Prayer of Praise: – 

We have placed our faith in you God, Creator of the World and of all people.  We have placed our faith in you, Jesus Christ, incarnate among us, who died and rose again.  We have placed our faith in you, living and moving Holy Spirit, present with us to guide, to strengthen, and to comfort.

  Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, you come to us in your mercy.  By your cross and your life laid down, you set your people free.  When they were about to perish, you saved your Disciples.  In the greatness of your mercy, you loosened us from the chains of our sins.  You make yourself known as our Saviour and mighty Deliverer.  You come now and dwell with us, you hear our prayers and honour your promise to be with us always.  And when you come in your glory, you will make us to be one withyou and to share the life of your Kingdom.

  We rejoice in every sign of God’s Kingdom, in the upholding of Human dignity and community, in every expression of love, justice, and reconciliation, in each act of self-giving on behalf of others, in the abundance of God’s gifts entrusted to all Humanity, so that all may have enough to meet their daily needs.

  God of eternity, Lord of the Ages, we thank you that in times past, when darkness and evil enveloped the Human family, ordinary men and women, from all parts of society, in many Nations, responded to resist aggression, and to defend freedom.

  We thank you for all who gave their lives in the service of their country, for all who suffered in battle, for all who were taken prisoner, for all wounded in body, mind and spirit.

  We thank you for the contribution to this struggle made by men and women who stayed at home, working in factories, in offices and on the land.  Lord, for all who defended the freedoms we so often take for granted, we thank you.

Prayer of Confession 

Ever-loving God, through the pain and agony experienced by your Son on the cross, you bore the brunt of the World’s violence, you wore its insults scorched upon his back; and in his haunting cry of desolation he utters our grief, our anguish, and our loss.  Hear then the cry of your people.

We confess our sins before you, Merciful God, our sins individual and collective, our sins by silence or by action;

  through the violation of Human dignity based on race, class, age, gender, Nation, or faith;

  through the exploitation of people by greed and indifference;

  through the misuse of power in personal, communal, national, and international life;

  through the search for security by military and economic forces that threatens Human existence;

  through the abuse of technology which endangers the Earth and all life upon it.

  Remember, O Lord, the peoples of the world, divided as they are into many Nations and tongues, divided as they are into those with power and those who experience the oppression by the powerful, divided as they are into those who despair of their next meal and those who throw away what they don’t feel like eating.  Forgive our foolish and wasteful ways that disregards the needs and the very presence of others.

  Deliver us from every evil that gets in the way of your saving purpose; and prevents the fulfilment of the promise of peace to your people on Earth.

Deliver us from the prison of hatred against another people or race.  Set us free from the powers of revenge.  Liberate us from bitterness and anger.  Help us to use the freedom defended and won in times past to remove the curse of war and the human greed that causes war, from pride that turns its back on you, and from unbelief that will not call you Lord. 

Deliver us from national vanity that poses as patriotism, from loud-mouthed boasting and blind self-worship that admits not guilt, from self-righteousness that will not compromise, and from selfishness that gains from the oppression of others.

Deliver us from the lust of money or power that drives people to kill, from trusting in the weapons of war and mistrusting the councils of peace, from hearing and believing false and misleading propaganda, and speaking lies about other Nations, from groundless suspicions and fears that stand in the way of reconciliation.

Deliver us from words and deeds that encourage discord, prejudice, and hatred, from everything that prevents the Human family from fulfilling your promise of peace.  God our Father we pray for all your children on Earth, of every Nation and of every race, that they may be strong to do your will.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from 2 Corinthians 5: 19) 

God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.  By his wounds we have been healed and made whole.  Hear and live Christ’s word of grace; your sins are forgiven.

Prayers for Others

God of peace, of truth and of justice, we hold before you those whose memory we cherish, and those whose names we will never know; those who have died in the service of their country or who have died in the violence of war.

We pray for those who love them in death as in life, for relief from the distress of their grief and the sadness of their loss.

We pray for civilian women, children and men whose lives are disfigured by war or terror, all who have suffered from the effects of war.  Grant them your peace and healing strength.  Please ease their troubled minds and souls.

May they see in you the peace that has been taken from their lives.  May they see in you the comfort and compassion that has been ripped from their lives.

We pray for all members of the armed forces who are in danger this day as they work to bring peace and stability to troubled regions, as they work to ensure a brighter future for those who lives have been disrupted by violence and hatred. 

May they find protection and strength in you as they fulfil the task they have been called upon to do.

We pray for all Defence Force chaplains offering support, encouragement, acceptance, compassion and understanding wherever and whenever it is needed. 

We pray that the ministry they offer will mediate God’s love and grace, that they will be a calm and encouraging presence in situations of crisis, turmoil and fear.

We pray for those who bear the burden and privilege of leadership, political, military and religious;

that they be granted the gift of wisdom to make decision to bring about your will, that they will search for dialogue and discussion before the call to arms, and that they have the resolve to achieve for reconciliation and peace.

Help us to lift our eyes above the torment of this broken world, and grant us the grace to pray for those who wish us harm. 

As we honour the past, may we put our faith in your future; for you are the source of life and hope, now and for ever.

We commit ourselves individually and as a community to the way of Christ; to take up the cross; to seek abundant life for all humanity; to struggle for peace with justice and freedom; to risk ourselves in faith, hope, and love, praying that God’s kingdom may come. 

Loving Father, have mercy on our broken and divided world.  Give your Spirit of peace to all people and remove from them the spirit that makes for war, that all may live as members of your family.

  Lord, we offer ourselves to you and ask that you will enable us to care for each other as you cared for the world.  Lord, hear our prayer in Jesus’ name.

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.