Prayers for the week commencing Sunday 18th September 2022

Prayer of Praise

(from Prayers for God’s People Year B p110, 117, A year of prayer p80, 156, 160 161)

Almighty God, to you be all praise, for it is you who has brought everything into being. It is you who formed the stars and the planets and set the Universe in its place. It is you who shaped this Earth on which we live and gave it its seasons. It is you who designed the plants and the animals and gave life to them all. Your glory is revealed in all that we see with our eyes and with our microscopes; your incomparable intellect and wisdom is shown in the completeness and the intricacies of all that you have made.

Almighty God, to you be all praise, for you are the one who draws us close. We have no goodness or merit of our own, yet you have joined us to yourself in a living relationship that spans all human differences, and which will survive beyond the grave. We profess that Jesus Christ is your son and our only Saviour. We profess that through him our sins are forgiven, our souls cleansed of all that is ungodly and impure, and that by believing in him we have eternal life. We rejoice in your loving-kindness and grace. We will rejoice always as we recall your mercy so freely and readily and expensively given to us.

Almighty God, to you be all praise, for through you we are bound together as a Church of believers, with bonds that cross race and colour, age and upbringing, culture and class. We thank you for the daily mercies which come our way, for the comforts and blessings of life, for the joy of family and friends, for the love of those with whom we fellowship in the Church. We thank you for the certainty of your love and care, for the certainty that whatever comes our way in life you are there with us, for the certainty that whatever happens you are with us forevermore.

Almighty God, we gather today to honour and adore you, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

(from A Year of Prayer, p81, 82, 156, 157, 161)

Merciful God, we come humbly before you acknowledging that we are a sinful race. We have sinned, and we continue to sin.

This is something that we cannot deny, for it is ever before you, and ever before us. We are conscious of our guilt and ashamed of the grief that it causes you.

We confess that we have sought meaning in the trivialities of the attractions of this World, and have been enticed away from your path by this World’s values.

Forgive us, we pray.

We confess that we have forgotten your Word and have sought meaning and understanding from what the World tells us.

Forgive us, we pray.

We confess that we have compromised our witness to your love for the World by uncharitable thoughts and actions.

Forgive us, we pray.

We confess that we have devalued our relationship with you by depending on what we can accomplish by ourselves and not what you seek to accomplish through us.

Forgive us, we pray.

We confess that we do not readily welcome into our fellowship those who are different or who challenge our level of comfort.

Forgive us, we pray.

Cleanse us from the defilement of our sins, and deliver us from the evil that leads us astray.

Merciful God, may we live free of the failures that mar our lives and that spoils all Earthly joy. Lead us out of those things into a place of obedience and faithfulness.

May your Word dominate our thinking, cleanse our consciences, and control our living, so that Christ may clearly be displayed in and through us.

Empower us to love and to serve you with faithfulness and joy, to your glory we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness

(Moira Laidlaw Liturgies On-line Pentecost 18C)

Paul writes to Timothy, saying, “There is one mediator between God and Humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all…” (1 Timothy 2: 5,6a) This undeserved good news is also for us, telling us that in Jesus Christ we are forgiven and renewed.

Thanks be to God.

Prayers for others

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 good stewards of the gifts that you have given us, use them for your glory, and never be possessed by our possessions.

We pray for the grace of diligence: that we may follow the command of Christ and use our gifts and resources to feed the hungry, cloth the naked and care for the sick.

We pray for wisdom, that the Holy Spirit will guide us pursuing our goals and developing our abilities so that our endeavours may lead us into the fullness of life for all eternity.

We pray for deeper gratitude, that we may appreciate all the gifts, opportunities and benefits that we have been given and recognize them as signs of your love for us.

We pray for a greater attention to the small things in life, that you will find us diligent and faithful with all our ordinary responsibilities so that we may share in your greater gifts.

We pray for the leaders of all nations, that they may fulfill their obligations faithfully and establish peace and good order in each Nation.

We pray for the members of all levels of our Governments, that you will give them insight and courage as they address the issues of promoting the common good, equality for all people, and care for those in need.

We pray for the development of ethics and honesty in business, that all who lead companies may be guided by the Holy Spirit in implementing just practices and products that are beneficial.

We pray for employers and employees, that each may fulfill their responsibilities and treat one another with dignity and respect.

We pray for all who are caught in deceit and corruption, that you will free their hearts and open to them the life and wholeness that comes from living in the truth.

We pray for the poor, that you will lift their burden and help them to find ways to meet their needs and prosper.

We pray for all who do not have access to adequate health care, that you will help them find ways to protect and sustain their life and health.

We pray for all who are recovering from the hurricanes, fires, floods and other disasters, that you will comfort them, give them strength and open the hearts of many to assist them.

We pray for preservation of water resources, that you will inspire all who are responsible for stewarding water resources to find new ways to protect and preserve the waters that is needed for all human life.

We pray for an end to violence: that the Holy Spirit will turn hearts from violence, protect children from harm, and help all to respect the dignity of human life.

We pray for the peoples of Ghana, Nigeria.

We are thankful for Christians and Muslims who take risks to work for dialogue and reconciliation, and people of disparate ethnic groups who strive together for the common good, for churches who have been faithful in spreading the Good News, serving the people and pursuing justice in these societies, for economic growth from natural resources, where it benefits all people – and especially the poor – in these nations, for how people, especially in Nigeria, have been sustained by God in the face of attacks and violence in the context of the movement of population groups and from extremist elements like Boko Haram.

