Prayers For All Seasons Year B

Selected prayers from the Seasons of the Spirit curriculum have been gathered together in this book featuring Lectionary Year B. Each week features a variety of prayers that are tied to the specific lectionary readings for that week and are suitable for congregational use.

Prayers for All Seasons, Year C, offers a selection of prayers that complement the readings from Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary. Compiled from Seasons of the Spirit – one of North America’s most popular and enduring lectionary-based Christian education curricula, embraced by thousands of congregations around the world – the weekly prayers in this collection can be used in various ways and at various times during worship, including the call to worship, gathering, confession, offering, sending forth, and blessing. The collection also features a variety of prayer formats. Prayers for All Seasons contains an entire year’s worth of prayers. Use it every week, or dip into it as needed. Prayers for All Seasons also includes a scripture index, making it easy to use the prayers any time of the year.

The Prayers for All Seasons series offers weekly prayers that complement the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary. This Year A addition to the collection completes the set of three lectionary years, providing a complete, handy, and valuable resource. Each volume contains an entire year’s worth of prayers. Use as a weekly resource, or dip into it as needed. Prayers for All Seasons includes selections from the Seasons of the Spirit lectionary-based Christian education curriculum – one which is embraced by thousands of congregations around the world. Prayers from the collection can be used in various ways and at various times during worship or outside of the worship setting. Each book features a variety of prayer formats, including responsive prayers, breath prayers, and prayers with actions. A scripture index provides easy reference.

The world in which we are living now is certainly different from the world of say forty years ago. Life has become so busy for all of us, and as a result, the things we once held dear such as the family, sharing, and caring have become things of the past. Families the world over are going through difficult and challenging times. The divorce rate has never been so high, and many children suffer as a result of broken families and relationships. The pressures of life force many to commit crimes and become involved with the use and misuse of drugs and alcohol and as a result many people find themselves in prisons. Technology has taken over from face-to-face communication and many find it difficult to cope without it. Diseases and other chronic illnesses have been attacking millions of people and many are dying because there is no cure for some. Unfortunately, the world has been experiencing one of if not the worst pandemic ever, and thousands of lives have been snatched away and millions infected, leaving many families in a state of shock and depression. These prayers were written to bring some comfort and assurance to those who are going through the various seasons in their lives and to declare that no matter what the issues are, God is in control of everything. If you are experiencing sickness, separation, being incarcerated, loss of jobs, loss of property, family issues, concerns for children and young people, seeking a companion or for just giving thanks to God for prosperity, this book of prayers is the ideal book for you. I trust that as you read this book of prayers, you will find it a blessing to you and your families and trust that you will pass from simply reading these prayers to praying. It is my hope that through these prayers, you will be led to make prayer a daily part of your lives and that the Lord will receive all the praise and glory.

For all who are interested in the daily office and praying the hours. People in all kinds of religious traditions, including Judaism and Christianity, have been marking time with prayer for almost as long as we’ve divided the day into hours. “Praying the hours,” as it’s called, has always reminded us that God walks with us throughout each day; “praying the hours” is also a way that the community of faith comes together, whether we’re united all in one place or scattered like raindrops. In the Episcopal Church, the Book of Common Prayer offers beautiful services for morning, noon, evening, and nighttime in a section called “The Daily Office” (pp 35-146). Daily Prayer for All Seasons offers a variation on that theme, where a complete service covers one or two pages, thereby eliminating the need to shuffle prayer books and hymnals. Daily Prayer for All Seasons works for individuals, small groups, and/or congregations. This prayer book presents a variety of images of God, uses inclusive and expansive language for and about God, and presents a rich variety of language, including poetry, meditation, and prayers from the broader community of faith.

This book contains texts for Year B. Each two-page spread offers texts for a single Sunday or feast, including prayers of the faithful that may be read as is or revised to reflect the needs of the community. Also included are two collects based on the day's scriptures--one an original composition, the other based on the Italian sacramentary. You'll find citations for the readings from both the Roman Catholic lectionary and the Revised Common Lectionary, an introduction to the intercessions, an introduction to the Lord's Prayer, and an invitation to communion. Two excellent articles, one on how to use the book for planning public prayer and one on using the book for personal prayer, are also included. Year A and Year C editions are also available.

Pastors and worship leaders know that we encounter God through the reading of Scripture in worship. They sometimes encounter difficulty, however, in integrating the day's readings from the lectionary with the other elements of worship. While we usually meet the biblical text face-to-face in the sermon, shouldn't we attune ourselves to what the Word would tell us throughout the whole of worship? This book is for those who believe we should. It will assist pastors and other worship leaders to weave the themes of the day's lections throughout the service of worship. Entries for each Sunday of the Revised Common Lectionary include the following: Call to Worship, Invocation, Prayer of Confession and Declaration of Pardon, Prayer of the Day, Prayer of Thanksgiving, Prayer of Dedication/Offertory Prayer, Prayer of Intercession and Commemoration, and one-sentence introductions to each of the lections.