Prayers of the Church, Maundy Thursday, Cycle A (April 9, 2020)

Let us pray to our merciful God on behalf of the Church, the world, and one another.

A brief silence

Most holy and blessed Lord, we adore you.  We bless you for your love and mercy. We thank you for the Medicine of immortality, graciously offered at the Last Supper and marvelously extended to each of us. We thank you for being so humbly and lovingly washed by Jesus, and called his friends. Help us love one another as he loves us.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Father, fill the Church throughout the world with your Spirit, so it more perfectly loves you and the people your Son came to redeem.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Guide our seminary professors and students, all missionaries of the Gospel, and everyone walking the path of discipleship. Fill them with your Spirit, so they more perfectly proclaim Christ, and him crucified.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Strengthen our persecuted sisters and brothers in the faith. Fill them with your Spirit, so they more perfectly bear witness to the holiness and love of Jesus.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Bless this congregation. Fill us with your Spirit, so we more perfectly reflect the servant-love of Jesus to one another, and to our neighbors.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Kindle the faith of all who will be baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ at Easter. Fill them with your Spirit, so they more perfectly follow in his footsteps.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Bestow wisdom upon all who have authority and power in our world. Fill them with your Spirit, so they more perfectly accomplish your will for the good of the people entrusted to their care.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Grant courage and integrity to all who risk their lives for the sake of others. Fill them with your Spirit, so they more perfectly establish safety and peace in this troubled world.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We plead on behalf of for everyone who is sick, grieving, estranged, ashamed, addicted, abused, confused, or despairing, especially: {List}. Fill them with your Spirit, so they more perfectly cling to Christ, their life, their health, and their salvation.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father, this day we share a foretaste of your eternal feast, prepared for all whom you have redeemed by the passion, death, and resurrection of your dear Son. Fill us with your Spirit, so that we more perfectly take up our Cross, follow Jesus wherever he leads, and encourage one another along life’s way. Bring us, through the merits of Christ, into your Kingdom, where with him and the Holy Spirit, you reign in the joyous glory of heaven’s endless day.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

For these things, dear Father, and for whatever else is needful, we pray in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

“In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it,
in remembrance of Me.”  For as often as
you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He
comes” (1 Corinthians 11:25-26).

The new
covenant in my blood….  Not like the
old where we strived, but in the new recognizing that all we strive to do will
not overcome the problem of sin.  Only in
Christ and through what He has done are we able to move forward.  Proclaim the Good News until He comes again,
that freedom from the recompense of sin is a gift for those who accept Christ
as Lord.

I do not fully understand, yet in a small way I do.  All the striving in the world merely repeats
the same process.  You have come to show
that apart from You it is impossible, but that with You all things are
possible.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way of
truth that I may now and always abide in the truth You have revealed and
partake of the grace made possible through Your shed blood.

Lord Jesus,
You have done what needed to be done. 
You have come that all who turn to You may have life.  Guide me in the new life You give that I may
now and always live into the hope You give. 
Lead me in faithfulness that I may see more clearly each day the things
You have done and the things You are doing. 
Through You alone, help me see that You keep on giving that all who
believe may share the Good News of what You have done.  Amen.

“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to
you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;  and when He had given thanks, He broke it and
said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”  (1 Corinthians 11:23-24)

This is My
body….  We can become bogged down in
the argument of whether we are to remember, to believe it is some literalism,
or just do it in remembrance.  Regardless
the way in which Your mind works, if it helps, do whatever you do because the
Lord has commanded it.   Be gracious in
and to all, for it is by grace that you have been saved, knowing that it is
what the Lord is doing that is important.

As I partake of the gift You have given Lord, help me to
have a heart that is thankful.  Guide me
according to Your purpose that I may now and always live knowing that I am in
Your presence.  Feed me as You alone can
feed me and keep me from insisting that the way I think is the only plausible
way.  Your thoughts are above my thoughts
and Your ways are above my ways.  Lead me
knowing this truth.

Lord Jesus,
before You went to the cross, You gave gifts to the faithful.  Unite me with the saints of all times and
places that I may humbly abide in Your presence according to Your Word.  Feed me the bread of heaven and enliven my
spirit with the knowledge of Your presence that I may now and always rejoice in
Your atonement and resurrection.  Lead me
as You know I need to be led that I may live into the life to which You have
called me.  Amen.

“For there must also be factions among you, so that those
who are approved may become evident among you. 
Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s
Supper,  for in your eating each one
takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk.  What! Do you not have houses in which to eat
and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have
nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise
you” (1 Corinthians 11:19-21).

The specific
circumstances may vary, but the principle remains.  There are those who come to the Lord’s house
for reasons other than worshiping the Lord. 
It ought not be this way, but sadly it is.  The question then is for you.  What then ought you to do?  As far as you are concerned, go to the Lord’s
house for His word and sacrament and live in harmony with the Lord, for it is
He alone whom you are to please.

