Heavenly Father, you sent us your Son, Jesus Christ, to take away our sins, and today we celebrate Your Gift of the Holy Spirit to us. The Holy Spirit guided the apostles as they preached the life of Jesus and built the Church, just as He guides us today in our everyday lives. You have given us so much Father, yet we still sometimes get lost in our journeys. As we gather together to celebrate the joy of this day, we also ask the Holy Spirit to help us in our times of need as we pray together, responding, “Come Holy Spirit.”

Help us to recognize and use our individual gifts bestowed upon us by the Holy Spirit to the glory of the Lord and for the good of all people.

We pray: Come Holy Spirit

Guide us as we make decisions that affect those around us. We pray especially for political leaders throughout the world, that their decisions may be guided by the gift of wisdom rather than fear, the gift of courage rather than anxiety, and the gift of love rather than hate.

We pray: Come Holy Spirit

Guide us as a church family as we gather to hear the Word of the Lord and celebrate in community, and bless those who are new or visiting with us today. We pray especially within our Diocese for St. Peter’s, Lonaconing and for St. James’, Parkton. Help us to speak a language of love and acceptance rather than division within the greater community of Christians.

We pray: Come Holy Spirit

Guide us when we find ourselves in situations that we can not handle alone, or are asked to help others in their time of need. We pray for those who cannot find shelter or are in need of food, medicine, or other physical necessities. We pray for those who are sick in mind, body, or spirit, and in need of your comfort. May all who are suffering find comfort in Your love and the love of friend and neighbor.

We pray: Come Holy Spirit

We pray for all the departed. Comfort those who mourn today.

We pray: Come Holy Spirit

Guide us as we promise to guide the newly baptized. We pray for them on their blessed day of Baptism, and celebrate their anointing by the Holy Spirit. We rejoice with those who have celebrations of joy and happiness, including birthdays, wedding and baptismal anniversaries. May our rejoicing be an opportunity to share our gifts with others.

We pray: Come Holy Spirit

Heavenly Father, you gave us the gift of Your Son so that we may always walk in the light, and you gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us along the lighted path. Be with us when darkness threatens to overcome us, and help us to use our gifts to shine your light for others. Amen.

Risen Lord, You are the one life-giving light in this world. In your final hours upon the earth before facing the cross, you prayed to your Father, a prayer for your disciples and for all of us throughout time who would believe in You through their words that we would all be one just as you and the Father are one.

May the transcendent love, with which our Savior Christ has loved and loves each one of us throughout all time, dwell within us, and may we carry that love into the world in His name. We pray:

Ascended Savior, call us to humbly carry the hope, the promise and the joy of your love into a hurting world.

As we are all one in Christ, we give thanks for our brothers and sisters gathered here this morning to worship together. We extend a warm welcome for all who are new or are visiting today and we thank God for the blessing of fellowship. We give prayerful thanks for Katherine, our Presiding Bishop, for Eugene and John, our Bishops and for Richard, our Rector. In our Diocese we pray especially this day for St. Paul’s, Baltimore and for St. Luke’s, Eastport.  We pray:

Ascended Savior, call us to humbly carry the hope, the promise and the joy of your love into a hurting world.

In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer we celebrate Anglican Communion Sunday as One Body in Christ, praying together:

A hymn of glory let us sing

New songs throughout the world shall ring
Christ, by a road before untrod
Ascendeth to the throne of God. Alleluia.

As one in Christ and with Christ, we celebrate and give thanks with our church family for occasions of joy; celebrating the anniversaries of weddings, births, baptisms or other occasions. We pray:

Ascended Savior, call us to humbly carry the hope, the promise and the joy of your love into a hurting world.

Lord, Jesus, you called your disciples to feed your sheep; to care for your lambs. Fill our hearts with compassion and love for those who are ill; for those who are suffering in mind, body or in spirit; for all who hunger or dwell in oppression.  May we most humbly be your eyes to see, your hands to reach out and your heart to comfort one another in this world. We pray:

Ascended Savior, call us to humbly carry the hope, the promise and the joy of your love into a hurting world.

For those who have died, grant them everlasting peace in your eternal kingdom.  Cradle in your healing hands those who mourn this day that they may be comforted in Your love. We pray:

Ascended Savior, call us to humbly carry the hope, the promise and the joy of your love into a hurting world.

