Prayers for the week commencing Sunday 5th June 2022

Prayer of Praise

(in part from Prayers for God’s People Year B p109 and 110)

Almighty God, we gather together with joy and excitement to offer you our thanks and our praise, we gather together in humbleness to acknowledge you as our LORD.

You have shown your supreme power and incomparable abilities through what we see and experience around us, by and through what you have created. The Universe has been set in its place through the Laws of the Cosmos which you have determined. Our World follows patterns and cycles of Nature which you have decreed. Our bodies function and operate because of the structures and the systems that you had the foresight to develop.

You have expressed your nature of kindness and graciousness by the way you sustain all of life. You have provided for the needs of the smallest of bacterium that inhabit our soil as well as of the largest of whales that swim in our oceans.

You provide the necessities of life for all things, you provide rain for those who acknowledge you as their God and for those who don’t, but should do so. To argue that all things arose by chance ignores the perfect design and the divine plan underlying all that you have made. To argue that life arose by accident ignores the fact that you alone are the source of life.

You have expressed your love for us so clearly through the sending of your son into the World, so as to undertake your work of redemption and reconciliation. We recognise the brokenness of our lives and the barrenness of our own abilities to rebuild our relationship with you, and to repair our relationships with others. We recognise the sacrifice you made in sending Jesus Christ into the World and of his willingness to suffer on the cross. We acknowledge your power over sin and death through his resurrection.

We praise you for making possible the forgiveness of our sins and the complete cleansing of our souls from all that is impure and ungodly. We submit to your will and purpose in the World and individually in each of our lives.

May our worship here today be tied to a renewed commitment to serve you daily in thought, word and deed. May each moment of our lives be an expression of our love for you and of our gratitude for what you have done and continue to do for us. To your glory we pray, Amen

Prayer of Confession

(from Prayers for God’s People Year B p109, 116, 118, and A Year of Prayer p72, 73)

We come acknowledging our failures and our faults, our sins and our stumblings.

We come confessing the wrong things we have done and the right things we have not done.

We confess that we have sought meaning in the trivialities of the attractions of this World, and have been enticed away from your path by this World’s values.

Forgive us, we pray.

We confess that we have forgotten your Word and have sought meaning and understanding from what the World tells us.

Forgive us, we pray.

We confess that we have compromised our witness to your love for the World by uncharitable thoughts and actions.

Forgive us, we pray.

We confess that we have devalued our relationship with you by depending on what we can accomplish by ourselves.

Forgive us, we pray.

We confess that we do not readily welcome into our fellowship those who are different or who challenge our level of comfort.

Forgive us, we pray.

We confess that we tend to act in competition and not by co-operation.

Forgive us, we pray.

Cleanse us from the defilement of our sins, deliver us from the evil that leads us astray.

May we be guided daily by your Word of truth, and nourished by that which endures to eternal life. Amen

Assurance of Forgiveness

(from Romans 8: 33)

The Apostle Paul assured the believers in the Church in Rome that anyone who comes to God repenting of their sin and accepting, by faith, His offer of forgiveness, is declared free from guilt and blameless in his eyes. We have confessed our sin to God and our faith in His work of salvation, in and through Jesus Christ. Let us rest with assurance, then, that God has heard our prayers, that God has forgiven us, and that God has cleansed us in His sight.

Thanks be to God.

Prayers for Others

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

Almighty God, we pray for the Church, that the Holy Spirit will empower us to faithfully follow Christ and bring Good News to all are burdened or who have lost hope.

We pray for a renewal of the Gifts of the Spirit in our lives, that we may recognize and use all the gifts that you have given us for the good of others and the fulfillment of the mission of Jesus.

We pray for a flourishing of the fruits of the Spirit, that we may manifest love, joy, peace, patience, and all the fruits of the Spirit in our lives.

We pray for a renewed sense of mission: that the Spirit will inspire us in confronting the watered-down values of society and in building a society of justice and peace.

We pray for Christian Unity, that the Spirit will heal the wounds and misunderstandings that divide the Body of Christ and lead us in offering a common proclamation of the Gospel.

We pray for a Spirit of love, that we may place our time, energy, and gifts at the service of

others, helping them to carry their burdens and discover your presence.

We pray for a Spirit of hope, that all who are overwhelmed by life may find new reasons to live this day and be gifted with a vision of all that could be tomorrow.

We pray for a Spirit of justice in the world, that the needy, the exploited, the abused, and the victims of war may know relief from oppression and have their dignity restored.

We pray for a Spirit of forgiveness, that you will break the bonds of resentment and vengeance that hold our hearts and free us to forgive as you have forgiven us.

We pray for a Spirit of reverence, that all hearts may recognize you as Creator and work to protect and preserve Creation, Human dignity, and cooperation within the Human family.

We pray for an abundant growing season, that you will send seasonable weather, and bless all who work in agriculture with an abundant harvest.

We pray for conversion of hearts, that you will break the anger and violence that grips hearts, bring an end to violence, and reveal new ways to resolve hurts and differences.

