Prayer for Others: In Gratitude to You, O Lord

Here’s a prayer of intercession and thanksgiving from the Christian Brothers of the Midwest.

Prayer of Intercession:
In Gratitude to You, O Lord

God of the living,
with all Your creatures great and small
we sing Your bounty and Your goodness,
for in the harvest of land and ocean,
in the cycles of the seasons,
and the wonders of each creature,
You reveal Your generosity.
Teach us the gratitude that dispels envy,
that we may honor each gift as You cherish Your creation,
and praise You in all times and places.
That this day may be holy, good and joyful:
we pray in gratitude to You, O Lord.
That we may offer to You our worship and praise along
with the work of our hands, minds and hearts:
we pray in gratitude to You, O Lord.
That we may strive for the well-being of all creation:
we pray in gratitude to You, O Lord.
That in the pleasures and pains of life,
we may know the love of Christ and be thankful:
we pray in gratitude to You, O Lord.
That we may be bound together by Your Holy Spirit,
in communion with all Your holy ones,
entrusting one another and all our life to Christ:
we pray in gratitude to You, O Lord.
That we may always and everywhere give thanks to You, O God,
for all of our blessings and giftedness:
we pray in gratitude to You, O Lord.

~ posted on the website of the Christian Brothers of the Midwest.
www.cbmidwest.org/

Prayer: We Are Most Grateful

Here is a prayer of thanksgiving from Bruce Prewer’s Australian Prayers.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
God, our Father in Christ, it is good to be alive,
to share life with each other in your wonderful creation:
We are most grateful, and we thank you, Lord.

You have given us the opportunity to see the fruits of the harvest,
to watch trees in the wind, to inhale the fragrance of the seasons,
and to feel the warmth of the air:
We are most grateful, and we thank you, Lord.

God, it is good to rest in the evening, and to rise in the morning,
to walk upon this good earth, to hear your whisper in many places,
and to sing your praise with many friends:
We are most grateful, and we thank you, Lord.

Lord, like a generous friend you share the whole world with us,
and you fill our cup to overflowing with the wine of gladness:
We are most grateful, and we thank you, Lord.

We want to sing, dance, and pray,
in gratitude for every good thing in your creation!
Especially we want to embrace and express your Spirit;
the Spirit that filled our Lord Jesus to overflowing,
the Spirit of mercy, forgiveness, courage, and new life;
the Spirit of love, laughter and peace:
We are most grateful, and we thank you, Lord.

For your presence with us, around us, beneath us,
within us, behind us, and in front of us:
we, your children, are most grateful,
and we thank you, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

~ written by Bruce Prewer (Australian Prayers), alt. Posted on David Beswick’s Beswick.info website.
http://www.beswick.info/rclresources/HThg95L3COS.htm

A Prayer at an Empty Chair

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving that acknowledges the pain some carry during the holidays.  It comes from A Concord Pastor Comments.

He writes: “For those who are grieving the loss of a loved one, Thanksgiving and "the holidays" can be a particularly difficult time. Prayer can offer us a path through these days and opportunities for healing....”

A Prayer at an Empty Chair

Dear God,
there’s an empty chair at our table, 
an ache in our hearts 
and tears upon our faces...  

We try to shield one another from our grief
but we cannot hide it from you...

We pray for...(name your loved one) 
whose presence we miss in these homecoming days...

Open our eyes and our hearts to the healing, the warmth
and the peace of your presence...

Assure us that those we miss 
have a home in your heart as well as in ours
and a place at your table forever...

Open our hearts to joyful memories of the love we shared
with those who have gone before us...

Help us tell the stories that bring us close to one another
and to the ones we miss so much...

Teach us to lean on you and on each other 
for the strength we need
to walk through difficult times...

Give us quiet moments with you, with our thoughts,
with our memories and our prayers...

And in the stillness of the quiet,
give us your consolation and your peace...

Be with us and hold us in your arms
as you hold the ones we miss...

This is the day you have made, O Lord: 
help us rejoice and be glad in the peace you’ve promised
and share with those who’ve gone before us...

Amen.

~ written by Concord Pastor, and posted on A Concord Pastor Comments. http://concordpastor.blogspot.ca/2012/11/praying-10-minutes-day-thanksgiving-2012.html

Prayer: A General Thanksgiving

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving from the Book of Common Prayer/Book of Divine Worship. 

Thanksgiving Prayer

Accept, O Lord, 
our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. 
We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation,
for the beauty of this world, 
for the wonder of life,
and for the mystery of love.
We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, 
and for the loving care 
which surrounds us on every side.
We thank you for setting us at tasks 
which demand our best efforts, 
and for leading us to accomplishments
which satisfy and delight us.
We thank you also
for those disappointments and failures
that lead us to acknowledge 
our dependence on you alone.
Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; 
for the truth of his Word 
and the example of his life; 
for his steadfast obedience, 
by which he overcame temptation; 
for his dying, 
through which he overcame death;
and for his rising to life again, 
in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.
Grant us the gift of your Spirit, 
that we may know him and make him known; 
and through him, at all times and in all places,
may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.

