PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY JULY 2ND

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Call to Worship

At times, O Maker, when we feel that You have forgotten us or that You have hidden your face from us;                  you assure us of your steadfast love.

At times, O Christ, when we feel that you have let us bear the pain in our hearts and sorrow in our souls all day long; you assure us of your steadfast love.

At times, O Spirit, when we feel that You have hidden the light from us and we are sleep walking towards oblivion;  you assure us of your steadfast love.

At this time, Holy Trinity of Love, assure us of your love,    remind us You are there, help us bear our pain and sorrow and awaken us to You presence amongst us as we worship.

Prayers of Approach, Confession and Forgiveness

Ancient One,

we trust You, we adore You, and we worship You,

for You have been ever faithful.

When we doubt You, turn away from You, or mishear You,

Your arms are always wide open in welcome

as we turn back to You.

Lord Jesus,

You call us to follow You,

just as Abraham of old was called to leave everything

to find new life and faith.

Help us, as we follow, to listen for your voice,

spoken in ancient words, and contemporary interpretation,

heard in song and silence,

held in discernment and discussion,

reverberating deep in our consciences,

filling us with awe and joy.

Abiding Spirit,

inspire us to turn around as we hear Your voice,

to change our preconceptions,

to leave behind bitterness, anger, and self-righteousness,

that in humility we may hear anew and respond with love -

Your love which echoes throughout all eternity.

Assurance of Pardon

Friends, here is good news,

the Most High, the Eternal One, aches with love for us,

and forgives us when we get it wrong.

Turn back to God, allow yourselves to be loved completely,

and to respond by showing love in all you do. 

Amen.

The Lord`s Prayer

Prayers of Intercession

We bring our prayers to God, the Eternal Trinity who knows our needs, soothes our pain, and inspires us to act.

We pray, Majestic One, for those who suffer at the hands of those who believe they have heard Your voice but use Your words to wound and maim.                                     

We pray for women silenced in many faith traditions, told how to dress, denied education and agency at the hands of religious leaders who claim to know You. 

We pray for those who are persecuted                              by those who think they know You and Your ways.                                                                                                We pray for those abused and harmed by the Church. 

Give comfort, sustain faith, and through us, bring justice.

We pray, Crucified One, for those who torment and torture in the name of faith.  We pray for those who abuse and use others, who find the Church a safe place to wound and bully, and for the hierarchies who deny and hide the truth, that they may all hear Your voice,  and see your blinding light which will both terrify and change them. 

Give comfort, sustain faith and through us, bring justice.

We pray, Abiding Spirit, that we may know Your love,

a love that speaks into our souls, disturbs us, makes us see the world as it is, and to question what we read – even what we read in the Bible. 

May You speak to us as we discern and discuss in community, that we understand, and follow, Your will for us – Your will for love and liberation. 

Give comfort, sustain faith and through us, bring justice.

We pray, Eternal Trinity, for those we know and love who are in any kind of need….

Give comfort, sustain faith, and, through us, bring justice.

Amen.

The Dismissal

May the One who calls us in the day and the night,

allow you to hear and understand.

May the One who let the silenced speak

and the downcast rise,

enable you to speak and be heard.

May the One who inspires love and justice,

bless you with passion.

The Grace

PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY JULY 9TH

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Call to Worship

People of God!

Come, gather with all creation to praise God,

our loving creator – the Eternal One

in whom grace, mercy and love abounds.

Come, let us give thanks to God,

our Redeemer, who keeps our feet from stumbling,

and who raises us up

when life’s hardships have us bowed low.

Come, let us be inspired by God’s presence on earth,

the Spirit of all Life, whose power is made known

in acts of love, justice and peace

signs of God’s eternal reign.

People of God!

Come, let us worship the Living God.

(Based on Psalm 145:8-14)

Prayers of Praise, Confession and Forgiveness

God of all creation, with the hands of an artist,

you weave beauty and life throughout all you create;

from the splendour of the mountains,

to the delicate flowers of the valley,

from the fathomless depths of the seas,

to the soaring song of the birds of the skies

from the blessing of food reaped from the earth

to the embrace of a loved one’s arms –

in all this that we see and hear,

taste, smell and touch,

we can discover you, O God,

for your persistently loving and creative presence

infuses all reality,

never further from our experience

than the next unfolding moment.

Too often, we dull our senses

to the beauty that surrounds us,

we deny your divine light,

within and without,

we seek shortcuts to acquiring

the things we believe will bring happiness,

all the while riding roughshod

over the earth, its creatures and people.

Forgive us.

God made flesh and blood,

in the beauty, mystery and wonder of incarnation,

you have revealed yourself most fully –

offering grace upon grace upon grace.

May we, by the power of your Holy Spirit

be enabled to live from your divine light within,

and like Jesus, in union with you,

reach the fullness of our humanity –

people of love, justice and mercy.                                  Amen.

