John Pritchard
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (23) SOMEWHERE NEARBY
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (23) SOMEWHERE NEARBY
by SPCK - John Pritchard
(23) SOMEWHERE NEARBY If our prayer is going to connect with the world we’re part of for the other 167 hours a week when we aren’t in church, we need to remember the raw-edged realities around us and not domesticate them into tidy, bland packages. These intercessions need to be a…
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (22) WE LIGHT A CANDLE
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (22) WE LIGHT A CANDLE
by SPCK - John Pritchard
(21) A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE One experience common to our globalized culture is that of diversity. This is sometimes perceived as threat and sometimes as opportunity. But the theme is important for prayer because we need to foster the conviction that life is not monochrome and we n…
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (21) A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (21) A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE
by SPCK - John Pritchard
(21) A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE One experience common to our globalized culture is that of diversity. This is sometimes perceived as threat and sometimes as opportunity. But the theme is important for prayer because we need to foster the conviction that life is not monochrome and we n…
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (20) FREEDOM
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (20) FREEDOM
by SPCK - John Pritchard
(20) FREEDOM The cry for freedom is universal. We hear it from ethnic groups, political minorities, subjugated peoples, oppressed women – and teenagers everywhere! It has a ready echo in our hearts and a deep resonance in the gospel where the promise is that, ‘if the Son shall se…
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (19) THE STREAM
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (19) THE STREAM
by SPCK - John Pritchard
(19) THE STREAM The idea of progression is very helpful in giving prayer a sense of direction and purpose. There are many ways of doing this and others will be seen throughout this book, but here is one which takes the familiar image of the stream as it bounces downhill. The init…
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (18) O GOD, WHY?
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (18) O GOD, WHY?
by SPCK - John Pritchard
(17) THE GLOBAL CHURCH One of the temptations of church life is to become preoccupied with local concerns and to forget the vast family of which we are a part. These intercessions start with the local but move into the global. Particular international links and partnerships can b…
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (17) THE GLOBAL CHURCH
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (17) THE GLOBAL CHURCH
by SPCK - John Pritchard
(17) THE GLOBAL CHURCH One of the temptations of church life is to become preoccupied with local concerns and to forget the vast family of which we are a part. These intercessions start with the local but move into the global. Particular international links and partnerships can b…
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (16) PARTICULAR PEOPLE
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (16) PARTICULAR PEOPLE
by SPCK - John Pritchard
(16) PARTICULAR PEOPLE The method here is that of painting pictures of situations of need through the ‘window’ of particular (fictitious) people. The situations can come from any places in the news or in relief agency literature. The people are imaginary portraits, so the actual …
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (15) DAY-TO-DAY WORLD
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (15) DAY-TO-DAY WORLD
by SPCK - John Pritchard
(15) DAY-TO-DAY WORLD One of the perennial problems with intercessions in public worship is that they tend to float several feet off the ground. Congregations can hardly be blamed for failing to engage with such prayers when they simply don’t come down to the earthly experiences …
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (14) CIRCLES OF PRAYER
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (14) CIRCLES OF PRAYER
by SPCK - John Pritchard
(14) CIRCLES OF PRAYER There seems to be something deeply satisfying in this way of prayer. People respond to the image of a stone being dropped in a pond and creating circles that ripple gently outwards. The content of the ‘ripples’ can be as varied as our imagination…
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (13) COLOURS OF THE RAINBOW
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (13) COLOURS OF THE RAINBOW
by SPCK - John Pritchard
(13) COLOURS OF THE RAINBOW We’re surrounded by a constant kaleidoscope of colour, and we’re more affected by it than we might realize. (Designers and artists are well aware of its power!) We can harness the deep connections made by colour in various forms of intercession, and we…
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (11) TASTE
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (11) TASTE
by SPCK - John Pritchard
(11) TASTE Increasingly, Christian people are finding that the use of the senses is a rich way into prayer. We need to resist the reduction of public prayer to a diet of ‘touchy-feely’ meanderings, so a certain rigour is required. But the appeal of the five senses through which w…
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (9) KEEP THE PEACE
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (9) KEEP THE PEACE
by SPCK - John Pritchard
(9) KEEP THE PEACE Intercessions often benefit from focusing on one important theme which runs through the whole, rather than four or five diverse themes which try to cover everything we can think of! The theme of peace is one which concerns us all. As ever, current events and lo…
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (7) SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (7) SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT
by SPCK - John Pritchard
(7) SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT Images from the natural world evoke a response in most of us. It can be helpful therefore to use one of nature’s patterns as the pattern of our prayer. The seasons of the year are full of resonances which make them especially useful as a vehicle for our …
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (6) A WINTER SUNDAY