Prayers of the People and Final Blessing for Proper 11 Year A

 Prayers of the People

 

The people stand or kneel. 

 

The silences are kept long enough for the people to offer their own prayers, either silently or aloud.

 

Let us pray for the Church and for the world God loves.

 

I ask your prayers for the Church throughout the world; for our bishops; for all ministers and people; and for this congregation. Pray that, led by the Spirit and freed from fear, we may live as children of God and bear faithful witness to our Redeemer.

 

Silence

 

I ask your prayers for the nations of the world and for all who exercise authority. Pray that rulers may turn from arrogance and violence, govern with justice and compassion, and remember that God alone is sovereign.

 

Silence

 

I ask your prayers for peace and for the welfare of the world; for people divided by hatred, warfare, or suspicion; and for all whose lives are threatened by the judgments of others. Pray for patience in a world where wheat and weeds grow together, and for humility to leave final judgment to God.

 

Silence

 

I ask your prayers for the good earth which God has given us; for creatures and habitats endangered by human carelessness; and for communities already suffering the effects of environmental destruction. Pray for creation, which groans in travail, and for its promised freedom from bondage and decay.

 

Silence

 

I ask your prayers for this community; for our homes, schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods; and for those who serve the common good. Pray that God will teach us the way of truth, unite our divided hearts, and strengthen us to cultivate whatever is good.

 

Silence

 

I ask your prayers for the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the oppressed, and those in prison; for refugees and all who have been driven from their homes; and for those who long for deliverance. Pray that they may find help, comfort, and a sure refuge in God.

 

Silence

 

I ask your prayers for all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit; for the sick, the sorrowful, the lonely, and the fearful; and for those we now name.

 

Silence

 

Pray that they may know the gracious and compassionate presence of God.

I ask your prayers for all who have died, especially those we now name.

 

Silence

 

Pray that they may be delivered from death and revealed in glory among the children of God.

I ask your thanksgivings for the blessings of this life, especially those we now name.

 

Silence

 

Let us praise God, the first and the last, our rock and our redeemer, whose steadfast love endures for ever.

 

The Celebrant concludes

O God, you have made us your children and heirs of your promised kingdom: Unite our hearts to you, deliver us from fear, and grant us patience and hope as we await the freedom of your whole creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

 

A Blessing for Proper 11, Year A

 

May the Holy One, the first and the last, our Rock and our Redeemer, free you from fear and unite your hearts to walk in truth. Amen.

 

May Jesus Christ, the sower of good seed and sovereign of the harvest, make you patient in mercy, steadfast in hope, and radiant with the life of God’s reign. Amen.

 

May the Holy Spirit bear witness that you are God’s beloved children, sustain you amid the sufferings of this present time, and lead you, with all creation, into glorious freedom. Amen.

 

And may the blessing of the one, holy, and undivided Trinity be upon you and remain with you always. Amen.

 

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