Prayers for the week commencing Sunday 12th June 2022

Prayer of Thanksgiving & Confession: –

Take out a pretzel for this prayer.

(If you don’t have pretzels, other food that has 3 parts would work, or just imagine what a pretzel is like.)

Let us pray:

(Hold the pretzel in one hand and notice how it is all one but also has three parts.)

Lord, we know that you come to us as three parts of the one being. However, this just explains you in part. You are so much bigger and far more than we could ever imagine. Thank you, Lord, that you committed to giving all of yourself to us by giving your only son so that we might live, and then leaving us with the Holy Spirit to continue to reveal yourself to us. Thank you, Lord, that you are with us in all that happens to us in our lives, the high and the low points, and everything in between.

(Notice how the pretzel is like two hands praying.)

Thank you, God, that Jesus is always praying for us and that the Holy Spirit helps us to pray to you. Help us to remember that we can come to you anytime in prayer about anything. No issue is too big for you and no issue is too small for you to care.

(Feel the pretzel. It is hard and shiny & real!)

God, you are very real to us, and we thank you for our presence in our lives. Lord, as we continue to seek you, we will find you and see you working in our lives.

Lord, as we eat the pretzel, we thank you that you live in us and work in our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. Lord, as food nourishes our bodies, you nourish our souls and give us strength to face, whatever this coming week will bring.

We thank you for your presence in our lives, however you come to us.

We pray these things in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

(Enjoy eating your pretzel now.)

Let’s continue our time of pray as we come before God in confession:

When we play god,

pretending we know best for ourselves

and those around us,

and seeking to control what is uncontrollable,

we reveal our idolatry.

Forgive us and help us, O God.

When we act like martyrs,

hiding our selfishness and brokenness

behind a mask of self-sacrifice

and self-righteousness,

we reveal our lovelessness.

Forgive us and help us, O Christ.

When we fail to be the people we long to be,

repeating the same mistakes,

forgetting the same lessons,

losing heart and running out of energy and inspiration,

we reveal our weakness.

Forgive us and help us, O Spirit.

Triune God, we need you to come to us again,

as Creator,

as Saviour,

as Counsellor.

Thank you that our forgiveness, healing and growth,

lies not in how hard we work,

but in how gracious you are.

And so, we pray, with all that we are:

Forgive us and help us,

For the sake of your Kingdom.

Amen.

Prayers of the People

Let us come before God with our cares and our concerns.

Almighty God, we pray for the Church, that we may experience the length, breadth, and depth of your love that has been poured out into our hearts so that we may be transformed and fully live as your children.

We pray for a deeper appreciation of the gift of nature, that we may see in the heavens, on the Earth, and in the sea your handiwork and delight in your gifts to us.

We pray for a greater desire for truth, that we continually seek the truth so that we may see you in all things and be aware that we are always in your presence.

We pray for a deepening of virtue in our lives, that we grow in patience, endurance, fortitude, and hope and thus manifest your life in us.

We pray for all who need change and renewal, that your generous love will help those trapped by crime to seek a new way, those who hold others in servitude to free them, and help those who have abused others to change their behaviour.

We pray for renewal of our relationships, that the life and love of the Trinity will inspire us as we and grow in our relationships and learn to share our lives and enrich the lives of those to whom we are committed more fully.

We pray for all who participate in a faith community, that you will inspire them to work for the common good, encourage and accept one another, and make room for the gifts of one another.

We pray for all who are facing their addiction, that your healing Spirit will free them, open them to new sources of strength, and restore their lives.

We pray for healing, that you will bring an end to the Covid pandemic, bring healing to all who are ill, and give strength to all who are caring for them.

We pray for mercy on those whose lives are crippled by strain leading to anxiety in themselves or hostility towards others. Release their tension, give them inward peace, and

restore them to wholeness.

We pray for all who have been kidnapped, particularly missionaries: that you will preserve them from harm and open a pathway for them to return to their communities.

We pray for leaders of religion, government, and communities, that the Spirit will inspire them with ways to resolve the issues of injustice, firearms, and immigration so that all may live in peace and safety. May truth and consideration for the welfare of others be the stability of our times, and that their deepest trust be not in human institutions but in your rule and grace.

We pray for all living in violent situations, that you will protect all who are in danger, renew their hope and courage, and strengthen their ties to each other.

