Prayers of the People/Intercession on The Kingdom of God
Prayer for Wholeness
Victorious Christ
Our Sovereign and Savior
We cry out for your saving power
Reveal your healing and wholeness
In our sickness, our suffering
Our lamenting, our loss
Reveal your healing and wholeness
In our division, our fear
Our poverty, our blindness
Our hardheartedness
Reveal your healing and wholeness
In our dear ones and in our enemies
In us and in all
The congregation is invited to offer their own petitions.
Blessed are you, God with us and for us
Blessed are you, returning King
Blessed are you, who taught us to pray
Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer
Prayer for Wholeness © 2020, updated 2023 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, www.revlisad.com
God of the common and of the uncommon. You meet us in the ordinary routines of life–when we play and when we rest, while we work and while we worship. And You reveal yourself in the extraordinary, too–in answered prayer and unforeseen providence, in miracles of healing and of saving. Wherever we are, You seek to get our attention–even in church.
You call us by name and give us a new life of vision, purpose, and mission. As we remain in You: the old life is gone–the new life is come! You give us a life of grace and hope, of holiness and truth; and a life of dependence on and trust in, not ourselves but, You.
So, we look to You for all we need and want, with thanks for the gifts of women and men You place in our lives. We ask your healing touch for friends and loved ones who are ill or injured, anticipating or recovering from surgery, facing tests or awaiting results. Cure bodies and minds by Your compassionate power and loving care. Encourage discouraged spirits and ease anxious hearts. We praise You for being with us at either end of life and at all points in between–celebrating births, graduations, engagements and weddings by laughing and shouting with us; and also grieving losses at the passing of loved ones, the loss of a job, the departure of friends, by shedding a tear with us and holding us close.
In our joys, cause us to praise and thank You–the giver of all good gifts. In our losses, bring comfort and restore hope for us. Forgive and free us from our idolatries of power, pleasure and possessions. Forgive our arrogance and self-importance.
Show our leaders the ways of godly justice and gracious love; enable them to lead us in those ways and enable us to walk in them. We pray for Your church–that we would be a true colony of heaven on earth, a kingdom people who reflect the life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to a dying world.
May others see Jesus in us, and be drawn to Him through us finding in Him the Way, the Truth and the Life of hope and salvation. Empower us by Your Spirit to stay on course and on message,when we are tempted to get caught up in trivial pursuits and intramural squabbles. Keep us, all of us, faithful to Your Gospel in how we live and in what we say. All this we pray, turning to You as our God, our King and our Friend. In Jesus Name. AMEN
Lord: In the times of our weakness and the hours of our need, Yours is the strength that enables us to carry on, Yours the shoulder we rest our heads upon. When our load is heavy and too much to bear, Yours are the arms that stretch out to help us and the grace that we depend on. When we are weak and in need, Yours is the voice we hear saying: ‘Come to Me, and find rest for your weary soul.’ So, we come to you today in prayer.
Please Lord—heal those we love who are sick; strengthen those who are recuperating, encourage those who care for our loved ones, and may all know that You are the Healer and Great Physician.
Please Lord—comfort all who mourn with the peace of Your presence, that peace which passes all our understanding as it keeps our hearts and minds in love.
Please Lord—in a world gone crazy with hatred and suspicion, enable us to live as agents of Your Peaceable Kingdom in our nation and neighborhoods; and for those serving as missionaries in dark places and dark times—give them courage to let the light of Your gospel shine in and through them with clarity and power …we think especially of those in the Middle East.
Please Lord—guide us as a nation so that we can live up to the best of who we are and who we aspire to be. Allow us to look beyond ourselves to see the needs of our neighbor, the stranger, and the needy; and let our elected representatives have hearts after Your own heart to lead our communities and nation in ways of truth and paths of righteousness.
Please Lord—Empower us as Your church to be different, to be the Salt of the Earth and to be the Light of the World. Give us the heart of our Savior, the mind of the Holy Spirit, and the creativity of our Father that we might be an outpost of Your Kingdom and a colony of heaven on earth. This we pray in the name of Jesus the Risen One. AMEN
Episcopalian Prayers of the People, Form III
The Leader and People pray responsively
Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church;
That we all may be one.
Grant that every member of the Church may truly and
humbly serve you;
That your Name may be glorified by all people.
We pray for all bishops, priests, and deacons;
That they may be faithful ministers of your Word and
Sacraments.
We pray for all who govern and hold authority in the nations
of the world;
That there may be justice and peace on the earth.
Give us grace to do your will in all that we undertake;
That our works may find favor in your sight.
Have compassion on those who suffer from any grief or trouble;
That they may be delivered from their distress.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.
We praise you for your saints who have entered into joy;
May we also come to share in your heavenly kingdom.
Let us pray for our own needs and those of others.
Silence
The People may add their own petitions.
The Celebrant adds a concluding Collect.
The Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church (1979)
Episcopalian Prayers of the People, Form IV
Deacon or other leader
Let us pray for the Church and for the world.
Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may
be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal
your glory in the world.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the
ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another
and serve the common good.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation,
that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others
and to your honor and glory.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant
that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he
loves us.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or
spirit; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and
bring them the joy of your salvation.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
We commend to your mercy all who have died, that your will
for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share
with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
The Celebrant adds a concluding Collect.
The Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church (1979)
Episcopalian Prayers of the People, Form V
Deacon or other leader
In peace, let us pray to the Lord, saying, “Lord, have mercy”
(or “Kyrie eleison”).