~ from the Book of Common Prayer/Book of Divine Worship.  Posted on ChurchYear.net  http://www.churchyear.net/thanks.html

Prayer of Thanksgiving: God of All Blessings

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving adapted from a prayer by Vienna Cobb Anderson.

Thanksgiving Prayer

God of all blessings,
source of all life,
giver of all grace:

We thank you for the gift of life:
for the breath
that sustains life,
for the food of this earth
that nurtures life,
for the love of family and friends
without which there would be no life.

We thank you for the mystery of creation:
for the beauty
that the eye can see,
for the joy
that the ear may hear,
for the unknown
that we cannot behold filling the universe with wonder,
for the expanse of space
that draws us beyond the definitions of our selves.

We thank you for setting us in communities:
for families
who nurture our becoming,
for friends
who love us by choice,
for companions at work,
who share our burdens and daily tasks,
for strangers
who welcome us into their midst,
for people from other lands
who call us to grow in understanding,
for children
who lighten our moments with delight,
for the unborn,
who offer us hope for the future.

We thank you for this day:
for life
and one more day to love,
for opportunity
and one more day to work for justice and peace,
for neighbors
and one more person to love
and by whom be loved,
for your grace
and one more experience of your presence,
for your promise:
to be with us,
to be our God,
and to give salvation.

For these, and all blessings,
we give you thanks, eternal, loving God,
through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

~ adapted from "Prayers of Our Hearts" © 1991 Vienna Cobb Anderson. Posted on BeliefNet.com
http://www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Christian/Gratitude/Prayer-Of-Thanksgiving.aspx

Prayer for Others: Harvest Thanksgiving

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving and intercession for a harvest celebration.  I can’t remember where I found it.  If you know who wrote it, please let me know so that I can credit them properly.

Prayer of the Church – Harvest Thanksgiving

Our heavenly Father cares for us and knows our need.
In our prayer, let us cast our cares on him in the name of Jesus.

Merciful Father,
you have protected the fruits of the earth
and crowned the year with your blessing.
We give you thanks for physical health,
for the use of our senses,
and for our intellect and thought.
Make us good stewards of our abilities
that we may bring glory to your name every day. 
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer

We give you thanks Almighty God
for supplying us with water.
Help us to care for and manage our water resources wisely. 
Have mercy on those who are suffering drought,
and supply clean water to all who need it.
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer

We give you thanks, gracious Father,
for all the good things the earth produces. 
By your provision we are clothed and fed and lack no good thing. 
Care for those who live in want
and teach us to be generous with the gifts you have first given us.
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer

We give you thanks, Lord God,
for the opportunity to work, learn and rest.
Help us to serve you and others faithfully in our vocation;
and provide work for the unemployed.
Bless all places of learning and students.
Help them to learn what is good, true and beautiful,
to distinguish between right and wrong,
and to contribute to the needs of our society.
Give them strength and growth for the challenges ahead.
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer

Heavenly Father,
we give you thanks for works of beauty of every kind. 
By such things you have enriched and added joy to our lives. 
Bless and encourage all that is good and uplifting
in our arts, music and culture.
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer

Almighty God,
we thank you for the financial gifts you have blessed us with. 
Teach us to use these gifts in ways that are pleasing to you. 
Warn and correct us when we falsely put our hope in worldly wealth. 
Grant our church the necessary funds
to carry out its work of ministry and mission.   
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer

Dear Father,
we thank you for the gift of parents and children,
family and friends. 
Let the light of your love shine in our homes. 
Help us to overcome strife and conflict
with your patience and forgiveness. 
Help parents in the task of raising children. 
Comfort the lonely, and bring them into good company.  
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer

We thank you Lord God for the blessings of a free and peaceful society. 
Help those in government and positions of responsibility
to maintain honesty and truth, justice and peace. 
Encourage all our citizens to lead good lives and strive for the common good. 
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer

Lord God, unless you care for us and give us what we need,
all our work is in vain.
Keep our hearts and minds set firmly on your word,
so that we may always trust in you,
and be generous with the gifts you have given us.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.

Amen.

~ Source unknown. If you know who wrote this prayer, let me know so that I can credit them.

Thanksgiving Prayer

Here’s a thanksgiving prayer written by O. Eugene Pickett.

Thanksgiving Prayer

For the expanding grandeur of Creation,
worlds known and unknown,
galaxies beyond galaxies,
filling us with awe and challenging our imaginations:
We give thanks this day.

For this fragile planet earth,
its times and tides, its sunsets and seasons:
We give thanks this day.

