Thanksgiving and intercession prayer 18 October 2020

Give thanks to the Lord

it is right to give our thanks and praise

with grateful hearts

and with joy

we offer our thanks this day

for the church, in this place,

in every parish in this land

and throughout the world

called to love neighbour as ourselves

and to share the good news of Jesus Christ

thank you for trusting us with this task, Jesus

may our actions and words,

our presence

be a beacon of light

radiating your love into the dark places

where people are lonely and depressed

where people are struggling, hidden behind their public face

where there are those who may go days without seeing someone even pass their window

where the pressure of caring for others is overbearing

where being in a care home feels like a prison

where grief is a cloak of grey, mourning all they have lost over the past months

where loved ones far away cannot attend funerals, feeling the sadness at not being there for those they love

Lord, in your great mercy

hear our prayer

Loving Christ Jesus

we give thanks for your love

which we long to know more and more

which we long to show in the world

we bring before you the many small, unseen, acts of kindness and care which happen every day

even where we don’t see or know of them

we know you do

and see into the heart of each person,

knowing their love

and their pain

Blessed Christ Jesus

we thank you for leaders

in community organisations

in the church

in local, Scottish and UK governments

assist us to pray for their well being

and we ask you would guide their words, actions and decisions

to bring light into the dark places

to bring hope into the hopeless places

to bring healing into the broken places

Holy Lord God

we thank you that you hear our prayers

that you know our suffering and our joy

that you look into our hearts and see our true intentions

may all we do show all we have

all we are

all we do

is yours

as we give what belongs to God to God

[pause]

And we continue our prayers, in a few moments of quiet

bringing before God the places, people and situations which are on our hearts and in our minds this day

[pause]

Lord God

Heavenly Father

Accept these prayers

offered through Christ Jesus

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit

One God, now and always

Amen