Prayer of Praise    

Jesus, Son of God, radiance of the Father,

To you belongs our sole allegiance

And our everlasting gratitude.

When our World was ripe for despair,

With our uprooted hopes lying fruitless around us,

You came to us, you shared our dust

And planted a true vine which shall ever be fruitful.

While proud and cultured leaders

Chased philosophical fashions and created scribal absurdities,

You told unforgettable parables

About farmers, and servants, and wedding parties,

Seeding the furrows of History

With a potent Word bearing a harvest

Too vast for all the silos of the World.

In the terrible time of your trial and execution,

When Humanity attained its worst ‘hour’,

You hung on that awful cross

Bearing on your tortured shoulders the sins of the whole World,

Until, in the gathering darkness you knew that the task was done

And the act of reconciliation had begun.

In the light of that first Easter dawn

While Disciples in whispers passed their despair one to another,

You arose at the call of the Father,

Bringing light, warming hearts with inextinguishable joy,

And rehabilitating doubters and deniers

With a love that overpowers those

who oppose the purpose and will of God.

Jesus, the word made flesh,

Jesus, friend of sinners,

Reconciler of the whole Universe,

The resurrection and the life,

Heaven and Earth are full of your glory!

Our allegiance and praise are yours for ever.  Amen.

  (from Jesus in Australian Psalms by Bruce Prewer p16 & 17)

Prayer of Confession   

We look around us and find it hard to accept that you could love this World of yours,

Wherever you look, its peoples smoulder with rebellion against you,

The compassion and concern for which you seek to colour the lives of individuals and Nations is missing,

Wherever we look there is a tangle of suffering, there is no clear path that leads to anything better.

Our World shudders with injustice and oppression, hatred and greed spawn the agonies of hostility and war.

All the efforts of noble people bear poor fruit,

Prophets, seers and poets die unfulfilled,

Politicians are reduced to cynicism or pursue the promises of corruption,

Commerce and Business and Industry serve only the rich and not the poor,

Scientific discoveries are manipulated by those who wield power and control so as to satisfy their greed and pride.

We seek to blame you for letting all this evil and suffering take place,

We keep asking why you have created the potential for greed and neglect to proliferate,

We seek to blame you for allowing the conditions for injustice and starvation to occur,

We keep asking why you have not created us to be better people.

It is then that we realise that that is why you have created us,

You have placed in us a yearning for a better World, but we lack the motivation and the ability to do that,

We lack the desire to be reverent in your presence, to submit to your authority and will for us,

And, so, we reap the harvest of broken promises and broken relationships.

But in Jesus you have provided the hope for forgiveness and renewal,

In Jesus we see our faults and our needs,

We repent of the part we have played in the World’s rebellion against you,

We repent of the part we have played in not loving you or our neighbour,

We repent of our error in looking elsewhere for meaning and purpose,

We repent of our error in depending upon our strengths and abilities,

When all along our first step should have been to humble ourselves before you.

Transform our lives into renewed discipleship,

Give us joy where once there was only despair,

Give us hope where once there was only failure,

Lead us into your new Creation,

That in us the World may glimpse your mercy and grace.  Amen.

  (from Rebellion in Australian Psalms by Bruce Prewer p54 & 55) 

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from Colossians 2: 13b) 

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Colossae, reiterating the message of hope that he had preached to them:

“God has now brought you to life with Christ.  God forgave us all our sins.”

Let us take assurance from these words, that, having confessed our sins before God, He is faithful to His promise to hear our prayers and to respond with forgiveness of our sins and with a reconciled

relationship.

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, like Abraham, we may grow in our friendship with you and honestly present our needs to you each day.

We pray for the grace to be ministers of reconciliation, that we may witness to your mercy by offering forgiveness to one another and by seeking forgiveness when we have injured someone.

We pray for persistence in prayer, that the Spirit will teach us how to authentically express our deepest needs to you in prayer and give us strength never to grow tired of calling upon you for assistance.

We pray for a deeper appreciation of our baptism: that we may recognize the great gift of our new life in Christ and faithfully live as your daughters and sons.

We pray for a renewal of the Holy Spirit in our lives, that you will refresh and deepen the gift of the Spirit who has been poured out into our hearts so that we may be dynamic instruments of your love.

We pray for all who are facing trial and difficulty, that your Spirit will strengthen the hearts of all Christians who are imprisoned or persecuted for their faith and fill them with courage.

We pray that we may make your Reign a priority in our lives and open our hearts to seeking your will first in all our activities.

We pray for all who need daily bread, that you will open new opportunities for them to access food and touch the hearts of all who have an abundance to share more freely.

We pray for all who are burdened with guilt, that your love will free them and bring them to the confidence that they are loved and all their sins are forgiven.

We pray for all who strive to help the poor and the forgotten of society, that you will strengthen them as they plead and call for justice for your children.

We pray for all who are fleeing violence, that you will lead them on their journey, protect them from harm and help them find a new home where they can grow and contribute to the common good.

We pray for healing of racism and prejudice, that all people may look upon one another as sisters and brothers and work for the betterment of one another.

