Prayers for the week commencing Sunday 2nd April 2023

Prayer of Praise

(Bruce Prewer in Australian Prayers p46 & 47)

We thank you, O God, for Jesus Christ, the word of forgiveness, the source of hope, and the promise of renewal.

Hosanna! Blessed be the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

We thank you, O God, for the assurance that Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners.

Hosanna! Blessed be the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

We thank you, O God, for the experience of your mercy, and the sense of your presence in our lives.

Hosanna! Blessed be the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

We praise you, Gracious God, for you make Disciples out of sinners, for you bring rejuvenation into tired and barren lives.

Hosanna! Blessed be the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Merciful God, we rejoice in your entry into the world and into our lives!

As did the crowd lining the road into Jerusalem, we sing your praises and exalt your reign.

But even so, our hearts are far from true worship,

Our minds are distant from true understanding.

We are disappointed with your humility,

We are uninspired by your selflessness.

Our sin leads us to death even though you promise us life.

Our treachery guides us to hostility towards others even though you call us to peace.

We confess that our wills are as rebellious as Jerusalem’s,

that our faith is often more show than substance,

that our hearts are in need of cleansing.

Have mercy on us, Saviour of our lives.

Help us to lay at your feet all that we have and all that we are,

trusting you to forgive what is sinful, to heal what is broken. To your glory we pray. Amen.

(by John Paarlberg) https://www.faithward.org/worship-lent-palm-sunday-prayer-and-call-to-worship-ideas

Assurance of Forgiveness

(from Philippians 2: 8)

Jesus Christ was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death, his death on the cross for our sins. We have confessed our sins in the presence of God, so, trusting in the mercy of God and placing our trust in the saving work of Jesus Christ, we are confident in knowing that God has heard us and has forgiven us.

Thanks be to God.

Prayers for Others

Loving 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.

Almighty God, we hear of things happening, both near and far away, that which makes us afraid of what is in store for humanity.

Strengthen our trust in your power and authority to fulfill your will and purpose in the World.

We hear of the destitute and of the needy, and their terrible plight tears at our soul.

May we not throw up our hands in despair, but be active in doing what we can to alleviate need and to advocate for change.

May the World acknowledge your power and authority as the ruler of all. May Governments and those in positions of power and decision making seek your will and guidance, may they seek to act to bring health and prosperity to all and not wealth and status for the few.

May peace and justice be the driving forces among peoples and not division and prejudice.

Have mercy on the lonely and the grieving, those who feel shut off from the company of others and withdrawn into a world of self absorption.

May they feel your presence close by and experience the comfort and peace of mind that only you can give.

We pray for those who are ill or injured.

May you provide relief for them in this difficult time. We pray for those who provide care and comfort to them that they will see the reward for their efforts.

Bless and inspire the Church Worldwide to witness to your grace and to declare your great work of the forgiveness of sin. Let it not be tempted to deviate from this call so as to seek honour or position or any reward offered by the World, lest its ministry be diluted and its witness made ineffectual.

May there be unity within the Church. May we not be content with divisions or accept contention between factions as a fact of life. May we all seek a unity of purpose to bring your light to an ever darkening World.

(from Leading Intercession p101, Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year C pp91 & 92)

We pray for the Church, that we may strive to have the same mind as Christ as we offer our lives in loving service to others.

We pray for courage, that your love will sustain us in times of suffering and rejection, and help us to trust in your providence each day.

We pray for all Christians, that you will fill us with life and raise us up as we surrender ourselves to you and seek to do your will.

We pray for all who are suffering because of the Gospel, that you will sustain them, help them to give faithful witness to the Gospel, and make fruitful their witness in the hearts of others.

We pray for all who have experienced abandonment, betrayal, or rejection, that your Spirit will comfort them, help them to hold fast to the truth, and guide them to new communities.

We pray for leaders of Government and Business: that through the example of Jesus, they may recognize how to be servant leaders and never forget the needs of the most vulnerable.

We pray for all who work in the legal system, for judges, attorneys, and juries: that they may always respect the dignity of both the injured and accused parties and work diligently to find the truth.

We pray for greater respect for human life, that every heart may honour the mystery of Human life at all stages along life’s journey.

We pray for all who are grieving, that you will comfort them, bring supportive people to accompany them, and fill their hearts with peace.

We pray for the grace to forgive, that we may have the courage to forgive freely all who injure us just as you have forgiven us.

We pray for peace, that you will open new awareness among all conflicting groups to the dignity of each person, inspire leaders with new ways to settle disputes, and protect the children and elderly from harm.

We pray for the peoples of Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia.

We are thankful for the faithful witness of Christians here through the centuries, especially in times of occupation and persecution for the peaceful resolution of disputes, for the distinctive cultural contributions and resources in these lands, and for the religious freedom and ecumenical cooperation that is growing.

We pray for greater respect for the Roma people and others who are marginalized and who lack adequate livelihoods in these lands, for welcoming and engaging those of other faiths and ethnicities, for growth in spiritual as well as physical health, for democratic governance that advances God’s justice and peace for all.

Prayers

Oh sweet Christ, draw us who are weak to you, since we cannot follow you if you do not draw us on.
Give us a brave, resourceful spirit, and, if the body is feeble, may your grace precede, mediate and follow, because without you we can do nothing and we are nothing.
Give us resolute spirits, fearless hearts, true faith, firm hope and perfect love,
that we may patiently and joyfully lay down our lives for you.

