saint benedict's table » Church

Prayers of the People | May 13

Don — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:13:27 +0000

Mothering Spirit, You seek to gather together your children from every nation, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. We thank you for uniting people from all nations under you. We ask that you would teach us to work together as one body, valuing all the different parts of this body for the gifts they bring. Thank you for planting within your church a spirit of humility and confession. Guide us into reconciliation, changed relationships, and healing, as we seek to live faithfully.

Singing, we pray to you, O Lord… To all the ends of the earth, Reveal Your saving power O God

Creator God,

We offer thanks on this day for our Earth Mother. Teach us to honour her as we should. We also think with grateful hearts of our own mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and sisters, and the many others who mother us and give us life. We honour these people and we give you thanks for them. We ask you, Creator, to bless all who work for peace and justice. Expand for each of us the sacred circle of compassion, that we might bear witness to your love, and humbly serve our neighbours, who are your children.

Singing, we pray to you, O Lord… To all the ends of the earth, Reveal Your saving power O God

Creator of every element – of flesh and bone and spirit; of kinship, friendship, and community – we are mindful today of our sisters in spirit. Many women from our province have been murdered or are missing, and we hold in our hearts their families and friends, who today are reminded of their loss. Hear our lamentations, and theirs. Many among us have other needs or cares. Show yourself to those among us in distress. Bear our sorrows and cares, we ask, and supply our many needs. We name aloud the needs known to us: _________.

Singing, we pray to you, O Lord… To all the ends of the earth, Reveal Your saving power O God

Almighty and eternal God, grant a peaceful end and eternal rest to all who are dying. Today we ask especially that you hold our sisters in spirit in the palm of your hand. In your mercy, lead all who grieve to your comfort and give hope to those who mourn. Even in our sorrow, reveal to us the infinite richness of your promises to all your people.

Singing, we pray to you, O Lord… To all the ends of the earth, Reveal Your saving power O God

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let those he gathered from all the directions – from east and south, from west and north – tell their story and give praise.

Amen.

Written by Dorothea Toews and offered in Worship on May 13

Prayers of the People | May 6

Don — Fri, 11 May 2012 23:27:26 +0000

We come to you in prayer this evening, O God – in the midst of this Easter Season, where we are reminded of resurrection, of renewal, of reawakening of the earth. The lessons focus on God’s love and how we love him because He first loved us. May we not just give lip service to this fundamental aspect of being Christian but manifest that love in countless ways – in reaching out to the homebound, the homeless or even the most affluent whose lives are mired in emptiness. May our connectedness with the true vine continue to result in discipline, outreach and stewardship in our personal, professional and community lives.

Keep us safe in Jesus and His Resurrection. In Your Mercy, Lord, Hear Our Prayer.

In our world, we offer lament for regions characterized by political unrest resulting in violence, particularly in Egypt and Russia. We pray for all countries being reshaped by the economy and regions experiencing disasters and shifts related to climate change. Locally, we continue to pray for an end to random acts of violence, domestic abuse and ongoing peer disrespect and disregard resulting in bullying. We grieve over the escalating suicide rate and pray for those known to us and in our circles whose lives are marked with the stigma and daily struggles related to mental illness. God’s love in the world is meant to extol life, not extinquish it; to commend life, not condemn it; and to protect life, not punish it.

Keep us safe in Jesus and His Resurrection. In Your Mercy, Lord, Hear Our Prayer.

We pray for students discerning their vocations and preparing for their place in society. Replace their fears and doubts with faith and confidence. We remember graduates of Booth University Colllege who convocated this afternoon. Thank you God, for this community and the many tables and venues where we engage, particularly the one of benevolence to the ministry of Agape Table. We pray for all members, including the leadership, and for the cumulative collection of creativity among us. We remember those in our community with shifting familial responsibilities – new babies, children leaving or returning to the nest, or parents needing assistance in the aging process – while maintaining personal and professional commitments. We remember those who have come and gone, whether it be in life or death. Give us guidance as we actively work to sustain the earth entrusted in our care. May we be wise in our transportation options, product selection, and safely preserve our greenspaces…..and may we thoroughly enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of Spring.

