Prayer of Intercession

Sunday 31 January 2021

Forth Sunday after Epiphany

Prepared by Peter Youngblood 

Almighty God, we come to you again with the prayers of your people. We take this time to give voice to what is in our hearts, whether it is sadness or joy, worry or relief, or our wants or thankfulness.

Together we pray for the world, which continues to groan under the strain and stress of poverty, violence and disease. As part of our prayer cycle, we pray for the nations of South Africa: Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara, Tunisia and Libya. We remember India, where millions of farmers are protesting against laws they think are unfair. We pray that these protests remain peaceful, and that the protestors’ voices be heard. We likewise pray for all people in the world who have been marginalized, exploited or repressed, and that they may be treated with empathy and fairness.

We remember those who continue to suffer due to the ongoing pandemic. While we remain hopeful, Covid-19 continues to ravage our economies and mental and physical health. New variants are overwhelming medical services in many parts of the world. We pray for those who are sick, and for those taking care of the sick.

We are thankful for the arrival of more vaccines that can help us overcome the virus. Indeed, Lord, while we too often disappoint You, each other, and ourselves, we can still rise to the challenge, using the gifts that You have given us to make the world better. But our science is only as good as our morality. We pray that the nations of the world can work together to overcome this great crisis. While we are physically isolated, we cannot be emotionally isolated. We pray that our governments are guided by love, not fear, and that they share their resources with each other.

We also remember those in our city facing the virus. While our infection rates are low, there are more insidious effects. People remain isolated from one another, some too fearful to leave their homes. Whole neighborhoods face sudden, even arbitrary, government lockdowns. The unemployment rate is the highest it as been in 16 years. We pray that our political leaders can be guided by compassion, not spite.

We pray for our church, especially the elderly and the sick in our congregation. Lord, we give thanks for Victoria’s recovery, a sign of grace when all else seems dire. But we continue to look for more miracles, praying for those still struggling in our community. We pray for Jenny and her family. We lift up our senior members: Peter and Judy, Mrs. Chang and Mrs. Samuel. They face a greater challenge in adapting to remote worship. Our children also struggle, as they must continue to learn away from their classrooms.

And we pray for our pastors and pastoral staff. We are so lucky to have an addition to our team. God, we ask that you be with Carl in his new ministry. Above all else, we pray that he continues to have the fortitude and patience he has so clearly shown so far.

As tired as we are of this pandemic. As much as we want Covid to go away, it won’t unless we stay the course. We pray for our own resilience, Lord, and the extra strength to offer support to those who need it. No one is safe until all are safe.

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prayer of Intercession

Sunday 24 January 2020

Third Sunday after Epiphany

Prepared by Lydia Catedral

Dear Lord God, 

Beyond time and space - we bring you our concerns knowing that you care deeply about the details of our lives. 

Here in our community: we lift up Tory and Ate Jenny in their continual recovery and for others facing health problems. We also lift up those in our community who are impacted by the growing number of cases in Jordan and the surrounding areas as well as the lockdown. We pray for peace and for the provision of all needs for those who are in lockdown - for emotional, spiritual and physical health. And for all of us to lovingly and willingly serve one another in the church. We also recognise the ways in which ethnic minorities and working class people are particularly impacted in these neighbourhoods and the ways in which ethnic minorities and domestic workers have been singled out by local media as spreaders of the virus. We pray for journalists to write more ethically in ways that do not further marginalize these groups, and for health for all in Hong Kong and around the world.

As we strive in our own communities to stand against injustice towards those who are marginalized and minoritized, we remember the situation of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, which this week has been labelled by the US government as “crimes against humanity” and “genocide”. We pray for rights to language, culture, religion family and life to be upheld for Uyghurs, and for the dismantling of the Chinese re-education camps that perpetrate so much injustice and violations against this religious and ethnic minority group. 

We remember those who are not so far away in the Philippines in light of the Duterte governments’ termination of an agreement that state forces would be prohibited from entering the University of the Philippines. We recognize the ways in which this act is part of a larger pattern of red-tagging, killing and silencing those in the Philippines who are speaking out against human rights violations and government corruption. We pray for both peace and justice in the Philippines, for a reconsideration of the termination of this agreement and to an end to red-tagging and extra judicial killings.

 
We also remember the U.S. in this week of the inauguration of president jo Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. We pray that the actions taken by the new administration to rejoin the Paris climate accord, end the Muslim ban, bring a halt to the keystone XL pipeline would be followed by further actions to address climate change, to end discriminatory immigration policies and to protect indigenous people and land. We also recognize the ways in which the US as a powerful and imperial nation has an impact on so many others. We pray for repentance among leadership in the country to address grave injustices not only within the U.S. but in their engagements with foreign policy and their perpetration of foreign wars. We pay that they would engage in genuine work towards human rights and democracy, rather than superficial acts, which obscure American greed.
 
As a part of our ecumenical prayer cycle, we lift up in prayer today the churches and people of all faiths in Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and for all who work towards peace and justice in these countries. 

Lord, we can become so overwhelmed in the evil that is in the world. We pray that you would strengthen us to not tire of doing good, that you would grant us what we need to do what we can and to trust that you are at work far beyond what we can see or imagine. 

We are particularly thankful for those in our community and beyond who are engaged in the work of bringing your kin-dom to pass: through their advocacy, through their service and through their kind human consideration of others they encounter.

