Prayer for Others: God's Provision

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving and intercession inspired by the ways in which God cared for the Israelites while in the wilderness.

Prayer for Others

God,

like the Israelites in the wilderness,

we too have known Your love,

and experienced Your care and provision.

You invite us to extend that love to the world around us—

to care for others as deeply as we care for ourselves.

And so we bring the needs of our world before You now.

In Your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for the many who do not have enough:

  enough food to eat, or shelter to keep warm;

  enough employment, or money to pay their bills;

  enough medicine or medical care.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

We also pray for those who have more than enough,

  but who still struggle to find meaning and purpose in life;

  who indulge in dangerous or self-serving activities

      to dull their pain or loneliness.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

God, Your grace reaches out to all of us.

You call us to live as citizens of heaven,

working together with one heart and mind.

Strengthen us to live in a manner worthy

of the Good News we have received,

offering our lives in service of Your kingdom,

where the last are first, and the first are last,

and there is grace enough for all.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, Amen.

~ Christine Longhurst, re:Worship

Prayers of the People: Open Your Hand

Here’s a prayer of intercession which draws on Psalm 145 and Matthew 14:13-21 (the feeding of the 5000).  Feel free to revise it to suit your context.

Prayer of Intercession

(based on Matthew 14:13-21 and Psalm 145:15-16)

Loving God,

You are our Creator and Sustainer.

When You open Your hand,

You satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.

And so we look to You whenever we are in need,
trusting in Your love and Your abundant goodness.

As You once fed the hungry crowds with five loaves and two small fish,

we ask that You would again fill those who are empty this day.

Pour out Your Spirit on all who hunger and thirst.

We pray for those who are physically hungry—whose stomachs are empty.

We think especially of the people in Somalia and Eastern Africa

who are facing critical food shortages;

    who are suffering the effects of malnutrition and starvation;

        and watching helplessly as loved ones die.

Lord, in Your mercy, open Your hand.

Pour out Your Spirit, so that they may be filled. 

We pray for those who are empty emotionally—

who are lonely and long for companionship and love,

        who are caught in the grip of depression,
            or overwhelmed with grief.

Lord, in Your mercy, open Your hand.

Pour out Your Spirit, so that they may be filled. 

We pray for those who are spiritually empty—

who are troubled, but don’t know where to turn;

    who long for purpose and meaning, but don’t know where to look;
        who need You, but do not yet know You.

Lord, in Your mercy, open Your hand.

Pour out Your Spirit, so that they may be filled. 

God, we praise You for Your abundant gifts in our lives.

Pour out Your Spirit on us as well.

Fill us with Your compassion and love,

so that we would willingly share some of our abundance

with those who have need.

Lord, in Your mercy, open Your hand.

Pour out Your Spirit, so that we may be filled.

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ,

who came so that all of humanity might come to know

the abundant life that comes from You.

Amen.

~ Christine Longhurst, re:Worship

Scriptural Call to Worship

Scriptural Call to Worship

Grace and peace to you from God our Father,

who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing

that comes from heaven: (Eph 1)

who knew you and chose you before the world began; (I Pet 1, Eph 1)

who loves you so much that he calls you his own children; (I Jn 3)

who has brought you from darkness into light

and filled you with his glorious power; (Col 1)

who has prepared an inheritance for you

that will never spoil or fade; (I Pet 1)

who encourages and strengthens you

in every good deed and word; (2 Thess 2)

who comforts you in your troubles

so that you can comfort others. (2 Cor 1)

This is our God,

the ultimate source of all things,

and the One for whom we live. (I Cor 8)

Let’s worship God together!

~ compiled by Christine Longhurst, re:Worship

Prayer: Mark 10: 24-25

Here’s a prayer of confession and dedication from Jan Berry’s collection of prayers, Bread of Tomorrow. It came to mind when working through the gospel reading for Proper 23B:

“But Jesus said to them again,

‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle

than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’” Mark 10:24-25

Prayer of Confession and Dedication:

Spoiled Children

God, You heap your love upon us

like a parent providing for a family’s needs,

embracing a child with tenderness.

