PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, Cycle C: 4^th Sunday after Epiphany,
Proper 3, February 3, 2019

Let us draw near
to the Light of Christ, offering prayer and supplication on behalf of the
Church, the world, and one another.

A brief silence

Heavenly Father, even as we thank you for your Word, we
confess that it can sometimes seem stern and even offensive to us. And yet, in
Jesus we have your full assurance that every Word which proceeds from your
mouth is good. In him, your never-failing love is fleshed out for us. Fill us
with your Holy Spirit, so that we can thank you for every Word you speak to us,
and can model, however imperfectly, your perfect and eternal love for your
people.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You have
appointed prophets and martyrs, pastors and bishops, teachers and ordinary
saints to speak your word and to lead all people to new life in Christ. Grant
that the Church may speak your word boldly, act fearlessly, and in all things
mirror your love, revealed to the world in your beloved Son.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Hear the
prayers of your suffering Church; rescue your servants from the hand of the
wicked and the grasp of the unjust and the cruel. Be their rock and their
refuge; fill their mouth with your praise; and drive out the demons of hatred
and unbelief from their persecutors.  

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Let this
congregation overflow with words of praise to you, and deeds of love toward
others. Help us to be rich in patience and kindness; and to be lacking only in
resentment, irritability, and self-promotion. Let our families, friends,
neighbors and communities truly know we are Christians by his love, which
touches them through us.

Lord, in
your mercy, hear our prayer.

Grant that the leaders of the nations,
most especially our own, may heed your words and seek to do your will. Teach
them to love justice, and hate cruelty; to rejoice in truth and reject
wrongdoing; and to wield authority in the knowledge that they must give an
account of their deeds to you, the Lord of all nations. Give us ears to hear
the cries of all who are victims of poverty, injustice or violence; and give us
the heart and the strength to answer them well.

Lord, in your mercy, hear
our prayer.

With authority and power, Jesus drove out
demons, healed the sick, and forgave and raised up people tormented by the
power of sin and death.  We pray in his
name for all who are afflicted in body, mind, or spirit, and especially for: {List}.
Be their rock, their strong deliverer, and their hope. Strengthen all who care
for them; and grant them the joy of your salvation.

Lord, in
your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We commend into your care our loved ones
who have died and are at rest in you. Comfort those whose grief runs deep. Help
us to be so gentle, patient, and kind to one another that we may indeed endure
all things that afflict us in this mortal life. Lead us at last, with all whom
you have redeemed by the love revealed in your Son, into your Kingdom, where
faith becomes sight, hope becomes joy, and your love is our all in all.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For all these things, dear Father, and for
whatever else you will for us in your wisdom and compassion, we pray in the
name of Jesus, our Savior, Lord, and King. Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, Cycle C: 3^rd Sunday after Epiphany,
Proper 2, January 27, 2019

Let us draw near
to the Throne of Grace, offering prayer and supplication on behalf of the
Church, the world, and one another.

A brief silence

Lord God, thank you for your Word, given to us as Holy
Scripture as the sure foundation for our life as your beloved community. Thank
you for your Word made flesh in your well-beloved and only Son, Jesus Christ.
Shape us more perfectly into his image. Send us with your Word of life to all
who are blinded by the distractions of life, deafened by the voices of pleasure
and power, lamed by the sufferings of life, imprisoned by sin, and impoverished
in body, mind, or spirit.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Make your
Church a place where all your Word – Law and Gospel, lament and praise, history
and exhortation – are faithfully proclaimed, eagerly heard, and gladly heeded. We
pray also for our sisters and brothers who are persecuted for Jesus’ sake. Do
not let us despise or ignore their suffering or their testimony. Say to them,
“Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Build up the
Body of Christ in this congregation. Help us to claim, develop and share the gifts
you have given each of us; to encourage and rejoice in the gifts of others,
whether those gifts seem small or great to us. Let all be done to glorify you
and to share your mercy with those around us.

Lord, in
your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray, therefore,
on behalf of shut-ins, the physically and mentally challenged, the frail, and
all those of our congregation and acquaintance whose gifts are often overlooked
or despised, even by themselves. Grant that, following our Lord’s example, we
may honor them; and that we may rejoice together as fellow members of his Body.

Lord, in
your mercy, hear our prayer.

Teach your commandments and precepts to
all who take counsel for the nations; to our military; and to first responders.
Grant them wisdom, integrity, and common sense, so that their citizens may live
peacefully, work fruitfully, and enjoy the blessings of liberty, justice,
health, every other good thing you have provided for the benefit of all.

