Prayers of the People

God be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray.

Creator God, Mother of All, we thank you for all that you have made.  We raise to you, in this Season of Creation, grateful praise for the countless gifts that you have bestowed upon us, especially for this good earth which you have given us to steward on your behalf.  For its rich variety and unfolding complexity, for all in it which leads us to awe and wonder, we adore you and we bless you.

God in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

We thank you, Eternal Lord of All, for the seasons of the year which reveal to us those mighty cycles of rising and falling, growth and decay, light and darkness, life and death.  We praise you for the Springtime - for green shoots rising from the frozen earth, for blossoms brightening the gray, the birdsong a symphony of morning beauty.  We ask that you fill us, your servant Church, with such joy and consolation that we might share the Good News of your Risen Life with those in most need of such hope.  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 St. Giles Church in Northbrook and Court their rector.  Make of us, and of your whole Church, a sign of hope, beauty, and renewal in the cold and dark of this uncertain age.

God in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Sun of Righteousness, so gloriously risen, we praise you for the Summer, even as it wanes.  You are shown forth majestic and magical in fields of wildflowers, in the pleasures of sea and sand, the warming heat of the sun, the gentle flight of the butterfly and the acrobatics of the barn swallow.  We rejoice in all the fiery brightness that kindles joy and generosity in our lives.  Fill with the warmth of your Holy Spirit the hearts of those in public service who care not for the poor, the weak, the oppressed, the neglected and who do not take seriously our responsibility to care for this world you have given us.  Make of our nation a place where all are able to shine as brightly as the Midsummer sun, undimmed by the clouds of hatred, fear, selfishness and greed which obscure the light of your truth, goodness, and beauty in us.

God in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

O Jesus, Man of Sorrows, we thank you for the fading light and mournful pleasures of autumn.  We thank you for that “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” in which we glimpse your beauty and grace even as summer fades.  Help us to notice your presence in the misty mornings, in bonfires and crisp apples and in your fiery tapestry of red, yellow, and orange ablaze upon the treetops.  Be with all those who experience pain and grief in their lives today as you are with us in this season of decay and decline.  Grant us that grace which never fades.  We pray to you for all who suffer or struggle around the world - for the people of Nepal, of Ukraine and Russia, of Gaza and Israel, and for all those for whom we now pray, silently or aloud for Sally Sherry, Isabelle, norris, Andre, Adele & Rick, Donna, Leigh, Quinn, Griffin & Cheryl, and Patricia.

Are there others? (Silence)

Accompany them, sorrowful One, and surround them with your merciful care, and with ours, even as the world grows colder.

God in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Holy Spirit, Breath of God, breathe in us so that we are strengthened in experiences of cold and emptiness.  We trust that you are no further from us in Winter than in high Summer.  We praise you for the harsh beauty of snow and ice and for the privilege of warm homes and loved ones to draw near to amidst gales and perils and the encroaching chill.  Remembering this season when all seems dark and doomed, we ask you to enfold in your mercy all who have died, and all who are dying.  We lift up to you all those we now name silently or aloud…

(Silence)

Lead with your love all who have died and all who grieve through their season of darkness into the promise and hope of that ever dawning Spring wherein all Creation shall be made new.

God in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Book of Common Prayer

Amen.