Prayer of Intercession

17 November 2024

Prepared by Robert Lam

Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

1.    Lord, we thank you for your Creation.

For the changing seasons, for the rain and sunshine. For the beautiful environment that you have provided for us: the Harbour and the Outlying Islands, the mountains and hills with the many hiking trails. Gifts for us to enjoy. Lord, help us not to take these for granted. Help us to give thanks and praise to you. They are gifts entrusted to us and our future generations. 

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

 

2.    Lord, we give thanks for the World

Lord, you have built within us a caring heart and mind to look out at the world, aware of the many suffering and pain in different parts of the world, where there’s fighting, inequalities, abuses between people of power and the weak and disadvantaged. We offer our prayers at this time for them, because they belong to us. They are gifts from you , entrusted to us to care and to pray for them. We pray that you will give them comfort and peace in their time of sorrow and helplessness.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

 

3.    Lord, we give thanks to the People whom you have brought into our lives.

Family members, relatives, friends, acquaintances, and church members. They have shared in our time of joy, comforted and consoled us in our times of sadness and disappointment, and have encouraged us when we stumble in our Christian walk. Lord, help us to see them as gifts from you, giving thanks to you always, caring and attending to people whom you have brought into our daily lives.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

 

4.    Lord, we give thanks to the People in Church that you have especially entrusted to us.

We remember Kevin Ng, Jeanette Lee, Ng Kam Lee, Joy Babasa, John Mamgmasih, Jen Pang, Betty and Dick Blakney who are facing health challenges in their lives. We pray for their well being, for your healing and comfort at this time. We think of our senior members, Mrs Samuel, and the mothers of Alex Melwani and June Tang. We pray for peace and you in their walk with you in their senior years.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

 

5.    Lord, we give thanks to the Time, Talent and Possessions that you have so generously given to us. Give us the wisdom and desire to return these gifts to you for the furtherance of the Gospel. 

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. 

 

6.    We pray all these in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray the Lord’s Prayer. You may wish to pray in your own language.

 

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 sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from eveil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, 

 

Now and for ever. Amen.

Prayer of Intercession

10 November 2024

Prepared by Tory  Caplan 

Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father.  As we pray, after I say “God in your mercy”, please respond, “Hear our prayer.”

 

Almighty Creator God

Thank you for the beautiful world you made and sustain: the fruitful earth, the clean air & pure water.

 

But, your creation groans in suffering because of our foolishness, greed, and unjust systems. We turn your abundance into scarcity, poison, and disasters.

 

Grant us and our leaders the will and ability to care for your world properly. 

 

God, in your mercy 

hear our prayer 

 

God of the Prophets

Protect all who call out injustice and oppression and work for positive change. Give patience, strength and comfort to those who strive and suffer to repair the world. Awaken a sense of justice  and mercy in people in power and call them to good action. 

God, in your mercy 

hear our prayer 

 

Life Giving Spirit, God of Peace

We pray for the many places where there is war and fighting. We pray for people who lack safety at home or outside their homes. Heal their physical, mental, and spiritual wounds. 

 

Direct our families, our communities, and every nation, in the ways of kindness, justice and peace; that we may honour one another, and seek the common good.

 

God, in your mercy 

hear our prayer 

 

God of Abundance and Caring

Too often we look at the world and see scarcity. We fear to share. Help us to be like the widows in our readings today: to give and share in courage and hope; share our time, energy, and if we have it, money. Help us know that no gift is too small. Help us live the old song: sharing is caring.

God, in your mercy 

hear our prayer 

 

 

 

Healer and companion of all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit:

Look after people in danger, sorrow, or any kind of trouble: the sick, the lonely, the abused, the addicted, the grieving, the homeless, the imprisoned, the poor, the oppressed, refugees, victims of disasters, and people who feel displaced in life. 

 

In particular, we pray for Kevin Ng, Jeanette Lee, Ng Kam Lee, Joy Babasa, John Mamgmasih, Jen Pang and Betty and Dick Blakney, Mrs. Samuel and the mothers of Alex Melwani and June Tang.

 

Strengthen them in their hours of need. Give them courage and hope in their troubles; relieve and protect them, and bring them the joy of your salvation

 

 

God, in your mercy 

hear our prayer 

 

Triune God, who we meet in community :

Thank you for our Kowloon Union Church family, the Christian community in Hong Kong and throughout the world.  Help us build each other up.

 

We also pray for our Council and Trustees meeting today to discuss the budget for 2025, may their work go smoothly and bear good fruit.

 

God, in your mercy 

hear our prayer 

 

For the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle:   We lift up in prayer the churches and people of all faiths in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Australia.

God, in your mercy 

hear our prayer 

 

Rejoicing in the fellowship of all your saints, let us close with some words of Julian of Norwich, which I’ve put in more modern English.

Of one of her visions she recounted:

“God did NOT say: You shall not be storm tossed, you shall not be worked hard, you will not be afflicted. But instead, God said: You shall not be overcome. God wills that we heed these words, and that we be ever strong in sure trust, both in times of joy and and woe. For God loves us and enjoys us and wills that we love and enjoy and mightily trust in God; and all shall be well.

Amen. 

