Prayer of Praise and Confession: –

Almighty God, we give to you our praise for you are just and compassionate.  You are a God who cares for those who groan under oppression and sorrow.  You are a God who listens to those who cry out for help and does not pass them by.

You are a God whose tender love gives comfort to the outcast and to the powerless.  You step beyond social norms and cultural boundaries and religious bigotries, to embrace those whom society neglects, and to call to you those whom society rejects.

Almighty God, 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, you reveal yourself 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 compassion, 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 of time and beyond Time, all those who come to you through Jesus Christ.  We are awed by your power in raising Jesus Christ from death.  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.

Yet, Lord, we come before you contrite and repentant for our failings and for 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.

Merciful God, 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 our words and our 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, we 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 to forget.  Lord, in your mercy, forgive us.

Merciful God, we are indifferent to the treasures of your 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 do not go the way we want them to, we are temperamental when challenged with the need to grow and to mature.  Lord, in your mercy, forgive us.

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

Strengthen us to follow gladly the sure path of salvation and to walk humbly in your footsteps.   May we walk in the way of grace and truth all the days of our life.  For this we pray, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from Psalm 80: 7b and 19b) 

The Psalmist declares with assurance, “Show us your mercy, Lord God Almighty, and we will be saved.”  Having confessed our sins before God, we, too, have faith that God, in His great mercy, has heard our prayers, has forgiven our sins, and has brought us back into a right relationship with Him.

Thanks be to God.

Prayers for Others

Loving Jesus, you were born in a stable but worshipped by the angels.  Be with all who are lonely, and with all who feel distant from celebrations.  Be for us a living hope that lightens their hearts.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Jesus, as you healed the sick, bring healing to those in families who are ill today.  Guide and direct the doctors, nurses and medical staff who have accepted the responsibility to tend the sick and injured, to find cures  for illness and diseases, and to bring wholeness back into people’s lives.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Christ, for whom there was no room in the inn, give courage to all who are homeless; to  those desperate for a means to provide a livelihood for their family

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Christ, who fled into Egypt, give comfort to all refugees; that they will find acceptance in a new land and a means to provide for themselves and their family.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Christ, who fasted in the desert, give relief to all who are starving; to those affected by financial distress, to those affected by famine, to those affected by natural disasters.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Christ, who hung in agony on the cross, give strength to all who suffer oppression and discrimination, who are abused or disregarded by others.

Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.

Loving God, seed in your World and in us your vision for shalom and refuge with you.  Heal those who are weary of body, mind and soul.  Heal the loss of identity that accompanies homelessness and statelessness.

Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.

  Anticipate Heaven in the hearts of warmongers and peacemakers, restoring innocence and blessing them with the capacity to love their enemies.  Reconcile relationships between peoples and your created order.  May Hostilities cease in places of conflict and war and in homes where safety has been unknown.

Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.

Enter into the World with prophetic expectation, so that those who are lost to themselves and others, might find their way into your light.  May the mistreatment of the vulnerable be replaced by the yearning for respect and dignity for all.  

Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.

May people’s hearts be stirred daily so that they will strive to be a blessing and source of hope for others in the world.  Lord of the Church, make us one in heart and mind to serve others with joy, help us to know you, to worship and to serve you.

Loving God, who has called us out of darkness into his marvellous light, source of our hope for our present and our future, bless us and fill us with peace.

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.