The Prayers, Confession of St. Peter (Transferred), Proper 2, Cycle A (January 19, 2020)
Let us pray that the light of Christ may shine
upon the Church, the world, and all people according to their need.
A brief silence
Thank you, Father, for granting such faith to Peter that he could
boldly confess your Son as the Christ. Thank you for promising that the gates
of hell cannot withstand the gracious battering-ram of your faith-filled
Church. Thank you for the forgiveness of sin that the Church pronounces in
Jesus’ name and at his command.
Lord, in your
mercy, please hear our prayer.
Lord, cause your Church to boldly confess Jesus as your Son, the Savior
and Messiah of the world. Teach it to
properly discern sin – and to faithfully preach repentance from it. Strengthen
it to generously forgive the repentant sinner, and to be pastoral in
withholding forgiveness from the persistently unrepentant. Use the Church to be
the means by which Jesus draws new disciples to himself and shapes them into
his likeness.
Lord, in your
mercy, please hear our prayer.
Make disciples of everyone in
this congregation. Give us willing and trust-filled hearts. Help us to use our
spiritual gifts to glorify you and build up our community of faith. Make us
bold to tell others, “This is the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Lord, in your
mercy, please hear our prayer.
Bless the Church wherever it is persecuted on account of Jesus. By its
patient witness, turn its enemies from hatred to repentance. For missionaries
throughout the world, for our seminaries, church colleges, and schools, and for
all who seek to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed, we also lift our hands,
hearts and voices in fervent supplication.
Lord, in your
mercy, please hear our prayer.
This weekend, we celebrate the confession of St.
Peter, and commemorate the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Thank you
for this double witness. Teach us to value one another not based on race,
creed, or gender, but because you have created all people in your image, and
have given your Son as the sacrifice for all our sin. By your Holy Spirit, make
the content of our character reflect your will, so that we treat each other
with respect, justice, and charity.
Lord, in your
mercy, please hear our prayer.
Enlighten the minds and purify the hearts of those who
take counsel for the nations. Turn them away from the false gods of power,
prestige, and ideology; and teach them your ways. Heal the divisions that beset
our country. Bestow your favor upon it, so that it may always be a beacon of
righteousness, justice and freedom for all.
Lord, in your
mercy, please hear our prayer.
Stoop down, O Lord, and hear the cry of all who are
afflicted by any kind of suffering or sorrow – especially: {List}. Lift them
out of their desolation; make their footing sure; and put a new song into their
mouths. Restore them to all who love them, that together we may proclaim your
faithfulness and deliverance.
Lord, in your
mercy, please hear our prayer.
Most gracious Father, we thank you for your faithful
servants who have died to us but whose lives are safely in your hand. Sustain
us with that same strong and merciful hand. Equip us with every spiritual gift
we need to trust and follow Jesus; and to bear the light of his forgiveness and
goodness to everyone around us. And, sustained in fellowship with Christ Jesus,
may we be found guiltless on that day when he is revealed to the world; and
made fit to dwell with him in the glory he shares with you and the Holy Spirit
forever.
Lord, in your
mercy, please hear our prayer.
All these things, and whatever else you see that
we need, grant to us, dear Father, for the sake of your Son, our Savior Jesus
Christ. Amen.