Third Sunday after Pentacost (June 17, 2012)
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(Congregation may be invited to be seated for prayer.)
With the prayer “Spirit of God” you are invited to respond…
HEAR OUR PRAYER.
1. With reverence for the earth, those in need and the whole human family let us offer our prayers to God.
A brief silence.
2. Let us pray for all faith communities that seek to be known for their care for one another. We pray at this time for our neighboring religious communities, for our partner Anglican Church of Canada and for our sister congregations in the BC Synod: in particular we pray for Chetwynd Shared Ministry in Chetwynd and their pastor, Marlene Peck; and for Vancouver Chinese Lutheran Church in Burnaby and their pastors, Richard Hung and Vickie Wong as they together with the congregation consider their future ministry. May all members of all communities seek to serve where they are most needed.
Spirit of God:
HEAR OUR PRAYER.
3. Send your spirit into all forms of communication. Give us words that speak compassion, and open our ears to listen with care. Foster understanding among people of different nations and languages.
Spirit of God:
HEAR OUR PRAYER.
4. Give your spirit of encouragement and strength to all who put the good of others before themselves; our military personal, the police, emergency workers, and the advocates for the poor and aging.
Spirit of God: HEAR OUR PRAYER.
5. Cover all of creation with your spirit. Speak renewal in areas that have been damaged or destroyed, and make life spring forth in waters, fields and forests.
Spirit of God:
HEAR OUR PRAYER.
6. Put your life giving spirit into weary bodies, hearts and minds. Restore those who struggle with broken relationships, personal crises, or poor health, especially those we now name aloud or quietly in our heart…
May no one lose heart but hold fast to your promises. And may we in our ministry in this coming week give support to those in need.
Spirit of God: HEAR OUR PRAYER.
7. Lord, we thank you for those who are celebrating graduations, marriages and other special events during this season.
– So we thank you for those who have the gift of another birthday or another anniversary, and for those who have known the gift of new life:
– And we thank you for your promises even to your imperfect church;
– Finally we thank you for those special blessings we name aloud at this time….
Lord, continue to help us experience your presence in our weekly worship and in our daily life.
Spirit of God: HEAR OUR PRAYER.
8. As we remember the witness of the saints and precious memories of our loved ones who are no longer with us, gather us into faithful communities until the day when together we enter into your eternal reign.
Spirit of God: HEAR OUR PRAYER.
9. Receive our hopes and prayers; O God of mercy, for great is your faithfulness in Christ Jesus our Lord. AMEN.
Ezekiel 17:22-24
22 Thus says the Lord God:
I myself will take a sprig
from the lofty top of a cedar;
I will set it out.
I will break off a tender one
from the topmost of its young twigs;
I myself will plant it
on a high and lofty mountain.
23 On the mountain height of Israel
I will plant it,
in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit,
and become a noble cedar.
Under it every kind of bird will live;
in the shade of its branches will nest
winged creatures of every kind.
24 All the trees of the field shall know
that I am the Lord.
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2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 14-17
14For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. 15And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
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Mark 4:26-34
30 He also said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’
