Finding True North #34: Prayers of Intercession for July 31

These are the prayers of intercession that I wrote for use in worship at North UMC on July 31, 2011. The passage for the day was Mark 5:1-20 (the Gerasene demoniac), and I tried to pick up on themes in that narrative as well as on current events within the church and around the world. Each petition was followed by "Lord, in your mercy" and the response "Hear our prayer." There are a few biblical allusions and one paraphrase of Gandhi...

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O Lord, today we lift up your Church. We pray for those who have experienced rejection at the hands of your followers. Many have rejected you because the Christians they meet are so unlike your Christ. Lord, we know that even as we seek here at North Church to become more welcoming, we have a long way to go. Strengthen us in our resolve publicly to demonstrate your love and acceptance to all people, and forgive us when we fail to do so.

God of all the nations, we pray for our country. As our leaders struggle to make decisions and reach compromises, we ask for your wisdom and discernment. Remind us and our leaders that when we are dealing with money and resources, we are engaged not in a game of politics but in the important task of using your good gifts rightly. Renew a sense of stewardship and responsibility in this nation as we make our way both at home and in our international relationships.

God of all creation, we give you thanks for the good earth you have given us for food and habitation. We confess that we do violence to you, the creator, whenever we violate your creation by exploiting its resources. Remind us that the good news is not announced to disembodied human souls but to embodied human beings whose fate is bound to the fate of this earth. Give us grace to see through your eyes and to appreciate and honor our place in your grand design.

Lord, we give you thanks for the ways in which you reveal yourself to us in community and in relationships. Help us to love as you love. Whenever we are tempted to ask, "What have you to do with me?", remind us that we are all members of one body, your body. Release the chains that bind us, and lead us with cords of human kindness and bands of love.

We pray today for all those who suffer—for the sick, the hungry, the poor, the lonely. We pray for victims of violence of all kinds. We lift up in particular the people of Norway. Give your children strength to extend grace in the face of violence, both to those who mourn and to those whose actions cause mourning. Assure us that you have made peace by the blood of the cross, and it is that blood that will have the final word.