Lord, in your mercy, hear
our prayer.

Your Son came to proclaim healing, sight,
freedom and the good news of the Gospel to all who are in bondage to the powers
of sin, evil and death. We lift before you the needs of all who need to hear,
feel, and truly experience his strong saving love, including: {List}. Visit
them with your salvation; heal their bodies and revive their hearts; and let
them rejoice you.

Lord, in
your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Thank you, heavenly Father, for receiving
into your Kingdom those who died trusting in your Word – especially {List}.
Keep us close to your dear Son, that we may hear his Word of life, and feed on
it; that we may be filled with his Spirit, and share it; that we may be knit
into his Body, and rejoice in it. Keep us faithful unto death, and then say to
us, and to all your people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do
not mourn or weep, and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your
strength, forevermore.”

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Graciously hear, and generously answer our
prayers, most holy Father, in accordance with your wisdom and mercy for us, and
in the name of your dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, Cycle C: 2^nd Sunday after Epiphany,
Proper 1, January 20, 2019

Let us draw near
to the Throne of Grace, offering prayer and supplication on behalf of the
Church, the world, and one another.

A brief silence

Holy God, thank you for loving your people so passionately
that the best human analogy is that of a wedding, and of the love between a
bride and bridegroom. Forgive us when our brokenness and wrongheadedness
prevent us from rightly hearing these words! Thank you for the healing and
forgiveness – even of our bodies and relationships – that you bestow in Jesus.
Thank you for your Holy Spirit, who constantly forms us, body and soul, into
his image and his bride.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Adorn your
Church with faithful teaching and preaching; with deeds of mercy,
reconciliation, and generosity; and with worship that befits the adoration and
delight of a bride for her beloved. Overshadow your persecuted servants with
your Holy Spirit, so that they may bless the Name of Jesus their Lord, and so
that their tormentors turn away from cursing his Name.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Give the
wedding-presents of joy and faithfulness, forbearance and forgiveness to all
married couples. Bring healing to homes fractured by sin and suffering. Gather
those who are single – by choice or circumstance – into your loving embrace.
Form us all into your big, boisterous, and blessed family.

Lord, in
your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord, for
many of our congregations “we are family” is very literally true! Bind us
together with the cords of your love, and not merely our kinship ties and
traditions. Make this congregation a place where many are adopted into your
family, and where the bounties of your blessings are freely and lovingly shared
with all whom we invite to join us.

Lord, in
your mercy, hear our prayer.

Let your steadfast love and righteousness
dwell in the hearts of our elected and appointed leaders; in the minds of all
who take counsel for the nations; and in the actions of everyone in positions
of authority in our society. Give us grace to share the gifts and skills you have so generously
bestowed – especially with the poor and lonely, the suffering and the
sorrowing.

Lord, in your mercy, hear
our prayer.

We plead on behalf of everyone who
struggles with pain, grief, addiction, fear, remorse, doubt, and despair. We
lift before you this day the needs of: {List.} Give them the hope and courage
they need to cling to you in times of trouble. And give to those who care for
them a double portion of your compassionate and loving Spirit.

Lord, in
your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Thank you, heavenly Father, for all our
beloved dead who clung faithfully to your promise of salvation. Dry our tears
and ease our sorrow. Give us grace to live in faith toward you, and with
fervent love for one another. Then, by your great mercy, gather us, with all
whom your dear Son is pleased to call his bride and his beloved, at the table
of that marriage feast which has no end.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Graciously hear, and generously answer our
prayers, most holy Father, in accordance with your wisdom and mercy for us, and
in the name of your dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

“They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them, but they mingled with the nations and learned their practices, and served their idols,which became a snare to them.” (Psalm 106:34-35)

Why does man continue to mix and mingle with that which he knows will bring about destruction? This has been his ways from the fall. We are told not to take in that which will pollute us and then go ahead and take it in. Yes, the company you keep does matter. Yes, you will be influenced by those around you. The Lord is after making you pure even as He is pure.

Lord, teach me the boundaries I need to have around my life knowing that You have also commanded me to love my neighbor. Place in me the gifts of Your Spirit that I may walk firmly amidst this divisive world in understanding.You have told me to learn to obey all that You have commanded. Guide me to do just this now and always that I may walk humbly with my God.

Lord Jesus, You who have come to rescue those who believe, guide me this day to abide in You and avoid those places where I will be tempted to compromise Your truth in my life. Help me to walk graciously, but firmly in the truth You have revealed. Through all things and in all circumstances, help me to hold fast to Your Word of truth which You have given to those who believe. Amen.