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.
Intercession prompts:
For the capacity to wisely live into the discernments made during the Churchwide Assembly…
For those in Seoul, South Korea impacted by heavy flooding…
For those in Europe who continue to navigate extreme temperatures…
For those who are incarcerated…
For educators preparing their classrooms for a new school year…
Praying for the Churchwide Assembly
As the ELCA prepares for Churchwide Assembly in August, prayer petitions are available that may be incorporated into worship six weeks prior and one week following the assembly. Find the full list of petitions here.
Petition for August 14:
Holy One, you formed the church to announce the words of eternal life to the world. Equip the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America which concluded its Churchwide Assembly to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Gather the church together into one body for the sake of our shared mission to tell of the love of God. Embodying your Word, turn the church inside out so that we proclaim your freedom and renewal to all the world.
Day of Giving
The ELCA Fund for Leaders observes a Day of Giving on Sunday, August 14. Suggested assembly prayers are available here.
Other notable events and observances:
Aug 15: Commemoration of Mary, Mother of Our Lord
Aug 20: Commemoration of Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux
Suggested hymns & prayers:
A prayer for teachers (ELW p. 74)
God of wisdom, your Son came among us as a teacher. Send your blessing on all who are engaged in the work of education: give them clearness of vision and freshness of thought, and enable them so to train the hearts and minds of their students that they may grow in wisdom and be prepared to face the challenges of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A prayer for those who are incarcerated (ACS p. 52)
O God, who creates us, redeems us, and calls us by name, we pray for all who are incarcerated, those rightly convicted and those falsely accused. Help those in prison to sense your presence with them. Heal brokenness, cure addictions, and provide for their needs. Comfort them in despair, restore their hope, and protect them from violence and abuse. We pray through Jesus Christ, in whom we are claimed and freed for new life. Amen.
A hymn for openness to God’s word
Listen to the Word (ACS 974)
A hymn for the commemoration of Mary
For All the Faithful Women (ELW 419, esp. verse 6)
ELW = Evangelical Lutheran Worship
ACS = All Creation Sings: Evangelical Lutheran Worship Supplement
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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.
Follow this link to access resources to assist worshiping communities as they respond to the crisis in Eastern Europe. Several prayers are provided that could be used during the prayers of intercession or at other times, in public worship or for devotional use at home or in other settings.
All Creation Sings includes several resources for lament including “Lamenting Gun Violence” (Leaders Edition, p. 107) and “Service after a Violent Event” (Pew Edition p. 64-66, Leaders p. 110-113) as well as several collect prayers. This content is also available on SundaysandSeasons.com in the Library.
Further assistance for composing prayers of intercession can be found here: Resources for Crafting Prayers of Intercession
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.
