Tuesday 5 December 2017

Prayers from West Cumbria

We in Churches Together in Seascale and District held our evening of prayer on Thursday 23 November at St Joseph's RC Church in Seascale.  Below are the prayers we used which were gathered from Gosforth CofE Primary School and our member churches.

 

Prayers – First Section

Prayers from the children of Gosforth School

Dear Lord, I pray for all the people in poverty. Please give them food, warmth and shelter.

Dear Lord, please bless all the struggling people in the world and help them with their life.

Dear Lord, today I pray for all the men and women or children who don’t have anywhere to go, no money and one pair of clothes and no food. Please can we pray to comfort them.

Dear Lord, I pray that all the people suffering poverty all have someone that makes them feel happy and safe.

Dear Lord, I pray for the people that are poor and hope for them to get money.

Dear Lord, please help the people in need of food, houses and care.

Dear Lord, please look after the poor and the people who can’t afford to eat and the poor countries who don’t have what we have.

Dear Lord, today I pray for all the kinds of people that are in poverty, please help them to survive.

Dear Lord, we pray that people that don’t have any food, that you urge them to the food bank.

Dear Lord, I pray that poverty will not exist in the coming years.

Dear Lord, help the people in poverty and help by giving them food so they don’t starve tonight.

Dear Lord, we pray for all the people who can’t put food on a table.

Dear Lord, please help all the people who are either homeless, cold or starving.

 

Prayers from our three churches

God of Justice, open our eyes to see you in the faces of those in poverty. Open our ears to hear you in the cries of those exploited. Open our mouths to defend you in the public squares as well as in private deeds. Remind us that what we do to the least ones we do to you.

Lord God, thank you that there is enough food for everyone and for giving us so many blessings. Be with those people who do not have enough food. Sustain them, comfort them and help them find ways to be able to grow or gather enough food for their families to survive. Help us in wealthy countries to find ways to share our food and to find ways to distribute the food to everyone around the world.

Creator God, help us to live sustainably, rejecting consumerism and the exploitation of creation.

Dear God, our Father, look with kindness on all those who today are struggling with addictions of every kind. May those who have lost their homes, or are living on the streets, become aware of your presence and support, and turn to you for help. We thank you for all those wonderful people today who are supporting them and giving them the courage to change their lives, and helping them become aware of You and the support and love that You alone can give. May we, in our turn, take a share of responsibility for them, and willingly give of our time and resources to support the poor and despondent we meet in our lives. Bless us all Lord, so that we give generously of our time, our energy and our love.

Lord God, we pray for all our young people that they may keep safe.

Creator God, loving Father, thank you for providing for all your creatures and for all people. Teach us to love one another with your love and to look after each other, so that we all have a chance to be well fed and clothed, learn good skills for life and have meaningful employment. Remind us to be thankful for all we have and to remember that others around us and in far-away places are struggling to get through life and may not have enough food or anywhere to sleep. Be specially close to all who are distressed, anxious, or even in despair and give them comfort and hope. Help us to pass on the good news of your love and saving power so that others can know that you love and care about them and find faith and purpose in their lives. We ask this in the name of Jesus who loved us so much that he died on the cross to save us and rose again to walk with us as we journey through life.

Heavenly Father, when Jesus your Son left the glories of heaven to share our human life he did not enter the courts of the rich and powerful, but became part of a lowly family and learned a lowly trade. In his ministry he had compassion on the weak and vulnerable and spoke in support of the poor and disadvantaged. May we today share his concerns, show his love and speak for those whose voices are not heard.

Father God, help us to follow the example of your Son Jesus Christ who treated the poor and the marginalised with compassion and respect. Give us the strength to work for a world where equality is not only a hope but a reality.

Lord God, we pray for those who have no choice but to suffer and accept charity. Help them to maintain their dignity.

Dear Lord, we pray for all those in our community who are shackled by poverty. Let the love of Jesus break those chains.

Heavenly Father, give us the grace to follow all your laws and lead good productive lives. With confidence always in your goodness and kindness, keep us always strong in faith and gratitude to you and our heavenly Mother Mary who intercedes for us.

 

A prayer from Christian Aid

Loving God, you make us in your image. Forgive us when we fail to see your image in each other, when we give in to greed and indifference, when we do not question the systems that are life-denying. As we are made in your image, let us live in your image and be Christ-like in service, endurance and love.