Prayer of Intercession

3 November 2024

Prepared by Emmanuel Adesina

Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear God, we thank You for Your grace, which has kept us until now. If You had not been on our side, countless things would have happened against our heart's desire. Despite the ups and downs in our various endeavors, we still have the full course to say, Thank you, Lord.

Merciful God, we glorify Your name for protection, blessings, provision, guidance, the life challenges that have shaped us, strengthened us, and grown our faith in You, and most importantly, the gift of salvation. Today, we pray for Your Holy Spirit to work through us, lead us to grow more in faith, and constantly remind us to submit our worries and plans to Your able hands.

 

Heavenly Father, the maker of heaven, earth, and everything in them, king of kings, we thank You for bringing us out from the slavery of sin through Your son and the assurance of salvation. Blessed be the name of our Lord.

O Lord, help us continue trusting Your faithful and unending Love for us whenever we seem distant from You based on life challenges.

 

Dear Lord, help us to understand the need to ignore our selfish desires, submit to Your will, and obey Your greatest commandments with our heart, soul, mind, and strength before we can be regarded as faithful followers. Open our minds to know that Your love for us is lasting and incomparable.

We believe obeying your great commandment of love signifies our strong desire and readiness to follow You. Help us in our daily lives to continue loving You and one another, irrespective of race or differences. 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers

 

We remember countries currently experiencing natural disasters, political unrest, war, economic problems, disease outbreaks, and increased political tensions that can raise many concerns about the future. Please fill us with your peace that no man can give. We pray for the spirit to live in love and harmony as brothers and sisters and to rule over hatred and oppression.

King of peace, guide the hearts and minds of all those in authority, deliver Your world from injustice, and restore Your peace among nations. Help the helpless, speak for the voiceless, rescue the forgotten, and protect the vulnerable. 

 

Healing God, we remember people who are down with one illness or the other. Merciful God, comfort them during this trying time and do what only You can do regarding their health conditions.

 

Here at home, we pray for Hong Kong's prosperity. God of provision, we pray you continue to guide and provide the leaders with the wisdom and knowledge to move the city forward in the right direction of prosperity, especially in making adequate provisions for the needy and the marginalized.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers

 

In a moment of silence, brothers and sisters, let us offer our individual most heartfelt prayer to our Lord.

 

Dear God, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, reminded us of the benefits of trusting in Your power regarding our requests, saying, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” Loving God, we are glad to have You as our last hope because we believe in You.  

Thank you for knowing our heart desires. “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” Guide us in aligning our heart desires with Your will.  Please grant them and make our plans come true.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers

 

O God, the beginning and the end, “You said, on this Rock, You will build Your church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.” We are grateful that You are on the side of Your church, giving us many reasons not to fear the devil’s plan. Greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world. We pray for the continued commitment of Christians worldwide, even in the face of challenging situations.

 

Compassionate God, hear our humble request and let all our supplications be accepted. Amen.

Prayer of Intercession

20 October 2024

Prepared by Rey Asis

Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lord God, You bring joy to our lives, always. We thank You for this gift of life. The eyes that continue to be in awe of beautiful things You have created, the wonders of new discoveries and the promise of creative minds and hearts for our community and this earth we live in.

 

We feel Your presence through Your creation. The magnificence of the seas that connect us, mountains that guard us, rivers and paddyfields that are abundant with life. We pray for farmers and fishers who cultivate and take care of them. May we be guardians and stewards of care as we make this beautiful planet continually green, giving and nourishing not only for ourselves and our families but for the next generations to come.

 

We feel Your presence through the people who make our world a better place. We pray for the likes of Ellyanne whose advocacy for environment care inspires, for Nihon Hidankyo, the group of Japanese atomic bombs survivors, who steadfastly calls and works for a world free of nuclear weapons, and for countless groups and peoples who call for a Gaza without aggression, a Myanmar without fascism and violence, and a world where discrimination, exploitation and greed are history. 

 

Please guide our world leaders in deciding on matters that embrace and value peoples’ lives, crafting policies that champion human rights, enable meaningful participation, and ensure accountability, and making their platforms benefit not a few but all, resolving poverty and stagflation, finding solutions to the multiple crises that beset us, and building unity and solidarity amongst nations.

 

We feel Your presence through our church, Kowloon Union Church. We are thankful for our pastors who continue to guide and walk with us in faith, for the many hands and hearts taking care of our members, churchgoers and everyone and anyone in need.  We pray for Kevin, Jeanette, Hend, Ng Kam Lee, Raymond, Joy, Julianne, Revd Kwok, John, Jen, Betty and Dick who face health challenges – may You continue to give them strength; for Mrs Samuel and the mothers of Alex and June – may You be with them always and those caring for them; for members of the KUC council and trustees. 

 

In the ecumenical prayer cycle, we pray for churches and peoples of all faith in the Caribbean.

 

Let us now give a moment of silence to pray for our own personal intentions. (10 seconds)

 

Lord God, we feel Your presence always and even in times we feel alone and neglected, You never leave our side. May we continue to persevere in prayer, praising You in every waking moment, offering to You every act of love and service we do, and holding You in our heart as we continue to become channels of Your peace, love, mercy and joy. This we pray through Your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.