Blessed Lord, you call your Church to discipleship. We give thanks for the humble, constant and unwavering spirit to serve you that dwelled within Paul and Silas and all of your faithful Apostles in the face of suffering, hardship and imprisonment. Their discipleship carried the unwavering torch of your love through their lives and through generations to come and to us and our own lives today. May we sing hymns of joy celebrating your Resurrection and Ascension. We give thanks for your grace in our lives, and are forever grateful to You.

Amen.

In this Easter season, we continue to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Alleluia!

On this Mother’s Day, we remember the brave women who conceived of families, who encouraged men to be fathers, who gave birth to children, and who nursed, raised, and mentored them; we give God thanks for Eve, the first mother; Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel, the wives of the Patriarchs; Mary, the mother of Jesus; and Lydia, who brought her whole household to Christ; and especially we give thanks for mothers—past, present, and future–in our own families and other women who, when needed, have acted as mothers.

For our mothers, we thank you, God!

Praise God for creation of our “mother earth,” remembering the recent 40th annual Earth Day and praying that we be faithful stewards of all God’s bounty.  We pray for all who come to us this day as visitors that they may be blessed by our worship of You.

Thank you, Lord!

Pray that all people in authority know whom they serve.

King of kings and Lord of lords!

We give thanks on this Mother’s Day for Katherine, our Presiding Bishop, for our Diocesan Bishops, Eugene and his wife, Sonya; John and his wife Sharon; for Richard, our Rector and his wife Carolyn. We pray for our Diocese and especially for Messiah, Baltimore and All Saints, Sunderland. In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer we give thanks for The Anglican Church Of Korea. Pray for the world-wide church of Christ:

Where it is right, strengthen it;
Where it is in error, reform it;
Where it is in want, provide for it;
Where it is divided, reunite it.

We give thanks for our Christ Church Family and for all those who are celebrating the anniversary of a birth, baptism or wedding this week. Pray for comfort and courage for those in any need or trouble.

We pray

Lord, be gracious to them.

Pray for those who have died. We pray

Lord, let them rest in your presence; console their survivors.

Pray for the peace of God in our lives, which comes as we forgive others and God forgives us.

For your Peace in our lives, we thank you Lord.

Pray, as St. Francis did:

Lord, make us instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

Amen.

As in the early Church, we are also led by the Holy Spirit to warmly welcome all those who believe in Christ’s gift of repentance and eternal life into the household of Faith. We recognize and celebrate differing customs, nationalities, and styles of worship that offer richness and depth to the Living Church, the Body of Christ.

Lord receive our prayers of gratitude and praise.

The new Heaven and the new Earth has been created by Christ, now God dwells among His people making all things new.

Lord receive our prayers of gratitude and praise

Our love for one another should distinguish each of us as Christ’s disciples. We give thanks for the individuals whom God has brought to worship with us today. We also pray for parishes in the Diocese of Maryland, especially Emmanuel, Baltimore.   We pray for the leaders in the Church that they be guided in their decisions by the light of His Word and in the care of His Kingdom.  In the Anglican cycle of prayer we lift up in love the Anglican Church of Kenya.

Lord receive our prayers of gratitude and praise

To the Creator of land, sea, and sky, of wind, rain and fire, to our Redeemer who has given strength to His people and to the Sanctifier who bonds us to one another, we give thanks for our God-given community of Faith and for all who celebrate occasions of joy such as birthdays, baptisms, or weddings this week.

Lord receive our prayers of gratitude and praise

For those desiring compassion, care, and concern; for those in need of employment, shelter, food, health care or loving support; for those needing healing and wholeness,  may we serve as Christ’s hands in a hurting world.   May we help to mend the tears in the fabric of humanity.

Lord receive our prayers of gratitude and praise

For those who have died, and for those who mourn, may we go forward in the knowledge that Christ has conquered grief and death.  He has granted us the gift of Eternal Life, and  the knowledge that our Lord is the Alpha and the Omega, present at our beginning and our end.

Lord receive our prayers of gratitude and praise

Lord, may Your Church act in unity and truth as a reflection of Your Glory. –Amen