Prayer: Merciful God of compassion

Merciful God of compassion and justice, have mercy on us as we confess our sin. We are not the stewards Christ calls us to be. Riches possess us while others go hungry. We mismanage creation with our pollution and strife to obtain ever more than we already have. We abuse your provision for us by our selfish desires. Help us hear again Christ’s call to be faithful, and through him forgive us as we repent of our sin and turn from it…
Lord, hear our prayer.

Loving God, with a handful of flour and a drop of oil the widow of Zarephath fed the prophet Elijah before her child and herself. God, teach us the joy of hospitality which welcomes friend and stranger, neighbour and enemy, and so finds You feasting among us….
Lord, hear our prayer.

God of Abundance, with two small coins the widow of Jerusalem offered to you her love, her worship and all she had. Teach us the joy of giving freely, which counts nothing as ours by right, but willingly shares and so finds you sharing with us….
Lord, hear our prayer.

God of Resurrection, with his whole being Christ Jesus sacrificed himself for the sake of your love for us. Teach us the joy of giving ourselves to you, so that we yearn for your presence, long for your salvation, and so find you living in us…..
Lord, hear our prayer.

God of Mercy, it is your will that we love and work and pray for those who are in need of bread and of shelter, of healing and of wholeness. Hear the prayers we make for those of our world— those of our community, and those of our family who are in need. We lift before you now in the silence of our hearts and with the words of our lips….
Lord, hear our prayer.

Bless your church throughout the world and help it to fulfill the purpose you have given it. Guide us each day and help us to give as completely as we have received. We ask it in the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord and our Saviour, our brother and our friend. Amen.

Written by John Maynard and posted on Rev. Richard J. Fairchild’s Kir-shalom website.