Prayer of Praise    

Bounteous God, we give thanks for this ancient and beautiful land of ours,
A land of despair and hope,
A land of wealth and abundant harvests,
A land of fire, drought and flood.
We pray that your Holy Spirit may continue to move in this land
and bring forgiveness, reconciliation, and an end to all injustice.
We bless you, God of the Universe, for this land,
for its contrasts of landscape and climate,
for its abundance of wealth and opportunity.
We bless you for our history,
with all its struggles in adversity,
its courage and hope.
Give us, in our diversity,
tolerance and respect for each other,
and a passionate commitment to justice for all.
Bless us so that we might be a blessing to others.

[https://www.defenceanglicans.org.au/resources/events/australia-day-26-january/]

God, Great Creator,
From the dawn of Creation you have given your children
the good things of our Earth.

You spoke and the gum tree grew.
In vast deserts and dense forest,
and in cities at the water’s edge,
Creation sings your praise.

Your presence endures
as the rock at the heart of our Land.

When Jesus hung on the tree
you heard the cries of your people
and became one with your wounded ones:
the convicts, the hunted, and the dispossessed.

The sunrise of your Son coloured the earth anew
and bathed it in glorious hope.

In Jesus we have been reconciled to you,
to each other and to your whole Creation.

Lead us on, great and glorious God,
as we gather from the four corners of the Earth.
Enable us to walk together in trust,
from the hurt and shame of the past
Into the full day which has dawned in Jesus Christ.

To your glory and honour we pray.  Amen.

Prayer of Confession   

God our Creator and Healer
We confess that we have sinned:
We have used creation not cherished it;
We have lived selfishly; not watched the balance of life;
We have been greedy – not sharing Earth’s gifts;
And our footprints are heavy not gentle.
Forgive us the damage that disturbs our planet.
Grant to us to live for the World’s healing and our own.
In you lies our hope for transformation

(https://www.arrcc.org.au/reflect-prayers-christian)

Jesus,
The one fully engaged in life
Forgive us for our ‘whatever’ attitude.
Forgive our nonchalance in the face of your call.
Forgive the indifference we show in regards to the suffering and life needs of others.
Forgive our apathy to join wholeheartedly in your work for justice and the common good.
Forgive our hesitancy in giving more of ourselves in loving service to people who need it from us.
Forgive our fear of really following you which we mask with false confidence in doctrine and surface spirituality.
Forgive our attempts to defer guilt from not truly living out your way through Sunday religion and weekly religiosity.
A silence is kept
Awaken real faith in us again.
Startle us anew with the power of your love.
Engage us once again in your work of love and grace.
Call us back to the transformative power of loving service and faithful witness to you,
That we might know that you are in our lives, and the lives of all people,
Working for good no matter whatever we do.
But calling us to do whatever we can to work with you
To do whatever is needed for the good of all
Whatever the cost.
Whatever can be,
We pray.
(Source: Jon Humphries, Transforming Worship Facebook page, Uniting Church in Australia)

I sometimes forget
that I was created for Joy.
My mind is too busy.
My Heart is too heavy
for me to remember
that I have been
called to dance
the Sacred dance of life.
I was created to smile
To Love
To be lifted up
And to lift others up.
O’ Sacred One
Untangle my feet
from all that ensnares.
Free my soul.
That we might Dance
and that our dancing
might be contagious.

(~Hafiz)

Christ, Lover of our struggles,
Embodiment of care and compassion.
Help me step up to the threshold of my hurt, disappointment, guilt or pain.
May it be the boundary of my growth into betterment,
That when I step into it I might discover strength and support in faith,
A gift for myself, from you and from others.
May my future be on the other side of my failure.
May failure simply enhance the story of my life,
Bringing an epic plot twist
And adding to the narrative of my growth and development.
May my faith not make things easier,
But resource me in the struggle and suffering which comes.
May I not seek greater comfort ,
But, rather, may my faith make me stronger in the midst of my struggles.
Ambitiously I pray. 
(Source: Jon Humphries, Facebook post, October 2019)

In the stopping, in the pausing, in the quiet,
we cannot avoid what we are not:
Our faults, our lack of faith,
our lack of vision and of action,
our lack of trust – all bubble to the surface.
You, Loving God, see who we are
and still stand by us – offering us hope
and above all, forgiveness. 

