Prayer of Approach

God of grace and truth,

we have received your invitation

offered through Jesus Christ,

and come with gratitude into your presence.

We offer our focus on you

not only in worship now,

but desire to remain focussed on you in all of our living,

in response to your mercy extended towards us;

Grant us to be wise in our living,

alert to your presence

and the significance of the signs around us…

Strengthen us to stay spiritually alert

even in the days of our physical and mental decline…

that we might rejoice in your coming kingdom,

the kingdom for which we pray

in the words Jesus has given us…

therefore we pray as our Lord taught us to pray:

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

Prayer of Confession

Holy and demanding God,

you reconcile us to yourself

through your own action in Jesus Christ

to welcome us to be your holy people…

a Spirit people who are:

a people of righteousness,

a people of peace,

a people of joy  (Romans 14:17)

We come confessing that only too often

we forget whose we are,

and overlook the need constantly to check our recalibration,

instead slipping back so easily into measuring ourselves

and our lives according to contrary standards

to those of your kingdom…

-silence-

Lord have mercy LORD HAVE MERCY

We come confessing that only too often

we forget whose we are,

and that our calling is that of building community

as a people of peace…

instead getting caught up in the need to be right

which divides rather than unites,

Christ have mercy  CHRIST HAVE MERCY

We come confessing that only too often

we forget whose we are,

and ignore your Spirit’s gift of holy joy

instead taking on board the pessimism of our contemporaries…

Lord have mercy,   LORD HAVE MERCY

AMEN

Word of reconciliation

We heard:

 ⁸ If we live, we live to the Lord,

and if we die, we die to the Lord;

so then, whether we live or whether we die,

we are the Lord’s. 

⁹ For to this end Christ died and lived again,

so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

We remain the Lord’s, in life and in death…

secure in what Christ has achieved

through his death and resurrection,

so we say with joy in our hearts…

THANKS BE TO GOD

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Holy God,

who nevertheless welcomes us,

we pray for a global expression of the hospitality

you offer us

to be manifest through the decisions

those in charge of nations make

to include those who search for refuge at their borders…. 

Lord hear us LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

Holy Lord,

who became one of us to bring us home,

we pray for political, economic and social leaders

within all nations and communities

who will heed the aspirations of those

who struggle to have shelter, food and clothing,

not to mention education and health services,

that they may cooperate to help all ‘bring home the bacon’.

Lord hear us LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

Holy Spirit,

in our State, and in the United States of America,

people have voted according to their ideological stand,

expressing their values through a democratic process;

many who offered their services lost out,

grant them your peace and a renewed vision for a future;

others have been elected to positions of responsibility,

grant each of them something akin to the wisdom of Solomon

as they make decisions effecting global and community well-being..

Lord hear us LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

Compassionate God,

we pray for those known to us

who each day deal with pain and debilitating health issues,

for them we pray the prayer Paul prayed:

May the God of hope

fill you with all joy and peace in believing,

so that you may abound in hope

by the power of the Holy Spirit.

AMEN