For the holy Church of God, that it may be filled with truth
and love, and be found without fault at the day of your
coming, we pray to you, O Lord.
Here and after every petition the People respond
Kyrie eleison. or Lord, have mercy.
For N. our Presiding Bishop, for N. (N.) our own Bishop(s),
for all bishops and other ministers, and for all the holy people
of God, we pray to you, O Lord.
For all who fear God and believe in you, Lord Christ, that our
divisions may cease, and that all may be one as you and the
Father are one, we pray to you, O Lord.
For the mission of the Church, that in faithful witness it may
preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, we pray to you, O
Lord.
For those who do not yet believe, and for those who have lost
their faith, that they may receive the light of the Gospel, we
pray to you, O Lord.
For the peace of the world, that a spirit of respect and
forbearance may grow among nations and peoples, we pray
to you, O Lord.
For those in positions of public trust [especially ],
that they may serve justice, and promote the dignity and
freedom of every person, we pray to you, O Lord.
For all who live and work in this community [especially
____________], we pray to you, O Lord.]]
For a blessing upon all human labor, and for the right use
of the riches of creation, that the world may be freed from
poverty, famine, and disaster, we pray to you, O Lord.
For the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer; for
refugees, prisoners, and all who are in danger; that they may
be relieved and protected, we pray to you, O Lord.
For this congregation [for those who are present, and for
those who are absent], that we may be delivered from
hardness of heart, and show forth your glory in all that we
do, we pray to you, O Lord.
For our enemies and those who wish us harm, and for all
whom we have injured or offended, we pray to you, O Lord.
For ourselves; for the forgiveness of our sins, and for the
grace of the Holy Spirit to amend our lives, we pray to you, O
Lord.
For all who have commended themselves to our prayers; for
our families, friends, and neighbors; that being freed from
anxiety, they may live in joy, peace, and health, we pray to
you, O Lord.
For ___________, we pray to you, O Lord.
For all who have died in the communion of your Church, and
those whose faith is known to you alone, that, with all the
saints, they may have rest in that place where there is no pain
or grief, but life eternal, we pray to you, O Lord.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of [the ever-blessed Virgin Mary,
(blessed N.) and] all the saints, let us commend ourselves, and one another,
and all our life to Christ our God.
To you, O Lord our God.
Silence
The Celebrant adds a concluding Collect, or the following Doxology
For yours is the majesty, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, now and
for ever. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church (1979)
Episcopalian Prayers of the People, Form VI
The Leader and People pray responsively
In peace, we pray to you, Lord God.
Silence
For all people in their daily life and work;
For our families, friends, and neighbors, and for those who
are alone.
For this community, the nation, and the world;
For all who work for justice, freedom, and peace.
For the just and proper use of your creation;
For the victims of hunger, fear, injustice, and oppression.
For all who are in danger, sorrow, or any kind of trouble;
For those who minister to the sick, the friendless, and the
needy.
For the peace and unity of the Church of God;
For all who proclaim the Gospel, and all who seek the Truth.
For [N. our Presiding Bishop, and N. (N.) our Bishop(s); and
for] all bishops and other ministers;
For all who serve God in his Church.
For the special needs and concerns of this congregation.
Silence
The People may add their own petitions
Hear us, Lord;
For your mercy is great.
We thank you, Lord, for all the blessings of this life.
Silence
The People may add their own thanksgivings
We will exalt you, O God our King;
And praise your Name for ever and ever.
We pray for all who have died, that they may have a place in
your eternal kingdom.
Silence
The People may add their own petitions
Lord, let your loving-kindness be upon them;
Who put their trust in you.
We pray to you also for the forgiveness of our sins.
Silence may be kept.
Leader and People
Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father;
in your compassion forgive us our sins,
known and unknown,
things done and left undone;
and so uphold us by your Spirit
that we may live and serve you in newness of life,
to the honor and glory of your Name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Celebrant concludes with an absolution or a suitable Collect.
The Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church (1979)
Prayer for Peace
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church (1979)
Prayer for Peace Among the Nations
Almighty God our heavenly Father, guide the nations of the world into the way of justice and truth, and establish among them that peace which is the fruit of righteousness, that they may become the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church (1979)
Prayers of the People (General)
O Lord, we are aware of how much we need you, and how much the world needs you. We yearn for your guidance and strength. We pray for your intervention and for your kingdom to come.
Today we lift up those in our community who need your healing and comfort. For those who grieve, those receiving treatment, and those who live in fear. Bring peace to their hearts and bring them words of encouragement from those who know them best.
We pray for people in leadership roles across our country: for political leaders, educators, and faith leaders; for leaders of companies and nonprofits and community organizations. We pray for the leaders among us–for you to give them the guidance they need, and that you will remind them to take time to rest, reflect, and abide with Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep.
We pray for those who feel lost, alone, unseen and unheard. Lord, may your Holy Spirit move in their lives. Open their ears to hear and their eyes to see You at work. Break down anything that may hinder their ability to feel your presence, we pray.
We pray for brothers and sisters around the world, whose lives are torn apart by war, oppression, and corruption. And we lift up those who are obeying your call to share your gospel in difficult places. Make us aware of the needs outside of our own personal circles and bless us with the words to pray for situations that our hearts may not be able to comprehend. We find hope knowing that You see these people and you know them by name.
Lord we are so very grateful, and we rest in Your promises, knowing that Jesus died for us and he intercedes for us. Keep us strong in our faith as we walk forward to share the light and hope of Christ in all we say and in all we do.
We pray all this in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying:
The Lord’s Prayer
Ellen Dawson