Lord, help me at all times to remember that it is You alone
whom I serve.  In all that I do, may my
heart be inclined to You.  Guide me that
I may always keep focus knowing that You are the One who is beside and before
me.  Help me understand better that it is
You whom I serve and that You alone are the One who is to be pleased.  May my service be undistracted as I gather
with others to worship You.

Lord Jesus,
You were constantly distracted by those who pressed in around You.  Help me Lord see that in You alone is the
hope for us all.  By Your example, guide
me to live according to Your Word and do what is pleasing in the Father’s
sight.  Through all things, may I be
found faithful to Your calling and following Your example of being humble,
patient, and attentive.  Amen.

“But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you,
because you come together not for the better but for the worse.  For, in the first place, when you come
together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I
believe it” (1 Corinthians 11:17-18).

Many folk
gather together for their own reasons. 
We are called together by the One Lord for one reason and that is to
praise and worship the One God.  Sadly,
the instructions of Paul get lost and folk do what they have always done and
divisions arise.  Live into the unity the
Lord desires.  Come into His presence and
worship Him.  If your fellowship is not
this way, then live as if it were.

Lord, help me to get it right and grant that Your Holy
Spirit will do the rest.  Help me to live
my life in a simple manner as if I were the one to be the example in the midst
of those where I find myself.  Rather
than seeking for control, help me to be a catalyst.  Guide me Lord in the way You would have me go
and let my life be one that praises and thanks You in all circumstances and in
all places.

Lord Jesus,
You have come and told us that the objective is to make us one even as You and
the Father are One.  Help me to live
giving myself up as You gave Yourself up for the sake of the Father.  Lead me in the way You know I need to go that
I would surrender my will and live for what You have already declared.  By Your grace alone, help me to do what You
would have me do.  Amen.

“But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her
hair is given to her for a covering.  But
if one is inclined to be contentious, we have no other practice, nor have the
churches of God” (1 Corinthians 11:15-16).

If one is
inclined to be contentious . . . we live in a time where there are so many who
are contentious.  Do not foster the
contention, either in yourself or in others. 
We can find controversy, but leave such things behind.  Knowing what is good and right, press on
toward the goal of becoming like Christ. 
Do not be led astray by the constant harangues of this world.

Lord Jesus, You were constantly barraged by those who had contrary ideas.  Help me O Lord to not get caught up in such things, but to instead live into the life which has no end.  Guide me in the eternal precepts You have given that I may not be carried away with temporary variances that are offered as another way.  Through all things, keep my mind clear and my purpose straight.

Come Holy
Spirit and lead me in discernment.  Guide
me according to the Father’s purpose to live with who I am, where I am, and the
direction You lead me.  Help me to work
on the simple things of character this day, accepting who I am, that I may grow
into what You are creating me to be. 
Lead me, Spirit, deep within to be consistent and bold in my witness of
the faith You give.  Amen. 

“Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to
God with her head uncovered?  Does not
even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to
him” (1 Corinthians 11:13-14).

There are
cultural institutions that are not against the Lord.  Do nothing to rebel against the culture that
is irrelevant or unnecessary.  Stand firm
in the truth of the Gospel.  Weigh what
is important and follow the Lord’s direction. 
The world is in constant turmoil and we are called to discern what is
important.  Keep the Lord’s law of love
in your heart and live with the Lord first on your mind.

Lord, this world does have crazy ideas.  Some really do not matter in the grand
scheme.  Help me to keep good priorities
and seek for harmony and peace as far as I am concerned.  Within Your created order, guide me to live
into the life for which I was created that I may become more like Christ each
day.  Lead me, O Lord, and I will follow
You through the morass of this age.

Lord Jesus,
You know what it is like in this world. 
So many people with so many different ideas about how things ought to be.  Lead me this day, O Lord, to live into the
life to which You have called me.  Guide
me according to Your precepts to not be confused by the offerings of this world
and help me to grow in Your likeness. 
Through all things, help me see the good order of creation and live
within that order.  Amen.

“However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man,
nor is man independent of woman.  For as
the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the
woman; and all things originate from God” (1 Corinthians 11:11-12).

We come to
the place of understanding the reasoning of Paul.  There are distinctions and we ought not
ignore them, yet recognize that all good things come from God who established
His order.  Live in harmony with the
things of God and do not follow the world which continues its rebellion against
the Lord and His established order.  We
are created in relationship and for relationship.

Lord, I am often tugged by this world which is constantly
hammering against Your established order. 
Help me, I pray, to see through the fog of this age to know that what
You have established is right and good. 
Let me be sensitive in those places where there has been abuse, but also
firm in those places where Your created order is being questioned that in life
I may live into Your order always.

Lead me,
Lord Jesus, for You know how humanity thwarts the Father’s will by manmade laws
and customs.  Help me to be both gracious
and firm in living into the life for which You have created me and called me.  Guide me by Your example to confront evil,
love my neighbor and live in harmony with all that You have commanded.  Guide me in the way of everlasting life.  Amen.