Forgive us

when, like spoiled children,

we treat Your generosity as our right,

or hug it possessively to ourselves.

Give us enough trust to live secure in Your love

and to share it freely with others

in open-handed confidence

that Your grace will never run out.  Amen.

~ Copyright © Jan Berry, England, in Bread of Tomorrow: Prayer for the Church Year, ed. Janet Morley (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1992), p. 147. Used by permission.

Call to Worship: Isaiah 12: 3-6

Give thanks to the LORD!

Praise His name!

Tell the whole world what He has done—

His mighty acts on our behalf.

Sing to the LORD,

for He has done wonderful things for us!

Raise your hearts and voices!

shout and sing your praise!

For great is the Holy One who lives among us!

~ Christine Longhurst, re:Worship (from Isaiah 12:3-6)

Prayer: Open Our Eyes!

A prayer of invocation, confession and commitment inspired by Mark 10:51.  It comes from the Baptist Union of Great Britain website.

Prayer of Invocation:  Open Our Eyes!

(inspired by Mark 10:51)

“’Teacher,’ the blind man said, ‘I want to see!” Mark 10:51

Lord God, our Provider.

We worship you as the one who meets our needs,

who grants our daily bread,

who restores our humanity.

We worship you as the God who knows human need from experience,

who knows want, and thirst and humiliation.

And we worship you as your people,

in a world where wealth is mixed with poverty;

where we have all we need, but don’t know how to share.

Where want, and hunger and thirst and humiliation are hidden

from those with the power to offer challenge and bring change.

So, open our eyes.

Not only that we learn sad facts about the world.

But open the eyes of our heart,

that we may feel our place in this world, as your people.

Where there is need,

teach us to learn where our wealth lies, and help us to give.

Where there is injustice,

teach us to learn the causes, and help us to fight.

Where there is brokenness,

teach us to learn of our own brokenness, and help us to bring wholeness.

Help us to look to you,

that we neither remain ignorant of the world,

nor lose ourselves in despair at its brokenness.

Show us how to worship you,

the crucified God,

the risen God,

the God who provides.

Help us to carry our cross,

to accept your gift of new life,

to bring that gift to others.

~ from the Baptist Union of Great Britain website. http://www.baptist.org.uk/

Call to Worship for Thanksgiving

Grace and peace to you from God our Father,

who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing

that comes from heaven: (Eph 1)

who knew you and chose you before the world began; (I Pet 1, Eph 1)

who loves you so much that he calls you his own children; (I Jn 3)

who has brought you from darkness into light

and filled you with his glorious power; (Col 1)

who has prepared an inheritance for you

that will never spoil or fade; (I Pet 1)

who encourages and strengthens you

in every good deed and word; (2 Thess 2)

who comforts you in your troubles

so that you can comfort others. (2 Cor 1)

This is our God,

the ultimate source of all things,

and the One for whom we live. (I Cor 8)

Let’s worship God together!

~ Christine Longhurst

Prayer of Dedication: Thanksgiving

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving and dedication for the offering. It was written by Rev. Michael Mair, Minister of St. David’s Broomhouse, Edinburgh and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Weekly Worship website.

Prayer for the Offering

Giving God,

We give You thanks and praise

for all of Your gifts to us.

We know that you are the source of every good thing,

light and love come from You.

You have created us,

and you continue to breathe life into us

through the power of Your Holy Spirit.

You have given us so much,

and it is because we recognize the gifts You have given to us

that we now give to the work of Your kingdom.

We now dedicate this offering

to the work of Your kingdom here on earth.

May this collection be used wisely and diligently,

that Your love may be known widely.

As we dedicate this offering,

we offer ourselves too,

for these gifts of money are but tokens of ourselves.

Take and use us,

that our hands may reach out in service,

our feet may walk the difficult path of reconciliation,

and that our words may be words of peace.

For this we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

~ written by Rev. Michael Mair, Minister of St. David’s Broomhouse, Edinburgh and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Weekly Worship website. http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/

Prayer for the Offering: Love Beyond Measure

Here is a prayer of dedication from the Giving in Grace website.

