Abstract
All Saints Day: November 1st
Opening Responses
All times and all places
All seas and all mountains
All governments and all peoples
All of life belongs to God
Prayers of intercession
Loving God, we remember your saints.
We thank you for the saints of history,
for Andrew and Columba, for Margaret and Mungo, for Clare and Francis.
We thank you for saints whose stories cheer us and inspire us and make us smile…
We remember them.
We thank you for those we have thought of as saints in recent days
for Martin Luther King, for Rosa Parks, for Dorothy Day, for Mahatma Ghandi
for all who prayed and worked for peace and for justice….
We remember them.
We thank you for saints whose stories are known only to those who are blessed by their prayers and their actions
for carers and travellers, for neighbours, for strangers…
We remember them.
We thank you for the saints in our own communities, whose lives and stories have kept us close to you…
We remember them.
We pray for those who are near to the end of their lives
for those who will soon know clearly what we see dimly,
for them and their families and friends and carers
We remember them.
Loving God, our Maker, we pray for ourselves and our needs, and however unlikely we think it, make of us your friends and your saints.
We ask our prayers in the name of Jesus and in the mystery of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Closing Responses
In the beginning and at the end
At our birth and throughout our lives
When we die and travel beyond death
All of life and death belongs to God
Closing Blessing
Go now
and walk with God
and may the blessing of God,
Maker, Healer and Holy Spirit,
make of you saints,
today and for ever.
4th November
Opening Responses
Travellers, pilgrims, wanderers, strangers
Home-makers, carers, givers, takers
Questioners, doubters, seekers, believers
Intercessory Prayers
Loving and welcoming God, we bring you our prayers:
We pray today for all whose lands are dangerous places…
God, in your mercy,
We pray for those who live as strangers in lands that are not their own…
God, in your mercy,
We pray for those who work for justice and peace in our communities and around the world…
God, in your mercy,
We pray for people who are vulnerable and have few resources…
God, in your mercy,
We pray for those who are ill, and for those who at the beginning or ending of their lives
God, in your mercy,
We pray for our own needs and we hear again your questions to us:
Will you love God with all of your heart?
with all of your mind?
with all of your soul?
with all of your strength?
Will you love your neighbour?
Will you love your neighbour as much as you love yourself?
Loving God, help us to say Yes to You.
Closing responses
Day after day,
Day after day,
Day after day,
Blessing
Go now
and walk with God
and may the blessing of God
Road-maker, Story-teller and Holy Spirit of adventure
be with you on your journey,
today and all your days to come.
November 11th
Opening Responses
VOICE A: Jesus sat watching people drop money into the Temple collecting box.
VOICE B: The rich people dropped in lots of money.
VOICE A: A poor widow dropped in two small coins.
VOICE B: Jesus said the widow was more generous than the rich people
VOICE A: The rich people gave very little of what they owned.
VOICE B: The widow gave everything she had to live on.
VOICE A: Here the story ends.
Intercessory prayers
Loving and life-giving God, your prophets and Jesus tell us of your concern for those who are vulnerable:
We pray today for the people whose faces and stories we have heard on the news this week, for those who are happy, for those who are angry or sad…
Hear our prayer, God.
We pray for those in our own communities who live in poverty, who live in fear…
Hear our prayer, God.
We pray for those who care for others, for volunteers, for doctors and nurses, for friends and family members…
Hear our prayer, God.
We pray for those who are ill and those who are near to death and for all who love them…
We pray for those who mourn…
Hear our prayer, God.
We pray for ourselves, for our hopes, our needs, our dreams…
Hear our prayer, God.
Loving God, thank you for hearing our prayers.
Closing Responses
Amongst our friends and families,
On bad days and good days,
Amongst pilgrims and strangers,
In new situations and familiar surroundings,
Blessing
Go now
and walk with God
and may the blessing of God
Parent, Child and Loving Spirit
be with you on your journey,
today and all your days to come.
November 18th
Opening Responses
God is our strength
God is our refuge
God is our counsellor
God is our keeper
God knows what we need
God knows us through and through
Prayers of Intercession
Loving God, you lead us into life and loving
We pray today for those whose paths lead them towards to death—death of hope and wonder, death of mind and body…
God of life,
We pray for those who live in fear, fear of war and destruction, fear of enemies, fear of family members, fear of darkness…
God of life,
We pray for our own community, for friends and neighbours, for newcomers, for people of faith, for pilgrims…
God of life,
We pray for those who are in hospital, in prison, or in a place that is strange to them…
God of life,
We pray for ourselves…our needs…our hopes and dreams…
Loving God, our Keeper, you know us through and through, give us what we need and help us to share your love and our resources with those around us.
We ask our prayers in the name of Jesus and in the strength and joy of the Holy Spirit.
Closing responses
Wondering, questioning, hoping, loving,
Laughing, grieving, struggling, succeeding,
Today, tomorrow and all of our journey,
Blessing
Go now
and walk with God
and may the blessing of God
Keeper, Counsellor and Life-giving Spirit
be with you on your journey,
today and all your days to come.
November 25th
Opening Words
A Saul, David, Solomon, Josiah
B Ahaz, Cyrus, Amon, Zedekiah
C Nebuchadnezzar, Omri, Herod, Hezekiah
A Strong kings, good kings, wise kings, bad kings
B Weak kings, rich kings, clever kings,
C Just kings, evil kings, brave kings, sad kings
A Christ the King Sunday,
B The Reign of God Sunday
C What kind of a king is Jesus?
Intercessory prayers
God of truth and wonder, as the season of Advent approaches we bring You our prayers.
We pray for kings and queens, for leaders and rulers that they may rule wisely and justly, that they may seek peace and not war.
God hear us;
We pray for wanderers and travellers and all who ask questions.
God hear us;
We pray for those who are not looking forward to Christmas, for those who sleep rough, for families split apart, for those who live in poverty.
God hear us;
We pray for those who are sick or sad and for those who care for them and about them
God hear us;
We pray for ourselves…we bring you our questions, our needs, our dreams.
God hear us,
God of truth and wonder, as the season of Advent approaches, keep us close to You, keep us loving.
Closing words
Alpha and Omega, End and Beginning,
Jesus who entered Jerusalem on a donkey,
Holy Spirit in our lives, keeping us truthful,
For ever and ever,
Blessing
Go now,
and walk with God,
and may the blessing of God,
Ruler and Friend and Spirit of Wonder,
be with you today,
and every day of your journey home.
Next month, we publish an article by Michael J. Cho, ‘Irenaeus on Law and Justification’, together with two articles on 1 Corinthians: ‘Another Look at ἔννομος Χριστοῦ in 1 Corinthians 9:21’ by Ho Hyung Cho and ‘Prophecy and Preaching: Does What Paul Calls ‘Prophecy’ in 1 Corinthians 14 Include What We Would Today Call ‘Preaching’?’ by Chris Knights.