PENTECOST PRAYERS
Praise
Holy Spirit,
we rejoice that, as you came to the Apostles on that day of Pentecost,
so you keep on coming to us today;
making yourself known in different ways,
at different times
and in different places,
but always there,
constantly moving in our lives.
For your presence at work within us,
we give you our praise.
You come when we are most aware of our need –
bringing comfort in times of sorrow,
courage in times of fear,
peace in times of trouble
and hope in times of despair.
For your presence at work within us,
we give you our praise.
You come when we forget our need of you –
challenging,
searching,
refining,
cleansing;
inspiring us to greater vision and renewed commitment.
For your presence at work within us,
we give you our praise.
You come to us in power –
releasing unimagined potential,
imparting unexpected gifts,
cultivating undreamed-of fruits.
For your presence at work within us,
we give you our praise.
You come to us in quietness –
coaxing us to new initiatives,
nurturing confidence
and deepening our faith.
For your presence at work within us,
we give you our praise.
Holy Spirit,
we welcome you again –
opening our minds to your guidance,
our hearts to your love
and our lives to your purpose.
Breathe upon us,
fill and enthuse us,
and send us out in the service of Christ.
For your presence at work within us,
we give you our praise.
Amen.
Intercession
Holy Spirit,
coming as wind and fire,
free and irrepressible,
we pray today for all who long for change
and for all who fear it.
We think of the poor and the hungry,
the homeless and the refugee,
the sick and the unemployed,
the downtrodden and the oppressed –
these, and so many others, who yearn for a new beginning,
an opportunity to start afresh.
May their prayers be answered and their dreams realised.
As you came at Pentecost,
come again today.
We pray for those who see change as a threat –
a sweeping-away of everything that is tried and trusted,
and the imposition of unknown challenges and an uncertain future.
May they rest secure in the knowledge that,
whatever else may change,
you will remain constant.
As you came at Pentecost,
come again today.
Holy Spirit,
coming gently as a dove,
we pray for all who long for peace,
and all who have lost sight of what peace really means.
We think of those in homes racked by tensions,
families split by petty disputes,
communities scarred by prejudice and intolerance,
and countries torn apart by war.
May dialogue triumph over confrontation,
and unity replace division.
As you came at Pentecost,
come again today.
We pray for those who fill their lives with noise or activity,
afraid of facing themselves in a time of quiet reflection,
attempting somehow to mask their sense of emptiness;
and we pray, too, for those who seek fulfilment
in that which can never finally satisfy –
wealth, possessions, power, success.
May they discover the secret of true contentment,
the peace that passes understanding which only you can give.
As you came at Pentecost,
come again today.
Holy Spirit,
you changed the lives of the Apostles
and of countless people through history,
just as you are changing our lives in turn,
each renewed through your sovereign power.
Come now and change our world in all its need,
so that it may enjoy hope and peace,
healing and harmony,
and so that all may come to a saving knowledge of your love in Christ.
As you came at Pentecost,
come again today.
Amen.
TRINITY SUNDAY PRAYERS
Praise and worship
Great and wonderful God,
with awe and wonder we come to you.
You are greater than our minds can fathom,
more powerful that we can ever imagine,
beyond our highest thoughts.
Lord of space and time,
ruler over all.
Sovereign God,
receive our worship.
You love us with a fierce and total love,
valuing us for who and what we are,
caring enough to call us your children,
providing each day our every need,
guiding us throughout our lives.
God the Father,
receive our worship.
You have shared our humanity,
identifying yourself wholly with our world,
experiencing first-hand our joys and sorrows,
decisively demonstrating your love in action,
showing us the way of service.
God made flesh,
receive our worship.
You are with us each and every day,
constantly by our side,
working in us and through us,
teaching, guiding, encouraging,
leading us to new experiences of your love.
Mighty and mysterious God,
receive our worship.
Give us this day a sense of your greatness
and your gentleness;
a glimpse of your otherness
and your nearness;
an awareness of your eternal purpose that spans creation
yet includes us all, here and now.
Great and wonderful God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
receive our worship,
in the name of Christ.
Amen.
