Prayer of Praise  

(from Liturgies on-line, Nathan Nettleton and BD Prewer) 

  Almighty God, we praise and adore you.  You are truly without beginning or end.  Your reign is eternal and your being all-powerful, and yet you chose to reveal your power in the most powerless and vulnerable manner – as a baby.  As you shared our humanity in Jesus, you gave the World a new understanding of power.  We know now that power is not to be used to dominate, but to serve others as Christ served.  He transformed the love of power by the power of love. 

  We wonder at the baby who the shepherds adored, and who the Magi worshipped.  We wonder at the hands that touched lepers, the arms that embraced little children, and the fingers that anointed blind eyes.  We wonder at the smile that welcomed outcastes, the frown that rebuked the arrogant, and the tongue that told parables of grace.  We wonder at the courage that led Jesus to Jerusalem, the faith that agonised in Gethsemane, and the love poured out on the hill of Golgotha.  We wonder at the lips that gave the first Easter greeting, the wounds that witnessed to his reality, and the Spirit which he breathed on his Disciples.  We wonder at his majesty, and the promise that he is here for us to the end of time.

  Though Jesus was accused of treason before Pilate and executed by his own Nation, he was the first born from the dead, raised by your power to free us from sin and to make us your holy people.  You gave him glory and dominion forever, and he rules over all with an authority that comes, not from this World, but from you, our God and our Rock.  We gather today to celebrate your rule of love in our hearts as we experience it in Jesus and through the enabling gift of your Spirit.  Most awesome God, help us to honour Christ our King through all the ups and downs of life, through all that we think and do and say.  All gratitude and thanksgiving, praise and glory be given to you for ever and ever.  Amen.

Prayer of Confession 

(from Liturgies on-line, Nathan Nettleton and BD Prewer) 

Merciful God, your grace reaches across races and nations, neither favouring the righteous alone nor despising the uncouth, as is the way that we so often do.  Your hopes for us are not deterred by our rebelliousness, our indifference nor our ignorance.

Forgive us for our wandering and going in ways that cut us off from you. 

Merciful God, we boast of our plans to achieve great things by our own efforts, yet these come to nothing because we have not sought to be your faithful stewards and servants. 

Forgive us for when we forget that doing your will is our greatest priority.

Merciful God, we confess our sins to you, knowing that you see our need to live holy and righteous lives much better than we do.  Please forgive not only the sins that we recognize, but also the many to which we are blind. 

Reveal to us our attempts to hide our faults from you, reprove our complicity with the evil that is present in the World around us, and renew within us the love for the powerless and the oppressed that was so evident in the way that Jesus Christ lived his life on Earth. 

Remind us, O God, that the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to witness to the values of your Kingdom in and through all we do and say, and that thankfully this power far exceeds any apathy or fear on our part. 

Renew us with your Spirit, O God, so that our lives testify to the truth of your Kingdom revealed so fully in Jesus Christ, the servant King, in whose name we pray.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from Revelation 1: 5b) 

The Apostle John assures us that Jesus Christ loves us and by his sacrificial death has freed us from our sins.  Having confessed our sins before God, and trusting in the grace of God freely made available to us, we can declare with confidence that God has listened to our prayers, that our sins are indeed forgiven and our lives cleansed in God’s sight.

Thanks be to God.

Prayers for Others

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

Almighty God, we pray for the Church, that we may become People of the Truth through listening to your Word, sharing our faith with one another, and giving witness to it in our decisions and actions.

We pray for the grace of detachment, that we may humbly surrender our plans and goals to you and follow wherever you lead us.

We pray for a transformation of our attitudes, that we may follow Christ in using our power and abilities to wash the feet of others, to speak up for those who are oppressed, and to help carry the burdens of those who are suffering.

We pray for all believers, that we may come to a deep realization that Christ holds our past, walks with us each day, and has a vision for tomorrow filled with compassion and hope.

We pray for a new understanding of authority, that we may recognize you as the source of all authority and use our authority in cooperation with you loving plan for Humanity.

