Lenten Season – Day 7 Prayers – Very Rev. Prof. Konyinsola Àjàyí, SAN
*11th March – 7th Day – PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH.*
Lord God, immanent in His creation, Great in His ways, I bring before You the ways of the Church established in Your Son’s Name and first called a Church in Antioch to be the body of Christ and to confess that the Church has been a perpetrator of all manner of sin – the Church has continued to split; has been a source of abuse; with both leaders and congregants bringing Your Church to disrepute.
I confess that the Church, in its different forms and branches, has been itself a disincentive to growth and a reason for many to abandon Christianity. The love of money, self-aggrandisement, idolatry of our leaders, and adultery by lay and clergy have brought shame to the Church.
The promotion and harbouring of criminals, the race for title and power within, the shameless debauchery, and shallow altars have all combined to bring darkness to the Church.
Almighty God, in Whom all fullness is inherent, Father of all compassion, the Most Merciful One, forgive this creation of Yours, and redeem it, so it can return to being a place to worship, to being a house of prayer, to being the avenue to spiritual development, to being a healing home, to being a place of hope, to being a source of joy, to being a valid means of grace, and to reintegrate itself with its spiritual condition as one Church of all believers. Father, God who Pities His Beloved, God of Grace, descend as a pillar of cloud at the door to the Church so its people will again be Your people, and make Your presence be with the Church. Lord God, I pray that You have mercy on Your Church, on account of the Precious Blood shed at Calvary, for the Church to return to its senses and unite. Let this aid humanity in evolving toward the perfection of its nature as You designed it.
LORD Jesus, as the sacred nail held Your feet together on the Cross, let all Christians come under the umbrella of the Church Universal, held together by You, the One Saviour, One Lord, and one faith. LORD Jesus, You are the Head of the Church, so I pray You intercede that it may become the living reality of Christianity, fulfilling its apostolic ministry as the gathering of the elect.
Lord Jesus, the Most Wise, with the Holy Spirit, Most Living, brings life back to the Church so it may have a living relationship with God, our Father. Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, be the Shepherd of all Your children wandering like sheep without a shepherd in a sinful Church; have mercy on the Church, and save and reform it. Let the Church remember and turn to You, O God, through Christ our Saviour; so all families of the nations shall eat of the Body, drink of the Blood, of Christ, so all may be well in mind, body, soul, spirit and estate. Lord Jesus, please intercede for the Church that our Father may grant that the Church returns to being a beacon of community and unity, where individuals gather to share in worship, fellowship, and service – symbolising the interconnectedness of humanity under God’s divine grace.
God Almighty, Whom all things obey, Who releases the powers of His Throne on humankind, grant that once again the Church may be the body of Christ: with each believer functioning as a part of this body, enjoying Your providence, good and love; with all in worshipping unity that is not based on external uniformity, but on a shared life in Christ, where diverse gifts and roles coalesce to fulfil Your purposes through You, O Christ, our Head.
Amen.
*Patriarch’s Note.*
*KEY BIBLE PASSAGES* on *Prayer for the Church*
- *Ephesians 4:1-3*
*_“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”_*
- *2 Chronicles 7:14*
*_“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”_*
- *1 Peter 2:9*
*_“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light;”_*
- *Romans 12:4-5*
*_“For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”_*
- *Matthew 16:18*
*_“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”_*
- *Acts 2:42*
*_“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayers.”_*
- *Colossians 3:14*
*_“But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”_*
These passages collectively emphasise the importance of humility, unity, love, and the vital role of prayer and repentance within the Church. They remind us of our calling to be a community that reflects Christ’s love and fulfils its mission as His body on Earth.
*May our prayer for the Church reinforce its foundation and lead to transformation and renewal in Christ’s Name.* AMEN.
