Let us pray together

Healing Lord,
we come with wounds that often only you know;
we bring weariness and fears as well as hopes and aspirations.
Heal us and refresh us; restore your image in us.
 Let us praise the Lord.
Seek and be satisfied.
Proclaim his name for he will never fail us.
Let our hearts honour and worship him.

In the name of Jesus we pray.

Amen

Prayer of Confession

Lord, how the World needs your healing.  We think of the blight of plastic polluting our rivers and oceans, or the distress of creatures on the verge of
extinction, the scars of climate change and the sufferings inflicted by conflict. Forgive us if we unwittingly play any part in these things.  Show us what we can do to help bring change in the world.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, mercifully hear us.

Lord, there are so many forms of pain and suffering.  How we need your healing hand.  Forgive us: when the pull of social media is so great that we stray into wrong territory; for pain we inflict by choosing to follow our own paths and schemes; or when we think ourselves to be better than others, or allow differences to separate us.  Your healing hands are always open.  Forgive us when we ignore them, whether through fear, ignorance or self-will.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, mercifully hear us.

Assurance of forgiveness

There is so much sin and pain in our broken world.
But when we journey with Jesus,
we find forgiveness and healing.
We are all one in Christ Jesus,
who has forgiven our sins
and leads us into eternity with him.
Amen.

Prayers for others

God of comfort,

in the week that marks five years since the tragedy of Grenfell Tower, we pray for those who are still grieving.  As the nation is reminded of the disaster and remembers the night the tower burnt down, we are aware that those caught up in the fire live with the memory every day.  Help the survivors to find ways to work through their trauma, find justice, and experience a measure of your deep and healing peace.

God of comfort,
hear our prayer.

God of compassion,

thank you for the sunshine this week.  Thank you for the joy sunny days bring to lots of people.  But as the sun shines and we enjoy the heat, we are reminded of the many places in the world struggling to cope with the impact of climate change and rising temperatures.  We think in particular of the brutal heat wave currently happening in India and the impact this is having on lives and livelihoods.  As officials meet this week in Germany to talk about and prepare for the next UN climate conference, help the rich and powerful nations to see the damage wrought in the poorer countries of the world facing the most severe consequences of climate change.  May those with power and influence listen seriously to their concerns and act swiftly.

God of compassion,
hear our prayer.

God of justice,

we read this week that the UN’s emergency food budgets are going to be drastically cut.  The impact on places like South Sudan will be extremely serious.  As difficult decisions are made around aid, we pray for a spirit of justice; that everyone in need is seen and attended to.  Even in our own country, we are aware that reliance on foodbanks is growing even as donations are reducing due to the complexities of the cost-of-living crisis faced by so many.  Thank you for the work churches across our land are doing to relieve hunger.  Help us, as your people, to be agents of justice for those at the margins of our society.

God of justice,
hear our prayer.

God of wholeness,

The Gospel writers recall the encounter of Jesus with the man called ‘Legion’, an amazing occasion of a healed mind.  With mental health issues on the rise following the pandemic, we pray for those who are suffering.  We think of people we know personally who are struggling with their mental health.

  [In the next minute or so pray for any friends or family members about whom you are concerned.]

We pray for healing and wholeness, for the right interventions and for guidance for the professionals working with people with mental illness.

God of wholeness,
hear our prayer.

God of transformation,

thank you that the healing of the man mentioned in the Gospel accounts who was tormented by demons also brought about his complete transformation.  Thank you that he leaves his encounter with Jesus ‘proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.’  As we encounter Jesus, may we experience transformation.  Help us to be open to your love, comfort, compassion, and justice, and find wholeness in you.

God of transformation,
hear our prayer.

The Lord’s prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your Kingdom come,

your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil,

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

now and forever.  Amen.