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Prayer of the People, 19 May 2019

May 20, 2019 0 Comments

Heavenly Father,

We enter your communion, the communion of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, through the body of Jesus and by His blood. Thank you for this grace in which stand. We live and and breathe and have our being in You!

We yearn for your voice, for your Word to call us forth from death and darkness into life and light. We yearn for your glory. We yearn for the Word that creates again a pure heart in us. Help us hear your voice and please give us a desire to know you and to do your will.

Have mercy on us Oh Lord. 

Fill us with your Spirit again.
Grant us your freedom that 
comes via the way of the Cross
and may we know Your joy.

May our praises for You come without calculations.
May our obedience for You emerge from love.
May our zeal for you You be full of knowledge.

For You are the One who has come to destroy the works of the evil one.
You are the One who seeks us through the night.
You are the One who calms the storm with a word.
You are the One who takes our offerings and feeds the nations.
You are the One who meets us in our griefs and takes in our tears.


You are the One who loves our brothers and sisters under deathly pressure in Nigeria and Burkina Faso. You are the One who has wisdom for scientists and social activists concerned for the state of our oceans. You are the One who brings down and binds up powers and principalities arrayed against the poor. You are the One who fortifies your people to love their enemies and their neighbours.

Where else could we go for the Words of life?

No one else could raise up children who share in your holiness from such a corrupt generation. No one else can love us the way you do. So, we pray this morning as Jesus teaches us to pray and — we ask that you would make it so —

(Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one;
for yours is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, 
forever. 
Amen.


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Prayer of the People, Easter, 21 April 2019

April 22, 2019 0 Comments

Lord,

We have gathered as have your people all over the world…

to celebrate your resurrection.
to marvel at Your power to return life where there is death.
to set our hearts and minds on Christ in the throne room of heaven.
to remind ourselves that we will appear with You in glory.


Too easily our Resurrection Sundays turn into another religious duty.

We long to be like the women who left from Jesus’ borrowed tomb —
their mission of duty and devotion defined by death was disrupted by the most astonishing news — Christ is Risen. Disrupt our dull missions and infuse us with Good News — God News; set us on missions of life.

Rescue us — we have been chained to our guilt.
Deliver us— we have been trapped by our shame.
Redeem us — we have been blinded by our fear.

Lord, we can get stuck at the Cross when we consider all that is not right in the world and in our own lives. The Cross is the epitome of violence, abuse of power, injustice, despair. We bring to You the pain… 

of the families who lost someone in the Sri Lankan bombings.
of the violence and of the family of the journalist who died in Northern Ireland.
of the families who have lost their homes in Mozambique.
of the ongoing violence in Afghanistan.
of families stuck at the US border.
of the civil war outside Libyan capital.
of our own hurting relationships, illness, unrealized goals and dreams.

We ask that you would take away every voice that says “You don’t care; You can’t do anything.”

On this Resurrection Day we look to You as the One who gives hope and as the One who has the power. Make us alive again to You, to Your ways, Your truth, Your hope. 

Help us to join in with others who walk with you in affirming—
Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Please join me as we pray the Lord’s Prayer 

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one;

for yours is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory, 

forever. 

Amen.

–prepared by Craig & Ellen O’Brien

Prayer

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It’s Yours

April 16, 2019 0 Comments

upon 

a ridge of land

assumed

they lay your cross 

and stretch 

your body

suspended 

creation surveys your majesty mocked and crowned

nails pinning peace in a longing embrace for

fleshy wrecks and a 

city of broken 

promises

your heart 

flows

while violence 

beats

wisdom’s rage

and power’s aspirations

two kingdoms 

crash at

your feet

and we long 

to speak

a better word

than

Abel

University of British Columbia, Point Grey Campus (Vancouver)
“We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather
is the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) People.”

Poetry

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Prayer of the People, 14 April 2019 ~ Palm Sunday

April 15, 2019 0 Comments

Hosanna — Save us. Save us Lord.

Heavenly Father we cry out with those who saw Jesus ride into Jerusalem,
“Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Blessed are you who reign in holiness and majesty.
Blessed is Jesus who took up the cross.
Blessed is your Holy Spirit who moves across Creation and has brought us new birth.

We cry Hosanna — Save us.

Save us from blindness to the truth. For when we do not see truth we become slaves again to fear.
Save us from shortsightedness. For when we forget the hope we have in you, we easily quit the race you have set before us.
Save us from farsightedness. For when we keep looking for greener pastures, we quit loving the people right beside us.

Thank you for the salvation we have in you. You have saved us Father, according to the righteousness of your Son.
Thank you for this grace in which we stand.
Thank you for adopting us into your family and calling us your children.
Thank you for your provisions of this past week. Most of us have eaten well, have been clothed for each change in weather, and have had some good work to apply ourselves too. 

But we cry “Hosanna.” Save us. 

Save us Lord from cold hearts. Grant us courage to reach out.
Save us Lord from the accuser’s lies. Grant us wisdom to hide in the righteousness of Christ.
Save us Lord from deeds poisoned with guilt. Grant us discernment to do what you call us to do.

We cry “Hosanna.” Save us.

Bring your salvation and deliverance to the people of Sudan; may your peace prevail. Bring your help to refugees stuck on Greek Islands; may hospitable doors be opened to them. Bring your redemption to the gangs of El Salvador; may sons and daughters play in streets and old men and women walk without fear of violence.

Hosanna. You have taught us to pray and so we pray…

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one;

for yours is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory, 

forever. 

Amen.


Prayer

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Prayer of the People, 7 April 2019

April 8, 2019 0 Comments

Heavenly Father, you are the Lord of all Creation; You spoke, “Let there be light” and there was light. Your Son Jesus is the Light of the World. And now, by His Spirit, His Word illuminates our lives. Thank you for this grace in which we sit, walk, and stand. 

Speak again Lord, to our dark hearts. “Let there be light.” Awaken us to you. Teach us to walk in Your light and to fellowship with each other in this world according to your grace and truth. 

We confess that having our lives exposed in your light generates fear. First we tremble at the thought of your holiness. Save us according to your Word and not our word. Forgive our sins and may willful sin not rule over us. Second we tremble at the thought of being out of step with our world. Your light invites us into what is unfamiliar and makes us look peculiar. Please replace our fear of people with your perfect love. 

We long for leaders who walk in the light, who lead with wisdom and who pursue justice. We ask that You will bring Your comfort and help to those traumatized by violence, greed, and cold apathy. Both the one who raises the hand in anger and the one who receives it have suffered. It is your revealing light that can usher us all into healing and reconciliation. 

As with every anniversary of violence to which your light has been held we must examine ourselves, so we ask again for your wisdom from heaven today for Rwanda, for Ireland, for the United States, for Canada, for Palestine and for Israel, for Syria, for Yemin, for Cameroon, for Germany, for El Salvador, and for Myanmar. Is there any land in which the toxic rage of ‘adam’s children has not shed blood? Oh Lord help us. Come quickly Lord Jesus – May your light shine. Reveal every lethal treasure we have collected against insecurity and help us surrender our affections to you that we might be free. 

We pray now as you have taught us — (Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer)

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one;

for yours is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory, 

forever. 

Amen.

 

Church, Prayer

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