Prayer of Praise

(from Invocations and Benedictions pp158, 160 & 161) 

  Praise to you, Almighty God, for you raised up you son, our Saviour, from the dead and gave him glory, giving us faith and hope in you.

  Praise be to you, O Christ, for by your glorious resurrection you brought life and light to a waiting and wanting World.

  Praise to you, Holy Spirit, for you insert the love of Christ into the hearts and minds of people, and make us rejoice in the certainty of sins forgiven and of a restored relationship with God.

  Praise to you, Almighty God, for by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you have opened our eyes to see the magnitude of your love and grace, you have opened for us the gate to eternal life.

  By the power of your Spirit, make us into the likeness of your son, in loving compassion, in humble service and in obedient lives, delighting in your presence with us.  To your glory and honour, Amen.

Prayer of Confession

  Merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you and against our neighbour.  You love us but we have not loved you with the whole of our heart and soul and mind and strength.

  You call to us, but we have not listened.  You show us the way to light and life, but we prefer to walk in darkness.

  We confess to blindness that is not even aware of sinning,

of pride that dares not admit that it is wrong,

of selfishness that can see nothing but its own will,

of righteousness that knows no fault,

of callousness that has ceased to care,

of defiance that does not regret its own sins,

of evasion that always tries to make excuses,

of a coldness of heart that hesitates to repent.

  Please help us to face up to ourselves.

  Merciful God, forgive our sins, cleanse us and renew us, that from now onwards, we may serve you in newness and peace of life, to your glory and honour, amen.

Assurance of forgiveness 

(from 2 Corinthians 5: 18 to 21) 

The Apostle Paul reminds the Church in Corinth that God took the initiative, and reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ.  He who was without sin was made to be sin for us, so that we might become righteous in him.  Let us rest on this assurance, trusting that God has heard our prayer and has acted by forgiving our sins and cleansing us in his sight.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer for forgiveness

  We pray, O God, for forgiveness when we have lived as if Christ were not alive, when we

shared our faith in timid tones rather than in robust and victorious voices.  Give us clean, obedient hearts that we may follow you as long as we live.  Instil in us a sure and firm trust in you, so that we may be immovable in our faith, and be assured that you do not promise anything that you cannot accomplish. Amen

  (from Invocations and Benedictions p160 and Amish Prayers p132 & 133)

Prayers for Others

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

  We pray for the leaders of nations and for the leadership of different races and peoples, that they will stop following the false gods of this age, the gods of power, of prestige, of finance, of ideology, of class and status, of culture, and of pragmatism, and that you will open their hearts and minds to the truth of the resurrection of your son, Jesus, and the implications of this in terms of your will for us to live in a right relationship with you and with our neighbours far and close, and of seeking to be guided by what is pure and good and just and kind.

  As you had bridged the divide between yourself and Humanity 2000 years ago, we pray that, in like manner, your will inspire And equip people to bridge the divisions and the differences within our families, within our neighbourhoods, within our cities and our regions, and between nations.  We pray for true repentance for wrongs committed and true forgiveness for wrongs experienced.

  We pray for your comfort and reassurance for those who are distressed because of illness or injury, for those who Are troubled in mind and spirit, for those who suffer through discrimination, or oppression or unfair work practices, for those who experience physical or emotional abuse, for those who have suffered loss and experienced hardship as a result of natural disasters and economic or political or social upheavals.

  We pray that you will guide your Church to be a clear and simple witness to the truth of your Word, the Bible, and to the sure promise of sins forgiven and forgotten.  We pray that the Church will move beyond the comfort of the four walls of its buildings to the challenge of conversing with those who have never ventured into a church.  We pray for an end to divisions within the church family, and for a real endeavour to forge constructive pathways for reconciliation and cooperation I mission and ministry and caring for the needy.

  (from Raymond Chapman in Leading Intercessions pp20 & 21, and David Hostetter in Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year C p88) 

‘An Easter Prayer for Peace’

by Helen Steiner Rice

Our Father, up in Heaven, hear this Easter prayer,

May the peoples of all Nations be united in your care,

For Earth’s peace and our salvation can come only by your grace

And not through bombs and missiles and our quest for Outer space.

For until all people recognise that the battle is the Lord’s

And peace on Earth cannot be won with strategy and swords,

We will go on vainly fighting, as we have in ages past,

Finding only empty victories and a peace that cannot last.

But we’ve grown so rich and mighty and so arrogantly strong,

We no longer ask in humbleness, “God, show us where we’re wrong?”

We have come to trust completely in the power of man-made things,

Unmindful of God’s mighty power and that He is ‘King of kings’.

We have turned our eyes from Him to go our selfish way,

And money, power and pleasure are the gods we serve today.

And the good green Earth God gave us to peacefully enjoy,

Through greed and fear and hatred we are seeking to destroy.

Oh Father, up in /heaven, stir and wake our sleeping souls,

Renew our faith and lift us up and give us higher goals,

And grant us Heavenly guidance as Easter comes again,

For, more than guided missiles, all the World needs guided men.

  (from Loving Thoughts from Helen Steiner Rice pp66 & 67) 

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.