Prayer
Prayer
Located across our website are prayers and prayer responses related to the areas in which we work. This area of the site brings together a list of all those prayers and prayer responses in one place.
Day of Prayer for Zimbabwe (click to read more)
Like many people, we've been following the news from Zimbabwe with mounting anxiety since the election. Despite the bans on reporting, there is evidence of growing violence and of electoral corruption. The Zimbabwe Council of Churches, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe recently noted that "Organised violence perpetrated against individuals, families and communities who are accused of campaigning or voting for the 'wrong' political party . . . has been unleashed throughout the country, particularly in the countryside and in some high-density urban areas. People are being abducted, tortured, humiliated by being asked to repeat slogans of the political party they are alleged not to support, ordered to attend mass meetings where they are told they voted for the 'wrong' candidate and should never repeat it in the run-off election for President, and, in some cases, people are murdered."
The Zimbabwean church leaders made their comments as part of a strong appeal for justice and peace. They have been joined by other church leaders in Africa including Rubin Phillip, Bishop of Natal, and other civil and religious activists, who brought the court interdict that prohibited arms for Zimbabwe from being released for transport to that country, and Thabo Makgoba, the Archbishop of Cape Town, who has written an open letter calling on the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Zimbabwe. In the UK, the Archbishops of York and Canterbury have also issued a joint statement on the situation.
Praying and Preaching on Debt
The very name of the Jubilee campaigns indicates their Biblical origins, and many have Christian groups as founders or core members -- so worship materials in this area abound.
Prayer
Online Resources
God grant me your Spirit . . . .
That I may rest and work in the vision of a new future
Where all are linked by the bonds of humanity,
Not enslaved by the chains of debt.
Praying and Preaching on Climate Change
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Father we confess that we have been blind to how our lives impact others, and especially the poorest communities. Father, we confess that we have taken the earth for granted, using fossil fuels without a second thought and failing to recognise our part in the problem of Climate Change. Father, we turn back to you and ask you to help us to live simpler lives and to be much more careful in all the resources we use - because it is your earth. |
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| Lord we trust that you are in charge and you can help us to change and live in a way that allows the earth to sustain life for all. Amen | ||
The churches' calendar offes a rich variety of opportunites to bring our concern for climate change into worship. Covenant services, Rogation Sundays, Lent, Environment Day (around 5th June), Harvest Festival and One World Week are all appropriate occasions. More recently the European Christian Environmental Network has promoted 'Creation Time' (Sep -Oct) - as a special season to focus on creation. The prayer above (adapted) is part of a Service on the theme of Climate Change which can be downloaded by clicking on the 'Service' link below. Other sources for liturgy on climate change include: Christian conservation organisation A Rocha has done a great deal to promote Environment Sunday (held near the 5th of June). Their 2007 resource, "The Heat is On: Climate Change and Christian Faith" contains worship material, sermon notes and powerpoint illustrations, as well as scientific background information and materials for use with children. It can be borrowed from CCOW or ordered from the Environment Sunday 2007 page on the A Rocha website. Earlier packs can be downloaded directly from the website, with a suggested donation of £5. Christian Ecology Link offers a rich variety of resources for worship and study, including liturgies, prayers, sermon notes and a daily prayer guide. It also has a various useful page with links to worship resources, which refers you to material from many Christian environmental and development organisations.
Eco-Congregation's Module 2 "Celebrating Creation" has a delightful range of prayers and imaginative worship ideas around the theme of creation, including a plan for all-age worship, a list of hymns (from various traditions) with a Creation theme, and reflections on familiar Biblical stories. Module 3 -- "Creation and Christianity" -- looks at some theological underpinnings for environmental concern, while Module 6 -- "Exploring God's Green Word" -- offers material for House Groups and two sets of five multi-part Bible studies. All modules can be downloaded from the Ecocongregation website.
The European Christian Environmental Network has liturgical material, including the new booklet "A Time for God's Creation," on its website as part of its invitation to all the churches in Europe to celebrate "creation time" in the Church calendar each year, from 1 September to the second Sunday in October.
Operation Noah, the CTBI climate campaign, has a new resource to enable a day of "prayer, fasting and campaign against climate change." Operation Noah's website also offers an "inspiration" section with theological reflections on climate issues.
Praying and Preaching on the MDGs
There are abundant resources available for praying and preaching on the Millennium Development Goals.
Weekly Prayer Reflections from Micah Challenge
Each week the Micah Challenge campaign sends out a prayer reflection, containing a short reflection, prayer points for the week, and a statistic relating to the MDGs with suggestions for meditation. You can sign up to receive this on the Micah website.
Praying for CCOW
Prayer support is essential for any Christian work -- and Christian Concern for One World's work is no exception. We invite you to pray now and on a regular basis for CCOW; please pray for the trustees, for Maranda our co-ordinator and for all our partners and supporters throughout the world.
Praying and Preaching on Trade Issues
"I dare to pray: Lord, let the rules be changed,
for I long to see trade bring justice to the poor . . . "
Extract from the Trade Pledge Prayer by Peter Graystone, Christian Aid
Praying
There are several compilations of trade-related prayers. Three online sources are:
- The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance in Geneva which hosts a tremendously rich gathering of worship resources -- individual prayers, litanies and complete orders of service -- from around the world
- CAFOD 's worship section which offers prayers on trade and quotable quotes to spur reflection
- Traidcraft's "Prayers, Poems and Reflections" sheet which offers a short selection of useful material
In addition, Geoffrey Duncan has produced a variety of collections for Christian Aid which contain material on trade.
Praying and Preaching on Fair Trade
Lord God, Help us to share
In the fields of the poor
Even when abundant fruits ripen,
Injustice sweeps them away,
And families hunger.
The fruits of your bounty
So that all your family may benefit
From your gracious gifts. Amen.
Prayer
Praying for Fair Trade in church allows us to bring trade issues before God, asking that His love and justice will transform the current system and assist those who suffer because of unfair trade. It also can stir the hearts of those praying with us.
Each year, the Fairtrade Foundation produces a "Church Action Guide," which contains a wealth of prayers, Bible studies, and other helpful material. To go to the 2008 Church Action Guide, click here. If you want guides from before 2008, CCOW has copies of several available on request.
