Prayer of Praise: –  

(Psalm 9:1-2) 

We will give thanks to you, O LORD, with our whole heart; we will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

We will be glad and exult in you; we will sing praise to your name, O Most High God.

God of all ages: we thank you for the faithful witness of your Apostles, Prophets, and martyrs throughout the history of your Church and throughout the World even today.

Through their witness we see and hear your truth.

We praise you for all who bless your name through their writing, speaking, art, and music.

Through their work we glimpse your majesty.

We praise you for all who serve you without recognition or honour, offering encouragement to the lonely, the sick, and the fearful.

Through their lives we see your faithfulness and sense your comfort.

Now we pray that you will use even us to reflect the glory we see in Christ.

May the voices of all your saints at work in  the Church today, made holy in Christ, swell in joyous praise to you, the giver of all good gifts; through Christ, our Lord.  Amen.

(https://wcrc.eu/resource/reformation-sunday-2024-liturgy/)

Prayer of Confession   

We cannot come before you God unless we are first honest with ourselves about who we are, about the mistakes we make, and about our disobedience in following your way.

Merciful God, we come before you burdened by our brokenness; and with so many needs in our communities and in our world!  

Too often we ignore or fail to hear the cry of the stranger in need.

Too often we are blinded by prejudice, busyness, and apathy.  We disregard the rights of those who are hurting.

Living God, you are the One who is always on the move, always creating and re-creating, always doing a new thing.

And yet, we confess, O Lord, that our lives can become static, routinely paralyzed by doubt and fear.  We remain feeling comfortable in patterns of greed, covetousness, and self-interest.

We doubt your promises of an abundant, everlasting life and so we live in dread of our neighbours, our friends, and our enemies.

Our souls remain still.  We do not love as you love.  Nor do we live as you would have us live, with courage, generosity or the boldness of the Gospel.

Forgive us, O God.  Renew us by your Spirit, and reform us with your compassion, remaking us more fully into the image of Christ, and as nimble servants of your reign.

Jesus, your grace includes all, and by your presence we are reconciled to one another.  We rejoice in the chance to begin again, re-formed into a caring community, that through your Spirit we will be the builders of hope and healing.

(https://wcrc.eu/resource/reformation-sunday-2024-liturgy/

Assurance of Forgiveness    

The good news of the Gospel is that God’s love in Christ stretches so deep and so wide that it infiltrates every broken place in our hearts and in our world.

Our hatred is met with love, our cruelty is met with compassion, our sins and our trespasses are met with forgiveness.

It is greater than anything you have ever done, or could do.

Open your hearts, then, to let the love of God in, because in Christ you are forgiven, freed, made new.  Believe in this great good news.

Thanks be to God.

(https://united-church.ca/worship-liturgical-season/reformation-sunday)

Prayers for Others

Almighty God, as the Church is in the constant process of checking and reforming itself against your Holy Word, guide us as we search for your will and direction in the new age ahead of us.  Give us wisdom in this task, a thirst for your truth and a love of your Gospel. Send your Holy Spirit to guide all people who are searching for the truth and lead them to the source of all truth, Jesus Christ.  

Lord, send out your light and your truth; lead us, and bring us to your Kingdom.

We thank you that Christians of differing traditions and opinions are learning to sit down together and talk.  We pray for the work of dialogues between Churches, that it will lead to deeper fellowship and coordinated witness.  In places around the World where Christians are still in conflict with each other we ask you to bring peace, patience, love and compassion.

Lord, send out your light and your truth; lead us, and bring us to your Kingdom.

Father, your Church is in a constant process of Reformation, but we also thank you for the renewal and reformation you have brought to all your people through our baptism into Christ Jesus.  Let each of us be reformed as we drown the old Adam every day, and renewed as we rise to new life in Christ.

Lord, send out your light and your truth; lead us, and bring us to your Kingdom.

We pray for those who are teachers of the Word, be it in worship, in Sunday Schools, or Children and Youth Groups.  Help them remain faithful to the truth at all times.  Let them preach the Gospel boldly to people everywhere who are weighed down by guilt and sin so that they might be set free.

Lord, send out your light and your truth; lead us, and bring us to your Kingdom.

We also ask for your blessing upon reformers in Society and for all those who work to bring justice and peace in this troubled World.  Guide Governments and leaders everywhere and inspire them in your truth, so that at all times and in all places your will may be done.

Lord, send out your light and your truth; lead us, and bring us to your Kingdom.

