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Prayers for Ordinary 28

By Mr Mike Elliott

Prayers of Intercession October 18th 2009

Readings: 1. Isaiah, 52 4-12 Surely, Lamb to the slaughter.
2. Hebrews 5, 1-10 Christ as high priest.
3. Mark 10, Whoever wants to be great must become as a servant

After these prayers of intercession we shall sing together the Lord’s prayer as printed on your Order of Service. The bidding for our prayers will be ‘Lord in Your Mercy’ With the response ‘Hear our Prayer’

Almighty, everlasting and Creator God – You alone are Lord of all that we see, know and understand - but also you are Lord of that which we do not see nor yet understand. And yet it is through the grace of your son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, that we can be so bold in our ignorance as to place our requests at your feet and humbly seek your divine word of comfort, guidance or inspiration Lord in Your mercy. - 'Hear our prayer’

We pray for the World-wide Christian Church as it praises your name and works to bring to fruition Christ’s kingdom on Earth in service to all peoples. We remember those places and situations were to be a Christian is unpopular and even life threatening and pray for courage and steadfastness for Christians meeting in secret out of fear. In this country we pray for those new initiatives which are taking the good news of Jesus to those parts of our society where it is increasingly no longer heard. We remember the Bedford Street Angels and the Friends for Life scheme amongst the care homes. We pray that every opportunity is used to put forward a Christian viewpoint on the issues of the day. Help us to grasp each opportunity when we can share our own stories of faith. And so we pray for all who maintain the Christian witness here at St, Mark’s and at Putnoe Heights, for those from Circuit and Deanery who preach in our Partnership week by week to teach inspire and embolden our faith. We pray for Charlie, and Sam and Jane and all who give of their time and talents to enable your work to continue here. Lord in Your mercy. - 'Hear our prayer’

We pray for our world It is a sad fact that humankind is capable of much hate and hostility to others of the same species when power or ideologies are under threat. We have yet to see a war to end all wars and lessons from the past have never been truly learnt. We pray for a planet torn by conflict where terrorism blights the lives of so many and where the young and disaffected are caught up in ideologies which promise much but result in death and destruction. You Lord taught only peace, peace without compromise a peace which brings even the mighty to their knees. This peace we pray for ourselves and for the world at large. We pray also for our service men and women killed and injured in Afghanistan and for their families. We pray for military commanders and politicians trying to make sense of the complex factors in that part of the world trying to plan for stability and ultimately for peace. We pray for and remember peoples who are the victims of natural disasters and we remember those living amongst the aftermath of the earthquakes and Tsunami in the Pacific. Lord in Your mercy. - 'Hear our prayer’

Prayers for UK and our society We pray for Dave Hodgson the new Mayor of Bedford that he may serve the people of this Borough with integrity and that all those with power and authority may work together for the common good. We pray for all our leaders and representatives especially during this time of financial uncertainty and pray that the truly vulnerable in our society are not overlooked. We pray for Social Workers faced with heart-rending situations and with tough decisions to be made and the butt of media criticism. In many ways their hands are yours Lord and we pray for wisdom, compassion and good governance in all they do. As evenings grow dark and temperatures fall we remember those who have slipped through the welfare net and become homeless even in our own town. We pray for those who work with the outcasts of society to give some comfort, a listening ear or a word of hope. Lord in Your mercy. - 'Hear our prayer’

And so we think now of those in need in our own community, the elderly, the housebound and those in care homes, hospital and hospice and for those who, with skill and compassion, care for them. So let us share a moment of silence together as we bring before you those known only to ourselves as we name them in our hearts and commit them to your loving care. (A short period of silence) Lord in Your mercy. - 'Hear our prayer’

We also pray for those who endure the pain of grief at the loss of a loved one. Help us to support all those who mourn, both with our prayers, with words of comfort and with practical help both this day and in the days and weeks to come. And so we pray with confidence that - Jesus Christ is the Light of the World, a light which no darkness can quench. We remember before God those who have died and light a candle to symbolise the light of Christ which eternally shines and brings hope. Dorothy Mary Tysoe (Dolly) Catherine Ruth Morgan For you turn our darkness into light; in your light shall we see light. Lord in Your mercy. - 'Hear our prayer’ A final prayer for ourselves: - Lord Jesus, help us to follow you in our daily lives - and in so doing to serve our neighbour in all humility, knowing that we also serve you to whom all the glory is given.

Merciful Father, “Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen”. (We sing together the Lord’s Prayer)