(The prayer was prepared by Paul Cheung for the Worship Service which was cancelled because of Typhoon No. 8 on Sunday, 23 July 2017.)

Prayer of Intercession

Sunday, 23 July, 2017

Paul Cheung

Dear Lord,

We come to you with faith and a humble heart.

We pray that the environmental problems caused by the increase of the mining of metals and rare earth elements. We pray that scientists and world leaders have the wisdom to deal with the issue of environmental crisis.

We remember the refugees around the world. May God grant them peace and hope when they are struggling in another country. We pray that the world and church can offer them warm hospitality and adequate support.

We pray for the health and freedom of Liu Xia, the wife of the late Nobel Prize winner Liu Xiao-bo. May God console her in this very difficult time.

We pray for the human rights lawyers and activists in Mainland China. May Lord bless them and be with them in their battle to fight for justice.

In the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, we pray for the people and churches of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda. We pray for the people who have been suffering in the armed conflicts and abuse of the ruling authorities. May God show mercy in these countries.

In  Hong Kong, we pray for the current political situation. In our prayer, we remember the impact brought about by the court's ruling that several directly elected legislators have been disqualified due to their way of taking the lawmakrer oaths. We pray that the government will respect the views of the public and will not use the courts as the means to eliminate opposition including the pro-democracy lawmakers and political dissidents. Dear Lord, we pray that people will not give up striving for democracy and justice in the face of adversity.

The summer holiday has begun. We pray that students can have a fruitful holiday. We pray for the graduates. May Lord give them guidance when they start a new chapter in their life journey.

We remember our friends who are sick, physically weak or recovering, and those who are unable to attend today's service.

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our saviour. Amen.

Now let us say the Lord's Prayer together.

Prayer of Intercession

Sunday, 16 July, 2017

Rey Asis

Lord God, Sower of Life, Ground for Our Being, Our Source of Light, Your Word is a lantern to our feet. You give us strength and we are empowered by Your love. We exalt Your name as we enliven Your commandments, practicing them to make Heaven on earth for people in need, our neighbors, our friends.

Grant us forgiveness, O God, as we falter in our ways. When our souls become the desert, unyielding and dry. When our hearts become the snow, cold and unrelenting. Shed light on our paths and cast away shadows of doubt. May we be sowers of Your word and love in this garden You have provided for us.

We include in our own prayers our leaders and all those who uphold justice, democracy and people’s welfare. Recent developments in Hong Kong have put Hong Kong’s rule of law at risk, threatening the people’s call for democracy. Dear God, may You sow seeds of kindness and truth in the hearts of those in power, divert them from thorns of hate so that they may put the interest of all ahead of their own.

We also pray for those who have been persecuted, those who have experienced injustice, especially the members of the LGBTQ community, migrants and refugees, the elderly. Keep them safe from harm, strengthen their will and be with them at all times. We pray for those who have passed, especially our dear friend Liu Xiaobo, may his courage and will be an inspiration for us as we hope to make arable this land for justice, acceptance, equality and reunification.

When thorns of want and pride choke our spirits, strengthen us. When natural and man-made disasters wear us down, be with us. When arid lands of apathy ground us, fill our hearts with Your love and will.

We pray for our Earth that is deserving of Your seeds of love. We pray for Hong Kong that it may be kept safe from all forms of harm. We pray for Kowloon Union Church, may we grow like a productive farmland, loving You and spreading Your Word. We pray for Fr. Naylor, Bishop and Mrs. Samuel, Constant, Kar Yu, Stella Chan and baby Nsoro Ihirwe Aela. We pray for the people and churches of Djibouti and Somalia.

There is no greater joy than to be with You at all times. Guide us to become fertile lands of Your Word. May our hands and hearts be like vines reaching out and spreading Your love. May we become trees, strong with Your spirit in us. Let us share the fruits of Your glory all around us.

All these we pray in the name of Your beloved son, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Let us all pray the Lord’s Prayer. 

Prayer of Intercession

Sunday, 9 July, 2017

Edwina Antonio

O God, our creator, redeemer and sustainer, we collectively come to you to bring our concerns through prayer to our brothers and sisters, to your church and to the larger community whom you called us to bring witness to the liberating message of your Son Jesus Christ. 

We are concern and remember in our prayers our brothers and sisters who are sick and still recuperating. Touch and heal them O God as Jesus healed the sick, the leper, the blind, the deaf, the paralytic, the hemorrhage woman, the demon posses and all the downtrodden and marginalized during his time. Grant them the healing and full recovery of their mind, body and spirit so that they will continue to serve You and the people in the community.

We are concern and remember in our prayers our brothers and sisters who are victims of abuse, exploitation and all forms of human rights violations like the migrant workers, refugees and asylum seekers. Continue to empower us O God, so that through our expressions of love and compassion and acts of solidarity we may bring them hope amidst hopelessness, strength amidst despair.