 

 

 

 

Prayers – Second Section

Prayers from the children of Gosforth School

Dear Lord, I pray for all the people who suffer the cold and people who don’t have the money for heating.

Dear Lord, help people have food, warmth and somewhere safe tonight.

Dear God, I hope that the people in poverty find the food bank.

Dear Lord, we hope today that all the people have a home and food to eat and warmth.

Dear Lord, please make all the starving children in the world stay safe tonight.

Dear Lord, please help all the people who are in distress and pray that they can find a good home.

Dear Lord, thank you for everything and we pray for all the people who have no food and live in poverty.

Dear Lord, we pray for people who will go home starved and restless and for people who can’t afford homes.

Dear Lord, please help the poor people in poverty, keep them alive and hopefully they have a nice life in the future.

Dear Lord, I pray for all of the people in the world slaving for food.

Dear God, today we pray for people that are in poverty and have nowhere to live, they are starving, please help them.

 

Prayers from our three churches

Lord God, we pray that we grow closer together each passing day and that we can help as many others to do the same so that we can live together better in peace.

Almighty God, Father of all mercy, we give you thanks for all the loving kindness and blessings we have had in our lives, and ask that that You look on all those who today suffer from poverty, injustice and deprivation. We ask you to look with sympathy on all those who are now homeless as a result of violence and intimidation because of their faith in you. May your Holy Spirit bring them comfort and hope in their need. We ask you also to awaken our faith so that walking in your light we may be a beacon of hope, support and love for those in need and bring them into your loving care. Father we ask this through Jesus Christ your Son who lives with You and the Holy Spirit for all eternity.

Lord God, we pray for all families who are ‘just managing’ on their income.

Dear Father, we pray for all the forgotten people who may have no one to pray for them. Please look with mercy upon them.

Lord, we ask you to bless the work of Mary’s meals as it feeds the children and empowers their communities in the poorest places on earth. We ask especially that more and more people become aware of their work, and be willing to support it. We pray too for those who are being fed and helped by the organisation and for all those still unreached.

Dear Loving Father, look with kindness on all people. We ask that your church on earth may continue to offer the world an example of Christian life and love. May Christians throughout the world promote peace and mutual love with people of other faiths and none. We pray for the hungry, the homeless, the sick, the lonely, the bereaved, those who are out of work or facing financial hardship, that You will comfort them in their distress and answer their needs.

Dear Lord, please help us to look after those who are struggling with day-to-day life.

 

A prayer from Tearfund

Lord, you made us to know what hunger is, but also to know the goodness of your provision. We pray for those who share this earth with us, but for whom hunger is a crippling, life-threatening danger. We pray for those who have nothing and those who have too little to eat: would you help them and allow us to be part of the solution?

 

A prayer from Bread for the World

O God, we give thanks for the progress that has been made against hunger in your world. Grant strength and relief to all those who still struggle to get enough to eat. Give courage and wisdom to our country’s leaders so that they might make ending hunger a national priority. And inspire us to fulfil your will that daily bread be a reality for everyone on your earth. We pray in the name of Jesus, who is our Bread of Life.

 


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Friday 3 November 2017

Some Prayers from the Parish of the Risen Lord Preston - November 1st 2017]

We printed out and prayed some of the prayers from the blog and wrote our own on the same themes alongside them

 

Friday 20 October 2017

Intercessions used in Blackburn Cathedral - Sunday October 15th

 

As we meet in prayer, we remember those who are held in changed and pray with the response to:

We are all shackled being

May chains be broken.

Refugees & Asylum Seekers

God beyond borders

We bless you for making us a world of different people and different places;

We bless you for the friendship of strangers

The richness of other cultures and

The painful gift of freedom.

We pray for those who find themselves in strange places;

Those fleeing war and famine;

Hatred and abuse.

Help us to welcome them as you welcome us;

Confront our prejudice and stretch our narrowness.

We are all shackled

May chains be broken.

Human Trafficking & Modern Slavery

Lord of the lost, we pray today for all those who are victims of human trafficking:

people lured from their homes and families;

people deceived while trying to find a better life;

people who are desperate to trust anyone.

Help us to be more vigilant and watchful;

to be aware of those who may need our help,

and those who do not know where help may lie

We are all shackled

May chains be broken.

