Prayer of Intercession

Sunday, 27 January, 2013

Paul Cheung

Dear Lord,

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to gather together in Your house and worship You. When we are worrying about our life situation and bearing our burden, we come to You as we know You are listening to us.   

We pray for our environment. May You guide us to better protect the earth and the species living on this planet.

We remember your people who do not live in peace due to war or political unrest in their countries. We pray for the peace in Iraq. Lord, please bring comfort and peace to our brothers and sisters there.

We pray for the social problems in China such as food safety, disparity between the rich and the poor, corruption of the government officials. We pray that the people in China will enjoy their human rights including freedom of speech.

In the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, we pray for the people and churches of Denmark, Finland , Iceland , Norway and Sweden. May God bless the people and churches in all these places.

Lord, we pray for the people in Hong Kong. We are concerned about the problems happening around us, such as inflation, hosing problem, and discrimination based on sexual orientation, race, gender and other causes. We pray that the government will adopt appropriate measures to tackle the problems and help the people in need.

We pray for the young people in Hong Kong and around the world. We pray that they remain hopeful about the future and do not give up when facing obstacles in their life journey. 

In our church, we pray for the drainage project. We pray that the church building can be properly maintained.

We pray for the health of Kar Yu, Ken and his father. May you lay your healing hand on them. Lord, please remember our friends who are sick or physically weak, and those who are unable to attend today’s service. We pray for them as we say their name aloud or in silence. 

Lord, thanks for listening to our prayer. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer of Intercession

Sunday, 13 January, 2013

Sunita Suna

God of life, we come to you with a thankful heart  for the good things you have done in our lives and in the world. We come to you with prayers to seek your wisdom, direction  amidst the ever increasing  injustice  around us, to renew our hope and commitment for a just world.

God we remember women across the globe who are experiencing violence in their day today life.  Violence Against Women is a reality in our world and in our society today. We specially remember the young woman who was brutally gang raped and killed in Delhi.   We remember this young woman, her bereaved family and every single woman who have been sexually assaulted ,  in our prayers. 

We are thankful to those hundreds of thousands of protestors who took the streets, to shake the conscience of the leaders of India demanding  justice for the diseased rape victim and the rights, dignity and safety of women in general. God give us the courage to speak up against these violence and atrocities against women so that Violence Against Women  can no longer be a culture of silence in our homes, churches, society, and in the world.

Help us to reaffirm our faith that both women and men are equally created in your image and likeness. May your wisdom guide us to change the mindset and the patriarchal thinking to accept and respect  women.  May your guidance help the government and responsible authorities to come up with laws/policies to create a violence free society for women.

God we remember all the journalists and reporters who  risk their safety and wellbeing  to  bring unbiased news and information to the public of what is happening around us through various media. They help us to open our eyes to the realities of the world we live today and change our thinking and perspectives on various issues around us. We remember those courageous journalists of Southern Weekly for their brave actions against the authorities. God empower us to support the movement for freedom of speech in China and elsewhere in the world. May every voice of truth be strengthened and everyone feel safe and confident to voice their opinion in a responsible manner. God we also pray for the change of mind and hearts of  new leaders, authorities in the country to welcome new ideas, thoughts, and creativity of the press and individuals.

God we remember the leaders  of the HK government, decision makers, especially chief executive C.Y.Leung in our prayers as they are coming together to introduce an important policy for the wellbeing of the  people in Hong Kong. As  Mr. Leung prepares for his Policy address,  may your wisdom guide him to come up with a more inclusive and holistic policy. May this policy ensure the basic needs – like quality food,  affordable housing, education and health of the large sections of the grassroots workers. May your holy spirit inspire many more including our churches and civil society to bring this concerns to the government as the utmost priority of the country. God we seek your direction for all the responsible institutions to   uphold human values and reduce the immoral, ever increasing gulf between  the rich and poor in Hong Kong and in the world. May your teaching of justice and peace be the integral part of our lives to envision a better world.

God we remember our congregation members and uphold people who are unwell in our prayers. We especially pray for Dr. Helen Tan, Mrs and Bishop Samuel and others who are unwell and we seek your healing touch  for their healing and recuperation at the earliest.

We also remember our Children, students and young people who are preparing to write exams this week. Give them and their parents the strength and peaceful mind to complete this task successfully.  We also pray that the young minds not be over burdened with high expectations from the parents and educational institutions, which might lead to other complications in the lives of the students.

God, we also remember our sister, assistant minister Maggie Mathieson for her ordination. We seek your guidance as the Congregation, Council and other Ministries prepare for this ordination.

We ask this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ our friend, redeemer and liberator. Amen.