We are concern and remember in our prayers the people of Marawi in Mindanao especially the thousands of victims who are in many evacuation areas experiencing hunger, despair and sickness. Let the bombing of the Marawi City be stopped and the Philippines find a just resolution to the problem besetting the people in Mindanao. We pray for peace based on justice to prevail in Mindanao and the whole country.

We are concern and remember in our prayers the people of Leyte in the Philippines who were recently struck by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake. We pray that the Philippine make a decisive relief and rehabilitation efforts to attend to the needs of people of the community who are affected by the earthquake. May the actions of people in the government and private sectors be an expression of love and compassion to the affected communities for them to rebuild what had been damaged.

We are concern and remember in our prayers that the newly installed chief executive of Hong Kong may bring genuine reforms to the people in Hong Kong may they be local residents, permanent residents, migrant workers, refugees and asylum seekers etc. May the newly installed chief executive in Hong Kong genuinely resolve the widening gap between the rich and the poor and further develop a comprehensive public service that upholds the human rights and dignity of people regardless of their nationality, gender, age and social status.

In ecumenical prayer we pray for churches and communities Eritrea and Ethiopia. Let the prayer of Jesus’ ‘that they all may be one’ inspires every church to work for unity and common witness to realize God’s kingdom here on 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, 2 July, 2017
Bruce Van Voorhis

Lord of Love and Compassion, we lift up to you those who are suffering in the world today.

We especially pray for the people of Yemen, who are not only facing the uncertainty of living in a country at war for several years but who now must also deal with an outbreak of cholera that is affecting 5,000 people every day. We remember the hospital staff and health care workers around the country who are responding to the victims of the war as well as this cholera outbreak. We ask that the water and sanitation systems will be repaired and restored so that one source of this health problem can be addressed.

We also pray for peace in Yemen and the other countries at war in the Middle East, such as Syria and Iraq. We pray that those who use violence will discover the power that is in your love and that they will use this power to resolve the issues in their countries to bring about a peace that is rooted in justice.

Today we pray as well for those who lost their lives and who were injured in the explosion of an overturned fuel truck in Pakistan. May you give comfort to the families and friends of those who perished and healing to those who were injured by the fire. Not only was this an accident, but it was also the result of people’s poverty as many people had rushed to the truck to gather the spilled fuel when the explosion occurred. Would they have been so eager to collect the fuel if they had an adequate income to purchase fuel? We pray that Pakistan’s people will not be so desperate in the future if a similar accident occurs.

We remember in our prayers this morning a couple in China who have suffered for many years because they wished to work for the simple, but difficult, task of promoting democracy in their country—the Nobel Peace Prize recipient Liu Xiaobo and his wife Liu Xia. We ask that Liu Xiaobo will receive the medical care he needs to treat his liver cancer. Others who are unjustly imprisoned in China for their advocacy of human rights or their political views are in our prayers today as well, Lord.

Our thoughts are also with our community of Hong Kong as we commemorate 20 years since the transfer of our sovereignty from Britain to China. During these two decades, we have witnessed the gap between the rich and poor grow ever wider, our housing costs become even more astronomical and the divisions in society become deeper and more polarized. We pray that the people of Hong Kong will have more participation in the decisions that affect their lives through a more democratic political system and that the common good of our community will guide these decisions. We pray for wisdom for our city’s new leaders to address the needs of our people and that they will be a voice of local people’s views in their interactions with Chinese government officials and not just messengers of the Chinese government’s policies or positions.

As your hands in the world, may we be your obedient disciples and surrender to you, like Abraham in our Old Testament reading this morning who was even willing to sacrifice his son Isaac because of his devotion to you, and may we follow the teachings that you have given to us through the life and ministry of your Son and answer your call by responding, “Here am I.” May our lives also be worthy reflections of today’s New Testament message of Jesus that “[those] who receive you receive me” so that our witness in the world is faithful to you.

As members of your faith community, we pray with others around the world for our sisters and brothers in Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda. We pray for peace and justice in these countries, a reduction in poverty and an end to corruption. May the leaders of these countries serve their people and not their own private or political interests.

In our own community of faith at Kowloon Union Church, we remember our members and friends who are ill or who are in the process of recovering their health and those who care for them. We especially lift up to you Pastor Maggie, Kar-yu, Stella Chan, Bishop and Mrs. Samuel, Fr. Harold Naylor and baby Nsoro Ihirwe Aela. May your healing hand touch each of them and renew their health and spirits. Meanwhile, it is with a sense of joy and celebration that we welcome into the world the new daughter of Olivia and Simon Bonser, Alysha. We ask that your wisdom will guide Olivia and Simon as they nurture Alysha and her development. Lastly, Lord, we pray for your presence to be with our church council during their deliberations today as they meet to foster the life of our congregation and elect new leaders to guide us.

With a humble heart, Lord, we ask that you hear our prayers. Amen.