Prayers for use in church or home

These prayers and intercessions start at Advent 1 2026 and will be updated weekly as we go through 2026 (Liturgical Year A)

They are suitable for use in church worship on Sundays through the year, or your own private prayer.

Click here for previous years  2022/3       2023/4     2024/2025

Praying together with Mike and Janet Warren for Epihany 1 (11 January 2026)

Today we remember the Baptism of Christ and reflect on our own baptism and those who have influenced us on our Christian journey. We pray:

• With thanks for those priests, Sunday School teachers, Youth workers and Christian families who have taught us, supported us and who brought us to Baptism and encouraged us in our faith.
• For those churches and their church families that have played a part in our lives through the years; for their church communities today and their continued ministry of faith.
• For our own church of St Mark’s as it continues to preach the Gospel and encourage us all in a life of faith; for our Ministers and the church family as we work to be an example of inclusivity in welcoming all people to a life of faith.
• For families that are preparing for the Baptism of a child; we pray for family and church support, and for guidance as they make this commitment; for all adults who are preparing for Baptism, for support from their sponsors and church family.
• That we may renew our own Baptismal Vows and recommit ourselves to following Jesus in our daily lives.

Praying together with Mike and Janet Warren for Epiphany 2026

In this season of Epiphany, we think about the journey, gifts and worship of the Magi. We pray:

• The Magi took the decision to make a long and difficult journey; we pray for those for whom life presents difficult decisions and personal challenges; for those in fear of oppressive regimes and faced with leaving homes and families; for those who are in abusive relationships leaving home to look for a safe haven; for all those who travel to new countries in search of a new home
• The Magi brought gifts for the Christ child; we pray for those longing for the gifts of friendship, healing, laughter and love; for those who feel they have nothing to offer praying that their gifts will be revealed; for the gifts we all have that they may shine forth and show God in us
• The Magi worshipped the Christ Child; we pray for those who worship in private, in silence and in fear; for those persecuted for their faith and for those who have lost faith; we pray for religious tolerance and for all to feel free to worship
• The Magi give us an example of faith; we pray that we may have courage in the face of difficulty, that we may listen for the voice of God, appreciate and give our gifts freely and worship with love, joy and hope as we look on the Christ Child.  Merciful Father....... 

Praying together with Mike and Janet Warren for Christmas 1  (28 December 2025)

As the New Year approaches, we offer the following prayer by Vinita Hampton Wright for our reflection this week. We pray:

Entering the New Year

God of all time,
help us enter the New Year quietly,
thoughtful of who we are to ourselves and to others,
mindful that our steps make an impact
and our words carry power.
 
May we walk gently.
May we speak only after we have listened well.
 
Creator of all life,
help us enter the New Year reverently,
aware that you have endowed
every creature and plant, every person and habitat
with beauty and purpose.
 
May we regard the world with tenderness.
May we honour rather than destroy.
 
Lover of all souls,
help us enter the New Year joyfully,
willing to laugh and dance and dream,
remembering our many gifts with thanks
and looking forward to blessings yet to come.
 
May we welcome your lavish love.
May we cast off the small, vindictive god our fears have made.
May the grace and peace of Christ bless us now and in the days ahead.

Church Intercessions, prayers for Christmas Day 2025 by Ian Farthing

Loving God, On this joyful Christmas Day we praise You for the gift of Your Son, born in humility, wrapped in love, and given for the world. As we gather to worship, fill our hearts with wonder and gratitude. Help us to welcome Christ anew and to live as people of His light. We confess that we do not always live as people of hope and peace. We become distracted by being busy and forget the true gift of Christmas. Forgive us, renew us, and turn our hearts back to You. May the grace born in Bethlehem restore us and lead us in love.

God of light and love, we pray for Your Church throughout the world, that it may celebrate and proclaim the good news of Christ with joy and faithfulness. may the Holy Spirit guide us, and grant that we may pursue truth, unity, peace and righteousness. We pray for peace on earth, for all places in the world where there is conflict and fear, for all those who long for stillness, justice and hope in their lives. May those in authority rule in peace, with fairness, and with mercy, that people may work together, honour one another and seek to achieve the common good.
 