Debt

Debt drives people to desperation, suicide, isolation, hunger.

Lord, your generosity provides an example for us all;

To be stewards of all we have, spending wisely and avoiding greed.

We bring before you those who are trapped in debt by the greed of others;

Those who find it difficult to control their own spending.

We pray for those whose income is too low to support them;

And those who spending is not wise.

May they find hope and encouragement in those they meet;

May their debts be forgiven

We are all shackled

May chains be broken.

 

 

Food

Lord, you provide for us abundantly; yet people are starving.

Your resources are greater than our needs; yet people still need foodbanks.

We give thanks for the generosity of those who seek to provide for the needs of others.

But let us not be complacent.

Guide us to a better system where their needs are met – and none go hungry.

May those who hunger now find true and lasting refreshment.

We are all shackled

May chains be broken.

Loneliness

 

Trials and tribulations are not restricted to the Urban areas.

Heavenly Father, we pray for those who are fearful of their feelings.

Fearful to seek help, trapped in darkness and devoid of hope.

We pray for those who are gripped by guilt and weighed down by low self-esteem,

Believing their life is a failure.

We pray for those who stand alongside others as carers, companions and loved ones;

Who feel exhausted and lonely.

We are all shackled

May chains be broken.

Illness

 

Heavenly Father, we pray for those who find that illness restricts them.

Those living with chronic pain, those facing terminal illness.

Those whose ability is restricted by their physical health.

We glory in the gift of health and yet face our own limitations.

Help us to see those who need support and give from the gifts you have given us; for

We are all shackled

May their chains be broken.

 

Wednesday 13 September 2017

Prayers to launch the Autumn 2017 season of prayer

To get the Northern Prayerhouse under way we re-post two prayers from last year.

 

Dave Andrews' Reflection -

at Together Lancashire we take this prayer particularly to heart, and repeat it often and loudly!

 

I dream of a world

in which all the resources of the earth

will be shared equally

between all the people of the earth,

so that even the most disadvantaged

will be able to meet their basic needs

with dignity and joy.

 

I dream of a great society of small communities

co-operating to practise

personal, social, economic, cultural and political

integrity and harmony.

 

I dream of vibrant neighbourhoods

where people relate to one another

genuinely as good neighbours.

 

I dream of people developing

networks of friendship

in which the private pain

they carry deep down

is allowed to surface and is shared

in an atmosphere

of mutual acceptance and respect.

 

I dream of people

understanding the difficulties they have in common,

discerning the problems, discovering the solutions

and working together for personal growth and social change

according to the visionary agenda of Jesus of Nazareth.

 

And I dream of every church in every locality          

acting as a catalyst to make this dream come true.

 

 

Compassionate Community Work, Dave Andrews (2006)

 

 

A wonderful prayer written in 1551,

This was probably written by Bishop Hugh Latimer at a time of economic crisis and the enclosure of common land. 

 

It pulls no punches in the way it talks about landlords who exploit the vulnerable"

 

We heartily pray thee to send thy holy spirit into the hearts of them that possess the grounds, pastures, and dwelling-places of the earth, that they, remembering themselves to be thy tenants, may not rack and stretch out the rents of their. houses and lands, nor yet take unreasonable fines and incomes, after the manner of covetous worldlings . . . but so behave themselves in letting out their tenements, lands and pastures, that after this life they may be received into everlasting dwelling places.".. 

 

Maybe we should pray like that today.

 

Wednesday 26 July 2017

Northern Prayer House - Autumn 2017 Season

Once again this autumn Together Lancashire will be promoting and co-ordinating the idea of a Northern Prayerhouse.

We are looking for churches, or groups of churches across the North of England who are willing to organize events, or make use of existing regular prayer meetings or prayer groups.

The commitment we are asking for is:

1. to offer prayers not only for your own local situations and people, but also for at least one other parish, neighbourhood or town that has agreed to participate in the network.

2. to document the prayer needs and requests, and any answers to prayer, from your own church or community and send these to us. You could simply send an email, or photographs, or even a video recording from your event or prayer meeting so that we can post them on this blog, and pass them on to be prayed over by another group in our network.
If you would like to take part we would like to hear from you before September 15th. Just send an email to gillian.beeley@together-lancashire.org.uk and we will get back to you. 

If you wish we can advertise details of your forthcoming events.