The following prayers have been adapted for congregational use by Rebecca Garber

click here to download a copy of the prayers

Emmanuel has come, Emmanuel is here, Emmanuel is coming soon. Let us join hands in prayer for the church, the earth, and those in need, that all receive what God promises to give.

a brief silence

With the words, Hear us, O God, you are invited to respond: your mercy is great.

Come to our church, redeeming God, your grace and peace raining down upon us like winter storms. Grant your people wisdom and meaning as they live their days. Stand with all faithful people who are persecuted.

Hear us, O God:  your mercy is great.

Come to our earth, creating God.  Join us with you in protecting our lands from environmental disasters. Nurture animals and plans, insects and bacteria, that you have made in the great variety of living things.

Hear us, O God:  your mercy is great.

Come to all nations of the world, peace-loving God. Inspire all leaders to work for justice. Bring sense and sensibility to the conflicts with radical terrorists who twist the religious beliefs of good-hearted faiths. Bring understanding across faith communities.

Hear us, O God:  your mercy is great.

Come to those in need, Compassionate One. Comfort those who tremble in fear and failings, those whose pain seems unceasing. In this season of darkness and waiting, move us to sit with those who need comfort. We pray especially for those we name aloud or in the silence of our hearts. (include those in the bulletin)

Hear us, O God:  your mercy is great.

Come to our life as a congregation and as a community, that love for one another might grow and blossom. In this and every season, let us claim compassion as the mark of our faith and faithfulness. Keep us from selfish excess and walk humbly with you, our God.

Hear us, O God:  your mercy is great.

Come to our growing partnership with the Anglican Church of Canada and to the congregations of the BC Synod, especially Peace Lutheran in Abbotsford and Pastor Christoph Reiners and Emmaus Lutheran in Burnaby and Pastor Timo Saarinen.

Hear us, O God:  your mercy is great.

Alpha and Omega, you are God throughout all ages, with all faithful people yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Strengthen us in holiness as we stand among those who know and love you.

Hear us, O God:  your mercy is great.

Emmanuel, you are holy, you are whole, you are always ever more than we imagine. In your bountiful goodness, we pray, AMEN.

The following prayers have been adapted for congregational use by Rebecca Garber

click here to download a copy of the prayers

With the words “Oh, Christ, our king, who died and yet lives,” you are invited to respond:

HEAR OUR PRAYER.

United by the Spirit, we open our hearts and hands to participating in health, wholeness, and peace at home and beyond.

A moment of silence

You are ancient and ever-new. You are beyond our imagination and yet invite us through Christ into the very depths of your majesty. Expand our vision of who you have been, who you are, and who you will be.

Oh, Christ, our king, who died and yet lives:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Mountain maker, you created all the textures of the earth. The power of the wind is her delight. Every creature of earth, sea, and sky were painted by. Heal environments damaged by human carelessness and join hands with everyone treasuring ecological efforts on our planet.

Oh, Christ, our king, who died and yet lives:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Gracious sovereign, you are a king who chose to serve, to mingle with all whose hearts were open, to be broken by worldly powers only to shine like a bright beacon over longing spirits then, now, and in the future.

Oh, Christ, our king, who died and yet lives:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Divine nurse, you tend to broken hearts, minds, and bodies with tenderness and tenacity. Lift us those who are unemployed, homeless, abused, or otherwise troubled. We pray especially for those we name aloud or within ourselves.

(Include those listed in the bulletin for prayer)

Oh, Christ, our king, who died and yet lives:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Holy Trinity, you call some to be prophets and some to be priests, some to be deaconesses and some to be lay leaders. Be with all those who feel called to extend your work through the church’s ministry. Bless the work of call committees and candidacy committees.

Oh, Christ, our king, who died and yet lives:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

For our partnership with the Anglican Church of Canada. For the congregations of our BC Synod, especially Grace Lutheran in Dawson Creek, Deo Lutheran in Salmon Arm and Pastor Erik Bjorgan, and for our companion synod in Peru.

