Prayer of Praise    

Holy God, we come to declare that You are our Creator.
Holy God, we come to proclaim Your greatness.

We glorify you, O Lord, creator of heaven and earth, for you have set the
lights in the vault of the sky. You separated light from darkness and arranged signs to mark sacred times, and days and years. You studded the firmament with stars. How majestic are your works, the heavens declare your glory and the skies proclaim the work of your hands!

We acknowledge You as the Almighty,
we acknowledge all with which You have blessed us,
we acknowledge that You care for each one of us,
we acknowledge that You are our strength when we feel weak,
we acknowledge that You know us all individually,
and You created us uniquely and perfectly.
We acknowledge that, although You know us inside and out,
You still love us eternally.

That love was shown so powerfully by sending us Your son Jesus.
Jesus, we thank You for all that you mean to us and all that you have done for us.

We praise you for you did not abandon us despite our rebellion but sent
your Son to brighten our darkness and be our light and our salvation. In him was life, and that life was the light of all humanity. And the light shines in the darkness.

We worship you, O Lord, for you accompany us in the chaos of our life
through the power of your Holy Spirit. You light up our paths and give us wisdom and faith in a world of untruth and doubt.

We thank You that You call each of us by name
and that with Your disciples of old,
we too are called to serve You and Your people.

We thank you, O Lord, for you send us into the world to witness to this
light, in our various churches and diverse cultures, and to proclaim the Good News to Jesus, the one true King, offering ourselves to him.

Holy God, we come to lift Your name in the words that we say
and in the songs that we sing to You today.

May all the peoples bow before you and worship you, now and always.  Amen.

(6 February, 5th Sunday After Epiphany | The Church of Scotland)

(23 January, 3rd Sunday after Epiphany | The Church of Scotland)

Prayer of Confession 

(From Uniting in Worship Book One, p580 & 581, numbers 3 & 4) 

Merciful God, we come before God contrite and confessing our failures.  Almighty God, you love us, but we have not loved you; you call us, but we have not listened.  We walk away from the needs of others, wrapped up in our own concerns.  We declare our desire for justice, yet go along with prejudice and greed.  We claim the name of Jesus Christ, yet have not departed from sin.  We profess to walk in your light, but prefer to walk in darkness. 

  Merciful God, the Psalmist wrote of your overwhelming majesty; Isaiah wrote of your overwhelming love.  We long to experience these in our own lives, but too often we are so overwhelmed by uncertainty about the future, and by feelings of powerlessness in the present, that we fail to hear you speaking to us.  Forgive us for listening to voices that call us worthless and unloved.  Forgive us for when we feel imprisoned by our fears.  Forgive us for our negative feelings about ourselves and others.  Forgive us for when we allow our fears and our worries to stifle your voice of love and to stifle your acts of compassion towards us. 

  Merciful God, we lay before you our words and our actions, our silence and our inaction,

that together mean that we have not loved you with our whole heart, and soul and mind and strength.  We look within ourselves and see times when we have wandered away, we see our weakness and our selfishness, our sloth and our envy. 

  In humbleness we confess our sins to you.  In our humbleness we seek your forgiveness and the restoration of a right relationship with you.  In this we trust in your vast love for us.  To the glory of your holy name we pray.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness

(from 1 Corinthians 15: 4 and 20)  

The Apostle Paul reminded the Church at Corinth that Jesus Christ died for their sins and was raised to life three days later.  This promise of sins forgiven and of reconciliation with God holds true for us, today, as well.  Having confessed our sins before God, let us rest on this assurance with confidence, knowing that God has listened to our prayers and has answered us by removing all traces of our sins and welcoming us into His family.

Thanks be to God.

Prayers for Others

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

Almighty God, we pray for the Church, that the power of Christ’s resurrection may give us vision and perspective for our lives and the courage to live for you each day.

We pray for growth in faith, that we may recognize our need for you in every part of our lives and deepen our trusting reliance upon you who provides all that we need for life and wholeness.

We pray for new sight and insight, that we may not be blinded by comfort or privilege to the struggles and suffering of others.

We pray for discernment, that we may see beyond the false answers of consumerism and prosperity and recognize that we will only find the true fulfillment of our hungers and desires in you.

We pray for all who are persecuted or suffering for their faith, that they may have the strength to bear the burdens of the day and be convincing witnesses of the new life given by you.

We pray for an end to violence and the exploitation of the poor, that you will raise up those who are exploited in slave-like working conditions or caught in human trafficking and heal their wounds, and lead them to a new life.

We pray for all who are grieving, that those who have lost loved ones, their health, employment, or freedom may know your presence, He who wipes away all tears and who brings light into every darkness.

