Prayers of the People for Advent 2 Year A

The following is intended to reflect the lectionary’s emphasis on preparing the way, bearing fruit, and abounding in hope (Isaiah 11; Psalm 72; Romans 15; Matthew 3).

Prayers of the People

Advent 2 — Year A

Intercessor:

Let us pray for the Church and for the world.

For the Church

God of promise, you call your Church to prepare your way and to bear fruit worthy of repentance. Strengthen all who lead and all who serve in your name. Make your people steadfast in hope, patient in suffering, and joyful in their witness to the coming kingdom.

Intercessor: Come, Lord Jesus

People: Hear our prayer.

For the World and Its Leaders

God of righteousness, your prophet proclaimed that every valley shall be lifted up and every crooked way made straight. Guide the leaders of the nations in the paths of justice and peace. Inspire all in authority with courage to protect the vulnerable and to seek the common good.

Intercessor: Come, Lord Jesus

People: Hear our prayer.

For the Welfare of the World

God of mercy, you judge the poor with equity and defend the cause of the needy. Bring healing to places of conflict, shelter to those in danger, and relief to all who suffer from oppression, war, or disaster. Renew the face of the earth with your peace.

Intercessor: Come, Lord Jesus

People: Hear our prayer.

For the Local Community

God of steadfast love, look with kindness on this community: our neighbors, our families, our friends, and all with whom we live, work, and learn. Knit us together in mutual care, and make us signs of your grace in this place.

Intercessor: Come, Lord Jesus

People: Hear our prayer.

For Those Who Suffer

God of compassion, your Spirit gives hope to the weary and lifts up those who falter. We pray for the sick, the lonely, the anxious, and all who are overwhelmed by the demands of life. Surround them with your healing power, and let hope abound in them by the strength of your Spirit.

Intercessor: Come, Lord Jesus

People: Hear our prayer.

(Names may be added here.)

For the Departed

God of eternal life, you gather your children from every generation. We remember those who have died and now rest in your peace. Grant them the joy of your presence and comfort all who mourn.

Intercessor: Come, Lord Jesus

People: Hear our prayer.

(Names may be added here.)

Concluding Petition

God of our repentance and our hope, receive the prayers we offer this day. Prepare our hearts to welcome the One who comes, that we may bear the fruit of mercy and justice in our lives, to the honor of your holy name.

Intercessor: Come, Lord Jesus

People: Hear our prayer.

Silence

The celebrant concludes

Hasten, O Father, the coming of your kingdom; and grant that we your servants, who now live by faith, may with joy behold your Son at his coming in glorious majesty; even Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Despair is, at its core, an act of presumption

  At a time of deep despair, when John Claypool felt the darkness closing in, an elderly rabbi offered him a piece of wisdom that reframed his struggle: “Despair is the only unforgivable sin for a Jew.” The rabbi explained that despair is, at its core, an act of presumption. It declares with certainty that no hope is left and that the future holds nothing but the weight of our present sorrow. And yet, the rabbi pointed out, this is a future we have not seen and cannot predict. In presuming to know the outcome, despair claims authority over time and God’s possibilities, which none of us possess. This wisdom is a reminder of humility. None of us can see beyond the present moment, yet our faith invites us to trust what we cannot see—that God’s grace may break through in ways we cannot imagine. Even in the darkest moments, this stance of humility keeps the door to hope open. Claypool’s encounter with the rabbi challenges us to resist despair, not by pretending we do not hurt, but by h...
Read more

Homily for Proper 15 Year C

  Homily for Proper 15 Year C Luke 12:49-56   If, in the first century, you walked down a dusty road in Galilee you would know who is in charge —not because someone told you,  but because you could feel it. [1] The soldiers at the crossroads.  The eagle of Rome stamped into every coin. [2] The shadow of the Antonia Fortress  [3] leaning over the Temple.  Even the taxes—layer upon layer —remind you who holds the power …Caesar, far away, yet so very near.   And in that same air—  Pharisees debating purity codes in the marketplace. [4] Sadducees in their fine robes,  managing the temple and political alliances.  Essenes disappearing into the wilderness,  withdrawing from it all.  Zealots whispering about revolt.  Everywhere talk of revolt. And, people, without a label,  just keeping Sabbath,  raising children,  and praying for deliverance. [5] A people of faith, rich in hope, but also fractious,  noisy wit...
Read more

Reflection on “Where Sea Meets Sky”

Mary Louise Porter at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art Was on View: December 21, 2024 – May 18, 2025 There is a sacred hush in the space where sea meets sky—a liminal line both constant and always changing. This exhibition, curated in partnership between the Walter Anderson Museum of Art and painter Mary Louise Porter, honors that threshold, inviting viewers not merely to look, but to pause, to breathe, and to be drawn into wonder. Porter’s work is a meditation on the Gulf Coast’s quiet majesty. A Louisiana native now rooted in Mississippi, she brings with her the eyes of a newcomer and the heart of one who has stayed. Her canvases reflect a reverent attention to the elemental drama unfolding along the coast: water and light, color and movement, impermanence and return. In Where Sea Meets Sky, we encounter not only static images but a dynamic relationship. Porter’s Horizon Blocks—modular painted boxes she will rearrange over the course of the exhibition—are more than aesthetic devices...
Read more