Prayers

Prayers for the people

30 July 2009

Prayer of Intercession
Sunday, 26 July, 2009
Necta Montes Rocas

Let us pray.

Our loving and gracious God we come before you today to uplift in prayers the concerns of your people. We ask for forgiveness of our shortcomings and our inability to listen to your voice, the voices of our brothers and sisters in need and act according to your will. We pray for the healing of a broken and divided world, we ask that you make us instruments of your peace, love and justice in this world.

God we remember in our prayers today the people who continue to experience suffering and pain due to various reasons. May your loving and healing spirit touches their hearts and melt the coldness of our hearts so that we may walk with them and show loving compassion in their healing journey.

God we pray for the peaceful resolution of the nuclear crisis in North Korea. Inspire world leaders and the government of North Korean to exhaust all means for open and honest dialogue. Make them realize that war is not the solution and peace is the only viable option to resolve the conflict.
We pray for the people of Xinjiang Province in China and for the government to resolve the conflicts and tensions peacefully based on justice and compassion to those seeking justice and redress.
God we also remember in our prayers, the people in Hong Kong who have recently lost their jobs and those who are not able to find gainful employment due to the economic downturn. Guide the people in the government to handle the economic crisis with appropriate policies that will help the marginalized, the unemployed, the minorities, the migrants, and those in difficult financial situation.
God we pray that your Spirit enlighten the people in the HK Antiquities and Advisory Board to consider KUC as an important historical site preserving the life, the stories, the memories of the members of the church and the people Hong Kong. We also ask that you open their hearts to help the people in our congregation to find ways to sustain KUC as it seeks to minister to wider communities of people and reach out to others beyond our means and with our limitations.
God we Pray for the health of some of the members of our congregation, we ask that your healing hands touch Ate Jenny Alegre, Helen Tan, Tan Chi Kiong and Mrs. Tan, and Yodi. Heal their bodies, strengthen their spirit and restore them to health.

In the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, we pray for the people and churches of The Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda , the Bahamas , Barbados , Cuba , Dominica , Dominican Republic , Grenada , Guyana , Haiti , Jamaica , Saint Kitts and Nevis , Saint Lucia , Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , Suriname , Trinidad and Tobago .

God, we ask that you make your way plain before us. All these we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our saviour, redeemer and liberator. Amen

Prepared by:

14 July 2009

Prayer of Intercession
Sunday, 05 July, 2009

Jim Seymour

Oh Lord, we join in solidarity with the peoples of the world in praying for justice in peace.

In particular, in this phase of the ecumenical prayer cycle, we join with our fellow churches in Colombia, in which country we pray for an end of the drug wars.

And we pray for Venezuela, and that the deep political divide there may be overcome by a sense of common purpose.

We pray for the people of Ecuador, especially the two out of five people there who live in poverty.

Indeed, we express our shock and feeling of inadequacy over the fact that the number of people all over this planet who suffer from hunger has, due to the financial crisis, increased by a hundred million, and now surpasses one billion. May the international community redouble its efforts to promote sustainable agriculture so that these people may, year in and year out, have the nourishment that is their entitlement.

We pray, oh Lord, that the impact and suffering caused by swine flu around the world will be minimized, and that those afflicted will have access to proper care.

We pray for the peoples of Israel and Palestine. May their leaders revisit the tenets of the founders of their various religions, and find therein the messages of peace, love, and forbearance. May they come to realize that their wars always create more problems than they solve, and that the only way toward peace involves respect for neighbors territorial integrity. Along with the peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean lands so sacred to three great religions, we beseech thee oh Lord to show people the way toward peace. May all heed the spirit of Jesus: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be deemed daughters and sons of God. Mathew 5:9

We pledge to become better stewards of God's creation on this planet, treating our environment as a limited resource, to be guarded in the spirit of loving our neighbors, and for the benefit of future generations.

We pray for former Philippine President Corazon Aquino, now in the final stages of cancer.

We pray for peace and liberation in Iran. We note with enthusiasm the struggle of Iranian people for genuine democracy. May the millions who demonstrated for democracy last month prevail. May the sacrifice of those killed be remembered, and may those beaten and arrested find justice. We note especially Iranian women's struggle for equal rights; may their just cause prevail soon.

In Iraq, we pray for victims of a car bomb attack in a market after the withdrawal of US troops from the area. Our hearts also go out to the 17 percent of Iraqis, who, according to the World Health Organization, suffer from mental health disorders, largely as an effect of the years of warfare.

With regard to China, we pray for the imprisoned dissident Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波) and for the other supporters of Charter 08 零八宪章; língbā xiànzhāng), and for the imprisoned health care advocate Hu Jia.

Here in Hong Kong, we trust that the tens of thousands who marched for democracy on July 1 have your blessing. We pray also for the leaders of Hong Kong; may they uphold justice and have compassion for the marginalized and poor people, and not stand in the way of the democratization of the administrative region.

We pray for the villagers of Choi Yuen Chuen (菜園村) who would be affected by the construction of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link construction (廣深港高速鐵路). May their rights be honored.

Regarding our church, we note that the Antiquities Advisory Board, in its recent historic building assessment, has proposed to list the church building as grade I. Give strength to our representatives as they make their case to the authorities. We pray to God for wise decision and actions by all concerned.

Pray for the health of Jenny Alegre, Helen Tan, Tan Chi Kiong and Mrs Tan.

Finally, we express gratitude for this fine house of worship, and especially the superb new piano; may it long produce wonderful music for the glorification of you, oh God.

Amen.