Amen.

(https://pilgrimwr.unitingchurch.org.au/?p=400)

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from 1 Peter 1: 3) 

The Apostle Peter reminds us that, because of God’s great mercy, He has given us new life by raising Jesus from death, filling us with living hope and keeping us safe by His power.  Having confessed our sins before God, we have the assurance then that God has heard our prayers, that our sins have been forgiven and our lives made clean in God’s sight.

Thanks be to God.

Prayers for Others

Let us come before God with our cares and our concerns.

We pray for this Land, our culture, our customs,
our languages, our people and our Nation.
Gather us together to look after this land,
so that the beauty of our Earth
may be preserved for all future generations.

Jesus, our example and pattern for life, give us your grace,
may we be united in one mind, one heart, and in one
action so that we can continue the journey of reconciliation,
to solve the divisions of our growth
and enable all Australians to work together
in love, peace and joy.

We ask you God the Holy Spirit,
overshadow us with your presence,
especially this our nation.
We ask you to guide all people, whether black,
white or yellow, so we can truly learn
and have better understanding in the the knowledge
of language and culture of this land, Australia.

(https://www.ncca.org.au/ncca-newsletter/january-2020-1/item/1970-reflection-for-january-26-2020011)

Lord, we thank you for the beautiful, life-sustaining gift of Creation.  We pray that, as individuals and communities, we become better stewards of what you have entrusted to us.

Lord, we pray that we will see the World through the eyes of faith.  May we bring whatever gifts we can to the work of making your Kingdom come on Earth.

Lord, we pray that the way we live our lives is guided by your values of love for people, especially the poor, and not by the allure of having and possessing more.

Lord, we pray for those in the World already affected by rising sea levels and more frequent extreme weather events.  We pray that Humankind responds to their need to live full and healthy lives.

Lord, we pray for our own political leaders.  May they be guided by concern for the common good, not by expediency of vested interests.

Lord, hear us.

Lord, we pray that we in the Church respond more fully to your call for ecological conversion.

Lord, we pray for the discernment to recognise the teachers and prophets of our times, and the courage to respond to them.

Lord, we pray for this generation of children and generations yet to come.  May we preserve for them an environment that is able to meet their needs.

Lord, we pray that we maintain the inspiration and strength to live simply so that others may simply live.

Lord, we thank you for the beauty and diversity of all that lives on earth.  We pray that world leaders will respond to the call to protect the environment.

Lord, hear us.

Lord, help us to trust that you are the bread of life, and not to seek false happiness from worldly comforts and possessions.

Lord, help us to recognise and speak the truth about caring for Creation.

Lord, we thank you for providing so well for us in our society.  Keep us mindful of sharing what we have with the needy.

Lord, we pray that World leaders respond generously to the fact that an environmental crisis and an economic crisis are both hitting the poor the most heavily.

Lord, we pray for World leaders.  May they make wise and courageous decisions that promote a healthy, safe climate.

Lord, hear us.

Creator God, we thank you for the beauty of your Creation, and for giving us the privilege of caring for it. We confess that we have not cared for the Earth with the self-sacrificing and nurturing love that you require of us.  We mourn the broken relationships in Creation.  We repent for our part in causing the current environmental crisis that has led to climate change.

Faithful God, sustainer of all – we pray with hope, because you are already at work through Christ to reconcile all of Creation to Yourself and to renew all things.

Loving God, help us to turn our lives around to be people of restoration.  Help us build just relationships among Human beings and with the rest of Creation.  Help us to live sustainably, rejecting consumerism and the exploitation of Creation.

