Prayer of Praise  

(from Liturgies Online Year A Easter 2 +Uniting in Worship blue book p218 314 +Aust Pray Bok p210 +Opening Prayers p37 +The Book of Worship p180) 

God our Saviour, we rejoice in our belief that Jesus is the Christ, your Son, and that, in believing, we might have life in His name.  We worship you with praise and thanksgiving for that gift of life made possible through his costly death and victorious resurrection.

    You wash away our sins and give us new life in the Spirit, and bring to our awareness the blessings that are ours through fellowship with You.  Day by day you refine our faith, that we, though we have not seen Christ in the flesh, may truly confess him as our Lord and Saviour.  You are the source of all joy and peace that the World cannot either give nor take away.  Please fill our hearts with trust in you, that, by night and by day, at all times and in all seasons, we may commit all that we have and hope to be to your never failing love.

    O most merciful Redeemer, may we know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day.  Amen.

Prayer of Confession 

(from Leading Intercessions p21   Uniting in Worship blue book p215 # 8 + 2 Peter 1: 5 to 7 adapted) 

Merciful God, you have clearly shown to us evidence of your grace through the events of the first Easter, yet often we create barriers that close our hearts against your love.

We repent of our sins.

The reality of your love and mercy are clearly shown in the changes in people’s lives and character, yet often we feel constrained by our doubts and fears.

We repent of our sins.

You never promised us a smooth path in life only that you will be never cease to walk with us, yet our trust in you waivers as soon as we start to face trials and hurdles in our life.

We repent of our sins.

Through our faith you have given to us goodness, endurance and self-control, yet often the skip in our step turns to a dragging of our feet, and we are easily swayed by desires and temptations.

We repent of our sins.

Through Jesus you have demonstrated the need for Godliness in our lives and an affection for others, yet often we fall back on old habits and turn our eyes away from those in need or those who cry out for comfort.

We repent of our sins.

Your divine power has given us everything we need to live a truly religious life, yet often we become so short-sighted that we cannot see and have forgotten that we have been purified.

Have mercy upon us, O God, and forgive our sins.  Grant us a mind to meditate on you, eyes to behold you, ears to listen to your word, a heart to love you, and a life to proclaim you, through the power of Jesus Christ our lord.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from 2 Peter 1: 1b) 

The Apostle Peter reminds us that because of the faithfulness of our Saviour Jesus Christ, we have been given mercy and grace from Almighty God, and so, we can be confident that if we confess our sins, we can trust that God has heard our prayer, that God has forgiven us, and that God has welcomed us as His friends.

Thanks be to God.

Prayers for Others

Loving 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.

May all peoples have reverence for you and obedience to your commands and laws.

Remove from National leaders the worship of wealth, the striving for power and prestige, and the dependence upon brute force to achieve their desires.

Cleanse our political and business leaders from corruption, factional fighting, and hostile and denigratory words and actions.

Give to them the vision of the worth of working together to remove need and want, and to build opportunities for individuals and communities.

Grant to all who suffer the awareness of your care and compassion.

Heal the hurt and broken bodies, give peace to troubled minds, and restore hope to grieved and anxious spirits.

Heal the wounds of differences among families, and between friends and neighbours.

By the offering and acceptance of pardon where there has been wrong, may we know together the fullness of life that you have brought about through the Easter events.

Move the consciences of the wealthy and the satisfied to alleviate the needs of the suffering and the destitute

Motivate those who have the capacity to give of what they have, so that enough effort and material aid are provided so that there are none who suffer in your World were no-one should want of anything, where there is the capacity to provide for the needs of each individual on Earth.

Inspire your Church to proclaim to all peoples the reality of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

  Break through the barriers that close Human hearts to the message of your love and grace.  Give confidence to those who are constrained by doubt and fear, so that they respond to the words of hope and renewal.

(from Raymond Chapman in Leading Intercessions p20 & 21, David Hostetter in Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year A p85 & 94)

We pray for the Church, that we may offer an uncompromising witness to Christ by being united in mind and spirit as we worship, study and serve the needs of others.

We pray for a spirit of reverence, that as we break the bread and share the cup, we may recognize more fully the Risen Lord in our midst.

We pray for all Christians, that we who have received the Spirit, may generously participate in the mission which Christ entrusted to the Church.

We pray for Christian unity, that by devoting ourselves to listening to the Scriptures and growing in prayer, we may promote greater unity and cooperation in the Body of Christ.

