Prayers of intercession

God of life, of light and of hope,
we pray for the people and the nation of Ukraine,
that the atrocities committed there would come to light
and those responsible for war crimes would be brought to justice.
We pray for all places where massacres and crimes against humanity are rife,
for those whose murders are hidden from the eyes of the world,
for communities and minorities who live in fear.

God of life of light and of hope,
hear our prayer.

We pray for all those places where abuse happens
behind closed doors, in homes and in institutions.
We pray for vulnerable adults, for children,
for animals and for all those who have no voice,
for those who cry in the night and pretend they are okay in the day.

God of life of light and of hope,
hear our prayer.

We pray for your church,
that she may have the courage to be unpopular,
that she would have the desire and the determination
to speak words of truth and compassion and challenge,
that she would have the humility to work collaboratively
and the boldness to act decisively and urgently.
Give to each of us the energy of your Spirit
that would not fear the consequences of sharing our faith
but be bursting to share your love with sincerity, sensitivity and strength.

God of life of light and of hope,
hear our prayer.

We pray for those on our hearts,
those we know and those whose stories have touched us.
We pray for those missing at sea,
those who have gone missing from home,
those who are missing out on love and encouragement in their lives.
We pray for those we miss seeing and entrust them all to you.

God of life of light and of hope,
hear our prayer - in Jesus’ name.
Amen.