Prayer of Intercession

Sunday, 29 December, 2019

Prepared and led by Bruce Van Voorhis

Lord of Life and Love, during this Christmas season when we celebrate your birth into our world, we remember that you were born during a time of genocide when King Herod slaughtered children hoping to find you and extinguish your life too. We remember today as well that you became a refugee shortly after your birth, fleeing with your parents to Egypt. Throughout your life, you were homeless, and your life among us ended by being tortured and nailed to a cross—a victim of state-sponsored violence in collusion with the religious authorities of your era.

In spite of the hardships of your life, you taught us to love and serve others with compassion, to uphold justice, to work for peace.

Not much has changed since you spent your life with us, however. We still have genocide, such as the Rohingyas in Burma; we still have refugees, such as those among us here today, those on the border of the United States and Mexico and in too many other places in the world; we still have homeless people, such as the men and women on our streets in Hong Kong and in every city on earth; lastly, we still torture our fellow human beings and take their lives through extrajudicial killings and disappearances. We have not learned much in the past 2,000 years that you taught us.

Today we ask for your forgiveness for our past deeds and for your wisdom to guide us to a better life and a better world in the future.

We specifically lift up to you today in prayer, Lord, those affected by the bushfires in Australia. May the families who have lost loved ones be comforted, may those who have lost their homes find the will to rebuild their lives, may those responding to these fires be given the strength and energy to continue fighting them, may the leaders of Australia and the world be blessed with political fortitude to take action to address climate change that has created the dry conditions for these fires to rage across Australia and other parts of the world.

We lift up to you, Lord, the people of India whose lives will be impacted by the recently passed Citizenship Amendment Bill, especially our Muslim brothers and sisters who are being excluded from this legislation. We ask that India’s leaders will not use faith to divide the nation and to engender tension, hate and violence.

We lift up to you, Lord, the Christians who were killed recently during their Sunday worship service by allegedly Islamist gunmen in the African nation of Burkina Faso. We mourn with the families of the victims and pray that religion will no longer be used as a weapon in the country, for no faith promotes hatred and violence toward those who have chosen another faith.

We lift up to you, Lord, those killed and displaced by a typhoon over the Christmas holiday in the Philippines. We ask for your comfort for those who have lost loved ones and strength for the survivors to rebuild their homes and their lives.

We lift up to you, Lord, our divided city of Hong Kong. We pray that our political crisis will soon be resolved through dialogue and that those with opposing views will be able to reconcile their different perspectives and opinions.

We lift up to you, Lord, with others around the world the churches and people of all faiths of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine as part of the weekly ecumenical prayer cycle. We ardently pray for peace in these countries and elsewhere in the Middle East, a region of the world that has only known decades of war and division. We also pray for the refugees that have been created by these years of conflict. May they receive adequate aid, and may the violence and divisions that forced them to flee their countries end soon so that they may return home. Where corruption is rampant, we ask for an end to this disease of greed; and in Israel and Lebanon, we pray that new governments can be formed soon that reflect the will of their people and that have the people’s trust. In this part of the world that is so rich in ancient history and civilizations, may the will and resources be found to protect the cultural monuments of the region from the destructive effects of air and water pollution that are degrading these treasures of the world.

Lastly, we lift up to you, Lord, our Christian community at Kowloon Union Church. We pray for a speedy recovery for Chang-lik, Harry’s mother and our former pastor, David Gill, who had a minor stroke in Australia shortly before Christmas. We offer prayers of comfort for our friend Hans Lutz who lost his wife Shirley recently and for our intern Karan whose uncle passed away in Nepal. Fill the spaces in their lives of sadness and emptiness with your love and peace. We give thanks for the ministry of our intern Karan who will soon leave us after serving our church since February. Be with him in the next chapter of his life and work, Lord, and may he know that he is always welcome here.

We lift up all of these prayers to you, Lord, in your Son’s name. Amen.

Prayer of Intercession

Sunday, 22 December, 2019

Prepared and led by Cecilia Yeung

Heavenly Parents, we praise and magnify your holy name. We thank you for all your guidance and protection, and all that you do for us in our lives. Prepare our hearts as we enter into the fourth week of Advent. Help us to “Prepare the Way Together.”

God of Life, we come again before you committing the world into your hands. We pray for the people and churches of Japan, North Korea, South Korea and Taiwan. We pray for an end to the military threats and confrontations, especially the reunification of Korea. We also remember the continuous disputes between Taiwan and its neighbours. May you grant these countries a better understanding and cooperation especially when they deal with issues over land. We also ask you to show Your light to women and other marginalized groups who are experiencing inequalities in their daily lives. Bless these people with life, Lord.

God of Mercy and Compassion, we lift up to you today the passengers who were involved in the bus accident near Fanling Highway last Wednesday. We pray for your comfort for those who have lost their family members and friends, and that you give peace to those left behind as they recover from this traumatizing event. Bless these people with mercy and compassion, Lord.