Oh, Christ, our king, who died and yet lives:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Eternal Truth, your word goes forth in every generation, writing a story ever-old and ever-new in the lives of those who seek you and your path. We remember with joy and sorrow all those who shared the good news with us and who are now with you.

Oh, Christ, our king, who died and yet lives:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Into your care, Alpha and Omega, we entrust all for whom we pray. Remain with us, through Jesus the man and Christ the king.  AMEN.

The following prayers have been adapted for congregational use by Rebecca Garber

click here to download a copy of the prayers

With the words “Let us pray to the one who created our senses and called them good,” you are invited to respond:

HAVE MERCY, O GOD.

United by the Spirit, let us pray in the love that is our beginning and ending for healing, wholeness, and peace at home and beyond.

A moment of silence

Sophia, wisdom, we pray for healing in the church. When we wish to argue, teach us to listen and consider. When we wish to judge, teach us to empathize. When we feel hate, teach us compassion

Let us pray to the one who created our senses and called them good:  HAVE MERCY, O GOD.

For stars and planets, black holes, and all the wonders and questions of the universe; for astronomers and aerospace engineers, for science teachers and curious students; for the renewal of all creation.

Let us pray to the one who created our senses and called them good:  HAVE MERCY, O GOD.

For political refugees, especially the Syrian people; for nations bombarded with war and weapons; and for our global neighbours accustomed to chaos and daily difficulties.

Let us pray to the one who created our senses and called them good:  HAVE MERCY, O GOD.

For people living with Alzheimers’ disease, Parkinson’s disease, and dementias; for the family, friends, and caregivers who love them; for all who cannot afford the medical care they need. We pray especially for those we name aloud or within ourselves.

(Include those listed in the bulletin for prayer)

Let us pray to the one who created our senses and called them good:  HAVE MERCY, O GOD.

For new parents and grandparents; for families grieving a miscarriage; for foster parents and homeless youth and adults; for families living with domestic violence; for the newly married, recently divorced, and happily single people.

Let us pray to the one who created our senses and called them good:  HAVE MERCY, O GOD.

For our partnership with the Anglican Church of Canada. For the congregations of our BC Synod, especially Grace Lutheran in Victoria and interim Pastor Raymond Schultz, Mount Olive Lutheran in Surrey and Pastor Peter Hanson, and prison ministries across Canada.

Let us pray to the one who created our senses and called them good:  HAVE MERCY, O GOD.

In thanksgiving for all the faithful departed who now shine in your glory, that our voices might with theirs in praise today and always.

Let us pray to the one who created our senses and called them good:  HAVE MERCY, O GOD.

Into your care, Alpha and Omega, we entrust all that our hearts long for. In the name of Jesus, son of Mary and Jesus, son of God.  AMEN.

The following prayers have been adapted for congregational use by Rebecca Garber

click here to download a copy of the prayers

With the words “Oh, God who inspires saints and redeems sinners,” you are invited to respond:

 HEAR OUR PRAYER.

United by the Spirit, let us pray in the love that is our beginning and ending for healing, wholeness, and peace at home and beyond.

A moment of silence

Eternal God, you love the stranger, the one who is away from home, who has no home, who has a home but feels unloved. Be with missionaries as they live, love, and walk with others in your name. Furnish them with a compassion that shows people that you are with them, that you seek to protect them with the ferocity of a mother bear tending her cubs.

Oh God who inspires saints and redeems sinners:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Creative God, your Word brought into being the world and people you love. Teach us to delight in the earth and care for it as people who claim your name, who reflect your values as moon reflects sun. Bless farmers and gardeners as they rest from producing the food that nourishes us and pleasures our tastebuds.

Oh God who inspires saints and redeems sinners:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Compassionate God, justice for the wronged and for the oppressed comes from the womb of you. Guide global leaders–political, financial, and religious–that their policies and actions foster the very best for all people, that all can eat and drink, raise families, and live in decent homes.

Oh God who inspires saints and redeems sinners:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Healing God, liberate your people from all who are bound by physical, mental, or emotional chains. Enable us to participate in opening the eyes of all those who are imprisoned so that they bask in your mothering tenderness. We pray especially for those we name aloud or within ourselves. 