We pray for those affected by violence and terrorism, and that such violent attacks might cease, for leaders of churches, that they might speak out courageously against political, social and economic injustices, for just and peaceful relations between members of different ethnic groups and between Muslims and Christians, for those who suffer from malnutrition and diseases such as malaria, whooping cough and HIV and AIDS, and for better stewardship of the environment and natural resources.

Prayers

O God, by the power of the Holy Spirit,
set our hearts on fire with a new love for Christ and for one another.
Renew our desires and labours to serve others.

We seek healing from division, poverty and injustice in all parts of the world.
We long for life which is full and free.

Give us the courage to take risks to build a highway in the desert
and let us find protection under the shadow of your wings. Amen.

We offer you, O Ruler of men and women and of heavenly beings, the gold of our costly service. Take the labour of our hands, the skill of our minds, the power of our organization. Purge us of pride, and stir us from sloth, that we, being refined by your grace, may become better servants of your kingdom, now and hereafter.

Amen.

We offer to you, our Lord and our God, the incense of our worship and our prayer. By the gift of your Holy Spirit, you have hung forth a star in the lowly heaven of every Christian soul; grant us eager feet to follow wherever it leads, until our searching souls are blessed with the vision of yourself, who are our heaven and our home, forever.

Amen.

We offer to you, O Man of sorrows, the myrrh of your church’s sufferings. When we have nothing else to give, this offering remains. Where you are on the cross, there also may your servants be. May your perfect sacrifice avail to make our light affliction redemptive in the world, that sharing the fellowship of your sufferings we may rejoice in the power of your resurrection, now and forever.

Amen.

(From the Assembly of the International Missionary Society, Ghana. In: “With All God’s People”.)

Prayer for unity

We invoke you, Spirit of Unity,
Transform our divisions and reshape our vision.
All of creation, all living beings, cry in the midst of injustice and brokenness.
Spirit of Unity, reconcile your people.
We invoke you, Spirit of Unity,
Heal the wounds of our history,
Remove from us all that sustains our present divisions.
Unstop our ears to hear your call for unity.

Ghana, Nigeria | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)

We pray for the people of Somalia, who are currently suffering the effects of failed rains for their crops and grasslands, increasing prices for materials and a lack of access to imported grains. We pray for rain so that they can grow their crops and grass for their herds. We pray for ready access to grain now so that they have something to eat. We pray for stable government so that what the people require is readily accessible. We pray for generosity by those Nations who have more than enough to eat, so that they will be led to share it sacrificially wit those in need.

Christian leaders call for emergency famine relief (unitingworld.org.au)

No time for complacency: Somalia’s unfolding famine catastrophe (theconversation.com)

We give thanks for Sister Elena van den Berg and the Reverend Lucky Kunene in the province of kwaZulu Natal, where they run leprosy clinics and leprosy awareness activities in the province. We pray that they will find hearts that are receptive to their message about the early diagnosis of leprosy. We give thanks for Lucky’s and Elena’s tireless devotion to their communities.

We pray for Goodman Qhosholo, who runs leprosy clinics and the leprosy awareness campaign in the Eastern Cape. We pray for his safety on the long and dangerous roads that he travels every day, bringing the Gospel and treatment to far-flung communities.

We pray for Gundula Koethnig, who supervises the care of leprosy patients in Mpumalanga, the province bordering the Kruger Wildlife Park. We pray for her work as she seeks to inspire health workers to be aware of leprosy and to stand by patients during their recovery. We pray for her safety as she travels long distances in the course of her ministry.

We pray for RampUp, The Leprosy Mission’s project in South Africa promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in the church. We pray that increasing numbers of congregations will open their doors to this ministry and that they will be eager to learn about how they can make their places of worship accessible.

We pray for Thembi Zuma, who manages The Leprosy Mission’s Johannesburg office, where she provides the link between our supporters and the Mission. We pray that she is enabled to maintain her cheerful, friendly and efficient interaction with our supporters.

Leprosy Mission 2022 Prayer Diary.pdf

We pray for chaplaincy in the remote & regional areas, that people would feel called to serve in Scripture Union ministries. Please pray for the success of the interactions with schools, families, churches and communities with whom they have continued to have contact.

We pray for the new Scripture Union organised Inspire Art Camp for students in Years 7-11, that it will great time of creating and to learn about our being part of your Creation.

We pray for the success of Scripture Union run September Camps throughout Queensland, for the safety of those participating, for guidance or the leaders and helpers, and good health for all who attend these camps.

SU Prayer-Guide-Sep-2022-Brisbane.pdf

We pray for those providing Religious Instruction at Bald Hills State School, that you will encourage them as they lead their weekly classes, and that they will feel supported by the class teachers. May the Holy Spirit work in the hearts and minds of the children in these classes, that they will come to an understanding of the truths of the Gospel and respond to the message of your love and grace for them.

We pray for the chaplain at Bald Hills state School, Kylie Conomos, that you will continue to guide her and support her as she provides care for the students, teachers and parents of the school.

We pray for those whom we have not been able to worship with us recently. We ask that they may feel your close presence with them each day, that they will experience your support and encouragement as they journey through life in this time of uncertainty and change.

Loving God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your compassion and care. To your glory we pray.