Dear Lord,
We pray for elderly, housebound individuals, who are often very lonely.
We praise and thank you for their carers, who come into their homes and brighten their days by showing tenderness, kindness, and giving much needed practical support.
Make us more sensitive to the needs of both groups and move our hearts and minds to seek ways in which we may become involved.
Increase our awareness of the conditions under which carers do their work; often earning so little for such a valuable contribution and help us seek social justice for them.
Amen.

Almighty God,
Author and perfector of our lives,
you are God of all creation;
the moon and the stars sing your praises,
the rich and the poor revere you equally,
the joyous and the grief-stricken seek you equally,
the peace-lover and the warmonger look to you for strength for you are God!
You saved the world even before we knew we needed saving.
You provided for our needs even before we were aware of our nakedness.
Your grace amazes us,
your love fulfils us,
your forgiving presence instils hope and our suffering is eased.
Thank you for filling us with your vision.
Thank you for imbuing your wisdom upon us,
Almighty Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Receive our worship, hear our prayer;
for you are God. Amen!

Prayer is a cry in the dark,
a child’s longing for home,
and a hollowed soul’s seeking of fulfilment.
Prayer is a two-fingered salute
to the hopeless cynicism of endless false promises
and a bunting-waving celebration of love in action.
Prayer is a sacred space,
found in the midst of the unholiest of battlegrounds
and in the desolation of loss.
Prayer is a memory
of long lost conversations with wise elders
and an exuberance of youthful anticipation.
Prayer is a shared longing,
a whispered dream
and an open conversation.
Prayer is a revolutionary act
It is hope in despair
And a grace-filled weaving of love’s intent.
May God bless us with the desire to pray, that we might better act, for the sake of all. Amen.