness. We pray for strength and grace for their caregivers.
We pray for all who mourn, whether their grief is fresh or has lingered for a long time, please show them Your kindness; give to them comfort in Your presence; and the hope and peace that comes with Your promise to make all things new.
Lord of the church, we pray for this congregation: May they be anointed with your touch, empowered by Your Spirit; and formed in Your image so everyone may see You in them, and through them; that as You are lifted higher, You can draw all people to Yourself in glory. Anoint us, Holy One and fill us with Your loving touch. Fill us, so that we can, in Your love, touch and fill others. We offer this our prayer, in the name of Jesus.
You know all about us–our weakness, our failing, our sin; and you still love us enough to give your Son to redeem us. Hear the cries of our hearts today. There’s someone for whom it was hard to get out of bed today. They’re tired, discouraged or stressed out. It was an effort just to get here. Give them hope today: a light in the darkness, a whisper in the silence.
There’s one for whom everything they touch comes apart: She’s having a hard time holding the marriage together; his project at work is going poorly; there’s a divide between him and his son, between her and her daughter; everything he touches turns to sawdust; and no matter what she does, she can’t get well.
Come, Lord Jesus, come. Come and redeem the relationship. Take the lessons learned in failure and build a new life. Use the pain to create compassion. Create something delightful out of what feels like disaster. Restore what the devil has stolen; turn what was meant for evil to good. We pray on behalf of those who can’t pray for themselves.
We pray for those afflicted in body or soul, who need your healing. Put your hand on them. Touch a mind that’s tormented; a body that’s ill or injured, a heart that’s broken. Restore them all. We ask your peace for families whose loved ones in the military paid the ultimate price, giving the last full measure of devotion, that we might live free and we ask your shield and protection for those still serving in harm’s way, especially in Iraq.
We intercede for our nation; that as a country, we might find our moral bearings in you and your truth as we are tossed around by the winds of confusion and the waves of self-interest. This year, we’ll be awash in political rhetoric and posturing. Save us from those who’d give us image without substance, spin without conviction.
Save us from putting our own interest ahead of the nation’s. Make us wise and discerning, that we might see your path and choose to walk in it. And we pray for your church in this land, that we might be salt and light, making a real difference; and for our church around the world. Encourage our missionaries. Protect them. Keep them faithful–and keep us faithful to them in prayer and in our support. This and more, we pray in the name of your Son and our Savior–Jesus Christ. Amen.
God of grace, power and glory–Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer–and our Father: When we’re tempted to think it’s all up to us: to change the world, to overcome evil, to establish Your kingdom, to make things right, and good and just, we’re reminded that where our hand is weak, yours is strong, where our wisdom fails, yours holds fast, where our love falters, yours endures, where our wills vacillate, yours remains true forever.
That’s why we lift our hands to you in prayer. In the end, victory in life’s battles is Yours not ours; rejoicing over life’s joys is more for Your work than ours. So we celebrate and give thanks to You for marriages begun and families that grow; for friends that succeed, graduate and move on to new things; for ministries that bring hope, encouragement and salvation; for work and play, for new friends and old friends, for having enough, and even some more, so we can give to others in need.
We pray also for other needs today. For those who are sick, hurt, recovering and rehabilitating: we ask you to heal them. Infuse their spirits with hope. Restore their bodies and turn their eyes toward You. For those who grieve–comfort them. Sustain them. Encourage them.
Draw close to them. For our country’s leaders–give them wisdom and courage, and passion for what is good and true, just and right. For our nation as a whole, we pray that all might act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with You, our God. And we ask your special intervention and protection for those serving our country in dangerous places and with hard duties.
For the mission of your church–we pray for those who shine Your light in dark places, on the streets of urban jungles, in remote deserts and forests, in places where your name is little known and less believed in.
May Your love uphold them; Your grace support them; Your truth empower them and Your Spirit equip them. We pray for this church, as we shine Your light in this community pointing women and men, girls and boys, old and young, resourced and lacking–all of them–to Your abundant grace that makes life worth living: may we be found faithful to your calling for us in this place at such a time as this. This prayer we offer,in the name that is above every name, our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. AMEN
Faithful and Good God–our Father, Redeemer and Companion. You know all about us–and love us anyhow; nothing we are or do surprises you or puts you off. Therefore, we turn to you with assurance and trust in your love and power. You care … and you can make a difference. You care about our world–as confusing and messed up as it is.
You care about nations in turmoil within and at war without. You care about the poor caught in the crossfire of politics and economics, and You care about those disenfranchised because of their skin color, ethnic heritage, or religious upbringing.
So we pray for your grace to reach out to all created in your image and for whom you died: bring peace, banish hunger and poverty, give hope in Jesus’ name! You care about this nation–even as we’ve strayed from your ways. Forgive our obsessions and addictions to pleasure, wealth, sensuality, comfort and ease.
Forgive our driveness to acquire and protect our stuff, and to hold it with a closed fist–rather to see it as a gift to be given to benefit others and build your kingdom. Guide the coming election. Raise those who will lead our community, state and nation in the ways of your kingdom justice, compassion and truth. Protect our young men and women serving in harm’s way.
You care when your people are touched by death, loss and grief–and so we ask you to comfort those who mourn. Give them peace, your peace, that comes when we trust our loved ones to you and rest in the hope of the resurrection.
You care whenever we encounter trials and pain, whether they’re physical, emotional, spiritual or relational. You’ve been here, so you know. Therefore, we pray you heal damaged or strained relationships–before it’s too late. Please … heal depressed souls, troubled minds, and broken hearts.
Enable us to receive and give forgiveness as those you have forgiven. And, we also ask you to restore and heal those who are sick, injured, recovering and rehabilitating physically–make them well as soon as possible, and give them patience in the meantime. Grant strength, fortitude and grace to all who care for them. This is our prayer, offered in Jesus’ name. AMEN