Prayers for the week commencing Sunday 31st January 2021

Prayer of Praise

Leader: Almighty and everlasting God, the giver of life and the source of peace, we thank you for leading us through the past week, for the guidance that you have provided and the grace that you have so freely given. We thank you that we can so openly come together to offer you our worship; we thank you for the privilege of meeting in public to offer to you our praise and thanks.

We praise you that we can confidently declare that you are our God, and that we are your People. We praise you for your work of redemption in each of our lives, for the sacrifice of your Son for each one of us. We praise you for the openness by which you welcome us, despite our backgrounds and our past.

Living and loving God, in your great love for the World, you desire to help us and to keep us safe. This was most visible when you sent your Son to be our Saviour and Lord. That you, Creator of Heaven and Earth, should so care for us is almost beyond our imagination. How can we come with anything other than praise and adoration for your priceless gift of life to us, a gift made possible through the sacrificial love of Jesus, your Son, our Lord and our Saviour. Guide us and strengthen us by your Spirit that we may give ourselves to your service, and live this day, and always, in love to one another, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Leader: Merciful God, you alone can judge rightly our innermost thoughts. You alone see whether we observe your Laws from the heart or only keep them outwardly.

All: We confess that often we have failed to be an obedient Church. Often, we have not done your will and have rebelled against your purposes. We seek your forgiveness.

Leader: Merciful God, you alone can see whether we are driven by our desires or by our love. You alone see what motivates our actions and our speech.

All: We confess that often we do not calm our anger nor our annoyance. Often, we have not loved our neighbour, nor have we heard the cry of the needy. We seek your forgiveness.

Leader: Merciful God, you alone know whether we truly seek to be reconciled to you and to be reconciled to those who live around us.

All: We confess a stubborn heart that refuses to accept that we can be in error, that we make mistakes, and that we cause sorrow for you and for others. We seek your forgiveness.

Leader: We confess, merciful God, our readiness to affirm our belief in your guidance, yet we fear to move into the unknown on behalf of the Gospel.

All: Break through our resistance and our fear O God, with your perfect and all-reaching love; so that we may hear and respond to your call, your promises, and your leadership in our lives with heightened enthusiasm and deepened faith.

Leader: Gracious and loving God, forgive our lack of trust in you; help us when we hesitate, and strengthen us where we are weak. Blow your Spirit afresh into our hearts and minds so that we may have the courage to follow Jesus wherever he leads us.

All: Forgive us, we pray. Cleanse us from all of our sin, and thereby make our worship acceptable to you. Free us for joyful obedience, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness (from 1 Corinthians 8: 6)

Leader: There is only one God, the Father and Creator of all things. There is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, through whom all things were created, and through whom our salvation comes. Having confessed our sins and with faith in the grace of God, we can be confident that God has heard us, and that God has forgiven us.

Response: Thanks be to God.

Prayers for Others

Leader: Let us bring our cares and our concerns before God.

Almighty God, we pray for the Church, that the authoritative teachings of Jesus will guide and challenge us as we seek to be more authentic disciples. May we seek you first in our lives and to love others with the love with which you love us.

We pray that we may understand your Word more clearly, that it may awaken new insights in us for the renewal of the Church and the advancement of your Kingdom.

We pray for all who exercise authority, that they may use their authority as Jesus did, to free people, to heal the sick, and to build up the community.

We pray for all who are bound by evil, that your Spirit may release them from addictions, greed, anger, and vengeance, so that they may live lives in the freedom of your children.

We pray for school students as they commence a new school year, that they may value the education that is freely offered to them. We pray for their teachers that you will give them the strength and energy to teach and mentor their students for their growth and development.

We pray for all who have mental and emotional illness, that your love will strengthen, heal, and sustain them along life’s journey.

We pray for all who are grieving, that they may experience your comforting presence and the loving support of others.

We pray for all who are held unjustly, for those caught in human trafficking, and for prisoners of conscience, that you will free them and give them strength.

We pray for all who are suffering, that you will protect those who are in the cold, guide the unemployed to new job opportunities, and help families find sufficient food and housing.

We pray that you will heal the sick, curb the transmission of the coronavirus, sustain all who care for the sick, and guide those who are working to administer the vaccines.

God of Peace, we pray that you will impel the World’s leaders to a deeper dialogue that will promote safety and development for all people.