Prayers for Sunday 18th October

Lord of All, we pray for the Church worldwide, and for our own parish. Like the early Christian’s of Thessalonica, may our faith be known for its action, our love for its hard work, and our hope for the future in the face of adversity. Lord, prompt us to be a truly welcoming church. Break down any barriers of judgement or indifference in our hearts. Help us to receive every person who walks through our doors as a gift from you, offering them a place of safety, belonging and true friendship. Help us to see that nowadays only a small proportion of our community know about you and the love you and your Son Jesus have for the world and help us to see that we must reach out to these people and not wait for them to come to us.

Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer.

God of Mercy, our hearts break for the innocent caught in the crossfire of human conflict – for children who only know fear, the families grieving sudden losses, and those deprived of food, shelter, and medical care. Be their shield and their provider. Strengthen the hands of aid workers and medical teams risking their lives to help them. Bring comfort to those who weep and restore dignity to the broken-hearted.

Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer.

Gracious Father, Jesus reminded us to give to the state what belongs to the state, and to God what belongs to God. We pray for our government, prime minister Andy, our MP Charlotte and world leaders. Give them the integrity to seek justice, the compassion to protect the vulnerable and the wisdom to foster peace. Help each of us to navigate our daily duties as citizens while keeping our ultimate loyalty and devotion anchored in your love.

Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer.

We pray for the war torn areas of the world especially for Ukraine, Somalia the Middle East including Gaza, Iran and the areas where although not in the world news are suffering from the effects of war, homelessness and lack of food and shelter. Send them the help and support they need and ultimately the peace they so desperately need. And as Jesus taught we pray for our enemies.

Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer.

Loving God, we pray for people of our local diocese who are experiencing homelessness. Look after those who are sleeping rough, staying in temporary shelters, or trapped in unstable housing. Guide us as a church to offer practical support, warmth and dignity to our neighbours in need. We lift up to you everyone in our community facing unemployment or job insecurity. We pray for those carrying the heavy stress of financial worry and the struggle to provide for their families. Open new doors of opportunity, grant them resilience and help us to support them through tough times. Give wisdom to our local councils, charities and community groups as they work to tackle poverty, housing shortages and job creation in our area.

Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer.

We pray especially for our own diocese of’ Liverpool, our bishops Ruth and Simon, our Archdeacon Simon and Area Dean Michael. We pray for our church warden's Alan and Verona who will be leading us in the interregnum period, and send the Holy Spirit to guide those would apply be our incumbent. Also we pray the PCC and all who give their time so freely for our church. We pray for our congregation and for the congregation of our sister church, All Saints church Glazebury. We pray for the Methodist churches of Glazebrook and Rixton and all who live on Elm Road. We also pray for our parish school, head teacher Catherine her staff and all the pupils.

Lord in your mercy - hear our prayer.

Compassionate Father, we pray for those in our parish family and wider circles who are sick in body, mind, or spirit and in a moment of quiet we name those on our hearts today [pause]. Surround them with your peace, ease their pain and grant wisdom to the doctors, nurses, and carers looking after them. Give strength to those who are exhausted by long-term illness, mental struggles, or the heavy burden of caring for a loved one. By name we pray for :

Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer.

God of Mercy, we commend to your eternal keeping those who have died recently, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Welcome them into your presence, where there is no more pain or crying, but life everlasting. Comfort those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Wrap them in your love, support them in their sorrow, and strengthen their hope in the promise of the resurrection.

We pray for those whose anniversary of their passing occur this week:

Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer.

Father, as we stand at the beginning of this new week, we place the days ahead into your hands. Help us to see your hand at work in the ordinary moments. Make us attentive to the needs of those around us, that we might offer a word of encouragement, a helping hand or a listening ear. May our lives reflect your peace, love, and grace in everything we do.

Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen