Holy, beloved God,
we come before you seeking strength,
and comfort,
someone to help us bear the load,
or to give us a load worth bearing. 
In our praying give us open ears to hear your assurances
and open hearts to feel your peace,
even as we say together:

God of peace,
hear our prayers.

We pray for the Church,
the family of hopeful people,
persistent in faithfulness and graciousness,
marked by a willingness to work in kindness
and not count the hours or the cost.
As the world darkens and the days grow short,
may our light, Christ’s light in us,
shine with a steady flame,
bringing light, bringing healing,
bringing reconciliation, and bringing peace.
We pray for common-sense, and the touch of faithful humility
that marked the life of Your Son, our Saviour.
that we may determine to live lives of kindliness and grace.

God of peace,
hear our prayers.

God of faithfulness and truth,
we pray for the world around us,
for peoples whose names we do not know
yet whose hurts fill the news,
and whose afflictions touch us not nearly long enough.
We can change a channel, or turn a page,
but they endure the long days and months
of famine and thirst,
of war and feud, 
of corruption and despair.
Solutions may not be easy for all the ills of this world,
but in each hurting place send Your Spirit,
that those who do have the power to effect the changes
needed for justice, peace and honour
may use their power for wellbeing of all.

God of peace,
hear our prayers.

In this season of Advent, where many watch and wait,
be with those who at this time
wait by a hospital bedside,
watch anxiously for results in exams and tests
wait for news of an interview,
watch of a loved one to return.
May all who wait with anxiety find your peace,
and all who watch with fearfulness be calmed by your steady heart.

God of peace,
hear our prayers.

For ourselves,
the hopes and hurts, the brightness and gloom
that populate our waking and our sleeping hours.
Help us to separate our needs from our wants,
that we may discern where priorities in our ordered lives should lie.
In a world where consumption rules
and many have become accustomed to plenty,
remind us of the privileges we take for granted,
and the bounty we believe is our right, and not Your gift.
Soothe our spirits, and fill us with good things—
the things which make for peace.

God of peace,
hear our prayers.

We pray for those who lie close to our hearts:

[prayers of the congregation may be spoken]

God of peace,
hear our prayers.

And now we pray as Jesus taught us, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.