We pray for Government leaders, that you will guide them in addressing the issues of inflation, violence, and the care of Creation so that all may live in safety, find housing, and have food.

We pray for health and healing, that you will curtail the new Coronavirus variants, heal those who are ill, and protect the elderly and very young from the virus.

We pray for peace, that you will turn hearts away from violence, bring an end to warfare in Ukraine and Syria, and protect the vulnerable from harm.

Copyright © 2022. Joe Milner. All rights reserved.<br> Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.  https://liturgy.slu.edu/

  Loving God, we pray for the people of Djibouti and Somalia. 

We are thankful for the beauty of Creation and resources from lands and sea.  We are thankful for the stable governance and economic development that Djibouti has experienced in recent years.  We are thankful for the many ways churches and humanitarian organizations have prayed for and responded to the needs in Somalia.

We pray for the protection of natural resources and coastal land.  We pray for an end to hunger, violence, crime and conflict in Somalia, for effective reconciliation and peace-building.  We pray for stable governments that further the common good for all the people.  We pray for those who have fled this area that they may be welcomed in new homelands.

You who give sustenance to your creatures, O God,
Put water for us in the nipples of rain!  

You who poured water into oceans, O God,
Make this land of ours fertile again!  

Accepter of penance, who are wealthy, O God,
Gather water in rivers whose beds have run dry!  

You who are glorious, truly bounteous, O God,
Our cries have undone us, grant a shower of rain!  

You who are clement, truly worshipped, O God,
Milk water for beasts which are stricken with thirst!  

Creator of nature who made all things, O God,
Transmute our ruin to blessing and good!  

We have done much remembrance, O God who remembers,
Loosen upon us rain from the clouds!  

You who are merciful and compassionate, O God,
Milk rain from the sky for those in need!  

You who are truthful, Creator, O God,
We accept in submission whatever you say!  

You who mete out good and evil, O God,
In this land we are broken, milk the clouds from above!  

The earth and the sky you constructed, O God,
We cannot get water, bring forth drops of rain!  

The darkness of night you transfigure, O God,
And make daylight follow; milk the sky lavishly!  

You who open all and give sustenance, O God,
People have scattered; send forth healthy rain!  

Almighty, perfector of counsels, O God,
Pour for us rain which would make the land wet!  

You who are bounteous, the protector, O God,
We cannot survive drought, send us rain from your store!  

You who drive the air which sways the trees, O God,
It is you whom we praised, grant us the goodness of rain!  

You who are worshipped and answer prayers, O God,
Make the rain spread over the whole of the land!  

Bestower of victories, benefactor, O God,
Bring us faultless rain which makes us dwell where it falls!  

You who are one and are trusted, O God,
Provider of all, give water to your people!  

You who spark off lightning from clouds you have loaded, O God,
It is you who have power over rain which satisfies abundantly!  

You who fill water-holes dug in wadis, O God,
Milk rain on this land, cream-giving rain!  

You who used to relieve the strangest plights, O God,
It is to you that I have turned for help!

(Somali, Somalia. Heart of Prayer, comp. Anthony Gittins, CSSp, Collins, 1985. Used with permission.)

Djibouti, Somalia | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)

  Loving God, we pray for the work of The Leprosy Mission Denmark as they support different community-based rehabilitation projects, where people affected by leprosy and persons with disability receive support to set up groups that run saving schemes, finance support, and advocacy skills development.  We pray for the effective and long-term support for leprosy treatment work at the Danish-Bangladesh Leprosy Mission Hospital in Nilphamari, where hospital treatment, research and case finding are taking place.  We pray for the success of the project for vulnerable and abused women in Bangladesh.

  (The Leprosy Mission Prayer Diary 2022) 

  Loving God, we pray for the success of the Women in Ministry project which supports women in the Pacific to study theology and seek ordination, equipping them for leadership in the Church and community.  We pray that those women who have chosen to undertake tertiary study may find the encouragement and guidance that they need to complete their studies.

  We pray that the holy spirit may work through the Methodist Church Sri Lanka (MCSL), as it calls for people to refrain from violence and called on leaders to facilitate a swift return to electoral democracy during this current period of tension and social and economic unrest.   We pray for the success of their centre, Deaf Link, as it seeks to provide access to education for children with disabilities and occupational training to adults with disabilities.

Women in Ministry Update May 2022

Reaching the most vulnerable in Sri Lanka

We pray for the Religious Instruction classes at Bland Hills State School, that the Holy Spirit is working through their efforts to reach the hearts and minds of the children.  Please guide and encourage these who lead RI, as they prepare their lessons and present the Gospel to their classes. 

We pray for Kylie Conomos, the chaplain at Bald Hills State School, that you are encouraging her as she seeks to bring comfort to children, families and staff in their times of need.  Please direct the local churches in the Bald Hills area, in ways that they can support the work of the chaplain at the school.

We thank you for Jillian and her work with the Church Council and the people of the Congregation to clarify our vision and mission goals as your people in the Bald Hills area.  We pray for your blessing on the deliberations of those on Church Council as they continue to consider how the Congregation is to move forward in the future.

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.