 
We we will now pray the Lord’s prayer. You may pray along in any of your own languages.

Prayer of Intercession
Sunday 10 January 2021
First Sunday after Epiphany
Prepared by Robert Lam

Lord, we thank you for your blessings of the past year, for your abiding presence and abundant grace in the midst of trials and difficulties.

Life has not been the same, our freedom and movement curtailed. But we thank you for the time of reflection at home, in learning to care about our community and ourselves and in learning to draw strength from you.

We pray for those infected with Covid in Hong Kong and in many parts of the world. We pray that they would have an early recovery. We pray for the doctors and nurses caring for these patients, that you would give them added strength, that they would remain alert and vigilant at all times so that they would not get infected.

We thank you for the early availability of various vaccines against covid. We pray that these vaccines can be made available to the not so well-off countries in Asia, in Africa and in South America.

We pray for Hong Kong.

We pray particularly for the 51 democrats arrested this week under the National Security Law. 

We give thanks to the many voices in the community questioning these arrests, that there is a greater need for Government to act with proper caution and responsibility.

We pray for a just Government.

We give thanks to a strong judiciary, to the integrity of our judges and Chief Justices. We pray that they would continue to strenuously uphold the rule of law and fair trials.

We pray for the young people and families who have decided or are deciding to leave Hong Kong. We pray that you would give them wisdom and discernment in making this difficult but important decision.

For those who have left, we pray that you would guide their steps, that they would settle well in their country of choice; that they would find work, good education for their children  and have new friends and churches to belong to.

In the ecumenical cycle of prayer, we pray together with many other churches in Hong Kong and around the world for the people of Iran, Iraq and Syria. 

We give thanks to the resilience of the people who remain in their homelands even when they face constant threats and on-going violence. We give thanks to those who have worked continually for peace, justice and reconciliation. We pray also that the political leaders emerging in these countries who will pursue peace, the common good and human rights of all groups.

We pray all these in the name of our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ 

AMEN

Prayer of Intercession
Sunday 3 January 2021
Second Sunday after Christmas
Prepared by Rey Asis

This morning, we will have a responsive prayer. The response to the petition Lord in your mercy is: Hear our prayer. 
Let us pray. 

O God of life and history, the year 2020 has been difficult for us especially to the most vulnerable sectors of our society – the migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, the elderly, the homeless and the poor, those caught in conflicts and wars. The COVID19 pandemic aggravated their already vulnerable situation. We pray for their protection at all times, that programs of relief and support be extended to them.
 
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
 
O God of justice and compassion, people continue to live in uncertainty and fear. We pray especially for the people of Nepal, whose parliament has been dissolved, and the people of the United Kingdom, whose ties with the European Union have been officially severed. We pray for the people of Yemen, whose airplane containing the newly formed government was attacked killing 26 and injuring 50, and the people of the Philippines, where human rights violations intensify with the recent killing of 9 Tumandok indigenous people. We pray, Lord God, for human rights, human dignity and justice be upheld in these countries and the world over.
 
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
 
O God, You who have given us freedom to express ourselves. This freedom in Hong Kong and many parts of the world is slipping away. We pray for the 10 HongKongers who have been imprisoned in Mainland China, we pray for the 2 who have been returned back to the city, we pray for activists, church leaders and people of faith, peace and human rights advocates who continue to face the threat of state repression. We pray for healing, Lord God. Please protect our city, our families and loved ones, and our people during these trying times.
 
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
 
O God of healing and mercy, COVID19 infections continue to rise and spread. With nurses and medical practitioners contracting the coronavirus in Hong Kong as well as the 14 residential buildings having a record of infections, much anxiety is felt by many of us. Physical and emotional burdens are experienced by people, especially those who have lost their jobs and the migrant domestic workers who experience overwork. As we look forward to the rolling out of the vaccine in the first quarter of 2021, we pray Lord God that no one is left behind in this global fight to resolve the pandemic.
 
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
 
In the ecumenical prayer cycle, we pray for the people and churches in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. May walls that divide be broken down in these places. May reconciliation be realized with the upholding of justice. May violence finally cease, may governments continue to work together toward just peace, security and respect for all, so that all those who have been forced to flee can finally return.
 
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
 
O God of hope and love, we pray for our sisters and brothers who are sick, fighting against disease and recuperating. We ask You to bless the medicines they are taking, the medical practitioners and people who are taking care of them. Strengthen their faith and trust in You, O God, so that they will be healed and recover. We pray for Tory, for Ate Jenny, for Siriya. We also pray for Paul, Peter, Sandy, Feby, Emad and Nasr.
 
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
 
Lord God, we pray for our ministers and church leaders in their service to God through KUC. May the Holy Spirit unite them as one in Christ to serve with wisdom. We pray for the spiritual growth of all members and the whole congregation. May the community of KUC continue to witness Christ to bring light, hope, and love to the world of darkness. We pray also for a stronger community in Christ. We pray that more members and friends are willing to participate in the various ministries of the church and that together we serve God with joy.
 
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
 
O beloved God, we look forward to this new year with Your love, with Your mercy, with Your forgiveness, with Your justice. As we bring our own personal prayers to You, may we continue to walk in Your guiding light, spread Your Word of love to everyone, and find You in all things. This we pray through Your Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.