Keep us safe in Jesus and His Resurrection. In Your Mercy, Lord, Hear Our Prayer.

At this time, we are called to remember those among us and around us needing prayer.

Please take a moment to mention aloud or in your heart those in need.

O Father, grant your peace to those who have died; comfort to those who mourn.

May we take a few moments silence to consider the giving and taking; life’s beginnings and endings; and our comings and goings. Lord, what we have not, give us; what we know not, teach us; what we see not, show us; and what we are not, make us.

Keep us safe in Jesus and His Resurrection. In Your Mercy, Lord, Hear Our Prayer.

As we come to the time in our service where the banquet is set, thank you for feeding us, whether we are hungry or full, where we need not ask but you give. Again and again, you fill us with your body and blood and we are better for having met in this place. May the gifts of this table extend beyond these walls – so as we are given, so we give. As a new week unfolds and awaits us, we invite your presence in our everyday living – may we see you more clearly, love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, DAY BY DAY, AMEN

Written by Nancy Constantine and offered in Worship on May 6

Prayers for Baptism and Confirmation

Don — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:54:40 +0000

Let us offer prayer for those being baptized, and those who are renewing their commitment to Christ through the rite of confirmation; for Leah, Kaitlyn, Norm, Bryan, Kyla, Nadine, Rachel, and Andrew:

Deliver them, O Lord, from the way of sin and death, and continually open their hearts to your grace and truth. Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

Fill them with your holy and life-giving Spirit, and teach them to love others in the power of that Spirit. Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

Send them into the world beyond these walls, and grant them the grace and courage to bear witness to your love in all things. Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

Be with them in their lives of discipleship, and bring them to the fullness of your peace and glory. Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

Almighty God,

receive into the arms of your mercy

all who will be baptized and confirmed this day,

and make them your own for ever;

that, having tasted of your goodness,

they may ever hunger for your continuing presence

in their walk of faith. Amen.

Adapted from the baptismal liturgies of the Anglican Church of Canada and the Church of England

Prayers of the People | April 22

Don — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 23:21:19 +0000

God, we, the church, continue to celebrate Easter. Thank you for sending Jesus to dwell among us and show us that love wins. Thank you for this feast season that defines who we are as a people of faith. Teach us through the familiar stories, told again and again, the importance of humility and of loving our enemies. Open our minds so that we may understand, and our hearts so that we may be shaped.

Lord, in your mercy…… hear our prayer.

God,

Thank you for this worshipping community. For some of us, this is the place we come to meet you, and for others of us, it has become one of many places you are found. We ask you to bless richly the relationships that form as we gather. Teach us to love and support each other, in faith and doubt and joy and sorrow. Thinking of those whose needs we know, and thinking of those who serve us by leading, we name our prayers aloud. ______________________________.

Lord, in your mercy…… hear our prayer.

God,

We pray for this beautiful world you have created. As we observe earth day, we are mindful of this planet’s remarkable beauty and its ability to sustain life through countless interdependencies. We confess that we often fail to respect the earth as our mother. We get carried away, as children sometimes do, with all that we want and think we should have. Teach us to honour the earth that gives us life. Teach us to ask each day for our daily bread, and no more, so that all may live.

Lord, in your mercy…… hear our prayer.

God,

In our circles of life, we must sometimes come to places of death and dying. Give us courage to look death in the face, respecting it as part of our journey and yet ascribing to it no lasting power. Walk with us as we watch for the new life that comes out of death. Guide us into new relationships and communities when we must let go of other ones. Keep all of your faithful, living and dead, safe in your loving care.

Lord, in your mercy…… hear our prayer.

Amen.

Written by Dorothea Toews and offered in worship on April 22

Prayers of the People | April 15

Don — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:46:22 +0000

Lord God, we gather together as your doubting, faithful people. We bring all kinds of disbelief with us, but we are here. We pray uncertainly, but we pray.

We have not seen… but we believe.