(Prayer by John Hus)

For Everlasting Peace

I will appoint peace your governor, and justice your ruler.
No longer shall violence be heard of in your land,
or plunder and ruin within your boundaries.
Isaiah 60:17-1

To the Creator of nature and humankind, of truth and beauty, I pray:
Hear my voice, for it is the voice of the victims of all wars and violence among individuals and nations.
Hear my voice, for it is the voice of all children who suffer and will suffer when people put their faith in weapons and war.
Hear my voice when I beg you to instil into the hearts of all human beings the wisdom of peace, the strength of justice, and the joy of fellowship.
Hear my voice, for I speak for the multitudes in every country and in every period of history who do not want war and are ready to walk the road of peace.
Hear my voice and grant insight and strength so that we may always respond to hatred with love, to injustice with total dedication to justice, to need with the sharing of self, to war with peace.
O God, hear my voice and grant unto the world your everlasting peace.

(Pope John Paul II in “L’Osservatore Romano,” 3-9-81,14)
Intercessions

The apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians to encourage them. May we have the same hope as the Corinthian church as we pray for the church of God and for all people according to their needs.
Eternal God, we thank you for calling us by name. In you we live and move and grow. We pray for churches and Christians throughout the world. Remind us of our common foundation in Christ . May we grow together in faith and in love, until we attain that unity which is your will.
Build us together in Christ, Make us your dwelling place.
Send down your Spirit so that we may know Jesus and bear witness to our life and unity in him. May we know the mind of Christ in order to speak God’s wisdom everywhere. Strengthen us to work towards peace and reconciliation in church and society.
Build us together in Christ, Make us your dwelling place.
We pray for the churches in Slovakia and for all churches which are experiencing change – growth or struggle, reconciliation or conflict. Inspire and strengthen them in works of witness and service.
Build us together in Christ, Make us your dwelling place.
We pray for those who have no home, no land, no food, no work, no medicine, no peace. May we recognize and serve Christ in the suffering and the needy.
Build us together in Christ, Make us your dwelling place.
We thank you for all your gifts of creation. Teach us to share with others our time, our energy, our resources and our love. Make us sensitive and responsive to the wounds in the human family and creation. May we be faithful to our calling and live a long life on earth. May we give our whole life to Christ, for we belong to him and in him are united all things on earth and in heaven. Amen.

(Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2005, Slovakia)

Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)

We thank you God for Bible Society’s translators working in PNG. We pray for the translators and local communities carrying out Bible translation work, that their resource needs would be met. We pray too for additional consultants and training for the national Translation Officers.

We thank you God for the work of Bible translation and revision in New Caledonia in 2023. We pray that a replacement for the current Translation Coordinator would be found, and that this translation work would lead to meaningful engagement with the Scriptures in New Caledonia.

We pray for the work of Bible translation in Vanuatu, where Bible Society is undertaking four new translations of the New Testament, a revision of two Scriptures and the digitisation of three Bible translations. We pray that the people of Vanuatu will be better able to understand and apply God’s word to their lives.

(2023/Bible Society 2023 prayer letter.pdf)

We thank you God that so many schools have chosen to re-engage a Scripture Union backed chaplain to support their students and school community in 2023. We pray for returning chaplains and the recruitment of new chaplains to fill current vacancies

We remember prayer hubs being held across northern Victoria, giving thanks for the volunteers and staff members who are involved with these, and pray for a rich time of fellowship together.

We pray for the children and youth program SUPA Miners – an online Minecraft ministry held in the ACT, that this would continue to become a joy-filled and supportive community for our young people

We pray for Dianne Kenyon (Ministry Catalyst in SA) as she has conversations with members of local churches about beginning new ministries.

We pray for the SU Australia national leadership team; that they would be led by the Spirit and guided by Jesus, every step of the way.

(SU%20Prayer-Guide-March-2023.pdf)

We pray for the Frontier Services Bush Chaplains working in Queensland, the National Disaster Recovery Officer, Rev Dr Stephen Robinson, Pastor Joe Eka in the Kennedy Area, Pastor Michael Chapman in the Carpentaria/McKay Area, and Rev Dona Spencer in the Bottle Tree Area, thanking you for their dedication to meeting the needs of those on farms and properties in the sparsely settled areas in the west and the north of the State. Please guide them and protect them in their travelling. Please encourage and support them during the times when they are overwhelmed with the needs of those they serve.

(https://frontierservices.org/bush-chaplaincy/)

We pray for the work of The Leprosy Mission International in Bangladesh, that there will be smooth cooperation with National bodies dealing with the elimination of Leprosy and TB. We pray for the success of projects that focus on finding and treating new cases of leprosy, community based rehabilitation, research, advocacy, and tertiary care services. We pray for the success of the L360 (Learning 360) umbrella project that seeks to gather data and information from eight projects across Bangladesh using a new database, with the goal of extending it to all projects in due course. Pray that staff will be able to analyse the information gathered and learn from this data how to improve what work is being done.

(2023/The Leprosy Mission Prayer Diary)

Please be with Kylie Conomos as she rests over these School holidays. Please bless the work that she does at Bald Hills State School, as she supports the children and the families, and the staff of the School.

We pray for the leaders of Religious Education classes at Bald Hills State School, that they will be enthused with the taking of their weekly classes. May the Holy Spirit be working in the hearts and minds of the children who attend these classes that they will respond to the Gospel message that is being presented.

We pray for those who we have not seen recently, that they will experience your closeness and encouragement each day

May your words give nourishment to the roots of our faith so that in our words and actions we can serve those in the Community in which we live and move. Amen.