Prayers on Bible Sunday – 29th October 2023 – by Angie Foster, Ordinand in Walmsley Parish

As we gather today in our homes and in church, we offer our prayers for our hopes and our concerns for those we love and for those in our communities and our world.

As believers in Jesus, we rejoice in the vibrancy of God’s word in the Bible. Let us pray that through the scriptures God’s voice will be heard and needed.

We pray for the health and safety of the Bible Society teams around the world. We hope that God will give the staff courage and fill them with joy and that they will be able to convey a message of hope in Christ, through the Scriptures. We pray that they would be able to continue the work of the Bible mission and that God will give them the creativity and resources they need.

Lord in your Mercy – Hear our prayer.

We pray for the Church, that it may be faithful to the teaching of Jesus and steeped in knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures. We pray for those who study and teach the Bible and for those who preach. We pray that God’s word of grace may be heard by all. We pray especially for the Anglican Church in Melanesia as well as our own Mission Community and all our churches so that all who are new to the Christian Faith may hear your word.

Lord in your Mercy – Hear our prayer.

We pray for the World, which is God’s not ours: may we be faithful and bold in our stewardship of it. We pray too for all who have heard the Bible’s message of longing for Peace in God’s World and are working to fulfil it. We pray for places where there is war and violence – in Ukraine, and the Middle East.

O God of all justice and peace we cry out to you in the midst of the pain and trauma of violence and fear which prevails in the Holy Land. Be with those who need you in these days of suffering; we pray for people of all faiths and for all people of the land. While we pray to you, O Lord, for an end to violence and the establishment of peace, we also call for you to bring justice and equity to the peoples. Guide us into your kingdom where all people are treated with dignity and honour as your children for to all of us you are our Heavenly Father.

We remember those who serve in our Armed Forces at home or abroad who are keeping us and the world safe. We pray that God’s word of freedom may be heard by all who are imprisoned by prejudice and hatred.

Lord in your Mercy – Hear our prayer.

We pray for ourselves as hearers of scriptures. May God’s honouring Spirit give us courage and joy to live by them. We pray for our local communities, that they may be places where all God’s children can flourish. We pray that God’s words of love may be heard by our families and friends and all who serve our communities. In our Mission Community, we remember all our schools, the chaplaincy work that takes place and our Youth Churches, particularly Turton Youth Church.              We remember too all those volunteers of charities locally, nationally or beyond.

Lord in your Mercy – Hear our prayer.

We pray for health and peace for those who are lonely, anxious or sick. We pray that God’s words of hope may be heard by those who are housebound or in hospital and by all those who care for them. We thank God for those who care for others – the staff of the NHS and local health services. Loving Father hold hose known to us in your caring arms.

Lord in your Mercy – Hear our prayer.

We pray for all those who have died in the faith of Christ. We pray that God’s words of life may be heard by all who mourn. We remember those who have died recently and those whose anniversary falls at this time in our Book of Remembrance.

Lord in your Mercy – Hear our prayer.

God our loving Father, may your words of love bear fruit richly in our lives and in the lives of all for whom we pray.

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