God of Eternity and the Moment at hand,
You who can hold every star in your hands
and cherish the life of the smallest organism;
wherever we are and whatever we are doing,
help us to keep You in mind:
to witness to Your love and to be seen by You
to do the right thing and to reveal Your Kingdom.
Help us neither become too complacent or arrogant
nor to be too self-critical or despairing.
Through us, in however imperfect a way,
may people recognise Your perfect path
and live with joy, patience and peace,
through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
We come to pray for the world, Creative God,
seeking Your vision for troubled times.
We pray for Christians who are being persecuted:
for those whose churches are attacked or burned,
for workers and members who are under threat,
for those who live in fear of reprisal simply for having faith.
Be with all who seek You in times of turmoil or violence
and bring about societies of greater safety and tolerance.
Be with others who speak out and are then silenced,
who are imprisoned or maltreated because of their political beliefs,
who are discriminated against because of their ethnicity, skin colour, sexuality or gender.
We pray for greater equality and understanding.
Help us to see the basic humanity in all people.
We pray for people who seek help and don’t find it,
who seek asylum from places of violence and are met with indifference or hostility,
who feel rootless, lonely or lost.
Bring friends to them, and a system that’s fairer and more welcoming.
We pray for the churches here in Leith, Edinburgh and throughout Scotland
coping with big changes and new ways of doing things.
Equip Your people for now and for the future
so that more and more people may come to join in the journey of faith.
For all those on our minds at this time, we pray, especially this week for:
Cath, Henryk, John N,
Stuart, Margaret, Amy, Andrew, Linsey,
Ron, Bill B, Mary, Jean
Ela, James, Emily, John’s family,
Malcolm, Anthony, Jill, Ruth’s family
Robert H, Evelyn, Peter and Eleanor…
Grant them Your peace, Your comfort, and Your love that lasts forever.
Make us increasingly constant, reliable and committed,
able to trust ourselves to Your care, Amen.
Leith St Andrew's Parish Church 