We pray for the gift of peace, that you will bring an end to the violence, give leaders a new understanding of the dignity of each life, and deepen the desire for peace in their hearts.

(Raymond Chapman in Leading Intercession p27, David Hostetter in Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year C p118 & 119)

We pray for the peoples of Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Eswatini.

We thank youfor the rich biodiversity of plants and animals and of mineral resources in this region, for the faithful witness of churches throughout the world during apartheid and how people of different races and lifestyles have come together since then, for the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and others to bring healing from the atrocities committed, and for how South Africa has made antiretroviral drugs accessible to all with HIV and AIDS.

We pray for protection of resources for the good of all rather than their exploitation for economic gain, for more democratic and transparent governance in these countries, at all levels, for effectively countering violence within families, violence in the wider society and other crime, and for adequate resources and changed attitudes for welcoming refugees in these countries.

We pray for quality leadership of churches, which do not compromise with traditional belief systems and customs, witchcraft or ancestor worship, which dilute the Gospel message. We pray for unity between denominations, so that there is a shared vision for church planting and growth. We pray for effective ministries with youth so that they will avoid substance abuse and immorality and return to church worship and fellowship.

Responsive prayer on poverty

Loving God,
we believe you are the God of the poor
and that poverty includes being hungry, unemployed and orphaned,
living on a pension or grant,
meagre earnings for arduous and hazardous work,
ill health, anxiety and stress and the absence of power,
worsened for women by unequal gender relations.
Loving God,
we hold up to you all those living in poverty.
We believe that God wants all people to live a dignified life
and engage in meaningful work,
that workers should receive fair wages,
and that those who possess more resources and skills
must share them in neighbourly love with those who have less.
Loving God,
open our eyes to the deep needs of those who are poor.

We believe that the challenge of fighting poverty
does not lie solely with governments,
but that faith-based organisations are ideally positioned to address it,
with their human and financial resources.
Loving God,
challenge us to see ways in which we can work against poverty.

We renew our commitment to be in solidarity with the poor
and to work against any form of injustice.
We commit ourselves to put our faith into action
and to demonstrate our faith in practical ways,
so that together we can overcome the scourge of poverty.
Loving God,
in your mercy, hear our prayer and strengthen us in our commitment

(Based on extracts from statements on poverty by Diakonia’s member churches.

Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)

We pray for the work of Uniting World as they partner with the Methodist Church of Sri Lanka and their agency, DeafLink, as they week to work with people with disabilities, who are some of the most vulnerable people in Sri Lanka, often excluded from society, lack access to services and find it difficult to secure employment.

We pray for the schemes, primarily in the North and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka, to provide occupational training to women with disabilities and provide access to education for children with disabilities, enabling them, through work and study, to be accepted, equal and valued members of society.

We pray for their work with their partner, the Bali Protestant Church (GKPB) through their agency, Maha Bhoga Marga Foundation (MBM), to advocate for the rights of women and the poor to participate in village decision-making processes, to provide women and poor families with vocational skills training so they can generate an income through activities such as basket weaving and raising livestock, and to support rural communities with health and hygiene services and education.

We pray for their work with their partner, the Church of North India – Diocese of Eastern Himalayas, in building small schools in a remote mountain village, subsidising teachers’ salaries, supporting schools to provide affordable education to families, to train teachers and to pursue government accreditation, and with the provision of food and hygiene kits to school students.

(https://unitingworld.org.au/projects/ )

We thank you for the leaders of Religious Instruction classes at Bald Hills State School, and ask that they will be encouraged to continue with their efforts. May your Spirit be inspiring the children in the classes to search for a deeper understanding of the part that you can play in their lives.

We pray for the Chaplain at Bald hills State School, Kylie, that you will encourage and guide her as she seeks to meet the needs of children, parents and staff at the school.

We pray for the Deception Bay Congregation, for your guidance and insight into their call for a new Minister of the word.

We pray for encouragement for Jillian as she continues her work with the Church Council and the people of the Congregation to clarify our vision and mission goals as your people in the Bald Hills area. We pray for your blessing on the deliberations of those on Church Council as they consider how the Congregation is to move forward in the future.

We pray for those who we have not seen for some time. 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.

Loving God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your compassion and care.

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.