Prayers for the week commencing Sunday 3rd April 2022

Prayer of Praise

Almighty God, we give to you our praise for you are just and compassionate. You are the God who cares for those who groan under oppression and sorrow. You are the God who listens to those who cry out for help and does not pass them by. It is your tender love that gives comfort to the outcast and to the powerless. You step beyond social norms and cultural boundaries and religious bigotries, to embrace those that society neglects, and to call to you those that society rejects.

We give to you our praise, for you are the One who gives light to a World that lives in the darkness of sin and despair, for you are the One who gives sight to a World that is blind to your free gift of grace and reconciliation. You are the one who has done great things for us, not that we deserve your attention, but solely because you are a God of love and grace. We come together as your people with assurance and hope in your promise to save, for all time, all those who come to you through Jesus Christ. We are awed by your power in raising Jesus Christ from death to dwell with you. We come together to thank you for Christ’s intercession on our behalf. We are honoured to be called your children and to be called to be in your presence.

We give to you our praise for your Word nourishes us and comforts our souls. We praise you for your Spirit that enlivens us and empowers us to live as your people. We praise you for your presence with us always, for your continual protection and oversight in a World that turns its back on all that you represent and refuses to listen to all that you have to say. May we do with loving hearts what you ask of us. May we strive to live the life that you command us to live. May you lead us in the way that leads to you. To your glory and honour we pray, Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Merciful God, have pity on us, for we come before you contrite and repentant for our failings and our disobedience.

We come before you knowing that our best is still far from the way of the Gospel to which you have called us to follow.

We stumble in the darkness of suspicion and prejudice about others. Our minds are closed to the way of truth that we often profess but fail to follow. We are slow to discern the needs of those in our community who are handicapped by ill-health, by despair, by the burdens of trying to make ends meet.

We avert our eyes from those who are not socially acceptable or are not clean looking. We demean people who are equally made in your image. We are too quick to judge them because of their failings and fail ourselves to look upon them as people worthy of love and concern as you are so quick to show to them.

We fail to control our tongue from speaking evil and our lips from speaking deceit. We pray empty words of praise while at the same time speak words that are thoughtless and unkind.

We profess to be disciplined and Christ-like, yet are wilful in our thoughts and words and actions. We profess to be moved by the sight of the hungry and needy yet are wasteful of our own resources.

We condemn the neglect shown by others yet fail to work towards reconciliation and harmony in even our own small corner of the World.

We too often remember the smallest of hurts that we experience and fail to follow your example of being willing to forgive and forget.

We are indifferent to the treasures of wisdom, and fail to use the gifts with which you have endowed us. We lower our standards and disregard the influence that our conduct may have upon others.

We are proud and vane and love nothing more than boasting about our own deeds and achievements. We strive for popularity and avoid criticism, we are sullen when things don’t go the way we want them to, we are temperamental when challenged with the need to grow and to mature.

Merciful God, we come humbly before you, seeking your forgiveness.

Holy God, remove all the sin in our lives that binds and oppresses us. Give us the courage to cast off our sinful habits and to turn to you for healing. Strengthen us to follow gladly the sure path of salvation and to walk humbly in your footsteps.

Merciful God, you have revealed yourself to be a God who is longsuffering and kind, full of compassion and slow to become angry, always ready and willing to pardon sin.

May we then walk in the way of grace and truth all the days of our life. Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness

(from Philippians 3: 9)

The Apostle Paul assured the believers in Philippi that we cannot develop righteousness through rites or rituals or meditation, we cannot earn righteousness through right living, nor do we deserve to be granted righteousness because of our good works. Righteousness comes from God, given graciously and freely to us through our faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ. Let us hold onto that promise, that, having confessed our sins before God and confessed our faith in Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord, we can rest assured that God has heard our prayers, that God has forgiven us and removed our sins, that God has cleansed our souls in His sight, and that God embraces us as His children.

Thanks be to God.

Prayers for Others

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

We pray for the Church, that we may give witness to the dying and rising of Christ by our lives and be instruments of hope to all who are experiencing loss or limitation.

We pray for the gift of a new beginning, that you will transform our fears into hope, and selfishness into love.

