2012: SHINE FOR THE NEW YEAR - Prayer Resource
a resource from More Than Gold, written by Lyndall Bywater from the Salvation Army
Prayer: Prayer meeting, Topics, Prayers
Prayer gathering
The following outline is for a prayer meeting of about one hour.
- Welcoming the Light of Christ - 5 mins
Begin with a time of silence. As people still themselves and wait on God, have someone enter with a large lit candle and place it at the front or centre of the room (alternatively simply light it in situ). After several further minutes of silence, pray a prayer out loud, inviting the light of Jesus to fill your prayer time, and to flood our nation in 2012.
If you are unable to use a candle, simply start by switching the lights off or drawing the curtains, then switch them on/open them as people welcome the light of Christ.
The nations of the UK will have the privilege of hosting visitors from almost every country in the world during this coming year, and we want to welcome them with love and hospitality.
Find a baton (a pen or wooden spoon will do nicely), then invite everyone to stand. The person holding the baton thinks of a nation, thanks God for it, and says a short prayer for those who will visit the UK from that nation during this coming year. Then the baton is passed on to the next person, who thinks of another country and repeats the process.
- Ask the Experts - 20 mins
Invite someone in your congregation who has an interest in a particular sport (either as a competitor or a fan) to come and share briefly about their sport, and to give pointers on how people can pray for Olympic and Paralympic competitors as they prepare for the Games.
Invite people to get into small groups and pray for athletes. If there is a particular national team training in your area, pray for them specifically.
Find/create a large map of your local area, and mark on it where there are sports and recreation centres, particularly those which are Olympic training venues. Invite people to stand (or place a hand) on a place, and pray for the presence and power of God to be known there.
- Covering the details - 10 mins
Create a PowerPoint slide or handout with a list of prayer points relating to the planning and delivery of the Games and the work of More than Gold (see prayer topics section). If your list has five items, get people into groups of five, designating one person to pray for each point on the list. Encourage people to make their prayers as specific as possible.
Use one of the written prayers in this resource to close your meeting – either asking someone to read it aloud, or preparing a Powerpoint/giving people a handout so they can read it aloud together.
Prayer Topics
This section includes a wide range of prayer topics related to the 2012 Games arranged into five categories. However, these are by no means exhaustive. Please use them as a starting point and feel free to add to them.
1. Planning
Pray for the planning and delivery of the Games, that everything will run to time, to budget and most importantly to God’s will.
- for the bodies organising and delivering the 2012 Games: LOCOG
- (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games); ODA (Olympic
- Delivery Authority)
- that all venues will be completed and fitted out on time
- that security and intelligence services will be well-prepared and alert
- throughout the coming months
- that More than Gold will recruit all the staff, volunteers, chaplains and Games Pastors needed
2. Places
Pray that the places touched by the Games will be places where people find the presence of God.
- for sports venues in your area which are being used for pre-Games
- training
- for the places near you where the Olympic and Paralympic Torch
- Relays will pass through, that the church will begin to get well-prepared to carry the Light of Jesus wherever the torches go
- that the whole nation will be lit up with the light of Christ as churches pray, serve and witness in 2012
3. Participants
Pray for all those participating in the 2012 Games, that they will compete honourably, and encounter the living God in a powerful way.
- for those from nations closed to the Gospel, who will soon be arriving
- here to train, that they will hear the good news of Jesus
- that Christian families will volunteer to participate in the Athlete Homestay Programme: church families providing hospitality for
- families of athletes who are unable to afford to come and watch their loved-ones compete
- for team GB and their families, as media attention begins to focus on them
- that many will sign up to join international mission teams coming to witness for Jesus on our streets
4. Power
Pray that the UK church will seize every opportunity to get involved in the Olympic celebrations in 2012, speaking and living the love of Jesus, and standing together as one united body.
- that churches in your area will begin to explore the resources available to help them run holiday clubs, host festivals and do mission through sport
- for More than Gold to be effective in motivating churches to make the most of the Games
- for the More than Gold Social Justice Teams, helping the church to speak out on global issues
- for the More than Gold Prayer Team to be able to encourage and connect the many different prayer initiatives taking place throughout 2012, so that the Games are under-girded by passionate prayer.
5. Purpose
Pray ‘your Kingdom come, your will be done’ over every aspect of the 2012 Games.
- for all those involved in evangelism and follow-up during and after the Games
- for the legacy the Games will leave, that this country will be changed for the better
- for the nation to be filled with a new passion for justice
- for the Church in the UK to emerge from the other side of the Games a more united, more active and more prayerful body of people
Prayers
Father, creator of light, you shine over us in blessing and power,
Jesus, Light of the World, you shine as the Word of Life to guide us,
Spirit, fiery presence of God, you shine on us to bring hope and boldness.
As this new year dawns, with all its potential and possibilities,
We invite you to shine in our lives, in our communities and in this nation,
That all will see the light of your glory and discover your unfailing love.
Amen.
Jesus - you shine in all your dazzling glory:
The brightest star cannot compare to your majesty;
The hottest sun cannot compare to your power;
The fairest moon cannot compare to your beauty.
We welcome you afresh at the start of this new year, and ask you to shine on all people in this land. Light our way as this nation prepares to host the 2012 Games:
Shine grace on athletes in their training;
Shine wisdom on the authorities in their planning;
Shine your love in our hearts as we open our doors to welcome guests from many nations.
We rejoice in your glorious presence with us,
Praying that the light of your love and grace will transform us all.
Amen.
For PDFs of the this and other resources, please go to www.morethangold.org.uk (this can be found under 'prayer')
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