leadinginworship

Prayer for this warring world

God of angel armies, hear our prayer

for your beloved world.

Cast out the demon of bomb dropping.

Cast out the demon of rocket hurling.

Cast out the demon of bullet shooting.

Cast out the demon of hostage holding.

Cast out the demon of civilian persecuting.

Cast out the demon of ceasefire breaking.

Cast out the demon of perpetual despairing,

that would tell us there is no way to peace.

 

God, you are an impossibility specialist.

Send down angels to melt frozen hearts.

Send down angels to protect civilians.

Send down angels to destroy weapons.

Send down angels to negotiate treaties that last.

Send down angels to gather a scattered people.

Send down angels to heal a broken nation.

Send down angels with good news of great joy

which shall be for all people,

all people who live in this warring world.

 

A prayer for times like these

For a world where lies are accepted at face value;

hear our prayer, God of truth.

For a world where racism in high places is tolerated;

hear our prayer, God of the oppressed.

For a world where people with disabilities are mocked;

hear our prayer, God of the disadvantaged.

For a world where the rich hold the reins of power;

hear our prayer, God of the poor.

For a world where men violate women with impunity;

hear our prayer, God of the downtrodden.

For a world where the earth is ignored and neglected;

hear our prayer, God of the voiceless.

For a world where nations interfere in enemies’ elections;

hear our prayer, God of the disenfranchised.

For a world where the church is charmed by false gods;

hear our prayer, God of the lost.

For a world where free speech is threatened;

hear our prayer, God of the silenced.

For a world where hatred is growing by leaps and bounds;

hear our prayer, God of the vulnerable.

For a world where dissent is dangerous and necessary,

hear our prayer, God of those who suffer for righteousness’ sake.

God of hope, we turn to you for vision and courage

as we strive to be faithful in word and deed,

followers of Christ in times like these.

Prayer for Reporters

Hear our prayers for reporters, Lord.
In this surroundsound world
with information and lies
mixed on every platform,
raise up truth-tellers
who want to get the story right.
People who are not content with face value,
who smell a rat at any distance,
who are not intimidated by intimidators.
Reporters who care about those
who others abuse and discard.
Reporters who seek out sources,
work diligently to get the whole picture,
and who write with passion and integrity.
Protect them from those who would
kill the story, or even kill the writer of the story.
Help them find ways to share their work,
and even make a living doing it.
In a world where truth is sometimes in short supply,
remind us that we need to support reporters
whose craft is research,
whose gift is clear communication,
and whose product is the bedrock of democracy.

Canadian Pastoral Prayer

God of every country,
thank you for this country:
for its beauty…from coast to coast to coast,
for blue oceans on three sides,
for great prairies, vast forest and stretching tundra,
for every rushing river and great lake
for Hudson’s Bay and the islands of the north,
all created by you, giving glory to you.
We are thankful people!
Thank you for all the creatures with whom we share this country;
the polar bear and the bowhead whale,
the mighty moose and the fox,
the Canada goose and the honey bee,
the Coho salmon and the beaver.
Thank you for Canadian people, rich in cultural diversity,
from First Nations and many nations.
Thank you for cities and towns and all the little villages,
for people living on the land.
Thank you for democratic government,
we pray for wisdom and guidance for our Prime Minister _____________,
our MP ____________ and our MLA______________,
and our mayor _______________.
From local to national, give our politicians the gift of honesty,
and strength to resist temptation that power brings.
Help them use their gifts as a gift for our country’s good.
Lord, we need help in our country to live in peace.
We need help with our relationship to the land
to the air, to the water, to the creatures,
to all peoples inside our borders and outside our borders.
You have a vision of what peace is,
help us live in that peace and towards that peace.
Help us to be a people of vision, and courage, and commitment,
offering your hope and comfort to all we meet.
Be with us this week, especially with those in our congregation
who are sick in mind or body, and those who grieve,
we think especially of ______________________.
Give us strength as a church to live as citizens of your kingdom
as we work for the peace in our country, Canada.
We pray all this in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, Amen.

Spring of Life Congregational Prayer

Great God,
this week we have been witnesses
to the power of resurrection;
slow motion explosions of green
soundlessly changing our landscape,
blossoms blossoming pink,
tulips tuliping their brilliant colours,
opening their mouths to the warmth of the sun.
We find ourselves opening up too in these May days,
opening our windows,
turning our faces upward,
breathing deeply.
The fragrance of spring permeates our world,
and we give you thanks for the blessing of life renewed.

We pray for our government;
for our mayor ___________and our local leaders,
as they debate issues, and make decisions
about new initiatives and new program.
Help them to make decisions that benefit all citizens,
particularly those who are marginalized and voiceless.
We pray for our Prime Minister _______________
and our MP [MLA]_____________,
especially as they make decisions
about foreign aid and foreign policy;
that they could sow seeds of peace.

We are mindful this week that even as spring comes to Canada,
in ___________ they are facing a natural disaster
which has brought heartbreak and destruction.
Comfort the bereaved, give strength to the rebuilders.
Open the hearts of the world as we contribute to relief.
Sustain the [international relief organizations you support] as they deal with this crisis,
so that they could continue to provide help in your name.