God of equality, we lift up to you today the people of India, as many Muslims students are protesting against the contentious law which grants citizenship to many religious minorities, but not for Muslims. Over hundred of students were injured as they confront with the police force. As the citizenship law does not recognize Muslims as citizens, a majority of Muslims may continue to face poverty, discrimination, detention, or even deportation. We pray that the Indian government and leaders will cease what appears to be a religious discriminatory policy towards our Muslim brothers and sisters. Bless these people with equality, Lord.

God of Health, we lift up to you today the people of South Pacific of Samoa who are facing the widespread illness of measles. Over thousands of people are affected as of today. We ask that you will soothe the pain of the families of those who have affected by this illness, and we pray that the illness will not spread and infect more people. May health clinics and health workers work together effectively to combat the situation. We pray too that leaders will be guided by You to find a solution to control the situation. Bless these people with health, Lord.

God of Justice and Peace, we lift up to you today the President and the people of the United States, We pray that the president and his officials, who are granted with earthly authorities, will respect their roles and carry out duties that are filled with your wisdom. In all things that they do, may you help them to act with competence, dignity and honesty. Bless the people of this country and the rest of the people in this world with justice and peace, Lord.

God of Courage, we lift up to you today the 16-year-old Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg who has been recognised for the courage she has shown to the world. We pray for your wisdom to guide us on how to restore Your creation. Put us, Lord, on the path to enter into courageous dialogue and actions, to take care of our environment. May the governments and leaders listen to the voices of the people and act accordingly to Your will. Bless everyone with courage, Lord.

God of Righteousness, we lift up to you the journalists who have been turned away from their entries to Macau. We pray for the freedom of press. We ask for the restoration of human rights and the exercise of freedom of speech to prevail in Macau and Hong Kong. Bless these people with righteousness, Lord.

God of Unity, we lift up to you today those in our own faith community of Kowloon Union Church. We remember Mr Chang Lik. May You give him energy and strength for his recovery. In the coming days, Kowloon Union Church will have services to celebrate the coming of the Lord. We ask that your presence will be with us, as You always do. And we pray that our children, members and friends all have a loving faith union in You. Bless our church with unity, Lord.

We lift up all of these prayers to you, Lord, in your Son’s name, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Now let’s join and pray in the Lord’s Prayer. Please feel free to say the prayer in your own language.

Prayer of Intercession

Sunday, 1 December, 2019

Prepared and led by Peter Youngblood

Almighty God, on this first day of Advent, we pray to You with thankfulness.

We are thankful for our lives. Out of the dust You raised us. With bread and water You sustain our bodies. Through our family, friends and this church, You sustain our souls. And when to dust we return, the cycle of life continues for others, on and on until the coming of Your Kingdom.

We are thankful for those around us. Our families and friends are what make us human beings. We actively seek out others, that they may seek us. We pray for those who think they have no one else, asking that they may turn to You for companionship, and that You will provide solace for their loneliness.

We are thankful for our church. KUC is a sanctuary for not just us, but all Your creatures, male or female, gay or straight, yellow or blue. And it is a community for all others who identify in all different ways, and who may find themselves marginalized and isolated.

We are thankful for our community of churches in Hong Kong—each and every parish, denominational or independent. We hope that they may pray in a unified voice for the peace of our city and world.

We are thankful for the entire religious community of Hong Kong—every mosque, temple and church. We ask that the Holy Spirit move all who worship You, in their own way, to restore Your justice on Earth.

We are thankful for our city. Over the past six months, we have been drowning in anxiety, despair and violence. But this past week, we’ve been given a chance to come up for air. We pray that this peace will last, that Your justice, mercy, and love will prevail, and that political accountability will be restored.

We are thankful for our world. Our Earth is still our Eden, awash in life sustained by Your Spirit. May You make us better stewards of our planet, holding ourselves and others accountable for the ways in which we harm it.

We are thankful for all the peoples of the Earth, divided as we may be by culture, ethnicity, race and religion. This week we pray, in particular, for the people of Myanmar and Thailand. We pray that the Rohingya and all other victims of persecution have their rights and lands restored and their lives secured. We pray for all the victims of sexual abuse, violence, exploitation and slavery. Almighty God, You gave us our bodies to be cherished like temples, not to be owned, maimed or killed.

Finally, Creator, we are thankful for Your Son, who’s coming birth we anticipate with beating hearts. In Him do we find all else that we are thankful for. He is our Logos, our ideal image, in whom we were created. He is our loving friend, through whom we find the grace of loving partnership—a partnership that we must extend to all others. He gave us our church, and the other churches with whom we should share in one, holy communion. He is the way of peace, not conflict. He is a steward of the earth, a shepherd of all creation. He brings good news to the poor, sick and marginalized.

It is in Christ’s name we pray now, in great thanksgiving, for all people made in Your image, and for every last creature on earth. From now until the end of time. Amen.