Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: May 22, 2022
Intercession prompts:
For victims of the Tops grocery store shooting in Buffalo, NY and for their loved ones…
For victims of the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church shooting in Laguna Woods, CA and for their loved ones…
For all who live in fear of racially or politically motivated violence, that they will be safe from harm…For people, families, and communities affected by gun violence…
For the loved ones of the one million Americans who have died of COVID-19 and the six million people who have died of COVID-19 globally…
Other notable events and observances:
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May 1-31)
Mental Health Awareness Month (May 1-31)
Declaration of the Báb, Baha’i (May 24)
Commemoration of Nicolas Copernicus, died 1543; Leonhard Euler, died 1783, scientists (May 24)
Ascension of Our Lord (May 26)
Commemoration of John Calvin, renewer of the church, died 1564 (May 27)
Suggested prayers and hymns:
Responding to a violent or racist event in or near your community:
Service after a Violent Event, All Creation Sings 64-66
Lamenting Racism, All Creation Sings 62-63
Prayer of lament for gun violence:
God, our healer and refuge, we pray for all who suffer from gun violence. With your mercy, bind up their wounds, restore their bodies, and heal their hearts. Comfort the mourners and embrace the lonely. With your might, empower us to change this broken world. Make us advocates for a stable society, alive with hope in you. We ask this through the one once wounded for our transgressions and now standing in our sorrows, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. (All Creation Sings 49)
Hymns of lament and comfort:
God Weeps with Us Who Weep and Mourn (ACS 1054)
Don’t Be Afraid (ACS 1027)
In Deepest Night (ELW 699)
Hymn for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month:
Here, O Lord, Your Servants Gather (ELW 530)
These prompts are provided for worship leaders as they prepare the prayers of intercession for weekly worship. The prompts are prepared by several leaders in the ELCA and reflect current world and national events. You are encouraged to adapt and add other concerns for your local context, including staying informed of events and concerns in your synod.
Additional topical prayers are found in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (pp. 72–87) and All Creation Sings (pp. 46–55), as well as in other resources provided in print and online at sundaysandseasons.com.
Crafted intercessions for every Sunday and festival are provided in the Sundays and Seasons worship planning guide published in-print and online by Augsburg Fortress.
Prayer Ventures, a daily prayer resource, is a guide to prayer for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA, as well as for the needs and circumstances of our neighbors, communities and world.