Prayers for the week commencing Sunday 16th October 2022

Prayer of approach

God, source of life and strength,
we approach you with longing hearts and addled minds.

May you lift our faces to see you,
even when the world is puzzling and unclear.
Help us to know you better;
and draw close to us today.

Lord, you are our keeper,
the one who watches over us,
you are always present,
ever loving, ever faithful.

You are creator and redeemer.
We praise you
for your kindness and justice,
and for all that you are.

Lord, as we meet to worship and to bring our prayers.
Teach us to be patient as we wait for your response.We know that you hear all our prayers,
however they are made and whoever we are.
Give us faith to trust your awesome love and care for us.
Amen

Prayer for Forgiveness

Prayer for forgiveness

Lord, forgive us when we have closed our eyes
to the things that matter,
when we have prioritised the trivial surface matters
over urgent needs and deep-seated injustice.
Forgive us when we have chosen to look away
from those who need us the most.
Forgive us when we have stretched ourselves so thin
that we do not have time and energy
for that which you call us to do and to be.
Forgive us and restore us, we pray.
Give us what we need to live, love and pray persistently,
in the power and counsel of your Spirit. Amen.

And knowing and trusting in God’s forgiveness we can thankfully pray

Loving God,
we know you hear us.
You not only hear us,
you accept us as your children,
surrounding us with grace and forgiveness.
Thank you for your unconditional love.
Amen.

Prayers of the people

Loving God, knowing your love for all of Humanity, especially your compassion for the needy, we come to you with our cares and our concerns.

We pray for the Church, that we may be persistent in prayer and attentive to your invitation to greater discipleship.

We pray for fidelity, that you will sustain us as we encounter challenges and keep us faithful to the virtues of the Gospel in our decisions and actions.

We pray for the Synod and Presbyteries, that the Spirit will guide their conversations and inspire them with insights that will promote the wellbeing of the people and the growth of their faith.

We pray for a greater love of the Scriptures, that our hearts may desire to hear and learn your Word and be open to the insights it offers.

We pray for all who have no voice or standing in society, that we may be aware of all who are forgotten and passed by, and raise their needs and aspirations before others.

We pray for all judges and lawyers, that you will guide their work so that justice may be served and the injured assisted.

We pray for all who support us in our journey of faith, for family, friends, and fellow believers, that you will renew and strengthen each of us so that your work may be more evident in the World.

We pray for all who proclaim the Word, that your Spirit will guide them in offering convincing and encouraging insights so that all may come to know and love you more deeply.

We pray for all who are growing weary in seeking justice and for all who are working to assist them, that the Holy Spirit will give them strength and help them to persevere.

We pray for all who are caught in desperate situations, for refugees seeking a new life and new opportunities, and for those struggling with addictions, that you will hear their cries, bring them to freedom and help them begin a new life.

We pray for all who feel so crushed by life that they despair, that they may sense your nearness and love and find someone with whom to share their pain.

We pray for all who are recovering from natural disasters, that you will strengthen them, renew their spirits and guide them in restoring their lives and livelihoods.

We pray for members of our Governments, that you will guide their search for the truth and give them wisdom to recognize it. May their words and actions bring honour to you and display respect for others.

We pray for peace, that you will turn the hearts of World leaders from violence and help them to take bold steps to promote peace and provide for the safety of the innocent.

Grant to all of us who have known your forgiveness a forgiving disposition that we may speak to others with compassion and bring to those who are weary consolation and encouragement.

May our manner of life day by day commend Christ to those with whom we interact.

Please bring healing and relief to those who are ill or who are anxious for the welfare of family or friend. Grant encouragement to the depressed and sorrowful, courage to the fearful and peace of mind to the overwrought.

(David Hostetter in Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year C P186 & 187)

We pray for the peoples of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico.

We are thankful for the distinctive cultures, for indigenous and other groups who have resisted injustice and human rights violations, for church leaders who have spoken out and acted on behalf of the poor and marginalized, and for developments that improve life for all, while also caring for the environment.

We pray for stable, democratically elected governments committed to the peace and wellbeing of all, for comfort and healing for the families and loved ones of those who have been killed or disappeared, and that those responsible will be brought to justice, for stopping corruption, drug traffic, and violence, and those who profit from such activities, and for improved economic life and trade policies so that people will not be exploited and can pursue livelihoods in these countries rather than migrating elsewhere for work.

Prayers

Statement of faith

We believe in God, the creator of oases and springs of water in the midst of deserts, who provides resting places of blessing for all God’s creatures and in whose hands we are protected from all evil.

We believe in Jesus Christ, source of life, living water, who satisfies the thirst of those who thirst for peace, who gives strength to the weary and purpose to those who have lost their way in life.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the balm of consolation, companion on the way, who gives strength when we are about to faint and inspires us to continue on the way.

In consideration of what God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, has done this day and throughout our lives, we commit ourselves, as persons whom the grace of God has changed, to accompany others who are at moments of desert in their lives, in situations of pain and times of sadness.
(Red Crearte Workshop, Mexico 2014)

Seed of life

Lord, in this world
you have sown the seeds of life
in the hearts of our daughters and sons,
seeds which are growing slowly and quietly,
seeds whose fruit is the strengthening of hope.
But weed seeds have also been sown.
Their fruit is sadness, sorrow and death.
They try to suffocate all efforts to build a different world.
We draw closer to you in prayer
so we can perceive these situations
which discourage and confuse, causing dejection.
Equip us to uncover and denounce evil
without hurting the lives of those sowing love and justice.
Fortify the weak stalks
so that hope and patience flower in us,
to follow you without ever halting our sowing.

Morning prayer for peace

God of life,
in the early light of this new day
I want to treasure the opportunity you give me
to wake up enveloped in your peace.
I know that today I will face many different situations.
The world, unfortunately, has not changed much
since last night, which you prepared for me to rest.
But knowing that your peace accompanies life encourages me.

Son of Peace,
today, make of me an announcer of your peace,
which breaks down hatred, egotism, abuse, lies, intolerance,
which ends the conflicts between peoples,
families and persons,
which reconciles all human beings with God,
with themselves, and with all who surround them,
making them new women and men.

Spirit of Unity,
gather in this humble prayer
the prayers from all your people in the world,
that your peace, your justice and your mercy enfold us
and enable us to live as one,
the new humanity of peace.

Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)

We pray for renewed life in the churches of Belize, to address the issue of nominal faith. We pray Spanish speaking immigrants with their superstitions and superficiality, the Mayan with their underlying paganism, and those descended from African slaves with their black magic.

We pray for the successful completion of translation projects in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, that through access to Scripture in local languages, the Church is able to effectively communicate the Gospel with indigenous peoples.

We pray for the effectiveness of the training received by Church leaders in these countries, that they will be equipped to lead the Church to face the issues that have arisen from decades of oppression and corruption, and from centuries of injustice and poverty.

(Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandryk in Operation World)

We pray for Ian, that you will bless the time that he is spending teaching RI, so that the message of your love and grace is being presented to the children.

We pray for Kylie Conomos, that you will encourage and guide her as she seeks to be a source of comfort and support for the children, parents and staff at Bald Hills State School. Help her to be a light to guide others to your love and grace for them.

We pray for those who have been unable to worship in person with us, that they may know your support and comfort for them each day. We ask that you keep them in good health and good spirits.

Eternal God, you know our problems, and have promised that you will help us to solve them. You know what we lack, and have promised to meet our needs. Help us to depend upon you day by day and to call upon you when life gets hard. Loving God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your compassion and care. To your glory we pray.

Lord’s prayer

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us in the time of trial

And deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen