Prayers for the week commencing Sunday 4th June 2023

Prayer of Praise

(from Psalm 8: 1 to 4 &9, 93: 5a, 113: 5a, 68: 3, 32, 34, 33b, 20a)

O Lord, our Lord, your greatness is seen in all the World!

Your praise reaches up to the heavens; it is sung by children and babies.

When I look at the sky, which you have made,

At the moon and the stars, which you set in their places,

What is Humanity that you think of us, that you should care for us?

O Lord, our Lord, your greatness is seen in all the World!

Your Laws are eternal,

There is no one like you.

The righteous are glad and rejoice in your presence,

They are happy and shout for joy.

Sing, all the Kingdoms of the Earth,

Sing praises to the Lord.

Proclaim God’s power and majesty,

Listen to Him when He calls to you.

Our God is a God who saves,

He is the Lord our God. Praise Him! Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Merciful God, Creator of all the wonders which make up this World, when we treat our part of the World as a commodity to be used rather than a gift to be cherished, when we fail to care for and protect this lovely land, with its mountains and oceans, its rivers and lakes; its unique flora and fauna:

Forgive us.

Merciful God, bearer of our humanity in Jesus Christ, when we fail to live out the commandment to love one another as Jesus loves us, when we judge a person by the colour of their skin, by their amount or quality of their possessions or by their achievements or lack of achievements, rather than accepting them as persons loved and accepted by you:

Forgive us.

Merciful God, giver of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into all truth, when we betray the truth of the Gospel through our lack of integrity or our abuse of ethical and moral principles, when we fear the changes we may have to make if we allow your power to flow into the places of our greatest weakness:

Forgive us.

Merciful God – Creator, Redeemer, Life-giving Spirit, fill us anew with your creative power that we may be reborn in your image, and glorify you in and through who we are, and what we say and do and think, in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness

(from Romans 8:10)

The Apostle Paul tells is that if Christ lives in us, the Spirit is life for us because we have been put right with God. Therefore we can have the confidence in knowing that having confess our sins, our sins are forgiven.

Thanks be to God.

Prayers for Others

Almighty God, knowing of your love for all of Humanity, especially of 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.

We pray for the Church,

that the unconditional love of the Trinity may strengthen and inspire each of us, deepen our love for one another, and help us to witness to your love and mercy for others.

We pray for the grace of discernment,

that we may recognize that you are always present in our lives and constantly journeys with us through all the joys, the sorrows, and our everyday responsibilities.

We pray for a new experience of grace and mercy in our lives,

that your love will free us from our past failures, give us courage to make amends, and help us renew and rebuild our relationships.

We pray for our communities,

that the life-giving love of the Trinity may flow through us so that we may be untiring in supporting the lonely, consoling the grieving, encouraging the struggling, and forgiving those who have injured us.

We pray for all who are ill,

that you will renew and restore all who have physical ailments and give strength to their caregivers.

We pray for a healing of the wounds of racism,

that you will heal all who have been impacted by discrimination, open hearts to the dignity of each person, and help all to work together against poverty, disease, and malnutrition.

We pray for refugees,

that you will protect all who have fled their homes from harm, guide them on their journey, and lead them to hospitable communities.

We pray for an end to violence in our cities,

that you will give courage to all who are working for peace in neighbourhoods, help the voices of those who have experienced injustice to be heard, and turn the hearts of those prone to violence toward new ways of working for change.

We recognise that we have not accepted our responsibility to be good stewards of Your Creation. We have consistently viewed the World around us only as a source of goods to fuel our insatiable appetite for comfort and pleasure.

Please help us to see our faults. Please give us a vision of how to use what You have provided for us in a sustainable way. May the peoples of the World grasp the importance of responsible decision making in terms of their environment so that the decisions that they make do not adversely affect the lives of others, near and far away, today or in the future.

We pray for the people of Angola and Mozambique.

We are thankful for the rich natural resources in these countries, which God intends for the good of all, the positive developments experienced since years of civil war, village committees that seek to protect livelihoods and food security of the poor, and how the Lutheran World Federation and partners have pursued land rights in Mozambique.

We pray for better sanitation, health services, and protection of the environment in these lands, for a healing of the lingering scars and memories from colonization and civil wars, for protection of the land rights of the people, and for governments that are transparent and further the good of all the people, rather than being captive to foreign and business interests.

