Here’s a prayer of intercession for the third Sunday after Epiphany (January 22, 2012). It comes from the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website.
Prayer of Intercession
for Epiphany 3B
God of mercy and grace, you created order out of chaos; for humankind needs order to live and grow. Yet so many people have been exploited and tyrannised, governed by injustice and violence. The wealth from corruption and evil goes hand in hand with the poverty of goodness and healing. All fall far short of your standards of caring, mercy and compassion.
God of mercy and grace, you designed the world to be our home, a place in which to live and to learn, of challenge and opportunity. We are distressed by the world’s suffering peoples; by illness, disease and deformities; by disasters and accidents; by hunger and thirst and homelessness; by death and bereavement. We find the way hard for others as much as ourselves. But we trust in your plan of redemption.
God of mercy and grace, you created the family of humankind to love and serve one another, to love and serve you. We have ignored your voice and lived in selfishness and greed. The world is full of longing, to find a way out of its confusion, to discover true and lasting peace, to return to the roots of its being in your mighty power. Many are those who hunger for food and love; who endure prejudice and intolerance; who suffer from warfare and violence; many are the children who are neglected and abused. All these are part of the darkness that tries to quench the light of the human spirit kindled by you.
God of mercy and grace, you have chosen to call people to build your Church and to express their faith through its life and worship. We often hold the church back from showing your love to the world, by making it exclusive and daunting; by loading people down with heavy guilt; by being too inward looking; by being dogmatic and narrow‐minded. We put our faith in outward religiosity and over‐look the inner light of faith and commitment to Jesus Christ, who gave himself and suffered for our sake.
God of mercy and grace, we thank you that the life we now live in Christ is part of the life which is eternal, and the fellowship which we have with him unites us with the whole Church on earth and in heaven. We pray that as we journey through the years we may know joys which are without end, and at the last come to that abiding city where you reign for evermore.
— written by Rev Kenneth Walker, retired of Athelstaneford with Whitekirk and Tyninghame. It was posted on the Chuch of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website.
For more worship resources for the third Sunday after Epiphany (January 22, 2012), click on Epiphany 3 B in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.
For more prayer resources on this blog, see the Scriptural Prayer Index at the upper right.