Lord God, we trust that by your Spirit you will always lead your Church forward in truth.

Guide us and lead us, so that your renewing Word may give light and truth to the World.  We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ your Son.

Other Prayers

(These were not included in the service in the Church)

Almighty God, we pray for the Church, that we may passionately and continuously call out to Christ for our needs and courageously follow Jesus on the way of life.

We pray for the grace to risk, that we may sincerely seek the deepest desires that you have placed in our hearts and pursue their fulfillment even when the path is unclear.

We pray for those searching for you, that their eyes and hearts may be opened to the many manifestations of your love for them.

We pray for spiritual insight: that you will help us recognize your presence in our lives, the significance of our relationships, and your invitations to love and service.

We pray for all whose attention is fixed on the allure of wealth, power, and prestige, that you will reveal to them your call to discipleship and the opportunities that you present to use their gifts.  We pray for a listening and sensitive heart, that we may never ignore nor try to silence those who cry out in pain or seek our assistance.

We pray for all who are blinded by prejudice, that you will enlighten their hearts and help them to recognize the value and dignity of each person.

We pray for all who help others grow in their faith, parents, ministers, pastors, elders, and Children’s and Youth Group leaders, that you will bless their efforts as they strive to nurture the seeds of faith that you have planted.

We pray for all who are ill, particularly those with diseases of the eyes, that you will bring healing and renewal to them in body, mind, and spirit.  Bless and guide the work of eye surgeons who seek to relieve the needs of the blind.

We pray for greater reverence for Human life, particularly for those advanced in years or dealing with long-term infirmities, that we may affirm their dignity and support them with love and encouragement.

We pray for all who have been bullied or tormented by others, that you will comfort and strengthen them and renew their sense of dignity.

We pray for greater respect for your work of Creation, that we may be mindful that all the Earth is your gift to us and that it is entrusted to our stewardship.

We pray for World leaders, that their gathering on climate change will outline new paths for protecting the Earth for future generations.  We pray that they will make sincere efforts to eliminate the suffering of those in their countries who are oppressed or face discrimination because of their race or gender or culture or religion or politics. 

We pray for freedom from fear, that you will free us from the fears that hold us from loving, forgiving, and serving, so that we may be dynamic disciples.

We pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that your people may listen closely to you as you seek to renew and deepen the mission of the Church.

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 p82, David Hostetter in Prayers for the Seasons of god’s People Year B p202]

Almighty God, we pray for the peoples of The Caribbean, from the islands and lands of Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinque, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, St Barts, St. Eustatia, Saint Martin/Sint Maarten, St Kitts-Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks & Caicos, and the US Virgin Islands.

We are thankful for the natural beauty, climate, and distinctive cultural practices of these islands, for how churches have responded to disasters and served all in need, for how liberation from colonialism and oppression has been pursued through music, words and actions, and for the leaders of the ecumenical movement who have come from this region.

We pray for those devastated by disasters, that their lives, communities and eco-systems might be rebuilt, for the strengthening of all who faithfully witness through word and deed to the Gospel, for all those affected by crime and addictions, and for good governance and smooth transitions between political leaders.

Gracious and compassionate God, faithful to all your promises, supplier of our needs, may we never underestimate the value of all that you afford us; nor the usefulness of the endowments you give for the realization of your purposes.  May we never so take for granted the gifts your bounteous grace provides as to become victims of the callousness that produces an abundance of waste.  And save us, we ask you, from becoming purveyors of the careless and irresponsible disposal of the waste we produce.

(© Neville Callam, Jamaica)

Prayer of thanksgiving

Creator God, how could we possibly not thank you for the Earth you have given to us!  With joy we praise you for the high mountains and their trees, for the rushing waters of Caribbean rivers which give the breath of inspiration and the joy of fruitfulness,
for the forests so luxuriant in foliage, the glorious tall trees and the abundance of temperate climes.

Still more, we praise you for the wisdom for living, and the commitment which our dignified
and courageous ancestors taught us, the neighbours in whom we became acquainted with you.

(From the 25th anniversary service of the Caribbean Conference of Churches, 15 November 1998. © 1998 Caribbean Conference of Churches.)

(https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/prayer-cycle/the-caribbean)

Almighty God, we pray for wisdom and for God’s Spirit to speak through the volunteers and staff following up participants after Western Australia’s spring camps.  We pray for impactful conversations about how to follow Jesus and for connections to be made between the campers and local churches.

