Prayer of Praise  

(from Moira Laidlaw Year A Easter Week 5 and Prayers of God’s People Year A p102 & 104 and The Book of Worship p34 and Psalm 31) 

Holy and loving God, we worship You because of the grace that You have offered to us through Jesus Christ, and for the comfort in the realization that You accept us because of our faith in our risen Lord.  We praise you for the complete forgiveness of sins, for the wiping away of all that we have done in rebellion and defiance of Your will and purpose for our lives.  Out of mortality and unbelief and the fear of death You have led us to trust and hope and eternal life.   

God, our cornerstone and strong foundation, you have shaped us into a worshipping community, giving us purpose and strength.  You have given us healing and wholeness, and

have enabled us to stand before You and unburden ourselves of all our cares and concerns.

  Almighty God, we are humbled because You know each one of us by name.  You know our character and our nature, our desires and our needs.  We can come to You and know that You will not turn away from us, but will listen to our prayers, our praise and our rejoicing, our fears and our problems. 

  God our protector, we rejoice in knowing that You stand by us in our trials and troubles.  It is upon Your strength that we can rely to get us through those times when we are tired and weary, when we seem to be overwhelmed by the World and the people in it.  We thank you that we can trust You to carry us through and to bring us to those places where we feel refreshed and renewed.

  God of refuge and strength, you bless our lives with eternal loving kindness, holding us, guiding us, and delivering us from evil.  Let our praise and thanksgiving for all you have done truly resound within our hearts and our homes, within these walls and beyond.  Amen.

Prayer of Confession 

(from Moira Laidlaw Year A Easter Week 5, + Invocations p30 + The Book of Common Worship p304 & 305 +Prayers of God’s People Year A p103) 

Merciful God, you show us the way that you took, the way which challenges all that is evil and destructive.  We confess that too often we choose the easy and non-threatening way which disregards the needy and denies people the opportunity to live an abundant life.

Forgive us Lord for when we lose direction and so fail to follow your way.

Merciful God, you speak the Word of truth which brings Good News to the poor, freedom to those who are oppressed and enslaved, and healing to those whose lives lack wholeness.  We confess that too often our minds are swayed by what the Media declares is truth, something that can so often be contrary to the Gospel.

Forgive us Lord for when our lives deny the truth of your words and your deeds.

Merciful God, you give us the gift of life, emptying yourself of all self-serving power in order to empower others.  We confess that we like to influence things so as to further our own purposes, even if it contributes to the powerlessness of others.

Forgive us Lord for when our desire for influence and status is stronger than our desire to make your life visible through us.

Merciful God, in you is understanding and insight.  You promise to support us in our trials and sustain us in our times of needs.  We confess that we let our doubts grow until they restrict our understanding and our readiness to act.

Forgive us lord for when we have allowed our faith to grow weak and lacking in vitality.

Merciful God, we long to know your will and to grow in your likeness.  We seek to be your holy priesthood through whom you can minister to others.

Forgive us Lord and cleanse us of all those aspects of our life that disappoint you and are unworthy of your gracious love.  In your mercy restore in us the joy of your salvation and healing.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from 1 Peter 2: 9) 

The Apostle Peter reminds us that we are God’s chosen people, called out of darkness into His wonderful light.  Anyone who trusts in Jesus Christ will never be disappointed.  Therefore, we can be confident that having confessed our sins, God has listened to our prayers and has forgiven us.

Thanks be to God.

Prayers for Others

Almighty God, knowing of your love for all of Humanity, especially of your compassion for the needy, we come to you with our cares and our concerns.

We bring to you our prayers for the World around us and for people individually.

Loving God, we live in a World where mistrust and selfishness breeds cruelty towards others, the abuse of power and privilege, the oppression of the powerless and the poor, discrimination towards those who are classed as ‘different’, and indifference towards the needs of others.

May the decision-makers in Governments and Business, in cultures and communities, acknowledge your Lordship over all of Humanity, and acknowledge their accountability to you for their actions and their inactions towards those whom you love in equal measure.

Loving God, we live in a World where forgiving others is seen as a sign of weakness, where holding onto grudges is the norm.

Make us instruments of peace, reconcile us where we are in dispute with others and cleanse us from all resentment.

Loving God, we live in a World where the innocent are the ones who suffer in times of conflicts, where the unprotected are the ones who are the victims of terror and crime.

We pray for your protection over children and their families.  May they experience your care such that their lives and their livelihoods are prosperous and fulfilling.

Loving God, we live in a World where many suffer pain from accident or illness, where many are disabled or sick in body, mind and spirit.

Please bring relief to those who suffer, please bring healing and wholeness to the ill and the injured.  Please bless the efforts of medical and nursing staff, of counsellors and service providers.

Loving God, we live in a World where the Church seen as irrelevant or, at the very least, distrusted.