We pray for national leaders, that you will give them wisdom and sober judgement in addressing the issues that challenge society, free them from self-reliance, and inspire them to work for the common good, with respect for all people and with reverence for you.

We pray for all who work in literacy programs, that they may continue their efforts to educate and empower those who are deprived of full participation in our society.

We pray for refugees, that you will lead them to places of safety and help them to build new lives in communities that will welcome their gifts and talents.

We pray for all who are burdened by the power of nature, that you will relieve their suffering, give them courage, and help them find the assistance that they need.

We pray for the protection and renewal of the Earth, that you will inspire and guide us as we strive to be good stewards of the air, land, and water which you have given to us.

We pray for all who are suffering that you will guide the homeless to shelter, the hungry to food, and the abused to places of safety.

We pray for renewal in the Church as we listen to one another and strive to bring forth your reign in our communities.  May we live and worship together in humility, and give ourselves as a living sacrifice to you.

We pray for all who are sick, that you will restore the sick to health, help all to get good sleep, and strengthen all who are for the sick.

We pray that you will come with the healing fire of your love to cleanse all that is not right in our communities.

Copyright © 2022. Joe Milner. All rights reserved.<br> Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.  https://liturgy.slu.edu/  and Raymond Chapman in Leading Intercessions p10, David Hostetter in Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year C p53

We pray for your wisdom upon the national and unit leaders of The Leprosy Mission India, so that the leadership will be good stewards of its resources and talents.  We pray for the implementation of the Country Strategy and the timely achievement of objectives and for organisational sustainability, despite all the prevailing odds.  We pray for the Audit & Risk Management team as they endeavour to move to digital platforms to make the process of auditing more efficient, effective, and meaningful.

(2022 Leprosy Mission Prayer Diary)

We pray for your blessing on the work that Uniting World is undertaking with the Protestant Church in Bali, as it seeks to provide small business training and business loans to farmers as a means to improve livelihood and food security in the community.

We pray for the peoples of Andora, Italy, Malta, Portugal, San Marino, and Spain.  We thank you for the rich historical legacies and distinctive cultures in these countries, the faithful witness of the churches in the midst of empire building and colonization, the many and diverse waves of migrants who have come to these lands, and the hospitality that long has been shown to those arriving on their shores.

We pray for the preservation of the fragile environments and shorelines in this region, an end to economic and political turmoil, stable governments that end corruption and serve the common good, and policies that relieve disparities between those who are rich and poor.

Holy Spirit, set me on fire with your wisdom,
so that I may love only that which is holy.

Holy Spirit, enlighten me with your understanding,
so that I may perceive only that which is holy.

Holy Spirit, kindle in me your counsel,
so that I may see only that which is holy.

Holy Spirit, inflame me with your strength,
so that I may desire only that which is holy.

Holy Spirit, pour out your knowledge upon me,
so that I may do only that which is holy.

Holy Spirit, give me ardent devotion,
so that I may seek only that which is holy.

Holy Spirit, make me blaze in the fear of God
so that I may never again lose that which is holy.
(From the Book of Devotions – Devocionário – of the Franciscan Congregation of Nursing Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, Portugal.)

(https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/prayer-cycle/)

We pray for those who have commenced undertaking a Scripture Union training program for youth ministry and for youth work in the community.  Encourage and equip them as they undertake their studies during the year.

We pray for School Chaplains as they commence another year working with the students, staff and parents of their respective schools.  Energize them to face up to the challenges which each day will bring.

We pray especially for Kylie Conomos in her role as chaplain at Bald Hills State School.  May she have the wisdom to be able to discern the needs of those associated with the school and the graciousness to offer whatever she can do to help.

We pray for the volunteers who will be leading Religious Instruction classes at Bald Hills State.  May they enthuse the children in their classes to seek to learn and understand more about the message of your love and grace for them.  May the Holy spirit work in the hearts and minds of the children so that they will become the fertile ground for the good seed to grow and bear fruit.

We pray for those whom we have not seen in person for some time. Please surround them with your comfort and support, and may they experience your love for them every moment of every day.  May they know of our continuing prayers and hopes for them.

We pray for those of the Chinese Church who meet in our Church building.  In this time of being separate because of the Covid-19 risks, may they retain a closeness to you and to each other.

We pray for the members of the Tongan language service who meet in our Church building.  In this time of being separate because of the Covid-19 risks, may they too retain a closeness to you and to each other.

In the same way, we pray for those members of the Sunday morning English language service.  May we, also, feel close to you and to each other.

We ask that you will continue to guide the Church Council as they work with Moreton Rivers Presbytery to discuss and determine opportunities and options for the future of the Bald Hills Congregation.

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