We pray that our National team’s efforts working with external training organisations will prove fruitful in endorsing more qualifications.  We pray that this will open doors to meet state and federal criteria for school chaplaincy positions.

We pray for favour and a continuity of service for NSW’s schools and community groups that are making decisions about funding for school chaplaincy programs in 2025 in an increasingly tight financial space.

We pray for the planning committee of Bundaberg’s Bethlehem Live Christmas Festival from 17–20 December, for your blessing over the 550 volunteers and those in coordinator roles, and for great weather during the event.

We praise you God for Emma Lathbury joining staff in WA as a Holiday Camps Coordinator, that she may have a smooth transition into the role and bring guidance and direction to teams over the summer camps season.

We pray for Central North QLD’s remote chaplains will gather for their In-Service Day on Friday 1^st November, that they will feel refreshed and encouraged to continue serving others in the far reaches of our nation.

We pray that the kids participating in the Tasmanian ‘Taking on Goliath Camp’ in Freycinet, that they will experience the beauty of bushwalking and connect with you, their Creator.

(SU%20Prayer-Guide-October%20to%20December%202024.pdf)

Almighty God, we pray for the “Jesus. All About Life” campaign in Malawi, which aims to enhance the efforts of Christians to share the word of God within local communities, that local churches will respond positively and participate in the campaign, and that those reached with the campaign will receive the gospel wholeheartedly.

We pray for successful operations within the Bible Society Australia Group, especially during this month’s FAC (Finance and Audit) Meeting, for your wisdom and discernment in strategic discussions, ensuring all recommendations effectively support BSA’s mission.

We pray for every department in Koorong, store teams, and warehouse staff as they prepare for the busy Christmas retail season, for the smooth operations across their new systems and website, ensuring efficient service online and in all Koorong stores nationwide. We pray that the resources sold will reach and inspire Australians from all backgrounds, encouraging them in their faith.

We thank you God that high schools in Tanzania teach the Bible as part of their curriculum, and that BSA can equip students taking the Bible Knowledge subject with Bibles of their own.  We praise you for the 143 schools now offering this subject in 2024, enrolling over 11,000 students, and pray for continued growth in resources, teachers, and for even more willing schools.  We pray that the study of God’s word may deepen the students’ faith and ultimately impact families and Tanzanian society.

We thank you God for Jamila*, a Bible Knowledge student in Tanzania, who has noticed a change in her heart as she has learnt and practiced God’s teachings: “I can find myself changing my perception on various religious issues and becoming a good Christian … This clearly shows that the Bible has helped my life … I hope to serve God in different ways according to my ability as a student.”

(Bible%20Society%20October_2024_Prayer_Letter.pdf)

Almighty god, we praise you for new open doors, through which The Leprosy Mission New Zealand has partnered with the NZ Government Aid Programme (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade) to start a new project in Timor Leste.  We pray for a smooth rollout of this new project, called the Preventative Health and Community Empowerment (PHACE) Programme, that it will improve the lives of people affected by leprosy

We pray for Gillian Whitley – TLMNZ Country Leader, for  Martin Malkaney – Finance Manager, for  Leanne Ryburn – Marketing & Fundraising Manager, for  Jasleen Kler – International Programmes Manager, and for  Andre Stuart – Board Chair

(The%20Leprosy%20Mission%20Prayer%20Guide%202024.pdf)

Almighty God, we pray for success for the pilot community-centred radio training of a potential team in Somalia by our Kenyan partner.

We pray for the community-based information and communications technology hub in Tana River, Kenya, that it will help to reduce poverty and build community resilience.  We pray that those recovering from the floods in Tana River may experience your restoration and goodness.

We thank you God for enabling our partner’s Umoja FM station in conflict-ridden Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo to be energy sustainable, which will stop disruptions to broadcasts.

We pray for those relief for those affected by failed harvests in Malawi due to drought and an inflation rate of more than 30% which has caused food insecurity and other challenges.

We pray for peace in the northern Mozambique area, where the security situation is unstable.

We pray for the people of Chad dealing with conflicts, drought, and now hosting hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees.

We pray for the unreached in Buduma, population: 152,000*, language: Buduma, and religion: Islam, that you will raise up people who will minister to this group of people.

(FEBC Praise-Prayer-Dec-Oct-2024.pdf)

(https://www.lca.org.au/worship/wpp/service-order/?order-type=liturgy&post-id=18521)  [adapted]

Lord God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your lovingkindness.  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.