Prayer of Approach

Loving God, as we come to worship you,
forgive us as we forgive one another;
stir in us that flow of love from brother to sister,
sister to brother, and back again.
Help us to nurture it in one another,
God of all, we come to offer you the best of ourselves:
to take hold of mercy and let go of fear,
to take hold of generosity and to let go of resentment,
to take hold of forgiveness and to let go of sin,
to take hold of gratitude and to let go of grudge,
to take hold of all your very self,
in Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Incredible God, forgive us we pray when we are reluctant to let
go of the things that have been done to us that hurt. Help us to
understand more fully what it is to forgive,
and heal us.

Forgive us when we justify our own mistakes but are harsh in
our judgements of others. Help us to understand them better
from the way that you treat us. Help us to understand more fully
what it is to forgive,
and heal us.

Forgive us when we could offer forgiveness but withhold it.
Help us to understand more fully what it is to forgive.

Forgive us, heal us and help us grow into the likeness of your Son
Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray.
Amen.

 Assurance of Forgiveness

Gracious God,
there are debts to you and to others that we cannot pay.
There are mistakes that we cannot undo.
There are words that we cannot unsay.
But because you forgive us, we can take another step,
face another day with confidence,
and rejoice at your love for us and for all creation.
Amen.

Intercessory Prayer for Others
God of all hope and love,
we stand under your forgiveness and praise you,
we are bowled over by your generosity and praise you,
we are in awe of your mercy and praise you,
we are reassured by your understanding and praise you,
we are confident of your faithfulness and praise you,
we are the people we are and the people we can become
because of you – and we praise you.
For all your blessings, for all your patience, for all your love,
we praise you in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

Jesus’ parables inspire us to pray for those who forgive us,
for big things and small…
for those who do not forgive, no matter what…
for those who do not know how to forgive…
for those who do not want to forgive…
for those who have not been forgiven.
God of forgiveness, for them all, we pray.

Lord God, we pray for our world and its people.
So many different cultures, colours, languages
– but we are all your children, all special in our own right.
Whatever our gender, race, colour or creed, we all belong to you.
We all need your love.
We pray that we might learn to live in harmony with each other,
to recognise that even someone halfway around the world is still
our neighbour in your sight. Far or near, we all belong to you.
We all need your love.

With today’s technology we have access to news from afar,
almost before it happens. Help us not to become blasé about
the situations we see, but to pray and care faithfully for all concerned.
In war or peace, we all belong to you.
We all need your love.
We pray for those near and dear to us: protect them, wrap them
in your loving arms, and in sorrow and in joy, be with them.
Near or far, we all belong to you.
We all need your love.
Amen.

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