Easter Day – 4th April 2021 Intercessions by Eff Poole
To the bidding:- Risen Lord of Life. Please respond Hear us in your love
Risen Lord, as we celebrate Easter, we bring our church to you. We thank you that we can join to worship you through the use of technology, but we pray for those who are not able to use this medium and who still feel lonely and cut off from worship with their own church. We thank you that some church buildings are open for worship, but we pray for patience for the congregations for which this is not yet appropriate. We thank you that people have come to know Jesus through a variety of forms of virtual worship, and pray that they will grow in faith. Help us all, Lord, to appreciate our differences and to realise that as everyday life opens up for us the new normal may not be the old normal which we have known and loved. Help us to know how to welcome those who have come to know you through virtual worship and may find our style of worship alien to them. Remind us that the disciples who had gone through the darkness of Good Friday and the closing of the tomb found that nothing was quite the same after the resurrection.
Risen Lord of Life, hear us in your love
We pray for the leaders of our churches: ministers, deacons, local preachers, worship leaders, stewards, elders, pastoral carers, thinking especially of Don, our minister. May they feel the power of your Holy Spirit guiding them and strengthening them as they seek to do your will.
Risen Lord of Life, hear us in your love
We thank you for all who have worked tirelessly to bring the Coronavirus under control. For those who have investigated, experimented, found, tested, developed and trialled vaccines and for those willing to take part in trials. For those who have been involved in the funding, planning, production, distribution and administration of the vaccines. For all NHS and care workers – whatever part they played. Together they have worked and are working to bring healing and we ask a blessing on each one of them.
Risen Lord of Life, hear us in your love
We pray, Lord, for all involved in maintaining essential services. We are so grateful that life has been as normal as possible in these difficult times.
Risen Lord of Life, hear us in your love
We pray for those who are unwell at this time, whatever the cause, thinking especially of those known to us. We pray for comfort and support for all who are mourning the loss of loved ones, especially for those for whom this has brought loneliness and isolation. We pray for those who have lost family and friends so suddenly and unexpectedly as a result of the train crash in Taiwan.
Risen Lord of Life, hear us in your love
In a world of disposable nappies and throwaway fashion, of single use plastic and built-in obsolescence, where many rely on foodbanks for basic nutrition while others struggle with obesity, help us to use resources more fairly. Teach us how to consume less and conserve more, to live sustainably. Enable each of us to learn how to minimise our environmental footprint. Let our concern for the earth govern our living and may we take seriously your call to be careful stewards of your creation. Thank you that you have given us all we need to sustain life.
Risen Lord of Life, hear us in your love Lord, in this world where evil persists in so many forms, we pray for those who suffer from abuse, cruelty, poverty, warfare. We pray that this weekend’s disturbances in Belfast will not be repeated. But Lord, we also pray for leaders and those in authority that they will be given wisdom and compassion, that they will strive for peace and justice.
Risen Lord of Life, hear us in your love Lord, we pray for ourselves, that we will be ready in the power of your Holy Spirit to do your will and work for the coming of your kingdom of love. In the name of Jesus, our risen Saviour, Amen.
