INTERCESSIONS SUNDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2020
- The Church of Christ
Holy God, sometimes we fail to have a sufficient vision of the role of the Church in the world. The Church can feel small, limited and disunited but this is not so. In 2020, there are 2.5 billion Christians globally out of population of 7.8 billion. Nearly 1 in 3 people are Christian. Here is the kingdom of heaven like yeast worked through dough.
In John 17 Jesus prayed for this Church. He prayed for complete unity, that we may all be one and that he himself would be in us. We echo this prayer this morning. Help us to live out this unity with the church locally, in our own country and worldwide.
We celebrate the growing churches in Africa, South America and Asia and give thanks for the unexpected places that the Church is growing like Iran and Afghanistan.
We pray for the Christians in divided areas (like Israel and Palestine) to come together as a force for peace.
For Christians in India where persecution is rising, we pray for a repeal of the anti-conversion laws and protection for the Christian minority.
Protecting Father help the global Church get behind and lend practical and spiritual support to suffering Christians wherever they are so that they know that they are part of sea of others who stand with them.
We each now lift to you a part of the world where Christians live in fear and ask for your wisdom to know how best to help their situation.
Help us to remember that we are part of a great tide of faith, that belong to each other and that will never be overcome.
- Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority
Creating Father, the planet we live on displays your glory and is full of wonders. Mankind has been a poor steward of this beautiful earth. Through greed and carelessness, it is now polluted and we face a climate emergency. Please help mankind at all levels put right the mess we have made. Help us find radical new ways to live on this earth so that both we and the natural world thrive.
Guiding Father, we give thanks that a vaccine for Covid-19 is coming. We pray that this will be successful and quickly distributed. Please comfort everyone who has lost a loved one to this virus and heal those who are still suffering the effects of infection.
We pray this global pandemic will bring about a permanent change to a kinder, fairer more humane world. Help us retain the lessons we’ve learned from this – that we need you, each other and above thi only need really need the basics of food, shelter and medicine.
We are relieved that Jo Biden is seeking to reconcile divisions in the USA and his evident faith is an encouragement. We pray for more leaders around the world who draw on you for wisdom and seek peace. Please bless our Queen and protect her as the head of the Church and give wisdom to our Government.
- The local community
God, we ask for a flourishing community, where neighbours learn to love each other and come to know Jesus.
We pray for strength and understanding in the marriages in our community. We ask for loving, strong bonds between the children, teenagers, adults, and grandparents and that each branch of the family would demonstrate love for one another.
God Almighty, please give healthy, thriving relationships between neighbours. We pray different cultures will be able to understand and care for one another.
For the teachers who devote their days to shepherding our young people we ask for your guidance and patience and that our schools will be a safe, positive community for our students.
Lord God, we pray for guidance for our local ministers as they nurture Your congregation and seek to serve those around them. We pray congregations will welcome all who come.
Prince of Peace, we ask for your presence in the streets and homes of our community. We pray for local law enforcement, for their safety and wisdom and compassion in all circumstances. comfort those who have experienced violence, and we ask your protection for our community.
- Those who suffer
We pray for all those who suffer in body, mind or spirit. We lift before you this morning those we know among us particularly need your comfort at this time.
LIST OF NAMES
In a moment of quiet we each lift someone to you who we know is suffering now.
- The communion of saints
Providing Father, we thank you that you give each of us unique gifts and set before us good works which you have prepared in advance for us to do.
Guiding Father, help us to understand what gifts you have given us and the will to dedicate these to your service. Tell us who you intended us to be and lead us towards our purpose.
Lord God, you don’t need our help but offer us the privilege and fulfilment of being co-workers in the bringing of your kingdom. We will never find anything that gives us greater satisfaction and joy than this. Help us to make this our focus and not miss this blessing.
Merciful God, accept these prayers for the sake of your son, our saviour, Jesus Christ, Amen.