Vine Planting God
may all praise and thanks and glory be to you and you alone
for we are blessed beyond measure that in you we find our source, our life, our faith
united in and through Jesus Christ our Lord
joined through the branches of the vine to the whole worldwide church
Today, we especially thank you for Christians known to us, by whose lives we came to know Jesus Christ as our Lord, our Saviour, our friend
To others, they may not be influential or famous or powerful, but their faithful witness supported us in hard times,
while always pointing to their source in you
So we pause to remember before you, Christ Jesus, those who quietly and unassumingly led us to you
[pause]
Christ Jesus
pioneer and perfecter of our faith
throughout your world, our brothers and sisters fix their eyes on you
yet some face hostility, persecution, verbal and physical threats, death even for that faith in countries such as Nigeria, Iran, Sudan
we cannot understand the torment they face in witness to Christ
and we stand in awe of their faith in such adversity
We pray they may know we are joined to them in faith, as part of the vine
and that through your holy spirit they may know they are supported in prayer throughout the church
Life Giving God
we thank you that you give us families and friends to share the journey of life with
bless our families, surround them in your love, especially those who are far from us
whether physically distant, or distant in mind or soul from us this day
for their health and wholeness, we pray
for their joy and fulfilment in all they do, we pray
[pause]
Almighty God
we praise and thank you that you are ultimately in control
we recall before you all we have heard and seen and read in the news this week
locally, nationally, internationally
and hold all these places and people and situations out to you
knowing you are present in them all
you care for them all
you love them all
[pause]
Amen