40 DAYS OF PRAYER FOR MISSION

Each fall, we set aside 40 days prior to our Halloween Block Party to pray for our church and our community. We invite you to join us as we pray through these weeks, drawing from the prompts and Collects below for inspiration. May the Lord move mightily within our neighborhood and our church over the next 40 days–especially in the hearts of those we will encounter on October 31st!

Week 1 - Praying for the Harvest: September 15-21

This week, we participate in Ember Days on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday following Holy Cross Day (September 14). The autumn Ember Days were traditionally associated with the harvest and the ordination of clergy for the work of the church. In addition, we also observe the Feast of St. Matthew (September 21), who recorded the good news of Jesus in one of the four Gospels. We invite your prayers for these special themes this week.   

  • In St. Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matt. 9:38). Pray that God would raise up more men and women to serve the church and that all people would be gathered to Jesus as his good news is proclaimed. 

Collect for Ember Days (September 18, 20, 21)

Almighty God, the giver of all good gifts, in your divine providence, you have appointed various orders in your Church: Give your grace, we humbly pray, to all who are called to any office and ministry for your people; and so fill them with the truth of your doctrine and clothe them with holiness of life, that they may faithfully serve before you, to the glory of your great Name and for the benefit of your holy church; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. 

Collect for the Feast of St. Matthew (September 21)

Lord Jesus, you called Matthew from collecting taxes to become your apostle and evangelist: Grant us the grace to forsake all covetous desires and inordinate love of riches, that we may follow you as he did and proclaim to the world around us the good news of your salvation; for with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen. 

Week 2 - Praying for Eyes to Be Opened: September 22-28

This week, we want to pray that our eyes would be open to the needs of those around us. We also want to pray that the Lord would open the eyes of the hearts (Ephesians 1:18) of those who do not yet see him clearly.

  • Pray that we may see our neighbors rightly, with eyes of Christlike compassion and truth.

  • Pray that hearts blinded to Jesus would receive sight through his Word and Holy Spirit.

Collect for Inner Renewal Through the Word

Gracious God and most merciful Father, you have granted us the rich and precious jewel of your holy Word: Assist us with your Spirit, that the same Word may be written in our hearts to our everlasting comfort, to reform us, to renew us according to your own image, to build us up and edify us into the perfect dwelling place of your Christ, sanctifying and increasing in us all heavenly virtues; grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

Collect for Mission

O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Week 3 - Praying against Spiritual Darkness: September 29-October 5

September 29 is traditionally known as "Michaelmas" after the archangel Michael, who does battle against Satan and his forces Revelation 12:7-12. It is a day that reminds us of what the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:12: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." 

  • Pray against the assaults and deceptions of the devil, both toward us and our neighbors.

  • Pray that those who have been oppressed by spiritual darkness would experience true freedom in Jesus, especially those with addictions and those in despair. 

Collect for the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels (September 29)

Everlasting God, you have ordained and constituted in a wonderful order the ministries of angels and mortals: Mercifully grant that, as your holy angels always serve and worship you in heaven, so by your appointment they may help and defend us here on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Collect for those in Bondage to Addiction

O blessed Lord, you ministered to all who came to you: Look with compassion upon those who, through addiction, have lost their health and freedom. Restore to them the assurance of your unfailing mercy; remove from them the fears that beset them; strengthen them in the work of their recovery; and to those who minister to them, give patient understanding and persevering love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Week 4 - Praying for a Heart of Mission: October 6-12

This week we remember the motivation behind our Halloween Block Party: to share the love of Christ with our neighbors. This event is an opportunity for us to follow Jesus by living out the gospel both in word and deed.

  • Pray that God would increase our zeal for evangelism and mission at Cornerstone.

  • Pray for those who will encounter the love of Jesus through us, that they will turn to him in faith and repentance.

Collect For The Mission Of The Church

Almighty God, you sent your Son Jesus Christ to reconcile the world to yourself: We praise and bless you for those whom you have sent in the power of the Spirit to preach the Gospel to all nations. We thank you that in all parts of the earth a community of love has been gathered together by their prayers and labors, and that in every place your servants call upon your Name; for the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours, for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect For The Spirit Of Evangelism

Almighty God our Savior, you desire that none should perish, and you have taught us through your Son that there is great joy in heaven over every sinner who repents: Grant that our hearts may ache for a lost and broken world. May your Holy Spirit work through our words, deeds, and prayers, that the lost may be found and the dead made alive, and that all your redeemed may rejoice around your throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Week 5 - Praying for the Wellbeing and Safety of our Neighbors: October 13-19

This week we are praying for the wellbeing and safety of our neighborhood. We know there are neighbors who see our block party as a safe place for their families to come on Halloween, and we want to pray that Cornerstone Anglican Church would be a place of safety and refuge to them on October 31 and beyond. In commemoration of the Feast of St. Luke this week (October 18), we also ask for God to heal broken lives through the good news of Jesus. 

  • Pray for safety in our neighborhood on Halloween, especially among the children and youth.

  • Pray that our church will continue to be a place where people receive the healing and wellbeing only Jesus can bring through the gospel.

Collect For The Human Family

O God, you made us in your own image, and you have redeemed us through your Son Jesus Christ: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect for the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist (October 18)

Almighty God, you called your servant Luke to be an evangelist and physician of the soul: Grant that, by the wholesome medicine of the doctrine he taught, all the diseases of our souls may be healed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Week 6 - Praying for Peace for Those Experiencing Conflict or Distress: October 20-26

We live in an increasingly complex and divided world, and we know each person comes with his or her own complex stories as well. On October 23, we celebrate the Feast of St. James of Jerusalem, who helped guide the early church through conflict into unity in Acts 15. This week, let’s pray for those who are suffering amidst conflict or distress in our neighborhood. 

  • Pray for our neighbors who are living in homes marked by conflict, loneliness, or fear.

  • Pray for anyone who is experiencing illness or anxiety, that they may receive peace.

  • Pray that ours would be a church that cultivates peace on the Northwest Side.

Collect for Times of Social Conflict or Distress

Increase, O God, the spirit of neighborliness among us, that in peril we may uphold one another, in suffering tend to one another, and in homelessness, loneliness, or exile befriend one another. Grant us brave and enduring hearts that we may strengthen one another, until the disciplines and testing of these days are ended, and you again give peace in our time; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect for the Feast of Saint James of Jerusalem (October 23)

Grant, O God, that, following the example of your apostle James the Just, kinsman of our Lord, your Church may give itself continually to prayer and to the reconciliation of all who are at variance and enmity; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Week 7 - Praying for Those who Serve our Community: October 27-31

In the final days leading up to the Halloween Block Party, we want to pray for the hands that will be loving and serving our neighborhood at this event. As we serve our community, we want to be faithful witnesses of the gospel, like St. Simon and Jude, whose feast falls this week. Ask God to give us grace to make known the love and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ through this event (and through all our efforts toward evangelism and mission in the future).

  • Pray for all who will be volunteering at the Halloween Block Party, whether they are offering food and hospitality, running games, greeting guests, praying with neighbors, or sharing more about Jesus and our church. 

  • Pray that God would make our neighbors spiritually curious and draw them toward the light of Christ’s presence through Cornerstone.

Prayer for Mission

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the Cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen. 

Collect for the Feast of Saint Simon and Saint Jude (October 28)

Grant, O God, that as your apostles Simon and Jude were faithful and zealous in their mission, so we may with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.