Pastoral Prayer: Mark 8: 31-38

Here’s a pastoral prayer inspired by Mark 8:31-38, the gospel reading for the second Sunday of Lent, Year B (March 4, 2012).  It comes from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

Pastoral Prayer for Lent 2 B
(inspired by Mark 8:31-38)

God of compassion, the way of the cross is as much a mystery to us as it was to the immediate followers of Jesus. But we have heard how your grace is exercised in the journey of suffering and rejection experienced by Jesus. Help us to hear with ears inspired, to see with eyes opened to your ways, and to respond with lives committed to your service.

God of our Lenten journey, we watch and walk with Jesus.

We repent O God. We cannot name our own cross even though we try. You must show us the cross you give us. Help us see. Give us the faith to respond and follow Jesus. We have heard that it is in losing our life for the sake of Gospel of Jesus that we find our life.

God of our Lenten journey, we watch and walk with Jesus.

— from The Prayers of Our Church, written by Bishop Telmor Sartison.  Posted on the Worship website of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. 

For more worship resources for March 4, 2012 (the second Sunday of Lent), click on Lent 2 B in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page. For more prayer resources on this blog, see the Scriptural Index of Prayers at the upper right side of the page.