We pray for families and communities, Lord God bless our families, those gathered together in joy  and for those who carry upset and sorrow. Fill our homes with peace, patience, and understanding. Teach us to love deeply, forgive quickly, and serve one another with glad heart and may your presence among us bring us comfort and joy.  We pray for the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable, remembering that Christ came among us in humility. Teach us to serve as he served. Give courage and hope to all those in need and bring them the joy of your salvation.   We remember now anyone known to us who is in special need of our prayers, today and we pray for all those loved ones named on the Chapel Prayer Board.

At this holy season, when lights shine brightly and songs of joy fill the air, we remember those who mourn, whose hearts feel heavy at the loss of a loved one. Lord, you came into the world not in comfort, but in humility and tenderness. Draw near now to all who grieve. Wrap them in your peace when the days feel long, and in your presence when the night feels lonely.  Grant them comfort that goes deeper than words, hope that gently breaks through sorrow, and the assurance that they are not alone.

Jesus Christ is the light of the world, a light which no darkness can quench. We remember before God those who have died and light a candle to symbolise the light of Christ, which eternally shines and brings hope. You turn our darkness into light: in your light shall we see light.

 

Loving God, as we leave this church today, we thank You for the gift of Your Son and for the joy, hope, and peace of this day.

May the light of Christ go with us— into our homes, our conversations, and our lives.  Help us carry Your love to everyone we meet, especially those who need comfort, kindness, or hope. Keep us grateful, humble, and joyful, today and always.  Merciful Father......  

Church Intercessions, Church Prayers for the Fourth Sunday in Advent, 21 December 2025 by Ian Farthing

• Everlasting God we come together today on the last Sunday of our Advent journey towards Christmas and as we await the coming of Christ in love, we pray for the Church, that it may bear Christ to the world with humility and courage, like Mary and Joseph on their long journey to enrol in the Roman census.  We pray for all those who, like them, are making long, dangerous and difficult journeys often by foot, especially those fleeing from war and terror. For those trying to escape hardship, drought, famine or persecution. For those embarking on perilous journeys in hope of a safe life, be close to them and to all  those who feel afraid, tired, or alone. Grant them strength for the journey, comfort in uncertainty, and hope when the road feels long. Protect them from harm and surround them with kindness, justice, and compassion. May we remember that every person is created in Your image and deserving of safety, respect, and belonging.  We place all who seek refuge into Your loving hands, trusting in your peace that surpasses all understanding    Lord in your mercy
• Lord God we come before You with humble hearts, seeking Your peace in a troubled world. You are the God of justice, mercy, and love, and we ask that Your presence be felt among all nations. we pray for peace where there is conflict, hope where there is despair and healing where there is pain. Soften hearts hardened by anger, and guide all people toward understanding and compassion. In these uncertain and troubled times we lift up the leaders of the world to You. Grant them wisdom beyond their own, courage to choose what is right, and humility to serve the people entrusted to them. May their decisions be guided not by power or fear, but by justice, truth, and the common good. Teach us, as Your people, to be instruments of Your peace—  to love our neighbours, to stand for what is right, may our homes be places of welcome, forgiveness and joy as Christs coming draws near, and to reflect Your light in our words and actions.   Lord in your mercy
• Loving God, as we wait in hope for the coming of Christ, we lift before you all who are ill in body, mind, or spirit. Bring them your healing presence, your peace in times of pain, and your strength when they feel weak or afraid. May they know they are not alone, but held in your loving care. Bless doctors, nurses, carers, and all who support them. Give patience to those who wait, comfort to those who suffer, and hope to all who long for restoration. As we prepare our hearts for the light of Christ, may that light shine gently upon all who are sick, bringing comfort now and fullness of life to come.  Lord in your mercy  Merciful God we commend to your love, those who have died, loved ones that we miss at this special time of year and those memories we treasure, we pray especially today for all those named in the cards on our chapel Prayer Board.    Lord, in your mercy
• Draw near to those whose hearts are heavy with loss, and surround them with Your comfort and peace. Jesus Christ is the light of the .world a light which no darkness can quench we remember before God those who have died and light a candle to symbolise the light of Christ which eternally shines and brings hope, you turn our darkness into light in your light shall we see light.    Lord, in your mercy
• Gracious God, who chose Mary to be the mother of the promised saviour: fill us with your grace, that like Mary we might rejoice in your salvation; send us out to finish our Advent journey filled with love and joy and peace ready to receive that promise afresh into our lives.  Merciful Father

Praying together with Mike and Janet Warren for Advent 4  (21 December 2025)