Sometimes the things we have seen so strongly contradict our convictions that our prayers become endless questions: “Why? How? When? Are you even listening?” You say you hear our groanings. You say you love us, would give us every good gift. You died – not for our sins only, but for the whole world. Like Thomas, we would prefer proof. Where is the God of signs and wonders? Show yourself! Let us see your hands and feet and side! Grant peace to the world you love so much! Speak, so that we know you hear us!

We have not seen… but we believe.

In the midst of our doubt, we pray for the world. God, feed the hungry. End injustice. Assist the helpless. Protect the vulnerable. Stop war. Heal broken bodies and minds. Replace greed with compassion. Replenish the air, earth, waters.

We have not seen… but we believe.

In the midst of our doubt, we pray for the church. God, strengthen your people around the world to do the tasks you have left for us to do: to love one another, to care for orphans and widows, to forgive debts, to declare good news, and to make disciples of peace.

We have not seen… but we believe.

In the midst of our doubt, we pray for our communities. God, make st. benedict’s table a family that cares for each member well. Multiply the loaves and fishes in our baskets for Agape Table, so there is always more than enough food to go round. Give us the grace to include people in our circles, rather than exclude them.

We have not seen… but we believe.

In the midst of our doubt, we pray for ourselves, and for those whose needs are on our hearts. We name aloud those who suffer.

God, take our brokenness, our loves, our deepest needs, and care for them as only you can.

We have not seen… but we believe.

In the midst of our doubt, we pray for the dead. God, many we love have left this life, and we do not know where they have gone. Care for them, be gentle with them, grant them all the good things you promise your children. Comfort us as we mourn. Give us peace when we face our own deaths.

We have not seen… but we believe.

Amen.

Written by Mari Raynard and offered in worship on April 15

Prayers of the People | April 8

Don — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:56:03 +0000

Almighty God, Reveal to us the hope of Your glory and the hope of life after death. We give thanks, for You are a God who reigns in power and mercy of a kingdom that has no end.

Lord, who governs all days, lead also the people You have called Your own. Remind us that Your word is written in our hearts and it is truth You desire in our inmost places. Call to us when we have strayed and welcome us into Your arms when we return to You in repentance.

Lord in Your mercy Hear our prayer

Heavenly father, we pray for our world. We ask for peace amongst families, and peace between nations. We ask for food for all to eat and houses for all to sleep. And we ask for hope that you would come to save the poor. Inspire our hearts to pursue a world where those in need will want no more.

Lord in Your mercy Hear our prayer

We pray for those who grieve and those who are unhappy; for the burdens of our hearts and the weight of sorrow upon us. Comfort those who suffer, in their dark night grant them glimpses of the dawn.

Lord in Your mercy Hear our prayer

Lord I pray for the community of this church, St Benedicts table. I pray for the strengthening of relationships and for the courage to seek out others in friendship. As we have been loved, may we also love those in our midst

Lord in Your mercy Hear our prayer

We pray for those who have died. Be our comforter Lord, in our regrets and our words left unspoken, in our thoughts of lives that might have been. You have swallowed death in victory Lord, but still we feel it’s loss. We ask for the hope when we shall all be changed and the perishable shall be clothed in the imperishable.

Lord in Your Mercy Hear our prayer

May our souls be at rest once more and may the power of the Lord fill us. Let us rejoice in our salvation for he has done great things for us, He has delivered our souls from death , Lord may we trust in Your redemption and mercy.

We ask all these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Written by Kate Schellenberg and offered in worship on April 8

This little tradition of ours…

Jamie — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 17:26:16 +0000

Abit of audio from our 2011 celebration of Easter, making a matter record something that has become an Easter Day tradition at saint benedict’s table. Take a listen, and let your imagination fill in the blanks…

To listen to a sound bite of our Easter Day tradition, simply click the arrow

Prayers of the People | April 1

Don — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:30:45 +0000

God during lent you call us to a time of reflection so we can best discern where you are present in our lives. Where there is uncertainty, may we be certain of your love even in the darkest moments. Where there is fear and anxiety may we find peace and thankfulness for out lives and remember how you have brought us this far in our journey.