We pray for Peace, that you will heal the physical and mental wounds of all who have experienced violence and console all who are grieving the death of a loved one.

We pray for the people of Angola, Mozambique. We thank you for the rich natural resources in these countries, which you have intended for the good of all. We thank you for the positive developments experienced since years of civil war. We thank you for village committees that seek to protect livelihoods and food security of the poor. We thank you for how the Lutheran World Federation and partners have pursued land rights in Mozambique.

We pray for better sanitation, health services, and protection of the environment in these lands. We pray for a healing of the lingering scars and memories from colonization and civil wars. We pray for protection of the land rights of the people. We pray for governments that are transparent and further the good of all the people, rather than being captive to foreign and business interests. We pray for a speedy and safe removal of land mines so that farmers can return to their fields with confidence. We pray for the funds, the buildings, the libraries and the teachers which would facilitate the spiritual growth and ministry of church leaders and pastors in these countries. We pray for progress in Bible translation projects, that will enable churches in many parts of these countries to worship and teach in the indigenous languages of the various tribes and races.

Angola, Mozambique | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)

God of love and compassion, we approach you full of grief and shame, because we just cannot understand how it is that you love us so much. We feel that we are living under the shadow of death. We find it difficult to understand that you have already brought us out from there and that you hope to see in us signs showing our faith and trust in the eternal life promised us by Jesus.

Do not forsake us. Rather, guide us in ways of hope that one day Africa will know and live in peace, health and prosperity, through the grace and mercy given us by your Son, Jesus Christ, and by the Holy Spirit. Amen.

(Felicidade N. Cherinda, Mozambique. In: Africa Praying – A Handbook on HIV/AIDS Sensitive Sermon Guidelines and Liturgy)

We sincerely thank you, O God, for your powerful gift of hope in the face of seemingly hopeless situations. We thank you for your peace in the hearts and minds of men and women in this part of Africa who believe you are the living God, quick to save in time of danger. You reign above all, directing the course and destiny of the universe.

(Joao Makondekwa, Bible Society of Angola. WAGP p. 337)

We pray for The Leprosy Mission Trust India’s 14 hospitals, spread over nine states of India, that provide specialised leprosy care and disability management services. We pray for your wisdom, strength and spirit of discernment for all the leaders as they lead the teams in all the 14 hospitals. We pray for the smooth functioning of all the clinical services at the hospitals so that they continue to bring healing and restoration in the lives of people that TLMIndia serves. We pray for the good health of all the staff so that they continue to serve in love, compassion, and good spirit. We pray for your guidance in enabling TLMIndia to provide high quality and relevant services, as well as all the resources required in the hospital units. We pray that regular training, workshops, and Continuing Medical Education sessions will go well and that TLMIndia will enhance the capacity and skill of the staff and further improve service delivery. We pray for all the patients and the community members who use services in TLMIndia’s units so that they continue to be blessed and their health and community transformed. We ask that you will raise committed professionals who will continue the much needed work of the Mission and bring glory to you.

(The Leprosy Mission Prayer Diary 2022)

We pray for the Women in Ministry project that supports women in the Pacific region to study theology and seek ordination, equipping them for leadership in the Church and community. We pray that the women studying at the Pacific Theological College (PTC) in Suva, Fiji, will receive the financial and pastoral support from their individual churches, that they will discover new truths that they can take back and share with their churches to their churches, and that they are developing the skills to be effective leaders in their churches.

(https://unitingworld.org.au/women-in-ministry-update-may-2022 / )

We pray that school chaplains across the country will be encouraged and valued by their communities in which they serve, and that they receive the needed finance and pastoral care that will enable them to continue their ministry.

We pray that Scripture Union office staff and field teams across the country will be enlivened and encouraged by your Spirit to continue their work of serving children and youth in their areas.

(SU Prayer guide)

We pray for the Religious Instruction classes at Bald Hills State School, that your Holy Spirit may be at work in the minds and hearts of the children who attend. We thank you for the dedication of those who lead classes and pray that you will encourage and refresh them in their efforts.

We pray for Kylie Conomos, the Chaplain at Bald Hills State School, that you will guide her as her interacts with the pupils and children at the School, that she will be aware of needs and of how to respond, that she is refreshed physically and spiritually so as to cope with what each day presents.

We pray for the family of the young man who was recently died from cancer. We pray that in this time of loss and sorrow that his wife, his children, and the wider family are receiving the love and consolation that they need. We pray for the financial security of the family in the years ahead.

We thank you for the success of the recent afternoon tea between members of our congregation and of the Deception Bay Congregation. We ask for your guidance and insight into our continuing deliberation concerning submitting a joint call for a fulltime Minister of the Word who will serve both congregations.

We pray for encouragement for Jillian as she continues her work with the Church Council and the people of the Congregation to clarify our vision and mission goals as your people in the Bald Hills area. We pray for your blessing on the deliberations of those on Church Council as they consider how the Congregation is to move forward in the future.

We pray for those who we have not seen for some time. Please guide and comfort them in their particular circumstances. May they be aware of your care for them as they meet what each new day brings.

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

Amen