Thanksgiving and intercession prayer 24 July 2016

Our Father in Heaven

we praise and thank you we may call you Father

that you love us, cherish us, we are your children

yet many in your world see you as distant

angry, judgemental

up there, in heaven, but not part of their lives filled with anguish, poverty, disease

[pause]

Holy is your name

and we are blessed we can use it to speak to you as your children

but your name is used to attack, to condemn, to punish by us and others.

How can this be? How can this be?

[pause]

Your kingdom come, your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven

every week we pray these words together, Lord God, but what do they mean to us and those around us?

We thank you for trusting us to help build your kingdom in the communities we are part of

and we ask for your courage and blessing on all who do your kingdom work throughout your world

in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the refugee, caring for the sick, the lonely, the lost

[pause]

Give us this day our daily bread

we are blessed to have food in our stomachs and food to share with those with little or none

we bring before you, Lord God, those who cannot feed their families, due to poverty, unjust systems, drought and famine

and guide us to rely on your goodness day by day and not to store up for tomorrow that which does not last, so all may be fed and no more will mothers send their children to school hungry

By the guidance of you holy spirit

may we speak out against systems which divert food from bellies to fuels

and trade agreements which benefits large corporations over small scale producers

[pause]

Lord God

these are our prayers spoken and written on our hearts

we know you hear each one of them

and we trust in your never ending goodness

for yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory now and forevermore

Amen