Prayers

Sunday 1 March, 2009
The First Sunday of Lent

Genesis 9. 8 – 17
The idea of the ‘covenant’ between God and his people finds here its first clear example. We think of ourselves as God’s servants, but he is equally bound to us, for our eternal good.

1 Peter 3. 18 – 22
Noah and family were saved ‘through water’. The writer sees this as a picture of Christian baptism, our route to salvation in face of a godless and directionless world.

Mark 1. 9 – 15
The baptism of Jesus is not like ours. It is the giving of his unique role on God’s behalf, as his agent to right all wrongs and make his rule plain, with all urgency.

	Water threatens but also saves life. Pray to know God as our dependable rescuer.
	Give thanks for baptism as the route to our deepest good.
	Let Jesus’ preaching of God’s rule keep ringing in our ears.

· As we begin this season of Lent let us take time to think about what Lent really means to us. Too often I know that I get to Good Friday and feel guilty that I didn’t really use the time of Lent well, that I come to Easter without thinking properly about the sacrifices that Christ made for me and for all of you too.

Prayers for the first Sunday of Lent

This Sunday the prayers are written especially for children to understand.

Dear God, you know all about us; you know how we feel, when we’re happy or sad; you know what we say, when we’re kind or we’re rude; you know what we do, when we’re good or naughty. Dear God, thank you for knowing all about us and still loving us.

Lord, I’m worried about people, forgotten older people, children without parents, prisoners of war, fathers without work, people who have no homes who are hungry and cold, or who live with problem that wind up tight inside. Show me how I can help these other people. Give me the right words to tell them of your love. Amen

A prayer for those who are sick.

Lord we want to pray today for those people that we know who are sick or in hospital. Help them not to be unhappy or afraid and take care of the doctors and nurses looking after them. Amen

Lord, please take care of all those people who take care of us. Our mummies and daddies, our brother and sisters, all our families. Also Lord, please can you take special care of policemen, firemen and ambulance men and other people that keep us safe. Amen

A prayer for X and her family.

We have today welcomed X into our church and she has been baptized. Lord, watch over X, her parents, her big brothers and her Godparents. Be beside her parents as they raise their family and beside the Godparents. We pray that they will be able to pray with and for X, and her brothers and to read to them from their bibles. We pray especially for her godparents at this busy time whilst preparing for their wedding. Amen

Finally a prayer for us.

Lord God, we come thanking you for the gift of life.

We know that one of the best ways we can show our love for you is by loving other people. Sometimes this is easy, when we’re with people we like. Please help us when loving is hard, when people are unkind, when we just don’t understand, when we just don’t like them. Please teach us to love as you loved and as you love now – Everyone. Always.

Now can we say together the prayer that Jesus taught us:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours.
Now and for ever. Amen