In this final week of Advent, we bring all the themes together by holding out to our loving Lord His struggling world and its people as we all await the birth of Christ. We pray:

• Come, Lord Jesus, bringer of peace to a world fractured by war, violence, hatred and prejudice. Bring peace to the people of Ukraine, Russia, the Palestinian Territories, Somalia and Sudan; be with all those caught up in the horrors of war and terrorism; may your message of peace ring through the noise and clamour of conflict.
• Come, Lord Jesus, bringer of comfort to those whose lives have been turned upside down by natural disasters, hunger, poverty and disease. Wrap Your arms of comfort around them and walk beside them in their need.
• Come, Lord Jesus, bringer of wise counsel to the leaders and Governments of the world. Be with all who lead and bring in them a spirit of truth, cooperation, compromise, moderation and a willingness to listen.
• Come, Lord Jesus, bringer of hope to all those for whom life is getting harder and the burdens of daily life heavier; bring hope to those struggling with bills, providing food for themselves and their loved ones, keeping warm and safe, and trying to see a light shining in their darkness.
• Come, Lord Jesus, bringer of love and healing to all who are unwell, lonely, bereaved, sad and nearing the end of their lives. Bring love to families, guardians, foster carers and bring healing and protection to those who are vulnerable in society; may your love shine as a light to all those in need.
• Come, Lord Jesus, bringer of joy to your world as we prepare for Christmas. Bring joy to broken hearts, those in dark despair, those seeking you and those who simply feel worn out by the pressures of the world. May your joy be reflected in us, in our homes and in our lives as we rejoice with the Saints and Angels that Christ is born!

 

Praying together with Mike and Janet Warren for Advent 3  (14 December 2025)

During Advent we will often sing the well-known hymn ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’. Using this as our prayer we pray:

• O Come Emmanuel to bring justice and equity to the people of your world; to those in poverty, hungry, stateless and forgotten.
• O Come Emmanuel to bring healing to the people of your world; to those who suffer, in pain, alone, anxious and in fear.
• O Come Emmanuel to bring love and joy to the people of your world; to the lonely, unloved, bereaved, homeless, and neglected.
• O Come Emmanuel to bring Peace to the people of your world; to the war-torn, racially divided, marginalised and oppressed.
• O Come Emmanuel to restore the beauty of Your creation; make us instruments of peace, love, joy and hope.

Praying together with Mike and Janet Warren for Advent 2   (7 December 2025)

As we continue through Advent we reflect this week on the Prophets and those today who tell out the news of Christ and warn us of the impacts of our behaviour on humankind. We pray:

• Come, Lord Jesus, to your Church; strengthen and encourage all those who preach and teach that Your Word may be heard and understood. We pray for our own Ministers and our Church Family at St Mark’s that we may respond to Your call.
• Come, Lord Jesus, to those who teach young people; guide all teachers of Religious Education that they may inspire and encourage those they teach to hear the Gospel and have the courage to follow a life of faith. We pray for the young people in our church, pre-school and our local schools.
• Come, Lord Jesus, to all those whose ministry is to write or provide Christian material; enlighten their writings that they may communicate the Gospel of Christ with faith, truth and clarity. We pray for the work of the Scripture Union, SPCK, the Gideon Society and organisations supplying religious books and bibles.
• Come, Lord Jesus, to those whose work is to protect and restore your created world; Help us to hear their call for change and be willing to respond in ways that we can.

Praying together with Mike and Janet Warren for Advent 1  (30 November)

We pray this first week of Advent, to our God of time and space, in whose love we exist and by whose love we are saved.

• As we prepare ourselves for the time when Christ will come again in glory, we pray for the grace and honesty to see what needs transforming in our lives as individuals and as members of the church of God: We pray for your Holy Spirit to inspire and guide Your church.
• May the leaders of this nation and of all the nations be drawn increasingly to understand God’s ways of justice and righteousness, and that those who are suffering may know that you are in their midst.
• May all the families on earth be blessed with mutual love and caring consideration one for another. May arguments and misunderstandings be properly resolved, difficult relationships healed and that those who face this time of preparation with deep apprehension find peace.
• We pray for those for whom the days and nights creep by in pain or sadness, may they be given hope and comfort. May the frightened find reassurance and the anxious peace of mind. We remember those we know and for those known only to you.
• We pray for those who have reached the point of death that they may be given the knowledge of God’s closeness on that last journey and for those who have died, that they may know the eternal peace and joy of heaven.