Prayers from Sunday 16th Feb

Heavenly Father, Lord of all creation, we stand in awe of all you have given us.

From the distant heights of the skies above us, to the boundless depths of the oceans; from the lush vegetation of our forests to the spectacular arid desert wastes; from the fruitful plains to the dizzy snow-capped peaks our world has been made for us, although we do not look after it as we should. Your power and strength and diversity are shown in all the extremes of our weather, from the crisp, calm, sunny winter days we enjoy, to the gusts and rains of storm Dennis which we shelter from.

Lord, help all those who will come together later this year in the Climate Change and Regeneration Conference in Glasgow, to make informed decisions which will look after our world in the future.

Eternally loving God, we thank you for all that we are and all that you have given us. As we come before you in worship today, we see your work all around us: in the love of our communities; in the dedication of those who work for the good of society; in our friends and families; and in our own hearts as we work together, striving to follow you. We pray today for all your people, in this church community and outside it, that they may know your love and grace, that we will all use the talents and insights you have given to work for a more just world, and a society that values each individual for who they are.

God, we wonder at the things you tell us, we do not always know what you mean. Sometimes the lessons you teach us are hard to understand, but we know that they are there to show us how to live and love like you. Our lives are all very different, from each other and from the people from hundreds of years ago in the Bible. Our families all look different, but we know that no matter what they look like, we love them, and you love us. We thank you for giving us these lessons, so that we can wonder and learn about all the differences in the world, that there are so many ways to live a happy life, and that you love each and every one of us, for who we are, always and forever.

We pray for your guidance, your comfort and your love as we say together the words we all know and love:

Our Father,

Which art in heaven

Hallowed be Thy name

Thy Kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our debts

As we forgive our debtors

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the Kingdom,

The power and the glory

For ever.

Amen

Loving God, Creator of all that we perceive, Mother and Father, Parent and Guardian, our constant in a world of constant change, we come before you this day, your children, calling out for guidance when our best efforts do not seem to be enough.

We pray today for all your people, in this church community and beyond, that they may know your love and grace, that we will all use the talents and insights you have given us, to work for a more just world, and a society that values each individual for who they are.

From the great troubles of our times to the small, seemingly insignificant, issues of daily life, we cry out for your support and care.

We pray for all those thousands of people affected by the Corona Virus; for those who are ill; for those who are isolated and for those who are living in fear. Father, look after your peoples whose livelihoods and homes have been devastated by the extremes of forest fires or severe flooding.

We pray for our troubled world, in which the politics of fear, hate and lies, are commonplace, in which compromise is a lost art, in which those with the least continue to lose, and those with the most continue to gain, that those with the power to do, so will consider their actions and remember the impact they have on all our lives.

When we find it difficult to love our neighbour, or when we are indifferent to others, we look to Jesus’ example of constant care and compassion. Help us to show that love and compassion towards all those in our lives. Father, we give you those close to our hearts, both in our own families and in Alva’s church family:

those who are ill and suffering, whether in body or in mind;

those who are struggling to cope, wondering simply how to get through another day;

those who are lonely;

those who are grieving;

those who are working through troubled relationships and those rebuilding lives after failed ones

In a few moments of silence, let us pray for them:

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Help us to help them to reach out for your guidance and love.

Living God, we thank you for your grace in those times when we fail to follow you. We thank you for your eternal love in those times when the small things take over our lives and we forget what is most important. We thank you for the knowledge, that whatever mistakes we make, whether big or small, you will always love us. We pray that your grace and love, will guide all our lives, and that we will give everything to do your work.

Amen.