Thanksgiving and intercession prayer 22 September 2019

Our hearts long to glorify your name, Lord God

they want to offer you our praise and thanksgiving for your Splendour

the splendour which shows itself to us

in compassion shown

in abounding generosity

in the quietness of this sanctuary

in the changing light

in the shifting hues of the landscape

in you meeting us here

in this time,

in this place

praise and honour belong to you and you along, Majestic one

whom we are grateful we are able to serve

Servant King

Christ Jesus

we bring before you situations and people which concern us

for many reasons

as we long for them to serve God’s ways and not the ways of the world

All politicians, of any political party, who place self interest before the needs of their constituencies

large corporations, making millions of pounds in profits, yet paying very little tax

companies who plunder the earth’s resources, leaving a legacy of devastation to people and the planet in their wake

the structures of our world which means money talks more powerfully than love

those people we know who take too much upon themselves and, we see how that is affecting their health

farmers and crofters who are so reliant on market forces to sustain them and their way of life

[pause]

servant Christ

serving you and not the ways of the world

is not an easy task

but we thank you for trusting such as us with trying all we can to do so

make us bold and courageous to, in the life of this church and our daily lives

make decisions which show who we truly serve

where our heart truly lies

[pause]

Blessed Spirit

move in our hearts and minds, as we quietly reflect on the past week, our hopes, our fears, our joys, our sorrows

for ourselves

for those we love

for those we struggle to love

for your world

[pause]

accept these our prayers, spoken and unspoken, offered in faith and love through Christ our Lord

Amen