Prayers of the People

God be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray.

O Divine Artist, you shaped formless chaos and empty darkness into a harmony of order and beauty at the sound of your almighty Word.   You have written your symphony of love and holiness into the very fabric of all things and you call us to join our lives with Yours in the performance of that eternal Music.  Hear the faithful hymns of your Church gathered here and around the world.  We pray to you today, in a particular way, for your Church here in the Diocese of Chicago and the Evanston Deanery, especially for Bishop Paula Clark and the people of Christ Church in Winnetka and Matthew their rector.  Strengthen our voices and embolden our lives to speak your truth and sing your praise.

God in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Sculptor of the mountains, painter of the sunset, you lit the stars, filled the seas, and animate the inner life of the smallest acorn.  In you we live and move and have our being.  Your merciful purposes, your saving designs, are broader and deeper than the measure of the mortal mind.  We pray to you today, O Ruler of All, for the leaders of this nation and of all nations, so often inwardly blinded by greed, ambition, rivalry and fear.  Heal their darkened hearts and free their shadowed minds that they too might join the chorus of the righteous and care for your vulnerable creation and your precious children.  Illumine them and each of us with that same Light which you sang forth in the Beginning.

God in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

O Gentle Savior, your Eternal Heart is most wonderfully kind.   You gave healing and sight to the sick and the blind as you walked the roads of ancient Palestine.   You heard and answered the pleas of those whom it would have been easy to overlook and you hear our humble prayer today.   We pray to you for the people of Colombia and Congo, for all those in warzones, for all affected by extreme weather and natural disaster and for Sally, Sherry, Isabelle, Norris, Andre, Adele & Rick, Donna, Leight, and Quinn.

Are there others? (Silence)

Accompany, strengthen, and comfort them, O Lord. 

God in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

We pray also for all those who have died, particularly for those who have died of Ebola in Congo, in the earthquake in Colombia, and for those killed warfare in the Middle East and in Ukraine.

Are there others? (Silence)

Surround all those for whom we pray with your quickening grace, O Lord.   Draw them into the light and peace of your neverending day, the everlasting song of your mercy and joy.

God in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. – Book of Common Prayer

Amen.