Prayer of Praise: –
Almighty God, we are not ashamed to call you Lord, for we want to declare to the World that in you we have found refuge from the storms of our life, that in you we have found the source of righteousness and purity, that you are the living God.
For your glory fills all Heaven and Earth. There is nowhere in all of your Creation that we cannot see your handiwork, that we cannot glimpse the evidence of your wisdom and foresight and intellect.
We are humbled to be in your presence.
We cannot fully comprehend your greatness, nor can we completely conceive all that there is to know about you. Yet, loving God, we feel the warmth of your embrace and the welcomeness of your compassion. For you are a mighty God, yet your mightiness is also in your capacity to love.
Living God, in Christ you make all things new. You transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, you mend the brokenness of our lives by your healing, you stop our wandering and direct our paths through your truth.
Through Jesus Christ you announce freedom from our sins and freedom from our cares and concerns. We marvel at the power of your Word, we delight in the peace that is ours through the Gospel, we rejoice in our fellowship with you.
Gracious God, with joy we claim the healing and the wholeness that you have provided in each of our lives. With joy we sing your praises, for you are our God and Saviour.
In you there is only light and life. Through you there is refreshment and renewal in our lives. From you we receive mercy and forgiveness; from you we receive abundant blessings, all for which we are truly grateful and for which we offer you our unending thanks and praise. To your glory we pray, Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Merciful God, we come before you contrite in soul and spirit because we know that we have failed you in so many ways.
We confess that there is so much in our lives, in our thoughts, in our words, and in our actions, that displeases you and saddens you.
Merciful God, forgive us for when we have failed to listen to you, for when we have turned away from you and pretended that we can no longer hear your voice. Forgive us for when we have refused to heed your advice and scorned your wisdom, for when we have turned away from you and pretended that we knew all the answers.
Forgive us for when we have failed to trust you, for when we did not have the courage to obey you, for when we have turned away and rejected your love. In your mercy, forgive us.
Merciful God, forgive us for when we have failed to be your witnesses to the World around us. Forgive us for when we were more afraid of stepping on people’s toes than on challenging their self-assurance.
Forgive us for when we have failed to be your calming voice in the surrounding turmoil, for when we have failed to be your revealing light in the surrounding darkness. In your mercy, forgive us.
Merciful God, forgive us for our pride that prevents us from stooping to help someone or from getting our hands dirty. Forgive us for our laxity in being regular in reading the Bible or spending time in prayer with you.
Forgive us for when we are not excited when a new day dawns, because each day is a gift from you to be treasured. In your mercy forgive us our sins and our shortcomings.
Cleanse us from all that darkens our souls and prevents us from true fellowship with you and with others.
Through your Spirit may we be diligent to live out our faith in our words and our deeds, in our conversations and our relationships. In your name we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Forgiveness
(from Psalm 19: 12b, 13b and 14b)
The writer of Psalm 19 clearly states that it is only God who can remove from our lives our hidden faults and our wilful sins. It is God who is our redeemer and the one who frees us from the hold of sin in our lives. Having confessed our sins before God, let us hold onto this truth, assured that God has listened to our pleas and that God has answered us by forgiving our sins and cleansing our souls in His sight.
Thanks be to God.
Prayers for Others
Loving God, there is so much happening in our World today that needs fixing. There are so many aspects of our Society that needs reshaping.
There are so many people grieving or suffering from the hands of others or in desperate need of the basic things so that they can simply keep living.
Come into the hearts of all with your transforming love; break down the barriers that hold people apart.
May there be forgiveness where now there is hatred. May there be reconciliation where now there is tension and separation. May there be understanding where now there is confusion and blindness. May there be compassion and benevolence where now there is ambivalence and callousness.
We pray for those seeking to bring peace into the World. We remember those who suffer to reveal where there is greed and abuse, and where there is hatred and oppression.
Give them courage to continue their efforts, but also, Lord, please comfort and assure them that they are doing your work in the World, making it a fairer and more just World for the young and the weak and the powerless.
We pray for those in Government and those in positions to make life changing decisions that affect others.
Direct their choices and their attitudes so that they will put the benefit of others ahead of their own self gain, that they will be guided by your love and your precepts rather than those of the World around them. May they be led to act to bring glory to your name alone.
Healing God, we ask that you would mend the broken in heart and in spirit, that you would heal the sick and the ill, that you would free those enslaved by addiction and habit, that you would bring peace to those troubled in mind and soul.
Give courage and energy to those who task it is to provide aid and comfort. May they be encouraged in their work and see the benefits of healing and wholeness in the lives of those under their care.
Bless our families and guide us to fulfil in our lives your command to love. Shield from harm the children in our community, giving love and wisdom to parents and those who have responsibility for their care.
Have pity on those whose hearts are hardened by pride and envy so much so that they have forgotten how to love. Come to those who feel unloved and unwanted and give them an understanding of their worth as your children.
May your glory fill our Churches, and may our worship be always acceptable in your sight. Inspire your people with such true and unfailing love that we may draw together in unity and shine as your light into the World around us.
Quicken our love for others so that our capacity to care, to understand and to share may increase. May there be no ill feeling or action on our part toward another such that they are repelled from fellowship within your Church.
Other Prayers (Not used in the church service)
Almighty God, we pray for the Church, that we may recognize our identity as members of the Body of Christ and manifest the Good News in our lives, our families, and our workplaces.