(Include those listed in the bulletin for prayer)

Oh God who inspires saints and redeems sinners:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Peace-making God, you inspire our connection with the Anglican Church of Canada. Make things vibrant and whole in the congregations off our BC Synod, especially Lutheran Church of the Cross in Victoria and Pastor Lyle McKenzie and Good Shepherd Lutheran in Victoria and Pastors Guenther Sandl and Pia Werner.

Oh God who inspires saints and redeems sinners:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Abundant God, you hold orphan and widow, widowers and neglected one, in your strong and gentle hands. Provide homes and belonging for all who are alone, neglected, or abandoned. Move our hands and hearts to be the instruments of your caring.

Oh God who inspires saints and redeems sinners:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

God of endless surprise and mystery, divine terror and blessed laughter, wrap us in the security of those who believe, who doubt and yet seek, now and forever.

Oh God who inspires saints and redeems sinners:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Into your care, Alpha and Omega, we place all for whom we pray as we move further into the mystery of our souls. In the name of the Christ.  AMEN.

The following prayers have been adapted for congregational use by Rebecca Garber

click here to download a copy of the prayers

With the words “Oh, God who inspires saints and redeems sinners,” you are invited to respond:

 HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Called together by the Holy Spirit, let us pray with all saints living and dead for healing, wholeness, and peace throughout the earth.

A moment of silence

God of redemption and healing, we ask your blessing upon chaplains, deaconesses, and diaconal ministers. Birth in them wisdom and compassion as they live out your grace in the forgotten place of our world.

Oh God who inspires saints and redeems sinners:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Send your healing and wholeness into oceans, streams, hot springs, lakes, and drinking water. Cleanse the waterways damaged by our carelessness and quench the thirst of those who thirst.

Oh God who inspires saints and redeems sinners:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Protect and heal veterans, civil rights, leaders and military personnel. Provide funds and expertise to heal all those who suffer post-traumatic stress syndrome from serving in the world’s conflicts. Where there is anger, bring mercy. Where there is war, bring peace.

Oh God who inspires saints and redeems sinners:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Cradle in your tender arms all those who struggle with addiction, mental illness, spiritual distress, or physical ills. Refresh them with abundance and human love. We pray especially for those we name aloud or within ourselves. 

(Include those listed in the bulletin for prayer)

Oh God who inspires saints and redeems sinners:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Make our partnership with the Anglican Church of Canada a meeting of everyday saints. Make things holy in the congregations off our BC Synod, especially St. Peter Estonian Lutheran in Vancouver and Pastor Algur Kaerma and Peace Lutheran in Vernon and Pastor David Hunter.

Oh God who inspires saints and redeems sinners:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Bless nurses and doctors, emergency responders, Doctors without Borders, social workers and psychologists. Sustain and renew them so that they can restore others to wholeness and well-being without being broken by their service.

Oh God who inspires saints and redeems sinners:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Bring to our hearts warm remembrance of the saints who have gone before us especially (name those who have died in the past year). Wipe away our tears of mourning with warm memories of those who rest with you in an eternity that encircles us all.

Oh God who inspires saints and redeems sinners:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Wash our concerns in the water of your abundance. In the name of Life that creates life, the Life that saves life, life, the Life that loves life. AMEN.

The following prayers have been adapted for congregational use by Rebecca Garber

click here to download a copy of the prayers

With the words “Oh, God of constancy and change,” you are invited to respond:

 HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Made alive amidst your continual reformation, we pray for the church, those in need, and all of God’s created world.

A moment of silence

Reforming God, you know as well as we do, the beauty and falseness of our lives. Renew us this day and all days that we may be led ever deeper into the mystery of our souls where you meet you in the lights of the heavens.

Oh, God of constancy and change:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Reinvigorate us as we grow in the knowledge that our genesis is in you. Let us participate in your creation as we work to reclaim places on earth that have become desolate and barren through human intervention or natural disaster. Keep the Garden of Eden alive in our seeking hearts and minds.

