Prayers for Sunday 17 March 2013

By Mrs Morag Stewart

Prayers Sunday 17 March, 2013
We thank you Father for those days in the desert when through prayer and fasting, Jesus discovered your will for his life and overcame the temptations of the devil. Help us during these days of Lent, to come close to you and to listen to your voice.  Give us strength to overcome the temptation to please ourselves and live life without you.  Teach us your way.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

Heavenly Father,
We thank you for those whose influence has led us to worship here this morning. We remember family members, teachers, church leaders, friends and colleagues who have encouraged us to follow in the Christian way. We give thanks for the fellowship which we find in this church which supports us as we seek to put our faith into practice in our daily lives. Strengthen us, Lord, in your service, so that we, in our turn, may be an encouragement to others.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

Heavenly Father,
We pray for our churches - St. Mark's and Putnoe Heights. Keep before us the vision of church communities where people of different church backgrounds will work and worship together harmoniously and where those who seek to know more about the Christian faith will find a welcome. Give us a clear understanding of the work you have set before us and a fresh commitment to your service in the coming year. Give wisdom to our ministers and our leadership teams and may our witness in Brickhill and in Putnoe continue to grow.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

We pray for the oppressed; for those who have been treated harshly by other people or by circumstances; for those who have no freedom; who were born into a poverty from which they cannot escape; for those who have never had a chance.
We pray for those who have waited too long, for justice and freedom; for those who feel that only by violence can they hope to gain what is theirs by right. In their impatience give them wisdom, and in their struggle give them the charity not to deny justice to others.
We pray for those who meet oppression with resignation; who assume that nothing can be done. Lord, give them hope, and give them self-respect, and give them the knowledge that with you there is salvation.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

We pray for those who suffer in body, mind or spirit. Encourage them when their hopes are eroded. Help us all to treasure the health we have and to do nothing thoughtless or mean that would endanger the health of others.

Jesus Christ is the light of the World, a light which no darkness can quench. We remember before God all those who have died and light a candle to symbolise the light of Christ which eternally shines and brings hope. You turn our darkness into light in your light shall we see light.  Today we remember  

Almighty Father, you understand the secrets of every heart. Strengthen and sustain those who know the sorrow of bereavement. May they experience the comfort of the Holy Spirit within them and the love and fellowship of the church family around them; and may they see before them the hope of glory, beckoning and leading them to their true home and the moment of reunion in your heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

And finally we pray that as we come before your table today that our communion is not mere routine but a precious time of fellowship with Jesus Christ as we thankfully remember his redeeming love and meet with him as our living Lord

Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ

The Lord’s Prayer

Lord Jesus, you had dinner with the sisters Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus, who you raised from the dead. Mary anointed your feet with perfume worth a years wages and wiped your feet with her hair. You saw her action as an act of generosity and love, a preparation of your body for your passion and death. May we be inspired to offer what we have to you in your service and may we bold to show our love for you in acts of devotion, as we seek to be kind and generous to those who are poor.