Category: Prayer of the Week

The year rushes on to its end; the days are very short.
The city prepares for feasting with useless tinsel and fairy lights.
O Lord, we feel so unready – you could arrive in the sleepy dark.
Jesus, be our Advent Guide – surround us with your armour of light.
Amen

Almighty and everlasting God,
whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords:
mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin,
may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen

Creator God, thank you for the opportunity of being together as your people.
As we look forward to the week to come,
we pray for an awareness of your love and support in all we do.
We are sorry that we only seem to turn to you
in the down times of our lives, and forget to thank you for the good times.
There is so much in your world for which we should be grateful and we offer our thanks now.
Be with us, and all who need your loving touch at this time.
Amen

Living God, you call us into a deeper relationship with you.
You hear the cry of the weak and you value each of us, whatever our circumstances.
We praise you for your abundant generosity, for your astonishing grace
and we give thanks that we are called to reflect those qualities in our own lives.
Remember us Lord as we remember those who have fought the good fight
and now rest in your love and peace.
Amen

Loving God, we praise you for your presence in our lives and for your faithfulness to us.
We gather together in our weakness and in our strength,
celebrating each other’s faith and sharing our struggles.
We gather to hear your message of hope in a very divided world
and we pray for ears to listen in Jesus’ name.
Amen

Before the radiance of God, we are dim creatures indeed.
We shine only by his reflected light, and it is dimmed by our efforts to shine brighter than others.
We come before you, Lord, casting off the false mantles we have assumed for ourselves.
Humbled, we pay homage to you and not to our false images of ourselves.
Amen

Shine your light in us, through us, and over us.
May we make a difference in this world for your glory, so that your purposes would stand.
Set you way before us. May all your plans succeed.
May we reflect your peace and hope to a world that so desperately needs your presence and healing.
Amen

Compassionate God,
be with those who need you:
the unloved, the friendless, the oppressed, the sick, the dying, the bereaved.
Take your love where we can’t, or won’t, reach.
Make your Spirit known in the worst places and times,
so that all may benefit from the sacrifice
that Jesus made for humankind.
It is in his name we pray.
Amen

God of creation, whose glory is all around and within us:
open our eyes to your wonders, that we may serve you with reverence and know your peace.
You crown the year with your goodness, and you give us the fruits of the earth in their season:
grant that we may use them to your glory and for the relief of those in need.
May we cherish and respect this planet and all your creation in it through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

Lord Jesus, be with those whose week never seems to start,
because there is no difference for them in the days. Every day is the same.
Lord, we pray for those who have no joy in being able to do something new;
for those whose routine is so rigid that anything out of the ordinary is challenging, frightening.
In their routine may they find you. In the care provided by others, may they find your love.
In the work done for them may they find your healing hands.
For you are our carer, our healer and our sustainer, and in your name we pray.
Amen

Living God, you created us out of love and you know us well.
Search our hearts as we come before you to acknowledge your sovereignty and grace,
and to enter anew into covenant with you and with one another.
Reveal any reluctance or falsehood within us
and allow your Spirit to impress your truth on our inmost being.
Receive us in mercy, for the sake of our Mediator, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen

Beloved God,
we come once more to this familiar place, at this familiar time among familiar faces.
We come as we are; as we have come so many times:
to sing well-loved hymns, to meet well-loved people,
to pray and listen to your Word, to break the bread and receive your hospitality.
We come as one people
Amen

God of love and, source of mercy and compassion,
weave your dream for the world into the fabric of our lives.
Remove the scales from our eyes and lift the indifference from our hearts,
so that we may see your vision and transform our lives, so that we may accomplish your purpose. Anoint us with your spirit of love that we might bring good news to the oppressed,
bind up the broken hearted, and proclaim release to the captive in Jesus’ name.
Amen

Almighty God, you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you: pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself, and so bring us at last to your heavenly city, where we shall see you face to face; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen

Lord, as we gather here this morning there are so many reasons for us to be thankful:
for your provision day by day, for your blessings that are too numerous to count,
for your gift of the Sabbath, when we can join together in praise and to honour your holy name.
For the fellowship of our brothers and sisters here at the Church of Christ the Cornerstone
and for your goodness that forgives, heals, redeems, crowns and satisfies.
Amen