Guided Daily Prayer (Series 2)

December 6, 2023
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Instructions: The underlined text are headings and do not need to be read. [Brackets] are instructions to be followed but not necessarily read. FOR INDIVIDUAL PRAYER: I suggest you read the prayer sheet aloud, but reading silently is fine too. FOR GROUP PRAYER: have one person act as leader. The leader reads the regular print and everyone reads the Bold Italic Type together.

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Opening Sentences:
 Watch , for you know not when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning; lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. (Mark 13:35, 36)

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and love; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP,1979)

Praying Together:
Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. Amen. (from Psalm 95)

Prayers of Confession
[If the Guide is used in group prayer, the leader begins by saying “Come, let us offer our confession and seek God’s forgiveness together.”]

Merciful God, you have given us all we need, and yet we always want more.

We repent of our selfish and indulgent ways. We repent that we put our own wants and needs above the needs and the safety for the greater good. We repent that we often care more about things than we do about people. Forgive us Lord, repair our hearts and turn us toward your loving and merciful ways. Lord in your mercy hear our confession and forgive. Amen.

Words of Assurance:
Thanks be to God for the assurance that, if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Scripture Reading Based on Micah 5:2-5a:
²But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
 ³Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. ⁴And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; ⁵and he shall be the one of peace.

[Silent Prayer / or Music may be listened to / or a Hymn is sung.]

Prayers of the People:
“With all our heart and with all our mind, let us pray to the Lord, saying “O Lord, hear our prayer.”

We pray for justice and peace, dear Lord, and goodwill toward all humankind, let us pray to the Lord. O Lord, hear our prayer. [Silent prayer.]

For those in prison or captivity, unlock their chains and set them free. Let us pray to the Lord. O Lord, hear our prayer. [Silent prayer.] *

We pray for the poor and the oppressed, for the unemployed and the destitute, for prisoners and captives, and for all who remember and care for them, let us pray to the Lord. O Lord, hear our prayer. [Silent prayer.]

As we await the coming of Christ, make us messengers of your kingdom. Let us pray to the Lord. O Lord, hear our prayer. [Silent prayer.] *

For our individual and special prayers this day, we lift them up to the Lord. [Silent Prayer]

The Lord’s Prayer:
“Hear us, O Lord, as we pray together:”

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Closing Prayer:
O Creator, mold us as the potter shapes the clay. Transform our spirits with the power of Christ, uniting us in compassion and justice. May we, as Your creation, reflect Your peace and wholeness in our communities and in our world. Amen. (based on RCL Prayers)