For the joy of human life,
its wonders and surprises, its hopes and achievements:
We give thanks this day.

For our human community,
our common past and future hope,
our oneness transcending all separation,
our capacity to work for peace and justice
in the midst of hostility and oppression:
We give thanks this day.

For high hopes and noble causes,
for faith without fanaticism,
for understanding of views not shared:
We give thanks this day.

For all who have labored and suffered for a fairer world,
who have lived so that others might live in dignity and freedom:
We give thanks this day

For human liberty and sacred rites;
for opportunities to change and grow, to affirm and choose:
We give thanks this day.

We pray that we may live not by our fears but by our hopes,
not by our words but by our deeds. 
We give thanks this day.

~ O. Eugene Pickett. Posted on Xavier University’s JesuitResource.org website. http://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/Thanksgiving-Prayers.cfm

Thanksgiving Litany

Here’s a litany of thanksgiving from Bruce Gillette and Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. It was posted on the Center for Christian Ethics website.

Litany of Thanksgiving

O God, we thank you this day for Christians
who seek to live out their faith in their everyday lives.

We know that we cannot earn your love,
but we can respond to your love.
You call us to live holy lives
out of gratitude for all that you have done for us.

We thank you for people who find joy in the midst of trials and difficulties:
for the hospital patient who gives hope and inspiration to the visitor,
for the homeless person who teaches the social worker the meaning of faith,
for the family that prays together in the face of death.

We thank you for those who endure temptation:
for the young person who says “no” to a friend who wants to shoplift,
for the office worker who refuses to join in negative conversation,
for the company executive who puts justice before profits.

We thank you for those who are ever-generous in giving to others:
for the child who puts her allowance in the church’s mission offering,
for the young adult at a first job who dares to tithe his new income,
for the neighbor who gets up at four in the morning
to shovel his elderly neighbor’s sidewalk.

We thank you for those who are quick to listen,
slow to speak, slow to anger:
for couples who listen to each other in love,
for people who count to ten before speaking their minds
and then speak gently,
for people who remain calm and loving when others’ tempers flare.

We thank you for people who live out their faith by caring for orphans,
widows and others in need:
for foster parents and adoptive parents,
for those who seek to work for peace and justice
so that fewer people will be orphaned and widowed,
for those who share a cup of coffee with a lonely neighbor,
for those who visit in nursing homes.

We thank you for people who are doers of the word and not hearers only.
O God, may we be counted among them.
Help us to hear your word and to find joy in doing what you call us to do.

May we live our lives in thankful obedience. Amen.

~ from a worship service written by Bruce Gillette and Carolyn Winfrey Gillette for the Center for Christian Ethics.  Posted on http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/174967.pdf

Opening Prayer: Source of Every Blessing

Here’s an opening invocation inspired by the 18th century hymn, Come, Thou Fount of Ev’ry Blessing.  The prayer was written by Bruce Prewer.
           
Prayer: Tune Our Lips

Come to us, God, source of every blessing,
and tune our lips to sing your praise.

Not because we have to but because we sincerely want to,
not because we are afraid, but because we are full of gratitude.

Come to us, God, source of every blessing,
and tune our lips to sing your praise.

Not so that we might gain some advantage over other people,
not so that we might try and buy our way into heavenly favours.

Not because you need our praise to keep your happy,
not because our songs are sweeter than any other sinners.

Come to us, God, source of every blessing,
and tune our lips to sing your praise.

Not in order that we may prove more righteous than our neighbours,
not in order to make our church appear more worthy than any other.

Not because our words will impress you by their wisdom,
not because we might be damned if we fail to get it right:

Come to us, God, source of every blessing,
and tune our lips to sing your praise.

Come to us, God, source of every blessing
and tune our whole lives to sing your praise!
Amen!

~ written by Bruce Prewer, and posted on Bruce Prewer’s Prayers for Sojourners page. http://www.bruceprewer.com/b_sojournes.htm

Prayer for Grace: Malachi 3: 1-4

Here’s a prayer of confession and words of assurance inspired by Malachi 3: 1-4.  It was written by Rev. Gord.

Prayer For, and Assurance of Grace
(inspired by Malachi 3: 1-4)

God of Grace,
you blow the breath of life into our lungs,
you have formed us in your image.
And yet we acknowledge that sometimes
we are not who you would have us be. 
You challenge us to embrace the refining fire of your love,
to meet you on the threshing floor of life, to be washed as with fuller's soap.
But in our heart of hearts
we would rather keep those things
that would be removed in such an encounter. 
Through your Grace, life-giving God, accept us as we are,
Unrefined, unwashed, the chaff mixed in with the grain. 
And help us to move into a new way of being 

...time of silence...

Listen! For this is Good News!
God's Grace is wider than our wildest imaginings.
God's Grace embraces us as we are and where we are
and draws us out to be the people we were created to be.
Thanks be to God! Amen.

