The Baptism of the Lord
Lord God, as we hear the story of your baptism, we invite your Spirit to visit us. Direct our prayers, Lord, towards love, compassion and grace.
Lord in thy mercy, hear our prayers
As news reaches us of extreme cold weather and wildfires in various corners of the globe, we ask God to be with all those affected. We pray, too, for all God’s creatures – wildlife, pets and livestock – caught up in these events.
Lord in thy mercy, hear our prayers
We pray for the politicians responsible for the policies that affect our environment and our climate, asking God to guide them in making decisions for the good of all creation.
Lord in thy mercy, hear our prayers
In our prayers we hold before God those who live in places where there is war or unrest. We ask for the Spirit of peace to touch their lives, bringing comfort and assurance of God’s Spirit among them.
Lord in thy mercy, hear our prayers
We ask God for wisdom and courage to face up to everything that happens in our lives, good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant, and to learn from it, especially when the lesson is difficult.
Lord in thy mercy, hear our prayers
We take a moment for our own prayers…
Holy Spirit, help us to remember that you are with us always, everywhere, and help us to see what we can do to take this message out into the world for the benefit of others. Amen.