Prayers of the People March 24, 2024

These are the Prayers of the People that will be used during church this week. We encourage you to use them as part of your personal prayers this week.

The Prayers of the People hold the tension of triumph and tragedy that is at the heart of our Palm Sunday Liturgy. Please join in the bold text and singing the refrain.

Triumph

Join the crowd and welcome Jesus with joy. Celebrate the victories:

When nations stand united with refugees and help them;

When transients and outcasts are noticed and supported;

When threatened minority groups have equal rights and feel secure.

Tragedy

Stand beneath the cross and feel the pain. Experience the sorrow:

When people are casualties of warfare and political strife;

When qualified workers are denied jobs because of corruption or favoritism;

When rich agricultural land is covered with houses, and the lakes and seas are polluted.

In the triumph, in the tragedy, God went with Jesus. As we celebrate with the joyful, as we stand with the troubled, God goes with us.

Jesus Remember Me

Triumph

Join the crowd and welcome Jesus with joy. Celebrate the victories:

The needs of the challenged are noticed and worked out;

There is shelter for street people in bad weather;

Those fearful for themselves and their relationships find insight and support.

Tragedy

Stand beneath the cross and feel the pain. Experience the sorrow:

Earth’s richest nations are unwilling to share their resources with the poorest countries. Children go to bed hungry, and women are abused.

Obesity is an epidemic and starvation a widespread reality.

Those chronically sick lack support, and the dying are left alone.

In the triumph, in the tragedy, God went with Jesus. As we celebrate with the joyful, as we stand with the troubled, God goes with us.

Jesus Remember Me

Triumph

Join the crowd and welcome Jesus with joy. Celebrate the victories:

The spiritual meaning of Christmas and Easter is taken to heart;

The giving nature of Christians is noticed and appreciated;

A willingness to question and doubt the biblical record is valued;

The place of Christianity as one faith among the family of faiths is hallowed.

Tragedy

Stand beneath the cross and feel the pain. Experience the sorrow:

Sunday becomes a day for shopping and sport, rather than one for worship and reflection;

Many persons have no faith to rely on, no faith to sustain them in times of trial;

The Word of God is ignored;

Leaders who speak out for the humanitarian rights of women and political prisoners are crucified.

In the triumph, in the tragedy, God went with Jesus. As we celebrate with the joyful, as we stand with the troubled, God goes with us.

Jesus Remember Me

Triumph

We will join the crowd and welcome Jesus with joy. Celebrate the victories:

We follow our personal faith journey with enthusiasm;

We support and applaud those who persevere along the way of Jesus Christ;

We take our discipleship seriously and work it out with care.

Tragedy

Stand beneath the cross and feel the pain. In the shadow of the cross we are humbled:

We are aware of the superficial nature of our Christianity;

We realize how our actions seldom match our words of faith;

The need for us to gently speak of our faith to our family members and friends comes home to us.

In the triumph, in the tragedy, God went with Jesus. In our faithful joy, in words and actions that would cause Christ to weep, God goes with us.

Jesus Remember Me