Prayer Through the Lens of the Cross

This year, as a church, we will pray together: for ourselves, and for our world. Prayer forms us together as followers of Jesus. Again and again, we turn to God in dependence and desperate plea for all that is broken in ourselves and in our world. We practice surrender to and trust in the God who so loved the world that he went to the cross bearing its pain.

We also believe that prayer works. Our prayer shapes us as disciples, but it is also an active part of mission. We believe that God is at work in our lives, in our schools, in our work, and in our city. When we intercede to God in prayer, we mysteriously align ourselves with that work. As when we pray faithfully, making space to listen for God, may God help us to see the world through the lens of the cross and give us the grace to share in Jesus’s mission of self-giving love.

We have compiled forty days of prayer requests for the season of Lent. Each day, as a church, we will pray as one for the same thing. Read each day’s request - on your own, or with others - and pray for it. Try to remember to pray throughout the day. No matter how you approach it, remember that your prayers are joining those of others in City Church, so you are never praying alone. Together we are trying to make space in our lives to turn to God as one this season.

Community groups or groups of friends may wish to commit to praying together. Maybe you want to meet weekly, or set aside a time each day when you know the others will be praying as well and try to pray in concert.

Unsure about prayer? Wondering where to start? Here are some other possibilities to help you along the way:

Feel free to keep it short. Lord Jesus, we pray for X. Have mercy. Amen.
Hold a visible image of what you are praying for in your mind. Offer it before the throne of God, and imagine your prayer resting in loving hands.
Set a daily reminder to pray: an alert, or a visual or aural cue (i.e., every time you hear a car alarm, or get a cup of coffee, you’ll offer a short prayer for the day’s request)
Be gracious to yourself. Lent is an invitation, an opportunity, not a religious obligation. Take joy, when you can, in offering all that is broken to our loving God.

May God dwell in our homes as we pray as one body for our church, our city, and our world:

“Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)

You may notice that there are no prayers written for Sundays in Lent. This is because even in seasons of fasting, Sundays remain the Lord’s Day: the day of Jesus’ resurrection, and a day when we feast together. They are not “counted” in the forty days of Lent.

On Sundays, you may wish to pray the collect (composed prayer) printed in the front of the worship folder together. Or you might find a way to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection with others, recalling the hope in which we pray. Or maybe you’ll just take the day off, resting in the sure knowledge of God’s saving love.

Prayers will be printed in the Worship Folder weekly for the 40 days of Lent.
They will be posted here on the City Church blog and on all of our social media:
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Download the Full Prayer Book
Praying Through The Lens Of The Cross

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