Prayer of Praise  

(from Moira Laidlaw in Liturgies On-Line Year A weeks 1,2 & 3) 

  Holy God, your glory and majesty far exceed our capacity to imagine them and the assurance of your care for us is not only spelled out in the words of the Psalmist but in the person of Jesus Christ.  He demonstrated the depth of your care through his love and compassion, a love that resonated in people’s lives, and a compassion which permeated all his actions.  May we heed his call to make such love and compassion, holiness and glory, visible in and through our lives also. 

  We approach you, holy God, with thanksgiving in our hearts, for we believe that you hear and answer us when we call upon you for help.  You hear because you are not a distant God but someone who journeys with us in the person of Jesus Christ.  Through his sacrificial love, your love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.  So we have every reason to offer our praise and thanksgiving for all your goodness towards us – blessings undeserved by us but graciously given by you. 

  Holy God, through you comes the energy by which the World was made – and the very breath which gives us life.  And yet, you chose to reveal your power and your glory through one who serves others.  One in whom you delight.  One who is gentle and persistent in the pursuit of justice.  Accept our prayers and praises for revealing your love for the world in such a grace-full and transforming way and bless us as we seek to serve you with the gentleness, compassion and persistence of Jesus.

  Here, in this time of worship, in the promised presence of Jesus, and in the graced presence of one another, we wholeheartedly offer our gratitude and praise for these glorious signs of your great love for the world.  This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prayer of Confession   

  Merciful God, we humble ourselves before you, knowing how prone we are to wander from your pathway, knowing how easily we let go of your hand and seek to go our own way.  There are so many things in life that we allow to clamour for our attention and to distract us.  But we fail to hear the soft calling of your voice, seeking for us to come and to sit quietly beside you.

  We confess our neglect of your call to come, and ask for your forgiveness.

  We rush about with our daily tasks.  We hurry to do the things that we feel need to be finished, or the things that give us excitement.  But we fail to heed the call to spend time with others.  We fail to recognise the need in another’s life, the need for comfort, for companionship, for a hand to hold theirs. 

  We confess our neglect of your call to come, and ask for your forgiveness.

  Often we find ourselves in something unfamiliar or unknown.  Often we tend to trust in our own abilities and strengths to get us out of trouble or to guide us out of a dark place, instead of reaching out and searching for your hand to hold onto for strength and guidance.

  We confess our neglect of your call to come, and ask for forgiveness.

  Loving and merciful God, forgive us.  Open our ears to hear your call to follow and to obey.  Open our hearts to receive your promise of life and love, in this life and in the life to come.

  Open our lives for your service, so that your Kingdom will come and that your will be done.  This we pray to your glory and honour.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from 1 Corinthians 1: 18 – 24) 

The Apostle Paul writes to the Church in Corinth assuring them of the saving power of God made visible in and through the crucified Christ, for we who profess a believe in the Good News of God’s grace and forgiveness made possible because of the death and resurrection of Christ have found favour with God and are reconciled to Him.

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 bring to you our prayers for the World around us and for people individually.

Loving God, we live in a World where mistrust and selfishness breeds cruelty towards others, the abuse of power and privilege, the oppression of the powerless and the poor, discrimination towards those who are classed as ‘different’, and indifference towards the needs of others.

May the decision-makers in Governments and Business, in cultures and communities, acknowledge your Lordship over all of Humanity, and acknowledge their accountability to you for their actions and their inactions towards those whom you love in equal measure.

Loving God, we live in a World where forgiving others is seen as a sign of weakness, where holding onto grudges is the norm.

Make us instruments of peace, reconcile us where we are in dispute with others and cleanse us from all resentment.

Loving God, we live in a World where the innocent are the ones who suffer in times of conflicts, where the unprotected are the ones who are the victims of terror and crime.

We pray for your protection over children and their families.  May they experience your care such that their lives and their livelihoods are prosperous and fulfilling.

Loving God, we live in a World where many suffer pain from accident or illness, where many are disabled or sick in body, mind and spirit.

Please bring relief to those who suffer, please bring healing and wholeness to the ill and the injured.  Please bless the efforts of medical and nursing staff, of counsellors and service providers.

Loving God, we live in a World where the Church seen as irrelevant or, at the very least, distrusted.

Loving God, reawaken in your Church its calling to be the light of the World, to provoke the World to judge itself in terms of your standards and principles.  Reawaken in your Church its calling to boldly proclaim your Gospel message of hope for the sinful and the lost.  Reawaken in your Church its calling to show leadership in the caring for the needy and in proper stewardship of your Creation.

    We ask that you will bless the efforts of Ian and the other volunteers who are leading Religious Instruction classes at Bald Hills State School, that the Holy Spirit is engaging with the children who attend the classes, opening hearts and minds with a clear message of your love for them.

  We pray for the Chaplain at Bald hills State School, Kylie Conomos, that you are guiding her efforts to care for the children and teachers at the School, that you are encouraging her in her work and supporting her as she gives of herself to those whom she serves there.

  We pray for the residents at PM Village, that they will find comfort and fulfillment during their time under care.  We pray for the staff, that they will have patience and compassion as they fulfill their roles and responsibilities for the residents.

    We pray for those who have been unable to join us in worship and fellowship.  May they experience your closeness with them in their own circumstances and situation.  May they experience your love and care for them.  Please protect and provide for them as they move through their daily lives.

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.