We pray for growth as disciples, that, like Mary, we may place ourselves at the feet of Jesus to learn and accept the gift of life that Jesus alone offers.

We pray for all who must face death each day, particularly emergency personnel and hospital chaplains, that you will strengthen their spirits and help them honour the life of each person they assist.

We pray for all who confront the death-dealing forces of our society, that they may bring the light of Christ to those struggling with the darkness of abortion, abuse, addictions, crime, and disease.

We pray for all who are experiencing divorce or the death of a relationship, that you will heal their pain, give them the courage to face the issues, and hope for tomorrow.

We pray for all the people of Bethany, Palestine, and Israel, that you will turn hearts from violence, protect the innocent, open a new understanding of each other’s fears and hopes, and heal the wounds and mistrust that exists.

We pray for those who are mourning the death of a loved one, that they may know Christ’s loving and sustaining presence with them in their time of loss.

We pray for all who are suffering for the Gospel, that God will strengthen them and help them to offer faithful witness to Christ.

We pray for all who are suffering, particularly refugees and those affected by natural disasters, that they may know the power of Christ’s resurrection and the hope that Christ offers for tomorrow.

We pray for all who are ill, that you will bring healing to all with long Covid, give strength to those undergoing rehabilitation, and courage to those struggling with addictions.

We pray for peace, that your Spirit will change hearts, bring an end to violence, and establish peace and justice in every land.

We pray that you will guide us to remember the poor in our community and to show love for you through our love for them.

We pray that you will have mercy on those who are victims of their own failure to love. Have mercy also on all who suffer from the meanness of those who should provide and care for them.

(Raymond Chapman in Leading Intercessions p100)

We pray for those who are hurting and helpless. We pray for healing for those distressed in body, mind and spirit. Comfort, heal them and relive them of their concerns, giving them patience in their trials and an end to their troubles.

We pray for those who lead us in Government, Industry and Society, that their plans are based on your principles, that they are executed impartially, and that through them all people may know and experience justice and respect.

(David Hostetter in Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year C p78)

Please bless the work of Frontier Services pastors ministering to people in the sparsely populated areas of Australia who are experiencing difficulties from natural disasters, cyclones, floods, fires and mouse plagues. Give to them words of comfort and consolation. Give to them a presence that heals and encourages.;

Please bless the work of the Outback Link volunteers who give of their time to assist property owners to repair damage to building and fencing, to assist with the looking after of stock, and who provide of a source of encouragement and support in places of despair and need.

Please bless the work of those involved with Uniting world’s livelihood training with vision impaired women in West Timor, as they assist these women to develop skills so as to allow hem to earn income for their families.

Please bless the work of the Protestant Christian Church in Bali with their programs in local communities to provide business training and chickens to start businesses that will bring in income for families.

Bless and encourage the leaders of upcoming Scripture Union camps over the School holidays, as they undertake the task of presenting the Gospel message to the children and youth attending these camps. Protect from harm all leaders and campers. May your Holy spirit work in the minds and hearts of the children and youth that they will discover their place in God’s story for them.

Bless and encourage the leaders of the upcoming Easter Madness Camp as they undertake the task of presenting the Gospel message to the youth attending this camp. Protect from harm all leaders and campers. May your Holy spirit work in the minds and hearts of the youth that they will discover their place in God’s story for them..

We pray for the peoples of the Czech Republic, of Poland and of 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, and for democratic governance that advances God’s justice and peace for all.

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)

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.

(Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2005, Slovakia)

(https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/prayer-cycle/czech-republic-poland-slovakia)

Please be with Kylie Conomos as she rests over these School holidays. Please bless the work that she does at Bald Hills State School, a she support he 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 ask for your blessing on the afternoon tea planned with members of the Deception Bay Congregation on Sunday15th May, that it will be a time when we will enjoy the company and fellowship of new friends.

We ask for your blessing on the Congregation progresses through the Stats have Faces process being led by Jillian. May it be a profitable time of exploring our skills and resources and of discovering your will and mission for us in the Bald Hills and neighbouring areas.

Loving God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your compassion and care. To your glory we pray. Amen.