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Prayers 11 July 2004

I’m going to begin by reading a prayer by Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador, who was shot in 1980 by a hired assassin for his campaign against violence and injustice.

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.           
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation
in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference
between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Amen.

We pray for this world where violence and injustice rule, that people may learn to live in harmony, respect each other’s beliefs and celebrate their differences.

Lord, have mercy upon us, Christ have mercy upon us, Lord, have mercy upon us.

Open they eyes of those who possess the means to end the scandal of want in the midst of plenty and grant them the wisdom to take action.

Lord, have mercy upon us, Christ have mercy upon us, Lord, have mercy upon us.

We pray for all who suffer in mind or body and for those who care for them. We pray for the sick; for those who mourn; for those without faith, hope or love.

We pray for any known to us who are in special need of our prayers at this time.  We remember them now in a moment of silence ….

Lord, have mercy upon us, Christ have mercy upon us, Lord, have mercy upon us.

Jesus Christ is the light of the world, a light which no darkness can quench.  We remember before God those who have died and light a candle to symbolise the light of Christ, which eternally shines and brings hope. We remember

 

You turn our darkness into light: in your light shall we see light.

 

Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us. 

 

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

Your kingdom come, your will be done,

On earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours

Now and for ever.  Amen