Prayer of Praise: –   

  Almighty God, we give to you our adoration because you are the author and giver of all good things; for through your goodness towards us we are nourished; for through your great mercy we are kept safe and secure.  We are blessed because you fill us with your gift of love and share with us the joys of your Kingdom.  We can rest assured that your love is constant and that you will keep your promises towards us for ever.

  Almighty God, we offer you our thanks, because our lives are graced by your faithfulness and your glory.  You delivered the Israelites of old from enslavement and death simply because you loved them.  You delivered us from enslavement to sin and death through the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ.  As the Passover marked a new stage in the history of the Hebrew people, so the death and resurrection of Jesus marked a new stage of your relationship with Humanity.  Eternal God, your act of reconciliation astounds us, living as we do in a World that seeks to settle its differences by force and the death of opposition.  Yet, Lord, you seek life, our life, to be shared with you in glory.  We come humbly before you with our everlasting thanks for your mercy towards us.

  We pray, loving God, that we will not take anything for granted, but will recall with grateful hearts what you have given for us in the past, for your reassuring presence with us right now, and for what you promise to do for us in our future.  We come to you, in adoration and praise, for all that you are and all that you will be.  Amen.

Prayer of Confession   

Merciful God, we are filled with a sense of wonder and joy that you should care for us so deeply.  But such care for us forces us to examine our response to such an outpouring of love on your behalf. 

Sadly, we confess that there are times when our words and actions, our weak and unconvincing witness, denies the existence of your love. 

When our behaviour is patterned more on the values of the world than the values of Jesus, please forgive us.  When we clothe ourselves with habits which reflect our own selfish desires rather than the selfless nature of Jesus,

please forgive us. 

When the lives of neighbours are unravelling because of poverty, broken relationships, substance abuse, and discrimination, and we fail to love them as Jesus loves us,

please forgive us. 

Merciful God, you are always more ready to hear us than we are to pray to you, you are resolute in purpose, but our will wavers, you endower us with gifts and talents which we are hesitant to use, you are always ready to offer comfort and care while we are quick to criticise and blame. 

In these ways we have failed to be the light of the World that you have called us to be.  Please forgive us.

Merciful God, we come before you dependent upon your grace, which gives us so much more of your love than we deserve.  We come, dependent upon your mercy, which withholds the just judgement that we deserve. 

We come, dependent upon your forgiveness, which removes our guilt and remembers our sins no more.  We come, desiring to know you better and to take on your likeness in our lives.  Please take the frayed strands of our lives and weave them into something beautiful.  To your glory we pray.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness  (from James 2: 1 and 5) 

James, in his letter, states that God has chosen us to be rich in faith and that we will possess the Kingdom which He promised to those who love Him.  As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, let us be assured then that having confessed our sins before God, that God has heard us, that God has responded in love by forgiving us, and that God readily welcomes us into a renewed fellowship with Him.

Thanks be to God.

Prayers for Others

Christ Jesus, you welcomed children and brought healing and hope to their lives. 

We pray that, as your Church, we will create places of welcome, care and safety for all children, reflecting your love and compassion.

God of comfort, we pray for children who have been neglected or abused. 

We pray that people will come into their lives who love and nurture them in healing and life-giving ways. 

We pray for child safety workers and those working in child protection,

thanking you for their dedication and the gifts they bring to their vocation to protect and improve the lives of children.  We pray that you will sustain their vision and uphold them in love and grace.

Christ Jesus, as your Church, you call us to be a faithful embodiment of your care and love. 

We lament when we have failed to be communities of safety and care.  Challenge and correct us in our failure, and reform our life. 

We commit ourselves as your Church to being places of safety, free of abuse and exploitation.  We commit ourselves as your Church to be communities where people can flourish in ways of trust and love. 

We pray that your Spirit will empower us to be advocates for a society in which all children can flourish.

(Deidre Palmer 2017 for UCA National Child Safe Week 2021)

We pray for those students who are undertaking training in Scripture Union courses in chaplaincy and pastoral care. 

We thank you for their willingness to serve you in these fields and ask that you will guide and strengthen them as they develop the right skills and understandings.

We pray for those involved in chaplaincy work in schools and colleges. 

Guide and equip them to provide consolation in times of loss, counsel in times of stress, and comfort in times of need.

We pray for the volunteers who assist in the mission of Scripture Union across Queensland, asking that you will protect them in their travels.

Encourage them as they interact with children and youth, and guide them to be your witnesses in every circumstance and situation in which they may find themselves. 

We pray for the planning and organising for the Scripture Union camps taking place during the coming School holidays. 

We pray for the leaders that they are confident with their preparations.  We pray for the leaders that they are enthusiastic about relating to those who will be attending.  We pray for the cooks and helpers that they will know exactly what and how they are to undertake their tasks.

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.