~ posted by Rev Gord on his blog, Worship Offerings. http://worshipofferings.blogspot.ca/

Advent Prayer: Joyful Expectation

Here’s a prayer for Advent from Christine Sine, and the GodSpace website.

Advent Prayer
The coming of our Lord is near,
And we wait in joyful expectation,
Draw close, Lord Jesus Christ,
Shed your light on all that is filled with darkness.
The coming of our Lord is near,
And we wait with hope filled hearts,
Draw close, God’s beloved son,
Teach us the wonder of your all embracing love.

Advent: Heaven's Coming Down

Here’s a beautiful song text for Advent from songwriter Sean Hall, on the album February Birds.

Heaven's Coming Down
Sean Hall

Jesus speaks the voice of justice
Our universe resounds
He cries for mercy
For the helpless

Can you hear the sound?

Heaven's song of liberation
In the heart resounds
A song of freedom
For the captive

Can you hear the sound?

Heaven's coming down
Let’s raise our voices loud and clear
And join him in his song
Heaven's coming down

This is the melody of God
When justice and freedom rise
Heaven's coming down

Can you hear the sound?

 As we love our neighbors well
The song will carry on
Acts of beauty
Hands of mercy
We will live the song

Heaven's coming down

~ Sean Hall, on the album February Birds. 
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/FebruaryBirds

Advent Prayer: Between Hope and Fulfillment

Here’s an Advent prayer adapted from weekly Advent reflections by Mark Pierson.  It was posted on Facebook.

Advent Prayer

God in this season
suspended between hope and fulfillment,
let we never forget what you have done.
May we be overwhelmed by your mercy,
which flows in wave after wave.
May we be honest about the darkness within us,
and perceptive of the light around us.
May we make straight the path for the Lord,
that together we may see God’s glory revealed.

~ adapted from weekly Advent reflections by Mark Pierson. http://adventinart.org/)

Call to Worship: Good News

Here’s a responsive call to worship inspired by Isaiah 61:1-3 / Luke 4:18.  It was written by Joanna Harader.

Call to Worship
(inspired by Isaiah 61: 1-3, Luke 4:18)

You who are poor, why have you come?
To hear good news.
You who are brokenhearted, why have you come?
To heal our hearts.
You who are captive, why have you come?
To hear words of freedom.
You who are prisoners, why have you come?
To be released from what binds us.
You who mourn, why have you come?
To receive comfort.
Then you are welcome here in this place,
at this table, where Jesus offers blessing for all.
Amen

~ written by Joanna Harader, and posted on Spacious Faith. http://spaciousfaith.com/

Confession: Broken People

Here’s a prayer of confession and words of assurance inspired by Jeremiah 18:1-11 and Isaiah 64:8, where God is portrayed as a potter. It was written by Rev. Mindi.

Prayer of Brokenness/Confession

Creator God,
You created the earth, whole and round;
You created us to be whole people.
But we have become fragmented, cracked and broken.
We have been broken by false promises,
lost relationships, shattered trust.
We have become cracked with the experience of systemic sin:
prejudice, oppression and fear.
We have become fragmented,
building up walls instead of lending hands.
Forgive us when we have done the breaking,
heal us where we have been hurt.
Let Your light shine through our cracks and scars
so that we might bring light to the world,
showing that in You we are made whole.
In You we find healing.
In You we find renewed life.
Help us to forgive, to love, to mend. Amen.

Blessing/Assurance of Pardon

God is the Potter, we are the Clay.
When we are cracked and broken,
God helps to bring us back together.
Sometimes we don’t feel the same afterwards,
but God uses every piece,
and offers us the newness of life to begin again. Amen.

~ written by Rev. Mindi, and posted on Rev-o-lution.  http://rev-o-lution.org/

Advent Litany: Upside Down Victory

Here’s a litany (or even call to worship) for Advent from Katherine Hawker’s Liturgies Outside website.

Advent Litany
(incorporating Zephaniah 3: 17-18, Jeremiah 33: 15, Baruch 5: 7, Malachi 5: 4-5)

The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
as on a day of festival. (Zephaniah 3:17-18)

Yet ours is an upside down victory.

In those days and at that time
I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David;  
and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. (Jeremiah 33:15)

Ours is a story of power in humility.

For God has ordered that every high mountain
and the everlasting hills be made low
and the valleys filled up,to make level ground,
so that Israel may walk safely in the glory of God. (Baruch 5:7)

Ours is a story of strength in vulnerability.

And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they shall live secure,
for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace. (Micah 5:4-5)

Ours is a story of a baby deemed king,
of a carpenter's son praying alone,
of a Roman execution.

The Lord, our God, is in our midst.
May we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
Amen.

~ written by Katherine Hawker. Posted on Liturgies Outside. http://liturgyoutside.net/