Thanksgiving and intercession prayer 15 August 2021

What is this you offer us, Lord?

A feast

of food and drink

come from heaven

to fill us

sustain us

nourish us

a feast through which

we can share the life of God’s new age

the kingdom of heaven

come down to earth

dwelling among us

what blessing, what joy is ours

praise and thanksgiving we lay at the throne

of the Son of Man

the bread of heaven, Christ Jesus

who lives in us

and we in him

hallelujah

Hallelujah indeed

our hearts overflow with thanksgiving

for all the Lord has given us

food for the journey

companionship on the way

guidance on the route

of following our Saviour and Master

Christ Jesus

through whom we are joined to our siblings in Christ throughout the world

today we bring before you the congregation of Urray and Kilchrist, who welcomed their new minister, Monika Redman on Friday.

May they be a blessing to one another

and may Monika, and her family, settle into their new manse, making it a home soon.

We pause to recall the congregations which surround us

bless them, and grant them power in the Holy Spirit to be beacons of light in their communities

we recall those congregations and Christians who have shaped us in our journey of faith

and we also recall the Christians in persecuted church

in India, Eritrea, Somalia

among many, many others

may their joining to Christ sustain them

and may they know, through the power of the Holy Spirit, they are prayed for

Bread of Heaven

we thank and praise you for sustaining us

in many, many more ways than we can fully express in words

so we pause

to offer in silence those prayers for which we cannot find words, but we know you look into our hearts and understand each one

[pause]

All these prayers, spoken and unspoken, we offer through Christ Jesus

Amen