God of justice, give us courage and persistence to work for justice for those most affected by environmental degradation and climate change.

God of mercy, hear the cry of the poor who are already suffering and will continue to suffer water and food shortages and who will be displaced by climate change.

God of all wisdom, give wisdom to the leaders of all the World’s nations to work together for agreement to tackle climate change.  Give them the determination to find a just solution that protects the people who are most vulnerable in our World, and protects Creation.

Creator God, give us your Spirit to work together to restore your Creation and to hand on a safe environment and climate to our children and to theirs.  Let our care for Creation be our act of worship and obedience to you.  

God of Creation,
You created night and day.
You separated the sea from the sky.
You gave life to all living creatures and saw that it was good.
Help us to reconnect with the majesty of your creation.

God of Love, fill us with your love for all Creation.
Empty us of apathy, selfishness and fear.
Inspire us to live simply and in harmony with Creation.
Help us to be good stewards, caring for all Creation with self-sacrificing and nurturing love.

God of Compassion, breathe into us solidarity with all who suffer now
and the future generations who will suffer
because of our environmental irresponsibility.
Help us to put people before profit and ‘being’ before ‘having’.

God of Justice, empower us to work together as one global community, 
To find creative and just solutions to protect those most vulnerable in our world, and all of creation for future generations.
Move us into action for climate justice and to restore your creation.

(https://www.arrcc.org.au/reflect-prayers-christian)

We pray for each one of us, that as we listen to and reflect upon the Word of God, that it will nourish and guide us, and when it disturbs us, find the grace to mature in our Christian life.  Lord, hear us.

Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for all families, that the inspiring words of Saint Paul will open for all the richness of the gift and virtue of love.  Lord, hear us.

Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for the protection of the gift of life, formed by God in the womb, that along every stage into the most senior of years, society and governments will affirm its dignity with respect.  Lord, hear us.

Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for the rebuilding of Tonga after the recent tsunami, for an ease of tensions between Russian and Ukraine, for an end to violence in Burkina Faso, and relief from famine in Afghanistan, Yemen and Ethiopia.  Lord, hear us.

Lord, hear our prayer

Loving God, we come to you with heavy hearts, remembering the six million Jewish souls murdered during the Holocaust.

In the horrors of that history, when so many groups were targeted because of their identity, and in genocides which followed, we recognise destructive prejudices that drive people apart.

Forgive us when we give space to fear, negativity and hatred of others, simply because they are different from us.

In the light of God, we see everyone as equally precious manifestations of the Divine, and can know the courage to face the darkness.

Through our prayers and actions, help us to stand together with those who are suffering, so that light may banish all darkness, love will prevail over hate and good will triumph over evil.

(https://www.hmd.org.uk/resource/a-prayer-for-holocaust-memorial-day/)

Lord God and Father,

We remember before you all those who bear the inner and outer scars of the
Holocaust and of subsequent acts of genocide.

Let them not be overwhelmed by the horrors that engulfed them.
Be close to them.

Help them to see that you suffer with those who suffer,
and that no wickedness can ever extinguish your infinite love.

Restrain those who are filled with hatred and use violence to pursue their ends.
Change their hearts.

May remembrance make us alert to the reality of evil and its deceptive allure.
Help us to recognise our own capacity for evil and allow your Spirit to
purge it from our beings.

Help us also to stand up against evil and oppression, even if that means we have to
suffer ourselves.

Enable us to defend those who are not strong enough to defend themselves,
and to be ready to bring the light of your truth into the dark areas of human
experience.

Deepen our respect for everything you have made, and help us to share in securing
the maximum good of every person who is alive in your world.

We ask this in the Name of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for our sins, carries our sorrows, heals our wounds,
and is risen for our freedom.

(https://www.hmd.org.uk/resource/a-holocaust-prayer-by-philip-hall/)

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.