Oh, God of constancy and change:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Make our global village more and more peaceful and just. Inspire young people to leave behind the wounds and hatreds of the past and move into a new age. Reform the way our nations understand one another.

Oh, God of constancy and change:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

As the midwife of our deepest compassion, come to us in our hope and fear, laughter and tears, longing and doubt. We pray especially for those we name aloud or within ourselves.

 (Include those listed in the bulletin for prayer)

Oh, God of constancy and change:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Make our partnership with the Anglican Church of Canada a new kind of blessing. Make things flourish in the congregations off our BC Synod, especially Oakridge Lutheran in Vancouver and Pastor Dorothy Chu and Redeemer Lutheran  in Vancouver and Pastor John Gram.

Oh, God of constancy and change:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Redeem us and our church from self-serving sins. Turn our hearts inside out as we reach out to people outside our walls. Transform our communities into paces where all may hope, meaning, and belonging.

Oh, God of constancy and change:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Bring to our hearts warm remembrance of the saints who have lead our lives to you. Join us with people in all times and all places in reforming the tired and trite through your power in us.

Oh, God of constancy and change:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Gather our concerns into the wellspring of your abundance. In the name of Life that creates life, the Life that saves, life, the Life that loves life.  AMEN.

The following prayers have been adapted for congregational use by Rebecca Garber

click here to download a copy of the prayers

With the words “Dear Jesus who holds us in tender arms,” you are invited to respond:

 HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Made servants with Christ, we pray for the church, those in need, and all of God’s creation.

A moment of silence

God who comes to us as servant, teach us to forgive ourselves and love ourselves in the way that liberates us to truly love and serve others. Join us with you in your holy work for justice, peace, and reconciliation.

Dear Jesus who holds us in tender arms;  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Preserve the whole of creation in its intended majesty and marvel. Make life and land flourish. Protect endangered species and renew polluted land and waterways.

Dear Jesus who holds us in tender arms,  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Accompany physicians and nurses, researchers, fundraisers, and relief workers who seek to eradicate preventable diseases, such as malaria. Bring their cooperative efforts to fruition, and let us celebrate.

Dear Jesus who holds us in tender arms;  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

In your wounds, O Christ, we see all our pains and perplexity, our trials and tribulations, and we look to Easter redemption and healing. We pray especially for those we name aloud or within ourselves.

(Include those listed in the bulletin for prayer)

Dear Jesus who holds us in tender arms;  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Bring inspiration to our partnership with Anglican Church of Canada. Make things flourish in the congregations of our BC Synod, especially First Lutheran in Vancouver and Pastor Lori-Anne Boutin-Crawford and Lutheran Campus Ministry across the country.

Dear Jesus who holds us in tender arms,  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Infuse the work and words of artists, authors, preachers, and teachers in the church that your spirit may blossom and flourish. Use their gifts to proclaim goodness and truth in a world that can seem dark and lonely.

Dear Jesus who holds us in tender arms;  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Bring to our hearts warm remembrance of the saints who have lead our lives to you, especially the evangelist Luke, whom we commemorate today. Join us with people in all times and all places in making all things new in your power.

Dear Jesus who holds us in tender arms;  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Gather our concerns into the wellspring of your compassion. In the name of the light that was, that is, and is to come.  AMEN.

The following prayers have been adapted for congregational use by Rebecca Garber

click here to download a copy of the prayers

 With the words “In your mercy and majesty,” you are invited to respond:

 HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Made fully human in Christ, we pray for the church, those in need, and all of God’s creation.

A moment of silence

God of the eternity now and forevermore, make your word come alive to us this day and all days that we may learn it, live it, and love it as real and redemptive. May we see the Christ in ourselves, in our friends and family, and in neighbours and strangers.

In your mercy and majesty: HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Reclaim lands and waters polluted through human use, neglect, and greed. So inspire human creativity that we find and employ ways to return the world to wholeness and plenty even as its population needs more and more to survive.

In your mercy and majesty:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Establish justice and fairness through the work of judges, juries, and officers of the court. Bless them and enable them to offer good service as citizens face hearings and trials.

