Monday, July 29, 2013

Grace Church Prayers of the People

This prayer was written by the people, including children, of Grace Church for occasional use in Sunday morning worship.

Let us offer prayers of PRAISE and THANKSGIVING for our many blessings – silently or aloud.

[pause to allow for these prayers]

Let us say together our Parish Prayer.

Lord Jesus, You have put your life into our hands.
Now we put our lives in Yours.
Take us, renew and remake us.
What we have been is past.
What we shall be, through You, still awaits us.
Lead us on. Take us with You.

We also ask that you look after our celebrants and officiants - Fr. David, Fr. Bob, Susan, Mtr. Kimberly, Hawley and Ken – and their families, and we pray for the priesthood of all believers.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Father, help us to remember that we are one in Christ, made in your image – that we are to treat each other, and all your children, with respect and dignity.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Dear Lord, thank you for accepting the many families and people into your home, the Church.
Lord, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

Thank you for our country. Be with all our leaders, including our President, our Governor, our Mayor, and others. Also let us remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Let there be justice and peace on earth.

Thank you for making everything in the world, including water and land, families and babies. Help everybody be fair and let flowers grow everywhere.
Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Thank you for letting us live in neighborhoods, including College Hill, North College Hill, Colerain, Walnut Hills, Reading, Finneytown, and others.
Help everyone find a nice house that is safe.
Help us learn to share our toys.
Let all the children have fun.
Help everybody have a job.
Help people not to say bad words and not to have guns.
Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

Dear Lord, help everyone who is sick, in trouble, or who got hurt by someone.
Help people who are not themselves.
Help older people as they walk in the snow.
Help people not to have cancer.
Help us know that we will be ok even if we are lonely.
Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

Lord, we pray for those who have died, that you may have mercy on them.

Lord, lift them up.

Silence.

The celebrant adds a concluding Collect.

Grace Church Prayer & Meditation Collect

This collect was written by the Grace Church Prayer & Meditation Group in June, 2013, as part of an exercise in Collect writing led by Ken Lyon.

O God, who is the creator of all that was, that is and that will be--who dwells within us.
We're all in different places on our spiritual journey.
We give thanks that Grace's doors of hospitality remain open
so that we may learn and grow together as a group.
We pray through the Holy Spirit within us.
Amen.