Prayer of Thanksgiving  

(adapted from UCA Assembly Liturgy Resources for a Congregation)  

Gracious and Almighty God, we give you thanks for the men and women who first established this Church in this place;

and for all those who have continued to worship and serve here, those who lived out their faith in loving words and deeds and prayers.

We give you thanks for all the hopes, fears, joys and sorrows that have been brought into this house of prayer;

and for the times of renewal and profound decisions that have been made here.

We give you thanks for those who gladly expressed their faith through the playing of music and the singing in choirs;

and for those who used their gifts and talents in the caring for finances and administration.

We give you thanks for those who led Sunday School classes, Ray’s, OK’s, KUCA, BHUGS, P1, youth groups, fellowship groups, Bible studies, and prayer groups;

and for all who grew in their knowledge of you through their involvement in the life of this Church.

We give you thanks for those who worked lovingly in the kitchen;

and all who cared for the buildings and property.

We give you thanks for the people whose faith has been nurtured here;

for those who have stayed in the Bald Hills areas and for those who have moved away and have continued your work and witness elsewhere.

Loving God, Creator, Sustainer, Forgiver and Inspirer, on this day of remembrance, thanksgiving and hope;

we praise you for all that has passed and trust you for all that is to come.

May your work and witness continue to be strengthened here with our assurance of the presence of the risen Christ,

Prayer of Confession 

(in part from Psalm 19: 12 to 14) 

Merciful Lord, you search our hearts and minds and find us wanting.  How often have we wandered from the path you have laid out, and have followed our cravings and desires?

Forgive us God for the pain and disappointment that we cause you.

We spend our time admiring others for their beauty or intelligence.  We spend our time acquiring material objects in the vain hope that they will satisfy us and give us comfort.

Forgive us God for putting others and things before you.

We feel that we can do better in managing our lives.  We stop listening to your voice because we are satisfied with our way of life.

Forgive us God for trying to earn our own salvation.

We avoid the poor and the hungry.  We avert our eyes when we see others in need because we don’t want to get involved or to share what we have.

Forgive us God for the neglect we show to others.

We are quick to become angry with those who hurt us or take away our time and energy.

Forgive us God for failing to show the limitless love that you lavish upon us.

No-one can see their own errors.

Deliver me, Lord, from hidden faults.

Keep me safe from wilful sins.

Don’t let them rule over me.

May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you.

This is my plea O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from Philippians 3: 9) 

Paul reminds us that our righteousness is given through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God.  We have confessed our sins before God and have professed our faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ.  The Good News therefore is this; in Jesus Christ we are accepted, we are loved, we are forgiven, and our lives cleansed in the sight of God.

Thanks be to God.

Prayers for Others 

(adapted from UCA Assembly Liturgy Resources for a Congregation)  

Loving God, Lord of all times and all places, we bring before you these prayers for the World and for your Church.  We pray for those who groan under the weight of suffering.

May your love be made real to them in your comfort for them and your relief from their burdens.

We pray for those whose lives are made difficult by the actions of others – by the tragedy of modern warfare, by the unfettered greed of big business, by the laws of uncaring Governments, by the prejudice of those twisted by hatred of race, culture or religion.

May your love be made real to them in their experience of your loving care and protection.

We pray for those whose lives are made difficult by events or processes beyond their control – those who do not have enough to eat, those who do not have enough resources to live in comfort, those who have experienced natural disaster.

May your love be made real to them in your provision for their needs.

We pray for those whose lives are difficult because of the ways of the modern world – those who are lonely in a world teeming with Humanity, those who are lost in a world where satellites can tell us exactly where we are, for those who are tempted by the glitter and the glitz, for those who must have the latest of everything.

May your love be made real to them in the understanding that it is in you that we find fulfillment and purpose.

We pray for those whose futures are uncertain – those facing an ongoing struggle with illness, those dealing with constant pain, those who have lost someone important from their lives, those who have life changing decisions to make.

May your love be made real to them in the provision of guidance and wisdom so as to be positive about their lives and to move forward.

We pray for your Church in the World.  Where there is hunger may she bring food, where there is war may she bring peace, where there is hatred may she bring love, where there is hopelessness may she bring faith.

May your love be visible and real in this World through us.

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross so that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace.

Enliven us by your Spirit so that we might reach forth our hands in love, and bring those who do not know you to the knowledge of your love for them.  To your glory we pray.

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.