Pastoral Prayer for Canada

Here’s a prayer of intercession for Canada from Carol Penner. It was posted on Leading in Worship.

Prayers of the People
for Canada

God of every country,
thank you for this country:
for its beauty…from coast to coast to coast,
for blue oceans on three sides,
for great prairies, vast forest and stretching tundra,
for every rushing river and great lake
for Hudson’s Bay and the islands of the north,
all created by you, giving glory to you.
We are thankful people!

Thank you for all the creatures
with whom we share this country;
the polar bear and the bowhead whale,
the mighty moose and the fox,
the Canada goose and the honey bee,
the Coho salmon and the beaver.

Thank you for Canadian people, rich in cultural diversity,
from First Nations and many nations.
Thank you for cities and towns and all the little villages,
for people living on the land.

Thank you for democratic government,
we pray for wisdom and guidance for Prime Minister Trudeau,
our MP ____________
and our MLA______________,
and our mayor _______________.
From local to national, give our politicians the gift of honesty,
and strength to resist temptation that power brings.
Help them use their gifts as a gift for our country’s good.

Lord, we need help in our country to live in peace.
We need help with our relationship to the land
to the air, to the water, to the creatures,
to all peoples inside our borders and outside our borders.
You have a vision of what peace is,
help us live in that peace and towards that peace.

Help us to be a people of vision,
 and courage, and commitment,
offering your hope and comfort to all we meet.

Be with us this week, especially with those in our congregation
who are sick in mind or body, and those who grieve,
we think especially of ______________________.

Give us strength as a church to live as citizens of your kingdom
as we work for the peace in our country, Canada.
We pray all this in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, Amen.

~ written by Carol Penner and posted on Leading in Worship. http://carolpenner.typepad.com/leadinginworship/