We pray for all whose commitment to the truth brings them into conflict with social, government, and religious authorities, that they may learn from and be strengthened by Christ, the suffering servant of truth.  Please guide them as to how to answer when they are falsely accused.

We pray for leaders of government and the judiciary, that they may recognize that their authority comes from you and that it has been granted to them for the service of the Human community and not for their personal benefit or gain.  Please give to them the wisdom and insight that they need for the making of just and equitable decisions.

We pray for all who bear the marks of suffering, persecution, or oppression, that the World community may recognize their dignity as people loved by you, and work to alleviate their pain.

We pray for all seekers of the truth, that the Holy Spirit will lead them to the source of all truth and guide them to communities of faith where they are welcomed.

We pray for families, that members may speak the truth in love to one another and deepen their support for one another along life’s journey.

We pray for a spirit of gratitude, that we may recognize all our skills, opportunities, and freedoms as gifts from you and place them at your service of God and the service of one another.

We pray for all who are entrapped by poverty, that you will lead them to freedom and open the hearts of many to assist and encourage them.

We pray for those unable to provide for themselves, their families and their communities because of drought or flooding or political unrest and persecution.  As you provide for the least of your creatures, may you provide for their needs, now and in the future.  Place a conviction on the hearts of those who are oppressing others that they will recognise your authority over their actions and instead begin to work for the good of others.

We pray for all who are rebuilding their lives, that you will restore the sick to health, guide the unemployed to new opportunities, provide the needed resources to those recovering from natural disasters, and comfort those who are grieving.

We pray for the safety of all travellers, that you will protect all who are traveling this week and help them to have renewing visits with family and friends.

We pray for protection of the Earth, that you will guide World leaders and each of us in caring for the Earth and give us the courage to follow through on difficult choices to preserve our common home.

Copyright © 2021. Joe Milner. All rights reserved.<br> Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.  https://liturgy.slu.edu/ 

[Raymond Chapman in Leading Intercessions p85, David Hostetter in Prayers for the Seasons of god’s People Year B p219]

Holy God, may your Realm of Love come for the insignificant, the unremarkable, and the over-looked people of the world; for the un-noticed and simply ordinary people; for the back-water sort of people who will never make much impact.

Holy God, may your Realm of Love come for those who are lost in their relationship with you, their relationships with others and their relationship with themselves. 

Holy God, may your Realm of Love come for the up-rooted, the exiled and enslaved; and the lost-rights sort of people who will seldom be seen or heard.

Holy God, may your Realm of Love come for the fearful, the terrorised and the abused people of the world; for those who are unjustly imprisoned or entrapped; for the voiceless people who will hardly dare to seek help.

Holy God, may your Realm of Love come for the subjugated, silenced and subdued people of the world; for the lonely, the lacking, the faded, the frightened; for the shadowy people unable to bring attention to their suffering.

Holy God, may your Realm of Love come for all persons with disabilities; for the redundant and poorly educated; for the timid and un-appreciated; for struggling people who have to strive for support and respect.

In the dynamic of your Love, may your Realm become a reality for them all.

(© 2011 Glenn Jetta Barclay, Aotearoa/New Zealand)

Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)

We pray for Australia to be a compassionate leader in the Pacific, acknowledging our own power and impact upon the Island Nations, and accepting our task to serve with generosity, compassion and grace and so build relationships of healing and hope with Pacific nations.

President’s Reflection – NCCA

We pray for the Executive Leadership Team and the Board of Scripture Union Australia, that you will equip them with wisdom and guide them to make the right decisions in their leading of their ministry and mission throughout Australia.

We pray for the students in the Scripture Union Certificate IV Course in Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care, that they are developing the skills and understandings needed so that they can serve you in these areas.

We pray for the Religious Instruction classes at Bald Hills State School, that your Holy Spirit may be at work in the minds and hearts of the children who attend.  Please encourage those who lead the classes as they strive to present the Good News of the Gospel in interesting and attractive ways.

We pray for Kylie Conomos, the Chaplain at Bald Hills State School, that you will guide her as her interacts with the pupils and children at the School, that she will be aware of needs and of how to respond, that she is refreshed physically and spiritually so as to cope with what each day presents.

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

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.