Prayers

God of love and compassion, we approach you full of grief and shame, because we just cannot understand how it is that you love us so much. We feel that we are living under the shadow of death. We find it difficult to understand that you have already brought us out from there and that you hope to see in us signs showing our faith and trust in the eternal life promised us by Jesus.

Do not forsake us. Rather, guide us in ways of hope that one day Africa will know and live in peace, health and prosperity, through the grace and mercy given us by your Son, Jesus Christ, and by the Holy Spirit. Amen.

(Felicidade N. Cherinda, Mozambique. In: Africa Praying – A Handbook on HIV/AIDS Sensitive Sermon Guidelines and Liturgy)

We sincerely thank you, O God, for your powerful gift of hope in the face of seemingly hopeless situations.
We thank you for your peace in the hearts and minds of men and women in this part of Africa who believe you are the living God, quick to save in time of danger.
You reign above all, directing the course and destiny of the universe.

(Joao Makondekwa, Bible Society of Angola. WAGP p. 337)

Prayer of an African Christian

God,
enlarge my heart that it may be big enough to receive the greatness of your love.
Stretch my heart that it may take into it all those around the world who, with me, believe in Jesus Christ.
Stretch it that it may take into it all those who are not lovely in my eyes,
and whose hands I do not want to touch; through Jesus Christ, my saviour.

(https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/prayer-cycle/angola-mozambique)

We pray for the Literacy programs being operated by the Bible Society in Bangladesh, in Cambodia, in Myanmar, in rural China, in Egypt, in Pakistan, in Mozambique, and in South Sudan, that there will be a ready supply of the required literature, that there will be no impediments placed by local or national authorities to hinder the work being undertaken by Bible Society staff, that there will be a ready acceptance by the local peoples to the opportunity to learn to read and write, and that your Holy Spirit may use this opportunity to work in the hearts of those who use the bible Society material to respond to the Gospel message.

(https://www.biblesociety.org.au/our-work/)

We pray for Rev Dona Spencer who has recently taken on the role of Bush Chaplain for the Roma area. We pray that she will settle into her new environment, that she will quickly gain an insight into the needs of the people who she is serving, into the resources available to ministry, and where your priorities are for her. We pray for safe journeying as she travels throughout her ministry area, and for an opening to opportunities for her to minister among the communities with which she will be in contact.

(https://frontierservices.org/services-qld/)

We pray for the Protestant Christian Church in Bali and the endeavours through their Maha Bhoga Marga Foundation (MBM), whose focus is on community development work to end poverty in rural villages, specifically to grow new businesses and finding money to start them, such as a small chicken-breeding business. We pray that they will receive the necessary financial aid from international aid partners to finance these new businesses, that they will receive the needed cooperation from local authorities, that there will be a ready acceptance among local villages for the opportunities that are available, and that it will be your message of hope and grace that is underlying all of the work of the members of the Church in Bali.

(https://www.unitingworld.org.au/)

. We pray for wisdom and good health for Yvonne, the new Country Leader for The Leprosy Mission in DR Congo. We pray that you will help and assist her in her leadership. We pray for the Organisation of People Affected by Leprosy in Congo (OPALCO), that they will become strong and a model in DRC for fighting stigma effectively. May their work improve the social, physical and spiritual living conditions of those affected by leprosy and other Topical Diseases. We pray for peace in Eastern DRC, which is afflicted by killings, abductions, rape and looting of natural resources by armed groups, that countries and organisations that are directly involved in this turmoil will have their hearts touched by God. We pray for the provision of funding for the three provinces that are no longer getting leprosy support: Kongo Central, Kasai Central and Maniema Provinces, for the developing of projects for these endemic provinces in leprosy and Buruli Ulcer. We pray for church leaders in Congo, as they continue to raise awareness of leprosy and support communities that are affected.

(The%20Leprosy%20Mission%20Prayer%20Diary%202023.pdf)

We pray for those who lead Religious Instruction classes at Bald Hills State School. Guide them in the words to say and the approach to take with the children in their classes. May the Holy Spirit challenge the children in the RI classes to come to a closer relationship with you.

We pray for Kylie Conomos, the Scripture Union Chaplain at Bald Hills State School. Please guide and equip her as she seeks to address the concerns and needs of children, parents and teachers at the school.

We pray for those who are unable to attend worship. Please guide and comfort them in their particular circumstances. May they be aware of your care for them as they meet what each new day brings.

Lord God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your lovingkindness. To your glory we pray. Amen.