“Christ has no body but yours,No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.” Teresa of Avila
O Lord, do you hear us?
Do you hear us calling you day after day?
Give ear to our voices, growing louder, stronger, more insistent.
If we must scream the cries of our hearts, we will.
Lord, hear our prayer! Lord, hear our prayer! Lord, hear our prayer!
We lament the way things are in the world – unjust, full of pain that breaks our hearts,
aches that try to tether us to our chairs,
tears that gush from a place too deep for words.
Our worries for humanity grow heavier morning by morning.
O Lord, hear our prayer. O Lord, hear our prayer. When we cry, answer us.
O Lord, hear our prayer. O Lord, hear our prayer. Come and listen to us.
O Jesus, you wept when you entered the city.
You cried, “Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! O Jerusalem! O Jerusalem!”
Jesus, we taste the salt in your tears.
From cities to territories and countries, we weep with you: O Jerusalem!”
“O Ukraine!!” “O Haiti!“ O Sudan!” “O Russia!” “O Congo!” “O America! “
We lament the dangerous brew of violence, famine,
and despair that hold millions in its grip.
We lament the lost arms and legs, the empty soup pots.
The word ‘genocide’ silences our hearing and our speech.
We shake our fists at those who devalue our offerings, our love, our agency.
We lament the loss of leaders who seek your reign on earth.
We want to spend for your sake and for that of our kindred,
not investing in things that do not satisfy our souls.
O Lord, hear our prayer. O Lord, hear our prayer. When we cry, answer us.
O Lord, hear our prayer. O Lord, hear our prayer. Come and listen to us.
We stay awake until all hours,
longing for tears borne of comfort and care cried in your name.
Instead, we cry out of fretfulness and worry
about those who have spent the day without a pillow,
or a piece of bread, a kind word, a helpful gesture.
We know the suffering ones because you know them, Lord.
They are our sisters and brothers, many living in places we have never been.
Had things been different, Lord, it might be us,
living in a crowded strip by the salty sea, or threatened by a mighty army,
or in a neighbourhood surrounded by barbed wire,
turned away hungry or stumbling for miles through the desert.
O Lord, hear our prayer. O Lord, hear our prayer. When we cry, answer us.
O Lord, hear our prayer. O Lord, hear our prayer. Come and listen to us.
Lord, we beg you to find your children wherever they are.
Appear to them in the baptism of a quick shower of rain,
or in a kind soul who offers a hand when hearing hard news,
or in a stranger with a face like their mother’s, who breaks a loaf,
or in a word, even in another language, which leads them to safety,
or in someone who is a safe shelter from the storm, who shares their tears,
or in a trusted friend they can rely on to watch their smallest ones.
And who knows, O Lord of love, if the person receiving help might one day be us.
Lord, come and sit by our tents and tell us what to do.
We are your body here on earth for a while.
We are listening for your word for us –
your purpose, your dream, your story told by the life we live.
O Lord, hear our prayer. O Lord, hear our prayer. When we cry, answer us.
O Lord, hear our prayer. O Lord, hear our prayer. Come and listen to us.
Be present to your children who are not near us, except through our prayers.
Though we may never meet them,
make them part of our stories on this earth and in the life to come.
And so, Lord, we come to you today.
Meet us as you meet our kin, in the cries, the tears, the love we share.
We will meet you there.
In the loving name of Jesus Christ, we pray.
Amen.
“O, Lord Hear My Prayer” – by Jacques Berthier, adapted: from the songbook of the Taizé Community, France
Week beginning 7th Sept 25
Pray for those who live in
Arden Meads
Week beginning 21st Sept 25
Pray for those who live in
Aylesbury Road
Week beginning 14th Sept 25
Pray for those who live in
Aylesbury Close
Week beginning 28th Sept 25
Pray for those who live in
Belton Close
The Season of Creation runs through the month of September - a worldwide celebration of prayer and action to protect our common home. This year the theme is ‘Peace with Creation’: remembering that humanity was originally called to tend a garden and encouraging Christians to reflect on the connection between caring for creation and fostering peace.
Education Sunday is an annual celebration of teaching and learning. This year the theme is ‘Lost and Found’. Please do pray for all of those who work in education, as teachers, lecturers and support staff, and for those who learn – children, young people and students of all ages.
Please pray for wisdom for the members of the Core Leadership Team who meet regularly to reflect on the strategic direction of our Union, and to
encourage flourishing across Baptists Together.
This week we pray for Webnet – the West of England Baptist Network. Pray for their work in helping Christians fully engage in the mission of God in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, North Somerset, and Bristol, and for new Team
Leader Andy Caldwell who was inducted earlier this month.
Prayers for our Union and our Community
World in Prayer
Prayer — If you are in need of prayer, please let us know. You can send us an
email or drop a note off at the church building. Your need will be kept
confidential as we pray for you.
1. Pray for our community. May the Lord Jesus keep us safe and healthy. May His blessings fill our
cups so we can share with others.
2. Pray for our country. May the Lord Jesus guide cultural, educational, political, and social leaders to
make good decisions.
3. Pray for our world. May the Peace of Jesus spread to every country and bring an end to war and
Violence
For more information, contact Lawrence or Sarah Leigh Ballew at slbchurch.bham@gmail.com
