Prayers for the First Sunday after Christmas
Let us pray for all people everywhere according to their needs.
O God, creator and preserver of all mankind, we pray for people of every
race, and in every kind of need: make your ways known on earth, your
saving power among nations.
We pray for all those who are suffering as a result the earthquake and tidal wave which have wrought such devastation and wholesale destruction around the Indian Ocean.
We pray for the bereaved, the
injured, the traumatised and the dispossessed that they may be granted the
courage and the strength to rebuild their lives and that some good may
come of this tragedy for its victims as well as for those who strive to
help them.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
We feel so helpless in the
face of destruction on such a scale that we can scarcely take it in. Help
us to accept that we will probably never know why these catastrophic
events happen. Guide us to understand what our own roles might be in
helping to alleviate this suffering, be they great or small, and help us
to accept those roles, however limited they may seem to us.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Strengthen your church, Lord,
that we may all unite in prayer as well as in practical help for those who
are suffering for all reasons. We pray for courage, wisdom and guidance to
stand up for our faith when it is challenged. Inspire our ministers
Charlie, Neil, Sam and Joan, our Bishop and our Chairman to lead and guide
us all in our ministries as we go through life.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
We pray for all who suffer in mind or body and for those who care for
them. We pray for the sick; for those who mourn; for those without faith,
hope or love.
We pray for any known to us who are in special need of our prayers at this
time, especially Peter Cooper and Samantha Ware. We remember them now in a
moment of silence ….
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
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. We
remember Douglas Harold James Saunders (known as Jim), Peter John Daniels
and all the victims of the earthquake disaster.
You turn our darkness into light: in your light shall we see light.
Merciful Father, accept these
prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Gathering our prayers and
praises into one, let us sing the Lord’s Prayer.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
On earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours
Now and for ever. Amen.