PRAYER OF APPROACH, AND THE LORD”S PRAYER:

Awesome LORD of all that is,

we come with astonishment in your presence

because of the new and marvelous things

we continue to discover

about you and your creation…

Truly, to echo the Psalmist,

everything is wonderfully made! (Ps 139:14)

Our greatest wonder is reserved

for your faithful loyalty to what you have created

and humanity within that!

We praise you for the depth of your care displayed

in the one who became one of us,

Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah…

Accept our focus and this offer of time

as we seek from you

that which nurtures our well-being,

a well-being which contains seeds of your Kingdom,

therefore we pray as our Lord taught us to pray:

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

PRAYER OF CONFESSION:

Holy and merciful God,

we come in your presence acknowledging our reluctance

to listen intentionally to those with whom we share faith and life

for a word from you…

Lord have mercy  LORD HAVE MERCY

Holy and merciful God,

we come in your presence acknowledging our reluctance

to value the shared witness to Jesus at work within and amongst us

Christ have mercy CHRIST HAVE MERCY

Holy and merciful God,

we come in your presence acknowledging our reluctance

to look for signs of your Spirit at work within and beyond us

Spirit have mercy SPIRIT HAVE MERCY

Declaration of Reconciliation

The Good News from God about God

is simply this… be reconciled to God…

accept the invitation in the knowledge

that because of, and in Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah,

all is forgiven us…

so we say with joy in our hearts THANKS BE TO GOD

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE – (PRAYERS FOR OTHERS)

Gracious God,

as we continue to deal with the consequences

of our careless abuse of your creation and its other creatures,

including climate change and the global pandemic,

   we pray for all people adversely affected

by Government restrictions on economic activity:

workers without paid work, business owners without customers,

professionals without clients, investors without returns…

as a nation, help us to bear each other’s burden…

Lord hear us LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

   we pray also for those people unseen by most of us:

overseas students, temporary visa workers of whatever category, tourists – who find themselves stranded without any government support,

desperately looking for ways to return home…

as a nation, guide us to acts of compassion…

Lord hear us LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

   we pray for those who cannot even think of returning home

such as asylum seekers,

for whom the little they received from communities,

rather than government,

is under threat as these communities now struggle to survive,

guide us to be the agents through whom the prayer,

‘give us today our daily bread’ is answered…

Lord hear us LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

we pray for those at the front line, medical personnel, super market employees, school teachers, and our law enforcement personnel,

as a people grant us patience and tolerance

in our interactions with these…

Lord hear us LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

we pray for those known to us who struggle

with their personal crisis of health and well being…

we pause to name these before you…

grant them strength and peace grounded in a confidence in you

as the LORD of Whom it is written:

even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is as bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

AMEN