Prayer of Praise: –

 (from World Environment Day worship material & Uniting in Worship Red Book p567 &Prayers for God’s People Year A p114 & 115 & Invocations p163 & Opening Prayers p50 & 51 & The Book of Worship p184) 

  Almighty God, You bring into being all that we see around us through Your breath of life.  There is a mystery about Creation that we cannot comprehend and gaze at in wonder.  We see the way that You sustain all things and can but praise You.  We marvel at the intricate systems which make our life possible.

  Almighty God, we proclaim how great You are in raising Jesus on the third day so that our sins can be forgiven, grateful that we are no longer alienated from you but are united with You.  We proclaim how great You are in raising Jesus to Your right hand side, to live and reign with You.  We proclaim how great You are by sending Your Holy Spirit so that we not left alone in a World that turns its back on You.

  Almighty God, we rejoice in Your mercy, in the way that You have welcomed us into your family, in the way that You have blest us by being here amongst us.  We know that in You there is nothing corrupt or impure, that in You we only find truth and hope and the peace that we cannot obtain from anywhere else. 

  Almighty God, you give us new life through the breath of your Holy Spirit.  Your gift of the Spirit empowers us to be witnesses for You to the ends of the Earth.  Our lives are enriched.  Our spirits are released from the bondage to darkness and liberated to shine in Your glory and honour.  We rejoice in the wonder of Your love and kindness.  We come here today and offer You all of our praise, now and always, to your glory we pray.  Amen.

Prayer for Reconciliation 

[UCA Assembly Day of mourning 2021 Worship Resources and Anglican Defence force chaplains Australia Day worship resources 2014] 

We praise you, God of the Universe, for this Nation of ours, for its contrasts of landscape and climate, for its times of droughts and times of floods, for its times of abundance and beauty.  We praise you for the stability of its Governments, for the ready provision of education and health care and housing, and for basic and accepted freedoms to choose how we live and work and believe.

  We accept the realities of our History, with its struggles in adversity, with its loss and grief, with its failures and neglect, with its inequality and poverty, with its injustices and abuses committed against peoples of different colours and races and cultures and creeds.

  We ask for your forgiveness of us, when by acts of commission or by our failure to act, we have contributed to the needs of others not being met, or we have contributed to the discrimination shown to another Human being who is equally valued and loved by you, or we have contributed to the acceptance of the presence of inequity and neglect when none should exist.

  We pray for the healing of our Nation, that you will empower us to eliminate any divisiveness and mistrust that divides us.  We pray that you will encourage those who have been wronged in the past and in the present to be moved to forgive the pain that they have experienced, to forgive the loss that they have suffered, to forgive the abuse that has been hurled at them, and to forgive the neglect and inequality that has impacted on their life.

  We pray that paths of dialogue may open within and between our communities, dialogue that will lead to cooperation and the advancement for the Common Good, dialogue that will lead to the making of constructive and positive decisions towards the advancement of all peoples.

  Give us the courage to ensure that the realities of our past do not determine the realities of our future.  May we not seek to take upon ourselves the guilt for the sins of others in the past, especially the sins of the Church, but lead us instead, Lord God, to celebrate what we have and who we are, to accept that “we are all part of the story”, and to seek pathways for moving forward together as a Nation.  (Home ‐ Australia Day) 

  So that we may together build a better future for our Nation, teach us to tolerate diversity, to respect all Cultures, and to care for our land and our waters.  Help us to work towards a just sharing of the resources of our Nation and of the opportunities that it affords.  Give us a passionate commitment towards justice for all, and for structural and social change to improve the quality of life for all peoples in all communities, especially for the disadvantaged and the neglected.

  May your authority and love be the foundations upon which we walk together as one People who share this Nation of yours.  Bless us so that we might be a blessing to others.  Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Prayers for Others

Almighty God, knowing of your love for all of Humanity, especially of your compassion for the needy, we come to you with our cares and our concerns.

We bring to you our prayers for the World around us and for people individually.

We pray for the Church,

That we may faithfully confess Jesus as Lord and be guided by the Holy Spirit to continue the mission of Christ in our time.

For fuller utilization of the Gifts of the Spirit,

That you, God, will help us recognize and put into practice all the gifts which we have been given so that the Body of Christ may be strong in serving you.

We pray for the grace to forgive,

That you, God, will break the bonds of fear, anger, and resentment that freeze our hearts and free us to forgive all who have injured us as you have forgiven us.

We pray for Christian unity,

That the Spirit will heal the divisions that exist, bring down the walls of mistrust, and help us to pray and work together in your service.

We pray for reconciliation in the Human family,

That you, God, will help us bridge the gulf that divides nations, races, genders, and economic groups and restore our ability to work together against poverty, disease, famine, and injustice.

We pray for a Spirit of love,

That we may fulfill Christ’s command to love one another by placing our time, energy, and gifts at the service of others and helping them to carry their daily burdens.

We pray for a Spirit of truth,

That we may open our minds and hearts to all the ways that truth is manifest, particularly in the Scriptures.

We pray for a Spirit of hope,

That all who are overwhelmed by life may find new reasons to live this day and be gifted with a vision of all that could be tomorrow.

We pray for a Spirit of justice,

That the needy, exploited, abused, and victims of war may know freedom, relief from oppression, and their dignity as daughters and sons of God.

We pray for the Spirit of healing,

That you, God, will touch all who are ill, strengthen their minds, bodies, and spirits, and restore them to wholeness.

We pray for a Spirit of reverence,

That all hearts may recognize you, God, as Creator and work to protect and preserve your gift of Creation, our common home.

We pray for a Spirit of wisdom for all government and business leaders,

That they may develop policies that promote the common good and inclusion of all in Society.

We pray for a Spirit of Peace,

That you, God, will dissolve the hatred in Human hearts, protect the Human family from nuclear weapons, and establish a season of peace throughout the World.

Copyright © 2023. Joe Milner. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.  https://liturgy.slu.edu/PentecostA052823/ideas_other.html

We pray for ourselves, all the people of Australia,

That there will be between us and within us wholeness and reconciliation, a deep love our neighbour.  Help us to see in each other Your righteousness, your goodness, your pure qualities, and that we seek to reflect the same in all that we do and say and think.

(https://assembly.uca.org.au/images/stories/covenanting/2012ReconciliationWeek_liturgy.pdf)

We pray for those who will lead Religious Instruction classes at Bald Hills State School this year.  Guide them in the words to say and the approach to take with the children in their classes.  May the Holy Spirit challenge the children in the RI classes to come to a closer relationship with you.

We pray for Kylie Conomos, the Scripture Union Chaplain at Bald Hills State School.  Please guide and equip her as she seeks to address the concerns and needs of children, parents and teachers at the school.

We pray for those who are unable to attend worship.  Please guide and comfort them in their particular circumstances.  May they be aware of your care for them as they meet what each new day brings.

Lord God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your lovingkindness.  To your glory we pray.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil,

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

Now and forever.  Amen.