We all have gifts and powers that can be put to good or bad effect. On this Stir up Sunday we pray they will be stirred and used in the right direction and fruitfully serve the Kingdom of our Saviour, Christ the King, who has put his all into the love and service of the world.
This week we are asked to pray
Prayers for the week based on from "Roots on the Web" Jesus our king, May your kingdom come - On earth as in heaven. Lord Jesus, we worship you as king. We picture you on the cross, dying for us, so that we might be forgiven. And we humbly bow in gratitude. Lord Jesus, we worship you as king. We picture you in heaven, reigning as king over all the world. And we humbly bow before you in praise. Crucified, risen king: Be king of our lives today and forever. King Jesus, you alone are the king of the world. You alone have the power and authority. You alone are the creator of all that is good. We bring before you our earthly rulers, national and local, especially… Give them wisdom, we pray, so that they govern with integrity. Guide them into your truth so that they rule with servant hearts. Steer them towards your heart of peace so that conflicts cease (and we pause to name particular conflicts to you now: Ukraine, the Middle East and anywhere else that is on our hearts). We bring the whole world to you now, asking that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that you are king. Crucified, risen king: Be king of our lives today and forever. King Jesus, may your kingdom come in our places of work… our offices, our shops, our schools, our hospitals, our homes. Help us to be kingdom bringers as we go to these places this week. We picture a moment last week when we found it hard to bring in your kingdom… forgive us for turning away from you. And we remember a moment when we brought your kingdom to others… a kind word, a problem shared, a hug, a listening ear… As we go into a new week, help us to be more aware of you and more able to listen to your prompting so that wherever we go, we take you with us. Crucified, risen king: Be king of our lives today and forever. King Jesus, may your kingdom come in our places of pain. We know that suffering and sorrow are not part of your plan and yet you willingly suffered for us to bring us back to your heart of love. We name now, out loud or in the stillness of our hearts, all those we know who are suffering today: maybe they are ill, anxious, lonely, sad, in pain, confused, listening to bad news… be especially close to them we pray. We ask that you bring your healing and wholeness into every situation. Surround them with your comforting arms. Touch their lives with your gentle whisper of peace. Crucified, risen king: Be king of our lives today and forever. King Jesus, we lift our homes to you. Be king of our homes, we pray. May they be places of kindness, love and joy. We think of each member of our family in turn and pray for them by name… (whether we live with them or not). Lord, sometimes it’s easy to be nice and loving to the people we live with and love, but sometimes it’s really hard. Forgive us for the hard times and encourage us in the easy times. Show us how to do that one extra thing this week that will make family life and conversation with friends just that bit better for everyone. May our eyes meet in love and our voices speak words of encouragement. Crucified, risen king: Be king of our lives today and forever. King Jesus, we also pray for those whose home life is painful, abusive or unhappy. We ask that places of safety can be found where people who suffer can find peace. We also remember those who have to leave their homes because of war, famine or other trauma. Lord, may they find their home in you. Lord, we ask that your kingdom of goodness and compassion comes… Crucified, risen king: Be king of our lives today and forever. King Jesus, you rose again and now you rule and reign forever. We rejoice that you invite us to become part of your kingdom. Send us out from here as transformed, rejoicing people, ready to bring your kingdom to everyone we meet this week. Go before us into every situation. Rule and reign in all our places of difficulty. Rule and reign in all our places of joy. Rule and reign in our moments of busyness and our times of rest. Lord, you are king, and we worship you. Crucified, risen king: Be king of our lives today and forever. Amen.