THE PRAYERS, 

2^nd Sunday after Christmas, Cycle B (January 3, 2021)

With joy and gratitude for the gift of Christ our Savior, let us draw near to God the Father, praying on behalf of the Church, the world, and all who need his loving-kindness.

A brief silence

Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus. Thank you for your love, made flesh in his flesh. Thank you for the glorious inheritance you have prepared for all who love him.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Transform your Church into a Temple worthy of your Son. Fill bishops, pastors, theologians and deacons with wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and fear of the Lord, that all may have joy in your presence. Draw many through its doors to meet Jesus their Lord.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Grant to all Christians who are persecuted a foretaste of the glorious inheritance you have stored up for them in Christ. Fill them with wisdom and faith. Let them confound and convert their tormentors. Give us grace to provide for their needs and speak in their defense.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Give the people of this congregation wisdom, faithfulness, kindness, generosity and joy. Fashion this church into a temple that is lovely with the light of Christ. Make us true sisters and brothers to our elder Brother, Jesus.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We pray for all theologians and instructors in the faith – especially those who teach future pastors. Give them hearts centered in Christ; minds that delight in your commands; mouths that speak faithful words of your Law and Gospel; and souls that are pure and holy as they guide and shape those whom you call to be your servants.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Make the world’s leaders desire wisdom. Equip them to seek the good of the people entrusted to their care. Teach them to fear and love you above all earthly power or riches. Bestow upon this death-shadowed a foretaste of your eternal life and peace. Grant that this New Year may bring hope, prosperity, health and concord to all.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We plead on behalf of all whose lives are clouded by sorrow or shadowed by suffering – especially: {List}. Bring them healing and hope. Help us to ease the burdens of those who care for loved ones day in and day out. And bless with compassion and competence all who practice the healing arts.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Dear Father, thank you for the gift of your Son, and for the salvation you give to all who call upon his Name. We entrust our beloved dead into your care. Shed the light of your love upon those who grieve. Bestow your Spirit upon all of us in this New Year. Renew us in faith, strengthen us for service, and unite us in bonds of concord and charity. Lead us, and all whom you have redeemed, into the bright courts of heaven, and into your endless day.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Into your hands, merciful Father, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE PRAYERS, 

1^st Sunday after Christmas, Cycle B (December 27, 2020)

Or St. John, Apostle and Evangelist (add these italicized petitions)

O come, let us adore Christ our Lord, and kneel before him with our prayers and supplications.

A brief silence

Father, we praise you for your Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Savior. {We thank you for St. John, the Beloved Disciple, who knew and loved him so well.} Let Jesus fill us with grace and truth, so that our joy may be complete.

Provide the Church with pastors, bishops, and theologians who teach and admonish your people in all wisdom. ^*17By the gift of your Spirit, let the Church’s every word and deed

be in the name of the Lord Jesus, to your glory and for the good of all whom he came to save.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We pray for those who are persecuted for the sake of Jesus. They are your chosen ones, holy and beloved. Adorn them with compassion, meekness, and patience. Let the peace of Christ rule their hearts, so that their tormentors repent, and flee to the Savior for forgiveness.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Make this congregation a company of the upright. Let us delight in, study, and proclaim your mighty works of salvation. ²Clothe us with love, binding us together in perfect harmony. Let our lives display your redeeming power. Help us to draw our neighbors, friends, and families to faith in your dear Son.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Bless grandparents, parents, and all who share with our children the joy of knowing you. Let them cradle little ones in your love and goodness.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Give our earthly leaders the holy fear that is the beginning of wisdom. Help them to study your works and perform your precepts. Let faithfulness and uprightness, graciousness and mercy, guide those who take counsel for the nations. Bestow upon all peoples the blessings of food, shelter, health, employment, justice, and peace.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Angels proclaimed peace and good will at Jesus’ birth. But many evils still trouble the world. Shield and guide all who risk their lives on behalf of others. Prosper all they do that conforms to your will. Give their loved ones hope and patience. Bring healing and comfort to the wounded, and redemption to the fallen. Establish your peace among us all, that weapons of war can be fashioned into instruments of your peace.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Be gracious and merciful to all whose lives are shadowed by suffering in this season of light, especially: {List}. Grant that they behold your salvation,³¹ dwell in your love, and glorify you in the company of all who love them.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Dear Father, you have bestowed on our beloved dead the fullness of your salvation, and we commend them into your care. While we walk the pilgrim-path of life, grant that your dear Son should dwell in us richly, filling us with peace, love, forgiveness, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. For these are the gifts of Christmas that shall last forever.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Receive our prayers, dear Father, for the sake of your dear Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