We pray for all who struggle with faith, that your Word may open them to a relationship with you and enlighten their path to fuller life.

We pray for the grace to forgive, that flowing from your forgiveness of us, we may forgive those who have harmed or wronged us.

We pray for all who are bound by sinfulness, that you may break their bonds and open a new path of life that reveals love, kindness and mercy to them.

We pray for all who all who are ill, particularly those with Covid-19, that you will bring an end to the coronavirus and give hope, healing, and new life to those who are sick.

We pray that you will inspire and give insight to all who are caring for the sick, developing treatments, or researching vaccines.

We pray for greater appreciation of Creation, that as we experience the creator of all that exists, we may treat all of creation with a greater reverence as God’s gift to us.

We pray that Christ’s gift of peace may settle in the hearts of all the Human family and guide us away from violence and revenge.

Copyright © 2020. Joe Milner. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.  https://liturgy.slu.edu/2EasterA041623/ideas_other.html

  We pray for the peoples of Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania.

We give thanks for the blending of Christian traditions and practices, from the West and East, for the faithful witness of churches amid political changes, for those working for more democratic governance in these countries, and for those who welcome newcomers and provide for them and others in need.

We pray for better relationships among different ethnic groups and traditions, for respect for the rights of children, women, the young and the elderly, so they can receive adequate education, jobs and health care, for economic developments that serve all people, and for ending practices that harm the air, soil and forests, and installing instead measures to protect the environment.

Prayers

Grant us the gift of unity

O, Lord, who give unto each nation its place and time and mission: grant us the
gift of unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, that the ancient church, and all
Christians of this land, each loyal to their confession, culture and nationality,
may discover new forms of common Christian witness, and stand before the
divided world as a united and humble fellowship.
O Lord, who commanded your disciples to pray both for their neighbours and
their enemies: give us such love for one another, that with one voice and one
heart we may glorify your name, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

(Dr Ion Bria, Romanian Orthodox Church. WAGP p. 161)

God,
who comes into our life with your light and says: ’this should not be’; who did not spare even your most precious treasure to change the stifling order of the world into a life-giving freedom! Give us your Spirit, so that we are able to rise against the apathy, oppression and selfishness in us and in the world! In Jesus Christ we pray:
Lord, hear our prayer!

God,
who came into this world as a stranger to redeem us; who was taken in by the Egyptians, when you had to flee from your home in the times of the Herod’s persecution! Give us your Spirit, so that we may act like your followers when we encounter immigrants! In Jesus Christ we pray:
Lord, hear our prayer!

God,
we give you thanks for families and for the togetherness and support of the family! Give us your Spirit, so that we are able to follow Christ when we see our family not as the egoistic source of our own pride and power, but the solid grounding which enables us to be open towards the unknown and support our fellow-creatures. In Jesus Christ we pray:
Lord, hear our prayer!

Jesus Christ,
who entrusted your Church to the apostles -to Peter and Paul, and to John, James, Mary Magdalene and even to Thomas… Give us your Spirit, so that we may spread the Gospel in the world in a multi-coloured unity! We pray for all church leaders, that they might draw strength from the story of the cross; that they could say the words of hope, justice and mercy without hesitation! In Jesus Christ we pray:
Lord, hear our prayer!
Amen.

(29th of August, 2015, on the ordination of the author, Áron Bence, pastor of Alberti Lutheran Congregation, Hungary)

Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)

We pray for The Leprosy Mission Trust India (TLMTI) as it attends to hundreds and thousands of patients every year, trains thousands of youths in different trades, conducts rigorous research on clinical, social, and other aspects of leprosy, and provides training on leprosy.  May it stay true to its motto, promoting the healing, inclusion and dignity of people affected by leprosy, other Tropical Diseases and disabilities.  Please support TLMTI as it invests in generating sustainable livelihoods and empowering underserved communities, especially the ones affected by leprosy.  With your guidance, may TLMTI continue to be able to hold the hands of people affected by leprosy during their ailing and uncertain times, not just with treatment, but also with different interventions that make them financially independent and socially acceptable.

We pray for travel mercies for the various Audit & Risk Management teams as they endeavour to visit various units to conduct audits in the next six months.  Please protect them from Covid and safety from all dangers, and that they remain in good health.

The Leprosy Mission Prayer Diary 2023.pdf

We pray for those who will recommence 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 starts a new school term, and 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.

May your Word give nourishment to the roots of our faith so that in our words and actions we can give nourishment to those in the Community in which we live and move.

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.