Praying Together 2021

98 Gather Light a candle as a sign of God’s presence and sit quietly. Ring a bell or chime to start the prayer. May the peace of God be with you! And with your spirit. COLLECT Let us pray that the light of Christ will always guide us. (pause) Do not let us stray from the right path, O Lord, we pray, but help us follow the way of the Gospel. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. SCRIPTURE A reading from the letter to the Hebrews 12:1-3 Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God’s throne! So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners. Then you won’t get discouraged and give up. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. RESPONSE Confident that God hears our prayers, let us pray for the needs of the world. For the determination to never give up: (pause) We pray as one. Gracious God, hear our prayer. For the wisdom to keep our eyes on Jesus: (pause) We pray as one. Gracious God, hear our prayer. For the strength to do the right thing: (pause) We pray as one. Gracious God, hear our prayer. For confident trust that God forgives us: (pause) We pray as one. Gracious God, hear our prayer. For the prayers in our hearts today: (pause while students offer their prayers aloud) We pray as one. Gracious God, hear our prayer. DISMISSAL May Christ smile graciously upon us. Amen. May God bless us in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Ring the bell or chime to signal the end of the prayer. Extinguish the candle. Monday Week 11 Ordinary Time 14 June 2021 “We must keep our eyes on Jesus.”