We pray for an openness to the Holy Spirit, that we may nurture and develop the gifts that the Spirit has given us and use them to build up the Body of Christ and in service of others.
We pray for the gift of discernment, that leaders and every member of the Christian community will listen for your invitation and further the mission of Jesus in all the ways which the Human family needs healing and enlightenment.
We pray for teachers and preachers, that you will inspire them with words that will renew the faith of those who hear them and encourage them to greater trust in your providence.
We pray for greater openness to your Word,: that we may allow your Word to enter our deepest selves, enlighten the darkness of our hearts, and free us to live as your daughters and sons.
We pray for all who are discerning their vocation, that you will lead them to people and experiences which will help them recognize how you is calling them to use their lives and gifts in the service of others.
For the members of all levels of Government and local councils, that the Spirit will move them to greater cooperation, guide them in addressing the greatest issues in people’s lives, and inspire them with ways promote the common good.
We pray for all who steward Earth’s resources, that we may recognize all of Creation as your gift to us and grow in awareness of our responsibility to care for the Earth.
We pray for all who struggle with emotional and mental illness, that they may come to know a time of your favour and receive peace and relief from their struggles.
We pray for all who are dying, that they may be reconciled with those who are important to them and peacefully commend themselves to your healing embrace.
We pray for healing within Churches, that you will free us from rivalries and past wounds so that we can work together in serving Christ who brought forgiveness to all.
We pray for all who are ill, that the healing mission of Jesus will continue through our care for the sick, and may they experience support and assistance from their faith community.
We pray for peace and a reduction in international tensions, that you will give all leaders a bigger vision of your calling for Humanity, and remove fear and greed from their hearts.
[Copyright © 2021. Joe Milner. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use. – https://liturgy.slu.edu/3OrdC012625/ideas_other.html]
Almighty God, we pray for the peoples of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
We are thankful for the ancient cultures and religions that have been sustained in this area for millennia, for those who continue to pursue peace in the midst of ethnic strife and terrorism, and for Christians who practice their faith even when they are a small, often discriminated minority.
We pray for women and others in these countries who are deprived of basic freedoms and human dignity, for those who misuse or exploit religious identity for extremist political ends, for the wise use of the benefits of oil and other natural resources for the sake of all, and for the emergence of stable democratic societies based on the rule of law, social justice, and respect for religious and other freedoms.
Prayers before scripture reading:
Make us wise in your law and enlighten our thoughts with your knowledge. Sanctify our souls with your truth, and grant us to be obedient to your words so we fulfil your commandments at every hour, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.
O you, who enlighten the rational with the knowledge of your greatness, enlighten, O my Lord, my thoughts that I may meditate upon your holy and divine Scriptures at every hour, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.
(From “Prayers of The Hallowing of Addai and Mari Disciplers of the East,” English translation M. J. Birni, http://www.nestorian.org/nestorian_liturgy.html)
(https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/prayer-cycle/bahrain-kuwait-oman-qatar-saudi-arabia-united-arab-emirates-yemen)
Almighty God, we pray for the Bible Society of Burkina Faso as they run their transformational literacy project for women. We give thanks to you for the supporters who have helped fund this project. We pray for the smooth running of their literacy project and the impact of the project in the lives of the women and their families.
We pray for peace and reconciliation in South Sudan. We thank you for the Bible-based literacy initiative of the Bible Society in South Sudan seeking to impact the lives of the Shilluk people group. We pray for the students and facilitators of the literacy classes this year, that you would inspire them to pursue their education and greatly enhance their Biblical literacy.
We give you thanks for the opportunities Centre for Public Christianity had to share the good news of Christ through secular media during Christmas. We thank you for a refreshing New Year break for their dedicated staff. We pray that their efforts to spotlight Christianity in public conversations will bear much good fruit.
We pray for the Bible Society of Lebanon’s Reconcile project for refugee children, which shared the Bible’s message of reconciliation, healing, and forgiveness with 3,169 children through creative plays up to September 2024. We praise you for the distribution of 2,927 Scripture portions to children and Arabic Bibles to 194 family leaders. We pray for lasting impact, healing and transformation through your word.
We praise you for the 22 communities reached through the Bible Society of the South Pacific’s literacy program in the Solomon Islands. We pray for students to be transformed by their new skills and for BSSP’s partners, the team at the Literacy Agency of Solomon Islands, to support and motivate teachers as they guide communities to complete the program successfully.
We praise you for Omar*, a 9-year-old, who witnessed a Bible Society of Lebanon ‘Reconcile!’ play and shared, “We must open our hearts to Jesus; he is waiting at the door of our hearts, and I will open my heart to him today.” We thank you for Omar’s faith and commitment to welcoming Jesus into his life. We thank you for your Word being impressed upon the hearts of refugee children.
(Bible%20Society%20January%202025%20Prayer%20Letter.pdf)
Almighty Father, the giver of life and health, look mercifully on those who suffer from Leprosy:
stretch out your hand to touch and heal them as Jesus did during his Earthly life;
grant wisdom and insight to those who are seeking the prevention and cure of the disease;
give skill and sympathy to those who minister to the patients;
reunite the separated with their families and friends;
and inspire your people with the task set before The Leprosy Mission, that it may never lack either the staff not the means to carry on its healing work,
in accordance with your will, and to the glory of your name.
We ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.
(https://www.leprosymission.org.au/world-leprosy-sunday)
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.