St Mary's Church, Mudford
Intercessions
Prayers of Intercession
Sunday 13th April, Palm Sunday
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love
endures for ever!
Giver of light, open our hearts to the Blessed One who
comes so humbly, on a borrowed colt. Open before us the
gates of righteousness, that we may enter through them and
give thanks that Jesus is Lord.
Help us as we take up your invitation to prayer and
simplicity, that the discipline of these forty days of Lent may
sharpen our hunger for the feast of your holy friendship,
and whet our thirst for the living water you offer through
Jesus Christ. Guide us through the remainder of this Lenten
season as we metaphorically move steadily towards
Jerusalem with Jesus and the disciples, that we may not
avoid struggle, but open ourselves to blessing, through the
cleansing depths of repentance and the heavenly words of the Spirit.
Caught between joy and despair, we yearn for the fulfilment of God’s desire beyond the
brokenness and neediness of this life. We offer thanksgiving for God’s presence with us and
petitions for the transformation of the church and the world.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer
God of infinite mercy and goodness, with grateful hearts we pray to you today for Peace. We
pray to you for all your innocents suffering and struggling through the many wars and armed
conflicts affecting the middle east, north and central Africa, Asia and nearer to home in
eastern Europe.
We remember the words from Isaiah, “they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and
their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall
they learn war any more.” We pray that those who still make Jerusalem a battleground shall
heed these words, and we pray especially for all those who have the courage and honesty to
work openly for justice and peace.
Guide those who make laws, interpret them, and administer them, that our common life and
that of all your people may be ordered in justice and mercy.
We hold in our prayers too those suffering because of flood, fire, or disease, and those
bereaved and homeless because of the Myanmar earthquake.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer
We pray for our church and all Christians, for our diocese, our benefice, and our parishes
and for all those who work to bring your word to your people. We give thanks that we can
profess our faith in peace and we pray for those millions of Christians around the world who
suffer persecution or discrimination for their faith in Jesus Christ.
May you continue to inspire all of us to oneness of heart and mind, to work generously for
the common good, to respect the dignity of every person and the fundamental rights which
have their origin in you.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer
Heavenly Father, your son Jesus Christ brought comfort and healing to those in fear and
pain. For those in the darkness and agony of isolation, may they find support and
encouragement. For those who, weighed down with hardship, failure, sorrow, illness or feel
that God is far from them, and for those who are tempted to give up the way of the cross, let
us pray to the Lord.
And, we pray that we, with those who have died in faith, may find mercy in the day of Christ.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer
Lord, – in a moment of silence - we place in your hands those for whom we want to pray. We
appeal to you, our God who already knows the prayers on our hearts. We know that you
love them with a love greater than we could ever imagine. In the stillness we are here, with
you, for them.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer
Life-giver, Pain-bearer, Love-maker, day by day you sustain the weary with your word and
gently encourage us to place our trust in you. Awaken us to the suffering of those around us
and give us grace to share one another’s burdens in humble service.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of Your Son, our saviour, Jesus Christ
Amen