Rejoicing in Life Congregational Prayer

God, you give life to life!
From Day One, your Spirit brooding over the deep,
your wind rushing, your breath filling.
As creatures of the earth,  we inhale your grace
rejoicing in life abundant.
We use our breath, our being
to raise this hymn of praise:
for Jesus Christ, our Saviour,
and for the mission you give us
to spread your love to the world.
Our Pentecost petitions are many—
you know the prayers of our hearts.
Some of us are sick and tired, some of us are worried,
we fear for those we love, we fear the future.
Some of us are grieving, we don’t know how to go on.
We need your help!
We pray for the places in our world
where poverty has an iron grip…
whether that is close to home, or across the oceans.
We need  your Spirit to confront powers and principalities through us,
tyrants and governments and corporations
that feed off of and perpetuate poverty.
Today we pray especially for those
who are thinking of taking their own lives.
Guard and protect, showing that there can be good days
after this very bad day.
And for those whose lives have been shattered
by the death of a loved one to suicide,
hold them close, and give your comfort.
Thank you that you can reach even the most lifeless places.
This week, enliven us to be ambassadors of life divine,
to our neighbours, to our co-workers, to our family–
breathing out  the harmonies of your song,
melodies of the Holy Spirit–
unending, ageless, eternal and ever new.