Reawaken in your Church its calling to be the light of the World, to provoke the World to judge itself in terms of your standards and principles.  Reawaken in your Church its calling to boldly proclaim your Gospel message of hope for the sinful and the lost.  Reawaken in your Church its calling to show leadership in the caring for the needy and in proper stewardship of your Creation.

(from Leading Intercessions p5, Prayers for the Seasons Year A p30 & 31)

We pray for the Church: that we may recognize that we are a chosen and holy people, living stones, whom you are creating into the Body of Christ, to announce the deeds of the Lord.

We pray for the growth of our faith, that the Spirit will help us to rely upon Christ more fully, for Jesus is our Way, our Truth, and our Life.

We pray for fuller discipleship, that you will guide us in living sacrificial lives and continuing the ministry of Christ in laying down our lives for our families, our communities, and our society.

We pray for those who do not know Christ, that the Spirit will help them to recognize your work in their lives and the world around them as a sign of your love and presence.

We pray for all who serve the poor, widows, orphans, and the forgotten of society, that you will renew their hearts and strengthen their spirits as they continue to reach out to those in need.

We pray for all burdened by worry and anxiety, that they may find in Christ hope, freedom, and peace.

We pray for all who are struggling with addictions, that Christ may be their way to freedom and wholeness.

We pray for all who work the earth, that they may use their skills wisely to feed the Human family and that you will give them favourable weather and an abundant harvest.

We pray for all who feel unwelcomed or experience discrimination, that you will help us welcome them, affirm their Human dignity, and support their spiritual journey.

We pray for members of our Federal and State Governments and Local Councils, that you will open hearts to dialogue and finding common ground so that the common good can be advanced and the least among us can be sustained.

We pray for all youth, that you will help them make wise decisions, respect one another, and drive safely and responsibly.

We pray for Peace, that you will turn hearts from violence, end the bloodshed in Sudan, Ukraine, and our city streets, and protect all who are vulnerable in our society.

https://liturgy.slu.edu/5EasterA050723/ideas_other.html Copyright © 2023. Joe Milner. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.

  We pray for the peoples of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

  We are thankful for the magnificent expanse of mountains, grasslands and deserts in these Central Asian countries, for the rich natural resources, for the incredible ethnic diversity, for cultural traditions and practices that have been preserved for centuries amid the challenges of modernization, for Christians who, although they are a tiny minority, have courage to witness to the gospel and find the strength to live according to God’s word, and those who in spite of danger dedicate their lives to serving others.

  We pray for the people in these lands who suffer from poverty and repressive rule, for an end to clashes related to tribalism, traditionalism, and modernization, for the land, air and water that have been damaged by human abuse, for good relations between Muslims and Christians, and for an end to oppression and violence.

Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)

  We pray for our Scripture Union Australia staff as they build relationships with inter-church councils and other key local leaders regarding ministry opportunities.  We pray for solid, enduring partnerships to be formed.

  We pray for fresh ministry opportunities in new communities to further share your love, God, your hope and good news.  We pray that more lives will be transformed through the work of SU Australia.

  We praise you God for the many new volunteers who have responded to your nudge to mentor in schools and connect with students facing difficult life circumstances.  We pray for even more people to get involved in SU Australia ministries across the country.

SU Prayer-Guide-MAY-2023.pdf

  We thank you God for the opportunities presented to those associated with The Leprosy Mission to share the love of Christ with people affected by leprosy, verbally or non-verbally, and we pray that they may encounter Jesus’ transforming power through their witness.  We thank you God for the increasing number of partnerships with local churches, temples and mosques and pray that religious leaders would be able to play an important role in increasing inclusion of people affected by leprosy within their faith communities and the local community.

  We thank you God for the church leaders who are active in the detection of new cases of leprosy and for the large numbers of new cases they have found in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.  We pray that through the voluntary efforts of churches many more hidden cases will be found.  We thank you God for the church-led Disability Resource Centres in Myanmar, who, in the absence of Government services, will effectively provide for the needs of people affected by leprosy and/or disability.

We ask for your blessing, God, on The Leprosy Mission’s third annual Global Day of Prayer on Wednesday 10th May.  We pray that their staff, supporters, volunteers, and Board Members will be able to put their regular work to the side for a day and seek you in prayer on this day.  May you speak to us with your mighty wisdom.

 We pray for Kylie Conomos and her work as Chaplain at Bald Hills State School, that she is receiving the necessary support from the School and the volunteers helping her, that she is finding that what she is doing is making a difference in the lives of children and families with whom she is coming into contact.  We pray for continued financial and prayer support for her from local Churches.

  We thank you for those who have dedicated their time to the leading of RI classes at Bald Hills State School.  We thank you for their answering the call to share the Gospel in this way, and pray that you will bless their efforts and that the Holy Spirit will reach out and touch the hearts of the children who attend the classes.

   We pray for those whom we have not seen for some time.  We pray for your continuing care for them, and thank you that we can still maintain contact via email or telephone call.  May they be assured of our continuing concern for their well-being.

Lord God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your lovingkindness.  To your glory we pray.  Amen.

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.