Diocese of Moosonee Great Chapter MeetingA #heartbeatprayer from the Diocese of Moosonee
The Heartfelt Prayers of the People of God in the Diocese of Moosonee
Prepared with the Primate at their Great Chapter Meeting in Val D’Or
February 16th, 2019
Creator God, Redeeming Lord, Spirit of Gentleness and Peace –
Our hearts are glad that you have brought us together from every corner of this Diocese – from the James Bay Coast and the Watershed deaneries for this time to be with one another; to listen closely to the heartbeat of our church, and to what your Holy Spirit is whispering to us today.
We pray for the Church you love so much, that we would live into Jesus’s prayer to be one, as you and the Father are one. May our human hearts be intertwined with God’s heart and Spirit to walk this journey in Jesus’s footsteps together.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer
We pray for the elders of our church, for all of our church leaders, and for our band councils – that they will continue to guide us in the way of Jesus. We pray for new leaders – clergy and lay, Cree and English, to be raised up in our midst, and that Christ would be visible in all of us, in our words and in our actions.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
We pray that there will be a mighty revival in our church as people learn about Jesus’s love for them; and that we would live into the promises we made at our baptism and recommit ourselves to regular prayer and worship. May we find new ways to help our church grow, to have the courage to invite people to church, and to have a new church in our community.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer
We pray for the unity of the church as it faces times of challenge and difficulty. Give us a double measure of your spirit of peace and courage as we continue with the work of reconciliation in our congregations, diocese, and in the Anglican Church of Canada.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer
You love the little children and our youth, Jesus, and so do we. Help them to grow strong in every way and may they come to know and love you, just as we do. Bring them to our churches in great numbers and so that our churches filled with the sounds of young people. May the cleansing, healing waters of baptism wash over them as they are born again in you. May our elders be role models to the young people so that when they look at us, they see you.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer
There are times dear Jesus, when our hearts ache. When our marriages break up; when our young people die by suicide; when families are torn apart by drugs and alcohol; when people fight. Many members of our communities have lost loved ones and are grieving; others are sick with diabetes and many are poor and hungry; and so many do not know you. Some feel they don’t belong in our church because of their sexuality, and others are staying away because of the hurt the church has caused. Forgive us for our part in any of this heartache. We turn to you and we name before you now those we know in our churches and communities whose hearts are broken….
Silence for prayer and to name aloud those the assembly wishes to remember.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer
Accept dear Lord the gathering of these, our heartfelt prayers for your church. May the seed of the love of God that you have planted in our hearts bear good fruit. May we go forth from this place in hope and peace and safety to share in the Gospel of Christ. This we pray in Jesus name and for his sake. Amen.