Prayers for England

England is prayed for here after a mass stabbing aboard a London bound train and a violent attack on an eleven-year-old and a woman, and in gratitude for hospitals whose work has sharply cut deaths. There is quieter joy as well, in pine martens breeding in the southwest and the solstice sunrise over Stonehenge.

Lord, In Your Tenderness: Advent Prayers After a California Fire and Indonesia’s Earthquake (December 28, 2016)

“Father in heaven, The day draws near when the glory of your Son Will make radiant the night of the waiting world. May the lure of greed not impede us from the joy Which moves the heart of those who seek Him. May the darkness not blind us To the vision of wisdom Which fills […]

Commit Your Way to the Lord: A Prayer for First Nations Children and Quiet Peacemakers (September 29, 2016)

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices. Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret – it leads only to evil. […]

Bad Deeds Have Consequences: Prayers After the Aleppo Aid Convoy Strike and Police Shootings (September 22, 2016)

“The Bible says little about the temperature of hell nor the furniture of heaven”. This quote from the great German theologian Reinhold Niebuhr fits in with the story of the rich man and Lazarus where we are made aware of the dangers of being mean with our money and uncharitable to others. This is echoed […]

He Comes to Us as One Unknown: A Prayer for Refugees, the Sick, and All Who Cry for Justice (April 7, 2016)

He comes to us as One unknown, without a name, as of old, by the lakeside, He came to those men who knew Him not. He speaks to us the same words: ‘Follow thou me!’ and sets us to the tasks which He has to fulfill for our time. –Albert Schweitzer You come to us, […]

We, Easter People, Pray: For Guantanamo, Libya’s Rival Governments, and Pakistan’s Christians (March 31, 2016)

Lord, in the strength of grace With a glad heart and free … Charles Wesley Today, in the grace of being Easter people, we pray for those who are supported by your grace alone in the turmoil and oppression of war, terror, famine, drought, prejudice, bigotry. We pray for all in Guantanamo Bay military prison […]

To Proclaim Release to the Captives: Prayers for Yazidi Women Held by ISIS and a Warming World (January 21, 2016)

Jesus, in the synagogue, read “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s […]

You Understand: Prayers for Korean Family Reunions, a School Attack in Sweden, and Typhoon Koppu (October 22, 2015)

‘God is not aloof; God is not a spectator.’ Eugene Victor “Gene” Debs, American union leader. Creator God, we would pray for the whole world, but it’s too big and we are overwhelmed. We understand that you can see all and know all that is before we even think to talk to you about it. […]

Act With Justice, Love Mercy: Prayers After the Sanaa Mosque Bombing and the Sumatra Fires (September 24, 2015)

“Now Israel, what does the LORD your God desire from you? Only this: fear him, walk in all his ways, love him, serve him with all your heart and in all your life. Deuteronomy 10: 12 (NIV) The Lord has shown you what is good. He has told you what he requires of you. You […]

For God So Loved the World: A Lenten Prayer of Wonder and Hope (March 12, 2015)

World News in Prayer for March 12, 2015 For God so loved the world… Gracious and holy one, God of all creation, God of all people everywhere, it is so easy, as we journey through this season of Lent, to get lost in the wilderness of pain and sorrow we see in the world […]

Free to Be Children: Prayers for Freed Child Soldiers in South Sudan and Mexico’s Missing Students (January 29, 2015)

He cried out, “I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” Mark1:24b (NRSV) Surrounded by the presence of the Holy One of God, let us pray together. Holy One, we gather in worship this morning seeking your presence, your grace and your wisdom. Humbly we gather to hear your words of hope and […]