Prayer of Intercession

Sunday, 30 November, 2014

Hope S. Antone

Let us take our prayers of intercession to God. 

Our gracious and loving God, as we enter this season of Advent, we pray that you will always be our Emmanuel—God-with-us.  Thus, we come to you with longing and hopeful expectation as we pray for the world, the church, and all those in need.   

Creator of all – Teach us to be grateful for your creation – for the air, the sun, moon, stars, mountains, oceans, and for all creatures, great and small.  Grant that our gratitude will not only move our lips but also our hands and feet in responsible stewardship of all that you created and entrusted to us. 

Savior of the nations – Let your justice and righteousness dwell among all peoples of the earth.  We specially pray for Hong Kong and other places where people are struggling for justice, peace and democracy.   May those in authority temper their exercise of power with the desire to serve and meet the needs of their people.  May those who suffer as a result of their struggles feel your comforting presence and guidance.     

Healer of the sick and infirm – May all those amidst suffering, hardship, poverty, unemployment, illness, or grief find healing and comfort in the assurance of your sustaining love.  We pray for all those on our prayer lists, and those whose names are kept in our minds and hearts.  We know that you know them all, O God, and you know all their needs even before we ask.  Still, we pray for their healing and recovery from pain, brokenness, sorrow, and burdens.    

As we observe World AIDS Day on Dec 1, we pray for strength, wisdom and perseverance for all those who are working to address this pandemic – and all other emerging diseases such as Ebola.  May those who are afflicted gain access to medication and social support, free from stigma and discrimination.  May the right medication and treatment be found and made accessible to those in need.   

God-with-us, we join Christians all over the world in praying that you will be God-with-others, especially for our neighbors near and far.  This week, we lift up to you the people and countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone, who have suffered for years from civil war, and in recent months, from the Ebola virus.  Bring peace and healing to their people who are broken in body, mind, or spirit from conflict, sickness, hunger, or other challenges.  Sustain and strengthen health care workers, churches, and aid agencies that are working tirelessly to bring Ebola under control.  Send your healing and comfort to families that have lost loved ones or who are ill.  Provide for the food needs of everybody in these countries so that all may have health and the opportunity for an abundant life.  We pray for a day in Liberia and Sierra Leone when all may have enough and live in peace.

Oh long-expected one – Receive these uttered prayers or those kept hidden in our hearts.  Awaken us to grow in faith.  Make us alert for signs of your coming in unexpected peoples and places.  May we seek to know and serve You by helping those in need.  In the name of God-with-us, Emmanuel.  Amen. 

Prayer of Intercession

Sunday, 23 November, 2014

Edwina Antonio

O God of life and history, we bow our heads before you to pray and to bring our concerns and our compassion to your church that everyone of us are called for. And to the larger community where You called us to bring witness to the liberating message of Jesus Christ in the context of our collective aspirations for justice, peace, liberation and abundant life that characterize Your kindom.

We are concern with the health conditions of some of our brothers and sisters like Helen and Saimon who are under continuous medications. Let the healing hands of Jesus be with them and grant them immediate healing.

We remember the family members of our members who have passed away. Particularly, we pray for Calli’s mother and the brother of Dennis (Ah-keung) that they may rest in God’s peace. We give thanks for their lives and pray that God’s love will comfort their families during this time of loss and grieving.

We are very thankful that you continuously inspire every member of your church especially the church and lay workers, members of the church council and Church trustees to serve as examples in leading your flock to participate actively in doing the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ for the poor, the deprived and the oppressed.

Let this church that everyone of us are called for, be a ‘salt and light’ of the world by bringing hope amidst hopelessness and light amidst unimaginable darkness to the vulnerable and marginalized sectors of society like the women migrant workers, women, children and other sectors who are molded to become weak and powerless by the systemic evil that surround us.

Especially, now that we are about to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25, we are concern with the condition of many women who remain silent and are victims of different forms of  violence. Make us O God, an instrument to empower these women to reclaim their dignity and your likeness in them.

We are concern with the current condition of many female migrant workers here in Hong Kong and in the world. Amidst their unconditional sacrifices they are being exploited, abused and discriminated. O God, grant us the courage to stand in solidarity with the migrant workers fighting for justice, human rights and dignity and against all forms of discrimination, xenophobia and government neglect.