In your mercy and majesty:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

 May all those who suffer experience pain and sadness feel the warmth of your light, through healing, through companionship, through hope. We pray especially for those we name aloud or within ourselves.

 (Include those listed in the bulletin for prayer)

With your mercy and majesty  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Bring goodness to our partnership with Anglican Church of Canada. Make things flourish in the congregations of our BC Synod, especially Dunbar Lutheran in Vancouver and Pastor Thomas Keeley and our highly over-worked and ever-patient Synod staff.

In your mercy and majesty:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Help us to feel our place in the thousands of years long migration of holy people on this planet. May we give thanks to those who lived the legacy forward to us, and may be equally fervent in passing it on to upcoming generations.

In your mercy and majesty:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Gather our concerns into the wellspring of your compassion. In the name of the light that was, that is, and is to come.  AMEN.

The following prayers have been adapted for congregational use by Rebecca Garber

click here to download a copy of the prayers

With the words “You turn us toward the vulnerability of love,” you are invited to respond:

HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Made fully human in Christ, we pray for the church, those in need, and all of God’s creation.

A moment of silence

Compassionate God, stop us in our very tracks when we turn toward the noisiness and chaos of life without love, without patience, and without thought. Help to spread peace and reconciliation by our very presence in the world.

You turn us toward the vulnerability of love, HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Strengthen the bonds between humans and the animals who work them: on farms, in households, in therapy, and in emergency situations. Teach us to honour and value all animals and the varied life on our planet.

You turn us toward the vulnerability of love, HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Move among us with your spirit of relationships. Help us to build nourishing relationships and resist the tendencies to isolate ourselves and hive off our emotions. Make our church a place where people might know welcome and solace.

You turn us toward the vulnerability of love, HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Lift you all those who bend or become broken from times of crisis or prolonged suffering. We pray especially for those we name aloud or within ourselves.

(Include those listed in the bulletin for prayer)

You turn us toward the vulnerability of love, HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Bless our partnership with Anglican Church of Canada. Make things flourish in the congregations of our BC Synod, especially St. Paul Shared Ministry in Barriere, Trinity Shared Ministry in Clearwater and Pastor Brian Krushel and Spirit of Life Lutheran in Vancouver and Pastor Clifford Reinhardt.

You turn us toward the vulnerability of love, HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Fill to overflowing our daily lives, their trials and temptations, their constant need for hope and thanksgiving.

You turn us toward the vulnerability of love, HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Gather our concerns into the wellspring of your mercy. In the name of the light that was, that is, and is to come. AMEN.

The following prayers have been adapted for congregational use by Rebecca Garber

click here to download a copy of the prayers

With the words “You open our eyes to wonder,” you are invited to respond:

HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Create in us your spirit and life as we pray for the church, those in need, and all the world you love and nourish

A moment of silence

You open our eyes to wonder:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Send your spirit on all people, and open our mouths to speak your truth and love as we travel our roads. Give us the words of wisdom and of hope.

You open our eyes to wonder:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Uphold farmers and field workers who harvest the food for our tables, and warm our hearts against the colder days and warmer nights. Provide sustenance for all who hunger.

You open our eyes to wonder:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Lend your compassion and wisdom inform our leaders that they may govern well. Send advocates to halls of justice and guide legislation that seeks the best for the most people.

Send redemption and meaning to all those who ail in mind, body, or spirit. Speak healing into the very depths of them that they may know goodness. We pray especially for those we name aloud or in our hearts.

(Include those listed in the bulletin for prayer)

You open our eyes to wonder:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Bless our partnership with Anglican Church of Canada. Rain good things upon the congregations of our BC Synod, especially Living Faith Lutheran in Sechelt and Pastor Ian Nestegaard Paul and Lord of Life Mission in Sandspit

You open our eyes to wonder:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Fill to overflowing our daily lives, their trials and temptations, their constant need for hope and thanksgiving.

You open our eyes to wonder:  HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Gather these concerns and all who pray aloud or wordlessly within. In the name of the Christ, the light that was, that is, and is to come. AMEN.