Prayer for the Offering

(inspired by scripture texts like Philippians 4:19,

Matthew 6:25-34, Psalm 145:15-16)

Heavenly Father,

your love for us is beyond measure

and you provide for our every need.

Help us to offer you in worship a due proportion of our wealth,

for all we are and have is rightly yours.

We make our prayer in the precious name of Jesus,

Lord and Saviour of creation. Amen 

~ from “Giving in Grace: Liturgical Services – Matthew.” http://www.givingingrace.org/userfiles/files/Design/Matthew_liturgical_services.pdf

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving and intercession from the Church of Scotland’s Weekly Worship website. It was written by Rev. Jock Stein, a retired minister formerly serving in Tulliallan and Kincardine, Scotland.

Prayer of Intercession and Thanksgiving

We thank You, God, for everything we delight in –

sunlight in autumn days, colour in nature and art,

rhythm in poetry and music;

human achievement and family success;

good humour;

work well done;

love and friendship

and all your gifts to body and soul.

Most of all we delight in Your salvation,

the knowledge of Your love,

the assurance of eternal life,

through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

We commend to You those who work in harsh conditions,

and those who have no work;

those whose lives are drab and grey;

those whose poor health takes away delight in living;

those who are lonely;

those who have no home of their own.

Grant them the human help and comfort which they need,

and the spiritual encouragement

which will enable them to live with hope and courage,

for the sake of Jesus Christ who leads us to salvation.

We pray for the elderly,

asking for them clear faith and human support.

We pray for those in middle years,

asking for them wisdom in their choices,

and the recovery of a sense of wonder.

We pray for the young,

asking for them good opportunities,

and that their ambitions include the desire to serve.

May we all continue to seek the God of every age,

made known in Jesus Christ,

the greatest friend of all.

We bless You, God,

space-maker, cloud-rider, earth-lover.

We bless You for the great company of saints

who have gone before us

and now delight in Your presence.

With them we honour and praise Your holy name,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

and as they were taught to pray so do we say,

Our Father … 

~ written by Rev. Jock Stein, a retired minister formerly serving in Tulliallan and Kincardine, Scotland. Posted on the Church of Scotland’s Weekly Worship website. http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/

Prayer of Giving

Here’s a prayer of dedication and commitment from Catholic Relief Services.

Prayer of Dedication

Loving and gracious God,

I have given gold,

but there is only so much gold.

I have given blood,

but I have only so much blood to give.

I have given my time,

but days have only so many hours.

I have given my strength,

but even that has its limits.

So I give my love.

Because love is gold, and love is blood.

And love is time, and love is strength.

But love is also so much more.

Because love is God.

And God is love.

And only you, God, have no limits.  Amen. 

~ posted on the Catholic Relief Services website. https://www.crs.org/resource-center/

Thanksgiving Day: A Modern Psalm

How easy to praise You, Beloved One,

For abundance, for cups brim filled;

How can we not delight in Your majesty,

Your endless blessings to us.

How simple our thanks, Beloved One,

For laden tables, for gathered families,

Shoulders touching in the intimacy of the meal

You have spread before us.

Teach us to thank and bless Your name,

When cups are empty and thirst is great;

Put our hands together to replenish,

Finding blessing in tiny sips.

Beloved One, to thank and bless You,

We find hope in uncertainty

And triumph in shaky steps.

We recreate abundance for Your sake. 

~ written by Debbie Perlman,in “Flames to Heaven: New Psalms for Healing and Praise.” Posted on the Patheos website. http://www.patheos.com/

Prayer for Others: A Generous Heart

Here is a prayer of intercession inspired by 2 Corinthians 9:6: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, but whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”  It comes from the Giving in Grace website.

Prayer of Intercession

(inspired by 2 Corinthians 9:6)

Lord, in your word you teach us

that sparse sowing means meagre reaping;

give us generous hearts as we respond to your love.

Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer.

Lord, you teach us that a generous heart

produces a bountiful harvest;

pour your love within us.

Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer.

Lord, you teach us to pray for those who govern us;

bless all in positions of authority

who take decisions for the nations of your world.

Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer.

Lord, you teach us to bring your healing

to the sick and suffering;

may your healing be upon those

whom we name before you now ...

Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer.