We are concern with the condition of women who are victims of human rights violations, occupation, militarization and wars like in the Philippines, Palestine, Syria, Libya, Pakistan, Iraq among others. These women are the most vulnerable in the midst of state atrocities and fascism perpetuated against the people who are struggling for just and humane society. O God, grant us the courage to stand in solidarity with these women and victims fighting for justice, peace and liberation.

We are concern with the conditions of female workers inside the many factories and industrial enclaves amidst their legitimate demands for security of tenure, livable wage and workers’ rights. O God, grant us the commitment to journey with women workers in their struggle for just and humane environment inside the working place.

In general we are concern over the escalating violence and discrimination against women and girls inside the homes, churches, work places and in different institutions where women are considered as second class and object of exploitation of men and the patriarchal society. We pray O God, that all forms of violence and discrimination against women end and equality between men and women be realized in our midst.

We pray for a smooth transition of the peaceful Umbrella Movement for genuine universal suffrage to mobilize more community support in Hong Kong. We continue to pray that Hong Kong may have genuine universal suffrage and a just society where equality, freedom and democracy prevail.

In ecumenical prayer we pray for churches and communities in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger. Let the prayer of Jesus’ ‘that they all may be one’ inspire every church to work for unity and common witness to realize God’s kingdom here in earth wherein justice, love, compassion, peace and abundant life prevails.

As we end our prayer of the people let us pray Jesus prayer. You may say it in your own language.

Our Father who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever.

Amen.

Prayer of Intercession

Sunday, 16 November, 2014

Bruce Van Voorhis

Today, Lord, we pray for peace—for peace in our world, for peace in our community, for peace in our families, for peace in ourselves.

We ask that your peace will today be with extended members of KUC’s family. May Calli’s mother and Denise’s brother be resting now in your peace, and may your peace comfort Calli and Denise and all of their family members as they mourn and celebrate the lives of their loved ones. Our hearts and our prayers are with them today.

We ask that your peace will today fill our community of Hong Kong. While we pray for reconciliation in our presently divided city, we also pray that Hong Kong and China’s leaders will heed the voices of the students leading the protests, who are merely stating that Hong Kong’s people simply want to choose their leaders without interference, without manipulation, without favoritism. Rather, Hong Kong’s people just want freedom and equality in which everyone can vote, everyone can stand for election. May the leaders of Hong Kong and China be moved by the students and not view their requests for a more democratic system in Hong Kong as a threat to them and their power.

We ask that your peace will today saturate the lands of Syria and Iraq and Ukraine and all nations where violence and brutality have displaced the value of life. May the political problems of these countries be resolved through dialogue, by compromise and consensus, by respect for life, by a refusal to hate—prayers that have added significance on this International Day of Tolerance. We lift up to you the families of those who have lost their lives in these conflicts, of those who have been injured, of those who have been traumatized, of those who have lost their homes, their jobs, their dreams. May your hope fill them, sustain them and replace their depression and despair.

We ask that your peace will today also touch the lives of the people of Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea and that their churches will be agents of your peace as we join Christians around the world on this Sunday in remembering our sisters and brothers in Africa as part of the ecumenical prayer cycle. May the interfaith harmony between Christians and Muslims in Cameroon be an example for other nations, especially neighboring Nigeria. In the Central African Republic, we ask for an end to the violence and that the country’s politicians will work for the good of the country and its people and not their own narrow self-interests. In our prayers for Equatorial Guinea, we ask that your love and compassion will live in the hearts of its rulers and transform them as the people now suffer from human rights violations, restrictions on the media and human trafficking.

We ask that your peace will today be present in the lives of all women as we prepare to commemorate the U.N. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Nov. 25. May homes be safe spaces for women and not dwellings to live in terror of abusive husbands. May workplaces be productive arenas where women can fulfil themselves and support their families and not buildings where women live in fear of sexual harassment. May nations discard rape as a weapon of war. It is in this spirit that we pray for churches and organizations to offer protection and support for abused women, counselling for abusive husbands and to take leading roles in society in exposing this social problem and in working as advocates to end this denial of the dignity of women.

We ask that your peace will today nurture us as we face the challenges of life in our homes, in our workplaces and in our society. We pray that your peace will enter the lives of each of us and that we will accept this blessing.

Our world, our community, our families, ourselves, need your peace today, Lord. In the name of your Son Jesus, the Christ, we offer up all these prayers to you. Amen.