THE PRAYERS, 

Christmas Eve, Cycle B (December 24, 2020)

Christmas Day (December 25, 2020)

O come, let us adore Christ our Lord, and kneel before him with our prayers.

A brief silence

O Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing: enflesh yourself in your Church. Let all its words and deeds “speak you,” the Living Word. Let the Church be a star of hope, burning in the world’s darkness. By its deeds of mercy, draw many to kneel in awe and wonder before you, and there find life.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

O loveliest blooming rose, adorn the suffering of your persecuted followers with the beauty of your love. Be their refuge and Lord. Gladden their hearts. Shine so brightly in their lives that their tormentors turn to you in repentance and faith.

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

O mighty king and gentle friend, be all that and more to this congregation. Let us know, proclaim, and share you as heaven’s gift and treasure. Caress us with your blessing. Heal our hearts. Let all our words and deeds help families, friends, and neighbors to love and praise you.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

O Jesus, our Emmanuel, you lay your glory aside “to raise each child of earth.” Bring light and life to those who do not know you or believe that you are God, veiled in human flesh. Give them eyes to see your divine love, and hearts to enthrone you as Lord, God, and King.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

O Heaven-born Prince of Peace, reconcile all peoples and nations, all races and tribes, under your glorious and gentle rule. Lift up all whose forms bend low beneath life’s crushing load. Free them from all that afflicts them. Make us all, from greatest to least, children of your light, and partakers of your peace.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

O Savior of our fallen race, bestow a measure of your peace to all who stand in harm’s way, protecting others, in this death-shadowed world. Renew their courage; purify their hearts; and use their labors to bring hope and healing in communities fractured by hatred and violence.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

O Savior, child of Mary, you felt our human woe. Bring healing, peace, and hope to all who suffer and to all who mourn, even on this holy and joyful night. O Sun of Righteousness, rise upon them with healing in your wings!

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

O Savior, King of Glory, you have triumphed over our ancient foes: sin, evil, and death. Thank you for your love, which guarded, guided, and kept our loved ones in your care until their life’s end. And now, Lord Jesus, dearest friend: Bring us at length to heaven and into your endless day. With all whom you have redeemed, let us praise, adore, and delight in you; for with your Father and the Holy Spirit, you live and reign forever and ever and unto the ages of ages.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Be near us, Lord Jesus; and hear when we pray. Stay by us forever and love us always. Bless all your dear children in your tender care. And fit us for heaven, to dwell with you there. AMEN.

“You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?  This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you” (Galatians 5:7-8).

When you know that you have been saved by grace through faith, what causes you to backslide?  Look at the root and do not be led astray by the tug of this age.  Some say: “make right what has gone wrong.”  But scripture says: die to sin, death, and the devil.  Jesus alone saves, so let Him do the saving.  Our part is learning to listen and live as He instructs us to live.  Be guided by His goodness and mercy.

Lord, teach me to listen.  Show me how to live as You would have me live.  Help me to resist those places where my heart is tugged by the legalistic thoughts of this world.  Guide me in Your goodness to see through these things and live in Your presence, in the present, doing what is pleasing to the Father.  Lord, You alone have saved me; help me to live in that salvation.

Lord Jesus, You have given the words of eternal life.  You know all that is needed and You have paved the way for all who believe, Keep me on the narrow track of life, the life for which You died.  Keep me close to You that I may understand more fully the goodness You are pouring into me.  Help me now and always to see through this world’s temptations to be Yours forever.  Amen.