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven…. 

~ from “Giving in Grace: Liturgical Services – Matthew.” http://www.givingingrace.org/userfiles/files/Design/Matthew_liturgical_services.pdf

Thanksgiving Prayer

Here’s a Thanksgiving Prayer from the Catholic Health Association of the United States website.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Loving and gracious God,
your blessings are countless
and your love is never-ending.

As we celebrate this Thanksgiving,
we pray that you will open our hearts
to you and to one another,
that we may share the gifts you have given us
in loving service to all people.

Lord, our God,
you have done wondrous things on earth;
guide us as we care for and protect the earth,
our island home.

Grant us joy of heart,
and may peace dwell with us.
We pray in your Holy Name. Amen. 

~ from the website of the Catholic Health Association of the United States. https://www.chausa.org/prayers/prayer-library/general-prayers-and-prayer-services/seasonal-and-holidays/a-thanksgiving-prayer

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving from Rev. Karla Miller.  It was posted on RevGalBlogPals.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

We sing a song of thanksgiving today,
dear God, one and many.

We pause in the midst of all that is unholy,

unthinkable, and undeniable,
to look within,
and offer our gratitudes
for a day that has dawned anew,
and for the breath that gives us life.

We rejoice
that we have voice and head and heart
so that we can love one another,
love You,
and love all of your people.

We celebrate the abundance in our lives,
and that we can share it with the world.
In jubilance and grace,
we offer ourselves and all that we are and have
to be your justice and peace

in the midst of all that is unholy, unthinkable, and undeniable.

In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen. 

~ written by Rev. Karla Miller, Minister for Community Life at Old North Church UCC in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Posted on RevGalBlogPals. https://revgalblogpals.org/

Thanksgiving Prayer

Here is a Thanksgiving Prayer from Greg Goebel. It was posted on Anglican Pastor.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

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.

(Take some time for everyone to share

something for which they are thankful.) 

~ written by Greg Goebel, and posted at AnglicanPastor.com. http://anglicanpastor.com/thanksgiving-day-prayers/

A Litany of Thanksgiving

Here is a responsive litany of thanksgiving, written by Greg Goebel and posted on Anglican Pastor.

Litany of Thanksgiving

Let us give thanks to God our Father

for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us.

For the beauty and wonder of your creation,

in earth and sky and sea.
We thank you, Lord.

For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women,

revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.

For our daily food and drink,

our homes and families, and our friends,
We thank you, Lord.

For minds to think, and hearts to love,

and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.

For health and strength to work,

and leisure to rest and play,
We thank you, Lord.

For the brave and courageous,

who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,
We thank you, Lord.

For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,
We thank you, Lord.

For the communion of saints,

in all times and places,
We thank you, Lord.

Above all, we give you thanks

for the great mercies and promises

given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;

To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father,

and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen. 

~ written by Greg Goebel and posted at AnglicanPastor.com. http://anglicanpastor.com/thanksgiving-day-prayers/

Confession: Like a Shepherd

Here is a prayer of confession inspired by passages like Psalm 23, John 10:11-18 and Psalm 100. It was written by Rev Dan Carmichael, Minister of Lenzie Union. It was posted on The Church of Scotland’s Weekly Worship website.

Prayer of Confession

(inspired by Psalm 23, Psalm 100 and John 10:11-18)

Lord, like a shepherd,

You never stop searching for Your people,
Your care for us anticipates our need.
Before we recognized we needed Your grace,
in love, Jesus gave His life for our forgiveness.

We confess that we need Your forgiveness,

we confess our sins:
You are the shepherd  and we are Your flock,

but we admit the times we have tried to take Your place  

and take control ourselves.
We admit that we have not always trusted

Your good news to be good for us.

At times we have pleaded with You to care for us,
but we have held back from caring for others

and ignored the needs of others.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Forgive us in the name of Jesus.
Loving shepherd, 

teach us by the Holy Spirit to follow You

in the days and places of the weeks ahead.
Through Jesus Christ we pray, Amen. 

~ written by Rev Dan Carmichael, Minister of Lenzie Union. It was posted on The Church of Scotland’s Weekly Worship website. http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/