Here is a prayer of intercession for September 4, 2011 (Proper 18A). I’ve based it on three of the suggested scripture passages for that day: Exodus 12:1-14, Romans 13:8-14, and Matthew 18:15-20.
You are welcome to revise and adapt this prayer to meet your needs.
Prayer of Intercession
(based on Ex. 12:1-14, Rom. 13:8-14, Matt. 18:15-20)
God,
just as You rescued the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt,
setting them free to worship and serve You,
so You have also rescued us,
setting us free from slavery to sin and selfishness,
and inviting us into relationship with You and one another.
We praise You for the love and mercy You have shown toward us.
You call us to love and serve You
by loving and serving our brothers and sisters, near and far;
to put their needs and interests ahead of our own,
and so to fulfill Your law of love.
And so we offer our prayers for the world You created,
In Your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who do not have what they need in order to survive;
those without enough food and water,
medical care, shelter, or security.
Open our hearts to see the needs in our world,
and to respond with Your love.
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who are living with serious illness or injury,
who face each day with uncertainty or pain,
who find themselves wondering what the future holds.
Open our hearts to see the needs of those around us,
and to respond with Your love.
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
On this Labour Day weekend,
we remember those who have no work,
who are struggling to provide for their families,
and who despair of ever finding employment again.
Open our hearts to see the needs of the unemployed,
and to respond with Your love.
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
We also pray for Your church, the Body of Christ on earth.
We pray that we would be a living example of Your love in our world,
treating one another with compassion and respect,
settling differences with love and integrity,
bound together by our common allegiance to You.
Open our hearts to see one another,
and to respond with Your love.
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
We praise You for the way of love modeled for us by Jesus Christ.
Open our hearts and lives to your ongoing presence among us,
so that we would grow in faithfulness and love,
For more worship resources related to this text, or other texts for September 4, 2011 (the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost), click on Proper 18A in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.
