Lord God, friend of those in need,
your Son Jesus has untied our burdens
and healed our spirits.
We lift up the prayers of our hearts for those still burdened,
those seeking healing,
those in need within the church and the world.

God of grace and God of glory, 
yours is the voice we can scarcely hear
because you speak to us about grace and forgiveness, 
chosen-ness and unconditional love, 
and about suffering, dying, and new life. 

You know each of us by name, O God,
and in your sight we have found favor,
yet our minds cannot comprehend the vision of your glory
or the vastness of your love.
Grant that as we glimpse your greatness,
reflected in your many gifts,
we may always return to you
the praise that is yours alone.

Let us pray for the whole Church, the nation, those in need, our church and special concerns.  Oh God, we pray that all who confess your Name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory in the world.  Strengthen the leaders of our church that they may rightly preach your Word and administer your Sacraments. 

God of mercy and healing,
you who hear the cries of those in need,
receive these petitions of your people
that all who are troubled
may know peace, comfort, and courage.

Holy Friend,
health of the sick, comfort of the sad, rebuke of the oppressor,
judge of the greedy, hope of the repentant, friend of the downtrodden; 
in prayer we lift up to you this world with its outrageous injustices
yet also its outpouring of human kindness from ordinary people.

God of salvation,
who sent your Son to seek out and save what is lost,
hear our prayers
on behalf of those who are lost in our day,
receiving these petitions and thanksgivings
with your unending compassion.

Most merciful and compassionate God,
Giver of Life and Love,
hear our prayers
and let our cries come unto you.

Lord God, friend of those in need,
your Son Jesus has untied our burdens
and healed our spirits.
We lift up the prayers of our hearts for those still burdened,
those seeking healing,
those in need within the church and the world

Image: Joseph and his brothers by Jacob Chayat Acrylic on Canvas

God among us,
we gather in the name of your Son
to learn love for one another.
Turn our feet from evil paths,
our hands from shameful deeds,
our minds to your wisdom,
and our hearts to your grace.

God who is,
God who has been,
God who will be;
Your faithfulness we praise.
Your name we call upon.
Your presence we worship.
We are here,
on this holy ground,
in this time,
offering our lives and ourselves to You.
We come open to Your Spirit,
and trusting in the love of Your Son, Jesus

O God, we praise you for your abiding guidance
for you sent us Jesus, our Teacher and Messiah,
to model for us the way of love for the whole universe.
We offer these prayers of love
on behalf of ourselves and our neighbors,
on behalf of your creation and our fellow creatures.
Let us pray:

God, sometimes your commands are baffling. 
You seem to expect absurd things from us,
Things which go against our instincts:
To love our enemies,
To forgive our betrayers,
To provide for our oppressors,
To eat at a table with sinners,
To support sick and poor people,
To renounce violence,
To welcome foreigners
To embrace outcasts

Let the peace of this place surround us as we offer our petitions.
Let the hurry and worry of life fall away.
We are God's children.
God loves us and cares for us. 
God is here with us now and always.

People of God,
The Lord is in our midst.
He is a God of mercy and healing,
Who hears the cries of the oppressed.
Let us gather our faith and lift our petitions
For all who are troubled
For all who need peace
For all who need courage and comfort.
Let us pray:

Friends in Christ,
God invites us to hold the needs of our sisters and brothers
as dear to us as our own needs.
Loving our neighbors as ourselves,
we offer our thanksgivings and our petitions
on behalf of the church and the world.

O God who wrestles with us,
circle our hearts,
centre our minds,
still our bodies
be present to us now.
Let us pray.

People of God, as we come to prayer
let us remember that we do not
have to twist the arm of a reluctant God
to seek good things for this world,
nor find ways to persuade a distant God
to come near and listen to us.

Let us remember that as we pray
we kneel alongside Jesus Christ,
in the presence of God,
with the help of the Spirit.
Let us pray.

God of salvation,
who sent your Son to seek out and save what is lost,
hear our prayers
on behalf of those who are lost in our day,
receiving these petitions and thanksgivings
with your unending compassion.

O God, we give you thanks
For all the blessings of this life
For family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and strangers,
Who nurture us so that the love of God may grow in us. 
We pray that your love, your word, like a seed,
May grow to produce good fruit in us.

Sisters and brothers in Christ,
God invites us to bring our doubts and fears,
our joys and concerns, our petitions and praise,
and offer them for the earth and all its creatures.

O God,
you have called us to follow in the way of your risen Son,
and to care for those who are our companions,
not only with words of comfort, but with acts of love.
Seeking to be true friends of all,
we offer our prayers on behalf of the church and the world.

Creator God,
you call us to love and serve you
with body, mind, and spirit
through loving your creation
and our sisters and brothers.
Open our hearts in compassion
and receive these prayers
on behalf of the needs of the church and the world.

Gracious God,
we are grateful that you have revealed yourself to us,
each of us loved by you as children,
each of us a reflection of you,
each of us bound together by love,
which is in fact your presence among us.

Lord God, friend of those in need,
your Son Jesus has freed us of our burdens
and healed our spirits.
We lift up the prayers of those still burdened,
those seeking healing,
and those in need.

You call us to love and serve you
With our body, mind, and spirit,
By loving your creation
And our sisters and brothers.
Open our hearts in compassion
And receive our prayers
On behalf of the needs of the church and the world.

Friends in Christ,
God invites us to hold the needs of our sisters and brothers
as dear to us as our own needs.
Loving our neighbors as ourselves,
we offer our thanksgivings and our petitions
on behalf of the church and the world.