Prayer

JOINT COUNCIL (CCI) PRAYER

“Almighty God, our heavenly Father, in you alone all things are held together in unity. You have united us in a new way in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. We praise you for your love which is the bond of our unity.

We give thanks to you that you have led the three churches to which we severally belong to come together and to form a Joint Council and now called the Communion of Churches. You have also called us to united in prayer that we may all receive your blessings and grow in unity.

In our prayers, O Father, we join with our Lord Jesus Christ in his prayer for all who believe in him “that they all may be one.. that the world may believe” (John 17:20) We confess before you our tolerance of disunity and our share in taking pride in our heritages more than in Jesus Christ and his Cross.

We pray for the continued guidance of your Holy Spirit that through the Joint Council our bond of unity in love may deepen and our oneness may strengthen our witness t the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Help us to unite for Christ’s mission not only at the national level but in all levels, wherever we can be together for worship, mission and service. We seek your blessings so that our common life and witness may be a blessings to the nation to which we belong.

We specially pray for the Presiding Bishop and the members of the Presidium,……the Moderator of the Church of North India,……the Moderator of the Church of South India and … the Metropolitan of the Mar Thoma Church, and the members of the CCI Secretariat and for all other Bishops, ministers and the laity and commend them to your mercy, protection and guidance. Grant that led by their ministry the churches may continually grow in love and unity. May your peace, our heavenly Father, be always with us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

AMEN.