Prayers for Pentecost Sunday

Empowering God, you gave us the abiding presence of your Holy Spirit.
Look upon your church today and hear our petitions.

We pray for the church of Christ across the world.  May your spirit enliven our scholars and teachers, our ministers and leaders and all our brothers and sisters united today in the celebration of Pentecost. 

Lord open our hearts to your transforming power and in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We praise you for all the wonders of your creation, for our landscape and environment as well as the human cultures you have enabled us to build.  We rejoice that the Holy Spirit is flickering within  us - waiting to be nurtured and grown so that every person has the potential to be one with Christ.  We pray for athletes and artists, for politicians and pop stars, for gardeners and builders, for scientists and technicians as we thank you for the richness and complexity of our human world .
Lord open our hearts to your transforming power and in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord, help us never to recognize the intrinsic worth of everyone we meet, and to see them through your eyes of love. Teach us to love unconditionally, even as you have loved us.  We pray for our local community - for families, colleagues and neighbours, friends and enemies.  We pray for community workers, the police and fire services.  We ask you to strengthen the spark of the holy spirit within us and our confidence in ourselves so that we can truly love all our neighbours in generosity and change our community to reflect your vision for us.

Lord open our hearts to your transforming power and in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord, we ask you to pour your grace on all those who cannot join in the exuberance of today’s Pentecostal feast, those who feel nothing but weariness and aching in their bones. We pray for those who care for the physical needs of others and journey along a difficult road winding, often uphill, to its end. May both carer and cared-for sense your presence with them through the darkness, and may they see your light as they journey.

Lord open our hearts to your transforming power and in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord, we pray for those whom we have loved but see no more.  We remember before God all those who have died.  Jesus Christ is the light of the world.  A light which no darkness can quench,  As we light a candle to symbolise the light of God’s love.  Today  we remember x and we name particular people in our hearts.
May they and all the departed rest in peace and them may those who mourn them know your still presence.

Lord, open our hearts to your transforming power and in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord, grant that, gathered and directed by your Spirit, we may confess Christ as Lord and combine our diverse gifts with a singular passion to continue his mission in this world, until we join in your eternal praise.   Amen.