Prayer of Intercession

14 January 2024

Prepared by Rev. Phyllis Wong

Second Sunday After Epiphany

United in one heart and one spirit, we uplift our prayers to God. Congregation please respond by saying “hear our prayer”, after I say “Lord, in your mercy” at the end of each prayer petition. 

 

Dear God of mercy, 

We come to seek your healing for those who are wounded physically and psychologically in wars. We are in particular seeking your mercy on the people in Gaza as thousands and thousands of people, many of them children, had been injured and killed. May your healing power strengthen their body and touch their heart. May your compassion touch the heart of the leaders to stop wars and to make peace through dialogue. We pray for people and NGOs who are courageous to continue to provide support and assistance in the war zone areas, in the midst of danger and risk of personal life. May you protect and bless them when they are working for the wounded and the traumatized.

Lord, in your mercy.

Hear our prayer. 

 

God of peace,

We remember people who are living in a place where there is no peace due to war, political unrest, crimes, climate change, illness, unexpected changes in life, loss of jobs and loved ones. 

 

May Jesus, the Prince of Peace come to them, grant them inner peace and faith to trust that God is with them to go through all the trials. 

 

Lord, in your mercy.

Hear our prayer. 

 

God of justice,

We remember the poor people who are sick and without enough means to buy medication. We are delighted to hear the National Cancer Grid have initiated a scheme to reduce the cost of cancer medication for some of the poorest people in India. May this kind of arrangement be made in the international community so more poor people will get equal access to the medicines they need to preserve their health. 

 

We remember those who are suffering from persecution due to differences in political stand, religious belief, gender and sexual orientations and so on. 

 

We pray for political prisoners. May God’s peace be with them. We pray for a just judiciary system in Hong Kong and in the world. May God’s kingdom of justice reign on earth.

Lord, in your mercy.

Hear our prayer. 

 

God of Creative love,

By your Word, you have created all lives in the world. We are sorry for the damage human beings have made due to greed. We seek your grace to restore Mother Earth. We pray for the poor who suffer more from the climate change. We pray for the victims of natural disasters. We are in particular upholding friends from Japan who have been adversely affected by the recent earthquake in the Noto peninsula.

Lord, in your mercy.

Hear our prayer. 

 

God of Community

Close to home in Hong Kong and at our church KUC, we pray for the education system and for the schools in HK as there is a huge number of teachers quitting their job. Causes need to be identified and addressed in order to find a workable solution to the problem. Policies need to be made to focus on the education needs and growth of the students.

 

We uphold members and friends from our church community in our hearts. We pray for healing and full recovery of Paul Wong, Edna Lai and June’s mother after surgery. We pray for God’s comfort to Sherri and her family for the passing of her father. We are thankful to God’s gracious presence to all we have been praying for quite some time due to different needs. We pray for the congregation of KUC. May God give us strength and remind us our mission as we are celebrating our 100th anniversary this year!

 

As part of the international ecumenical body, we lift up in prayer the churches and people of all faiths in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. We pray for the well-being and peace of the people of different cultures and religions. May the people in these places enjoy freedom and peace. And may basic human rights and dignity be upheld. 

Lord, in your mercy.

Hear our prayer. 

 

To close our prayer, let us share the Lord’s Prayer, the words that taught by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. You are welcome to say in your own language and preferred version.

Our Father in Heaven

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven

 

Give us today our daily bread.

forgive us our sins,

as we forgive those who have sinned against us

lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil

for the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.