“Lent is a call to renew a commitment grown dull, perhaps, by a lifetime of routine rather than reflection.”
- Joan Chittister, The Liturgical Year
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
We believe that prayer changes things and that it changes us. As Richard Foster says in Celebration of Discipline, "Real prayer is life creating and life changing.” It is our belief that praying the Prayers of The People (or Intercessory Prayer) will inspire, equip, and shape us as individuals. There are three gifts in particular listed below that this form of prayer offer us. If you are new to prayer we encourage you to also check out the resources below to help start you on the journey of prayer.
1. It Models Lament - So often our response to the negative events going on in the world is to ignore them because we simply do not know how to process or carry them. We see the news and turn the channel. The Prayers of the People enable us to appropriately pain-share by giving us both the permission to lament over the suffering in the world and by demonstrating how to pray. Through the prayers we acknowledge that the world is not as it should be and pray for the LORD to intervene.
2. It Locates Our Place - The Prayers of the People not only provide a place for us to intercede and lament over suffering, but they also provide a place for us to bless the world around us. Our incarnational theology reminds us that we live in a specific location: a neighborhood within a city within a state within a nation within the world. The Prayers of the People echo the call to be incarnational within our context via prayer. The Prayers also remind us that Immanuel, God with us, is present in our particular location and circumstances.
3. It Promotes Community - We live insular lives, but The Prayers of the People call us to remember our connectedness and our interdependence on each other. They reminded us that we are not only a part of a larger story that God is writing, but that we are also a part of a larger global community. The events around the world should affect us because we belong to the worldwide body of Christ. We have a responsibility to serve one another even if we are only able to do so by prayer and intercession.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE - A simple guide
For God’s peace and salvation to be known throughout the world, and for the unity of all peoples; we pray also for the church around the world, the body of Christ to which we belong.
For the marginalized; the poor, the homeless, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer; for widows and orphans; for refugees, prisoners, and all who are in danger; for all of our ministry partners who seek to serve to them.
For ourselves we ask that God would help us to:
…be light in darkness.
...be peace in the midst of chaos and fear.
…speak truth with boldness, clarity, and love.
…be a voice for the voiceless and fight for justice wherever there are injustices.
…be the hands and feet of Jesus to those around us.
Almighty and eternal God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully accept our prayers, and strengthen us to do your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.