Prayers of the Church, Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion (April 5, 2020)

Let us pray for the Church, the world, and all people according to their need.

A brief silence

Lord Jesus, by your Cross and precious Blood you have redeemed the whole world and drawn all people to yourself. We praise and adore you for your great sacrifice and love. We beseech you to bestow these holy gifts to all whom we lift before you now in prayer.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, by your Cross and precious Blood, save and redeem your Church. Through its ministry of Word, Sacrament, fellowship and service, draw all people to yourself.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, by your Cross and precious Blood, save and redeem those who suffer for the sake of your name, and those who risk danger to proclaim the Gospel to those who do not know you. By their faithful witness, draw all people to yourself.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, by your Cross and precious Blood, save and redeem all who seek to walk the hard path of discipleship. Through their willingness to take up their cross and follow you, draw all people to yourself.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, by your Cross and precious Blood, save and redeem this congregation, especially those seeking baptism. Through our faith toward you, and fervent love for one another, draw all people to yourself.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, by your Cross and precious Blood, save and redeem our children, especially those enduring illness, poverty, abuse or violence. Through their innocent praise of your goodness, draw all people to yourself.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, by your Cross and precious Blood, save and redeem the people in every land and nation. By the guidance of the Holy Spirit, establish your peace in every place; and draw all people to yourself.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, by your Cross and precious Blood, save and redeem those who stand in harm’s way on our behalf. By their labors, establish places of safety and calm; and there draw all people to yourself.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, by your Cross and precious Blood, save and redeem all who walk through the dark valleys of suffering, sorrow, and death. Use the witness of their faithful waiting, and their blessed healing, to draw all people to yourself.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, by your Cross and precious Blood, you have saved and redeemed those who have died trusting your promises. Now keep us steadfast in faith, patient in suffering, generous in service, and loving in fellowship, until you have drawn all people to yourself; and have bestowed upon all the redeemed the fullness of your forgiveness, blessing, and eternal life.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Hear and graciously answer our prayers, O blessed Savior, according to the mercy and favor you have for your people. Amen.

Prayers of the Church, 5^th Sunday in Lent (March 29, 2020)

Let us lift our hearts and voices to the Lord in prayer, that he would be merciful to his people.

A brief silence

Blessed Lord, we live in a valley of deathly shadows. Thank you for Jesus, who calls us by name from our tombs. Help us to firmly believe that his is our Resurrection and our Life.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Send your Holy Spirit to breathe new life into your Church. Raise it up to be the living body of your dear Son in the world. Purify and bless it, so that through Word and Sacrament, and by deeds of mercy and forgiveness, it may share your life and grace with all who are held captive to sin, evil and death.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Breathe your Holy Spirit upon your persecuted servants throughout the world. Revive their faith and knit them into an undying fellowship with Jesus and with one another. By their courageous witness and their patient suffering, glorify your Name and turn many hearts to repentant faith.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Breathe your creative Spirit into all missionaries of the Gospel, and into everyone joins Jesus on his mission. By their faithful preaching and acts of charity, grant life and salvation to those who walk in the valley of the shadow of death.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Breathe your gracious Spirit into this congregation, so that our worship, words, deliberations and deeds abound with the fruits of that Spirit. Fill us with the life of Jesus, and give us the will and the strength to share his life with everyone we meet.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Breathe your life-giving Spirit upon all to whom death draws near. Grant them serenity, faith, and reconciliation with you and their loved ones. Especially we plead on behalf of those who die alone, abandoned, unloved or unnoticed. Bless them with the mercy and grace promised by your Son to any who will receive him. And give a double portion of your Spirit to hospice workers and to all who care for the dying.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Breathe your Holy Spirit into all who lead the nations, especially our own. Fill them with wisdom and understanding; counsel and might; knowledge and fear of you, their Lord; and joy in doing your will. Help them work for the welfare of their people. Breathe your gracious Spirit into every heart, so that hatred, violence, cruelty and war ceases throughout the world.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Breathe your Spirit into all who risk their lives to defend liberty and protect others. Keep them faithful, true and bold. Shield and direct them in perilous situations; raise and heal them when they fall; and deliver them into a place of safety when their task has ended.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Breathe your Spirit of life and grace into all who all who are afflicted by sickness, sorrow or adversity – especially: {List}. As Jesus raised up Lazarus from death, we beseech you, raise up these dear ones from the power of sin, evil and death; and restore them to their loved ones.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Most holy and gracious Father, we thank you that you have called your faithful servants by name, out of death and into life in Christ. Breathe your Holy and life-giving Spirit into us, for we are still troubled by the powers of death, sin, and the devil. Give us the grace to comfort one another in times of sorrow, and to encourage and help each other along life’s road. Grant us faith to confess your Son as the Resurrection and the Life, the Christ, the One who has come into the world to bring eternal life to everyone who believes in him.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

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