Sunday 12 November
Together We Pray
SUNDAY 12 November 2023, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Josh 24:1-3a, 14-25; 1 Thess 4:13-18; Matt 25:1-13
Let us pray for the church and for the world, giving thanks for God’s goodness.
O God, we pray for your church today, gathering around the world in tiny villages and great cathedrals, to hear your word and meet you in bread and wine. We pray for this diocese as its people worship, and any who walk by. Today we give thanks for the installation of a new dean at St Paul’s cathedral in Wellington: Katie Lawrence and her family. We give thanks for the network of people who link our lives in family and community life. Make us alert to others’ needs and quick to serve. We pray your Spirit to guide, inspire, and encourage. We pray for +Justin our bishop, and all who care for your flock in Jesus’ name.
God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Loving God, we pray for our friends. So often we take for granted the gift of their presence in our lives, their ability to listen to our worries and watch over us; may we do the same for someone else and pass this gift along. We pray too for the friendless, that they may be befriended and feel cherished. Let us give thanks for the mission and places on our streets where refuge and healing are offered, and the work is never-ending. We think of all who work with people in distress and need, illness and suffering. We remember those who have left their mark on our lives with love and laughter. Hold all these in your heart, dear God.*
God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Creator God, the earth is our home, and we are thankful for its beauty and abundance. We are saddened by its misuse that obscures its glory. The earth is darkened by violence, random and plotted, battles, and only fragile peace*. Dear God, make us agents of hope and light, forgiveness, and healing. The depth of need is overwhelming, and we pray for people suffering through war and disaster, and agencies tasked to help them. May we do one small thing to create a patch of light, and so build your kingdom in small ways: with a word and gesture, a decision to love. Keep our lives in the joy and simplicity of the gospel.
God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Sources: NRSV Bible; NZ Prayer Book; *John Pritchard, Intercessions Handbook; NEB Starr, prayers.