We lift up those we know with health issues, especially ___________.
We need your healing power for these dear ones.
We also pray this morning for those in the spring of life,
who are expecting new babies,
that you would give them patience and health, and safe deliveries.

Forgive us for the times this week we have been too overwhelmed to act,
too selfish to look beyond ourselves,
locked in a winter of self-preoccupation with our own business.
Bring new life to our primary relationships.
For those who are married, renew our vows of constancy,
rekindle love so that we can truly cherish one another.
Give us new strength and new patience as we
go about our work of caregiving for children.

Help our congregation to be an incubator of hope,
a blessing in our community, and in our city [region].
We want to join with you in your kingdom work,
as your hope grows,
pregnant with possibility,
ripe with promise.
In the name of the resurrected Jesus we pray,
Amen

God of Gardens Congregational Prayer

God of gardens,
thank you for the garden of [name your area]
for tree peonies and white lilacs,
for graceful yellow tulips, and sweet honeysuckle [name the flowers that bloom in your area]
For fields showing green, for vegetables growing, for fruit setting,
for the whole wide earth waking up and exploding into life before our very eyes,
slow fireworks of green trees and blossoms everywhere we look.

The kingdom of God is like this;
beautiful and rich and many faceted,
blooming in hearts around the world for those who have eyes to see.
The news tells us every horrible thing that happens,
but you bring good news:
that people do love each other, that people do help each other,
that you care for us, that we can make a difference.
Help us to be your messengers of good news,
help us to be good news.

We need this assurance because we are sometimes overwhelmed with bad news,
in our families and our communities.
Forgive us for the times this week that we have been short and angry with those we love,
callous and uncaring towards our neighbours or the people we work with.
Give us open hearts, that grow in love towards every place where love is not.
Give us compassion especially today for those who are grieving,
who feel the ache of loved ones who are no longer here.
Give us compassion especially today for those who struggle with illness
who are undergoing tests, or taking medication
or are afraid to take medication for physical or mental illnesses.

This morning we also pray for our government, our Prime Minister, our Premier,
for the many people who work in public service.
Thank you for their contributions to growing good communities.
At this time where public corruption is so prevalent in the news,
help us as a country to cultivate justice and honesty.
God of gardens, be with us this week,
wherever we grow,
in your name, Amen. 

Canada Day Prayer

Thank you, God, for this piece of the world called Canada, 
a slice of land broad and wide,
blessed with rivers and great lakes,
wide skies and great forests,
high mountains and gracious plains,
beautiful from sea to sea to sea.

Thank you for letting us live in this land,
even though we do not own it;
this land is your land,
which we use in trust for future generations.
Thank you for its rich history,
which includes the Inuit and Aboriginal and Metis peoples.
We pray for justice and wisdom as we work on difficult
and abusive relationships with First Peoples.

Thank you for our system of government,
for the right to speak freely, and to elect our leaders.
Thank you for the freedom of religion and conscience that we enjoy. 
Thank you for universal health care,
and a social safety net, even though not all are caught by it,
and not all dwell in safety.

We want a country that is the best it can be,
a home for all, welcoming refugees and newcomers,
sharing this wealthy country with the world.
Bless our leaders, our Prime Minister and all members of parliament;
guide their steps, and empower us to use our voice to help them
as they make difficult and far-reaching decisions.
We thank you today for our home and native land--
thank you for giving us a home here, where we live in peace and security.
God keep our land, Canada, keep it strong and free,
keep it safe and beautiful for future generations.
Amen.

Peace with Our Own Two Hands

God of Wisdom,
As we remember the atomic blasts, the gas chambers, the killing fields,
as we remember the war machines and the military establishments,
as we remember Hitler and Pol Pot, Jim Crow and the Indian Act,
call us to account for our own whispered innuendo,
our own snubs, our own finger pointing,
our own eyes averted from injustice, our own cutting words,
our own shove, our own furtive slap.
Do not allow the grandstand atrocities to blind us to our own cruelties.
From the darkness of our bedrooms to skyscraper boardrooms,
from schools and churches to houses of parliament,
give us ears to hear your call to peace in our time,
peace with our own two hands.

After the Election Prayer

We pray this day

that your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

We pray this day for our new government

that it will help us live in peace with each other.

Give our politicians keen hearing to hear the cries of the poor.

Give our politicians sharp vision to see the long-term effect of policies.

Give our politicians plain speech to speak the truth.

Give our politicians clean hands to withstand corruption.

Give our politicians honest hearts that are eager to right injustice.

 We ask all this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Election Prayer

Almighty God, we need your presence in our land during this election time.

Guide the candidates to campaign fairly and present their viewpoints honestly.

Guide the voters as they listen and assess the positions of the different parties.

Jesus, you cared for those who were poor, physically challenged, social outcasts.

Empower us to hear and take into account the voices of the marginalized.

Empower all voters to turn out so that election results will be more truly democratic.

Holy Spirit, you enliven us as Christians to be salt and light in this world.

Increase in us conversation, vigilance and prayer about this election.

Increase in us wisdom and discernment as we elect our government. Amen.