Prayers for Lent
O Lord, who hast mercy upon all,
take away from me my sins,
and mercifully kindle in me
the fire of thy Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone,
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore Thee,
a heart to delight in Thee,
to follow and enjoy Thee, for Christ's sake,
Amen
St. Ambrose of Milan (AD 339-397)
Loving Father,
all the fancy words
in the world,
expressed in eloquent prose,
decorated with emotion,
spoken with conviction,
cannot compete with a heartfelt
'sorry'
when all other words fail.
There are times
when we are all too aware
of our limitations,
conscious of sin,
and the distance it creates between us.
Sometimes 'sorry'
is all the heart can bear to say aloud.
It is only you
who can read and understand
the language of our hearts,
only you who can translate our 'sorry'
into the prayer we would have prayed,
if we had the words within us.
Then you forgive,
and having forgiven
surround us in an embrace of love,
drawing us close to your heart,
as it was always meant to be.
Thank you, Loving Father,
that you listen to hearts,
as well as voices
Thank you.
From http://www.faithandworship.com/prayers_Lent
Prayers of Intercession for Lent
The LORD upholds all those who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
(Psalm 145:14)
God of love
hear the cry of those who yearn for love;
fractured families, broken homes
neglected, unwanted, alone.
God of love
ALL: hear our prayer
God of justice
hear the cry of those who yearn for justice;
persecuted and oppressed,
exploited, ill-treated, broken.
God of justice
ALL: hear our prayer
God of peace
hear the cry of those who yearn for peace;
in battle zones and broken states,
frightened, fearful, anxious
God of peace
ALL: hear our prayer
God of healing
hear the cry of those who yearn for healing;
physical and spiritual
hurting, weakened, depressed
God of healing
ALL: hear our prayer
God of mercy
Hear the cry of those who yearn for mercy;
convicted, in need of your Grace,
contrite, humble, bowed down,
God of mercy
ALL: hear our prayer
I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
(Psalm 116:1,2)
You are the man for us –
May you know
The peace of God
The love of God
The justice of God
The healing and mercy of God
This day and all days
Amen
From
http://www.faithandworship.com/Lent_intercessions.htm#ixzz
1mVmfhMjd
Palm Sunday: Opening Prayer
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout,
daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you; righteous and
having salvation, gentle and riding on a
donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
(Zechariah 9:9)
As the people spread their coats palm
branches on the ground to welcome Jesus
into Jerusalem, so we welcome him into our
lives this morning. King of Glory, King of
Peace, Servant King, reign in our hearts and
lives this day and all days, that we might
praise your holy name.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord
ALL: Hosanna in the highest
Fromhttp://www.faithandworship.com/liturgy_Palm_Sunday.h
tm#ixzz1mVljBQRp
Palm Sunday Prayer of Confession
Jesus riding on a donkey
We hail you as our king.
Your way is our way,
Or at least you are the man for us
until your way becomes too hard.
When it starts to leave us isolated,
when it costs us money or sleep,
when it all gets too tough
then we put down our palm branches
and join the other crowd,
the ones who cry “Crucify”.
Lord, forgive us because we are so fickle.
When we make the commitment to walk in
your way,
when we acknowledge you as King of our
lives,
help us to do this knowing that the way may
not be easy
but that you will strengthen us for the road
ahead.
Help us to know that after crucifixion comes
resurrection
and this is the way we walk with you.
Jesus riding on a donkey
We hail you as our King.
Your way is our way – whatever the cost
because we know we walk with you.
AMEN
-
Linda Cowan
An Easter Litany of Praise
The risen Christ meets us at the tomb, and
turns our tears to joy.
For your love and goodness
we give you thanks, O God.
Christ comes through our locked doors, and
turns our fear to courage.
For your love and goodness
we give you thanks, O God.
Christ comes to daily life and work, and turns
our failure to new vision.
For your love and goodness
we give you thanks, O God.
Christ breaks the bread, and turns our despair
to hope.
For your love and goodness
we give you thanks, O God.
If you were not risen,
Lord Christ, to whom would we go
to discover a radiance
of the face of God?
If you were not risen,
we would not be together
seeking your communion.
We would not find in your presence
forgiveness,
wellspring of a new beginning.
If you were not risen,
where would we draw the energy
for following you
right to the end of our existence,
for choosing you again and anew?
– Brother Roger of Taize
Lord Jesus, remind us daily of the truth of
Your resurrection that we might live in its
fullness, and that we might wonder afresh at
and experience the amazing truth of the fact
that Your resurrection power is real and at
work every day in the lives of each of us who
has been baptized into Your death &
resurrection!
From Lent and Beyond: an Anglican Prayer Blog
Confession and Forgiveness
We serve a risen Saviour yet live as if in
chains. Forgive us, Lord that we are so
hesitant to live the resurrection life. Forgive
us that we fail to show through word and
action the truth that you loved us into your
kingdom through the glorious mystery of the
Cross. Forgive us that there is still fear in our
lives that prevents us from achieving our full
potential. Draw us close. Open our eyes to the
glory of the risen Christ, our hearts to the
wonder of the Cross and our hands to the
service of your kingdom where you have
placed us. That your name might be glorified
through our lives.
AMEN
God of resurrection
of life and death
rebirth
All: Renew our hearts and minds
God of promise
of all beginnings
and all endings
All: Renew our hearts and minds
God of hope
of new growth
and harvest
All: Renew our hearts and minds
From
http://www.faithandworship.com/liturgy_Easter_Sunday.htm#i
xzz1mVnvcQMf
OUR DAY
This is my day
A day of rest
A day of hope
A day of peace and happiness.
This is the day the Lord has made
A day to sing
A day to praise
A day to become one in the Spirit.
This is the day that the Lord has made
This is my day
This is your day
This is our day.
-
Doreen Alexander, Guyana
CHILDREN’S RESOURCES FOR EASTERTIDE
Joy Cowley has written a book, The
EasterStory, which includes some
interpretation of the story as well as the
essential narrative. For example when Jesus
meets the disciples after the resurrection, she
writes, ”Then Jesus himself came to see his
friends. He looked different. When he spoke to
them, their God spark burned with a bright
God light. ‘I told you I would rise again’, he
said.” This book is available through the
Epworth Bookroom for $19.99.
Dave the Donkey is produced by Lost Sheep,
an Australian publishers and written by
Andrew O’Donough. Look on line at
www.lostsheep.com.au. These are very
economical resources and you can buy them
in powerpoint format. They also have free
children’s activities you can download to go
with this story.