Prayers of the People, Advent 1B

​O God, our Potter,,

We cry out to you this day, naming those who need your healing touch, your comforting presence, your reassuring word. Hear our prayers, we pray, and make us vessels of healing in your name.
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Hear our prayers for those whose spirits have been wounded and broken by abuse of power. The effects of that abuse cannot be reversed, but they can be healed. Restore the wounded and broken to a new spirit ... a spirit of empowerment and strength to speak their truth, a spirit of compassion and mercy for others who are wounded and broken, and a spirit of peace as beloved children of God.

Hear our prayers for offenders who have wielded their power to cause pain and to silence their colleagues and co-workers. In your mercy, Lord, remake their hearts that they might understand the depth of the pain they have caused and repent. Restore their wounded and broken spirits as well to a spirit of humility and contrition, that they, too, might know themselves as beloved children of God and be reconciled in their relationships with God and with their communities.

Hear our prayers for all your creation, Lord, for all of us are broken in some way. Grieving, injured, hopeless, and fearful, your people long to be restored to wholeness. Refill the holes in our spirits with your love, which is stronger than any human frailty, and restore to us the joy of your salvation.

Hear also our prayers for those whom we name below ... those whose names are in our hearts and on our minds. In addition, hear our prayers for those whose names we do not know. Surround them with your steadfast love. Touch them with your infinite mercy. Fill them with a peace that passes all understanding.

In Jesus' name we pray,
Amen.