Petition
Loving God,
we thank you that you are here among us
as we worship you –
here as a loving Father watching over his children,
as our Lord yet also our friend in the person of Jesus,
as an ever-present reality through the daily experience of your Holy Spirit.
Forgive us that we have lost sight sometimes of your living presence,
and open our eyes afresh to all that you are
and everything you are doing.
Meet with us now, in all your glory,
and help us to meet with you.
Father God,
we recognise our need of you,
and we acknowledge our emptiness deep within.
We have chased after illusory fulfilment,
turning our backs on where true happiness lies.
Help us to recognise everything you have given us
if only we could but see it –
the wonder of your love,
the constancy of your care
and the greatness of your mercy.
Teach us to put our trust in you,
and to seek your kingdom and righteousness,
and so fill us again with hope, joy and peace.
Meet with us now, in all your glory,
and help us to meet with you.
Gracious God,
you have made yourself known to us in Christ,
demonstrating the immensity of your love
and the awesome extent of your mercy,
yet still sometimes our faith grows cold.
You have offered us a new beginning,
renewal and redemption through his life-giving sacrifice,
yet still, time and again, we go astray.
Draw closer to us through the risen Christ,
and inspire us with a vision
of what life can be like through his grace.
Meet with us now, in all your glory,
and help us to meet with you.
Living God,
inspire us now through the living presence of your Holy Spirit,
so that we may walk boldly into this new day,
with new faith and purpose.
Help us to forget ourselves and to look outwards,
so that we might bring light to those for whom life seems dark.
Teach us to live this and every day in the warmth of your presence,
illuminated by your radiance,
refreshed by your cleansing touch
and renewed by your power.
Meet with us now, in all your glory,
and help us to meet with you.
Loving God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
help us to be aware of your presence amongst us –
to see you, hear you, know you and love you,
and so may we offer you fitting worship and service.
Help us to understand you are with us not just here but everywhere,
not just now but always,
and so may every part of our lives reflect your grace
and proclaim your goodness.
Meet with us now, in all your glory,
and help us to meet with you.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Intercession
Father God,
your purpose is for all,
for you are the Lord of heaven and earth,
the Creator of humankind,
Ruler over history.
You are always at work,
always involved in our lives,
calling,
guiding,
speaking
and responding,
everyone important to you, no matter who they are,
each having a place in your purpose.
So, then, we pray for all in our world who feel they are drifting,
all who search for meaning to their lives,
a sense of direction,
a goal to strive for.
May they find in Jesus Christ
the Way, the Truth and the Life.
In faith we lift them before you:
hear our prayer.
Son of God,
your love is for all,
for you lived and died for others,
reaching out to both rich and poor,
Jew and Gentile,
righteous and unrighteous,
nobody outside your care,
no one beyond your grace.
You gave your all,
enduring death on a cross,
so that everyone willing to receive you
may share in the joy of your kingdom.
So we pray for all in our world today who long for love –
those who yearn for a meaningful relationship,
and those whose once-precious relationships have ended in tears;
those who have been abandoned or orphaned as children,
and those who cannot have children of their own;
those cut off from family and friends,
and those who face the trauma of bereavement.
May they discover in you a love that will never let them go.
In faith we lift them before you:
hear our prayer.
Spirit of God,
your peace is for all,
for you are at work in every heart,
seen or unseen,
recognised or unrecognised,
striving to break down the barriers that keep us from one another,
from ourselves
and from you.
We pray, then, for all in our world who hunger for peace –
all who are tormented by fear,
torn by doubt,
troubled by anxieties,
or tortured by guilt;
families separated by feuds,
communities racked by division,
and nations ravaged by war.
May they find through you peace in body, mind and spirit.
In faith we lift them before you:
hear our prayer.
Almighty God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
we bring you our world,
thankful that it is also your world,
precious to you and shaped ultimately by your will.
Remake,
redeem,
renew it through your sovereign power.
May all people everywhere come to know your purpose,
experience your love
and receive your peace,
and may each rejoice in the new life you so yearn to give them.
In faith we lift them before you:
hear our prayer.
Amen.