The Lord`s Prayer

Prayers of Intercession

God of all,

each week we celebrate resurrection,

when your love is proven stronger than death,

may we, by our words and deeds

join with your Holy Spirit in the healing

and making whole of all creation.

We pray for our earth, confessing the many ways

our actions bring about death and destruction.

Wake us up to our toxic ways,

that we might become agents for change –

a community transformed and transforming,

driven by care for all that you created and called good.

God who in Jesus, died and rose again,

you who knew suffering,

you who came to set the oppressed free,

may we be moved to action and empathy

by your shed blood and tears,

to pursue justice and peace for all peoples.

We pray for all who long for peace,

but instead live with tyranny and torture – 

for all in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Sudan

and so many other places.

We pray for freedom and peace –

for an end to domination and oppression

for there to be no more shed blood and tears.

God whose image rests within each person,

a divine spark of beauty and potential

in each human soul – may we be quick

to recognise one another’s inherent dignity and worth

and to answer Christ’s call to oneness   

welcoming without qualification or condition.

We pray for ourselves,

acknowledging that when we find others hard to love

it’s rarely about them, but about us –

our dislikes, our prejudices, our preconceptions.

May we be freed of all that stands in the way

of loving as you love.

May we be transformed ever more into Christ’s likeness

in whose name we pray,                                                  Amen.

The Dismissal

As we go from this place,

let us be alive to God’s presence with us. 

May we be God’s agents God’s very hands and feet

offering love and joining in with God’s beautiful story.

May we be blessed by and offer in turn

the blessing of the triune God,

this day and always.

The Grace

PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY JULY 16TH

SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Call to Worship

The Psalmist says:

Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.

As we come to worship,

we offer you, O God, our whole lives:
let the words we hear and the words we speak take root,
that they may change the way we are.

May we worship not only with our minds and our mouths
but in every circumstance and in every action.

Prayers of Adoration and Confession

Generous God,

we praise you for the generosity

in giving your word of life to us.
From the pages of Scripture we read your word.
In the life of Jesus we see your word.
In the power of your Holy Spirit we live your word.
Your word that is light in our darkness,
security in our confusion,
and hope in our exploration.
Your word that transforms our lives.

Generous God may your Word be heard in our hearts

that we might love you.
Generous God may your Word sound in our souls

that we might worship you.
Generous God may your Word echo in our mind

that we might embrace you.
Generous God may your Word speak to our strength

that we might follow you.

Loving God, we ask for your forgiveness

for the times we have blocked your voice

by refusing to listen or ignoring your call.

Loving God, we ask that your spirit of wisdom

will allow your voice to flow so that we may hear and know your word and respond to your call.

Loving God, we confess that at times we are afraid

of what you may ask us to do,

afraid that your call will be too hard for us to respond to.

Loving God, enable us to be all that we can be,

to do all that we can do,

to live in response to your love.

Assurance of Pardon

The Word of God in Christ Jesus
has set us free from the law of sin and death.
Therefore there is now no condemnation

for you who are in Christ Jesus.
Your sins are forgiven; be at peace.                                  Amen.

The Lord`s Prayer

Prayers of Intercession

Life-giving God

Let your seeds be scattered among us that, through us, your kingdom may grow.

Help us to be more like Jesus....

Help us to grow the seeds of your compassion and love so that our lives may be full of the freshness and the goodness that springs from the thanks for this enjoy your spirit inspires.

Lord, hear us.                                                                Lord, graciously hear us.

Help us to see more like Jesus....

Give us eyes to see our lives from your perspective.

Make us humble in tending to those in need. 

Help us to show them the light of your love all around them and within them: the hungry, the despairing, the lonely, the homeless. 

May we champion the concerns of old, the young, the sick of those unable to cope with life and ask that your kingdom will grow as we work amongst those whom society has failed.

Lord, hear us.                                                                Lord, graciously hear us.

Help us to hear more like Jesus....

Give us ears to hear through the commotion of our world. Grant us the space to hear your still, small voice.

Give us strength in the difficulties that we face especially in this time of global crisis and deep uncertainty.

May we work and pray for the renewing of this battered earth and ask that your kingdom will grow in justice love and peace fresh in the minds of leaders and people like.

Lord, hear us.                                                                Lord, graciously hear us.

Help us to speak more like Jesus....

Give us lips to proclaim your message to the world;

words of friendship and comfort, words of concern and love, words of joy and peace, words of challenge, words of good news, words of God.                                                We pray for all churches grappling with new ways            of speaking your word and sowing seeds.                          May your spirit enable us to break down the barriers          that separate us from one another so that we may bring your healing love into the lives of the peoples of our world.

Lord, hear us.                                                                Lord, graciously hear us.

Help us to understand more like Jesus....

We pray for wisdom in our decision making. May our empathy touch the lives of those we that meet whose priorities are not the same as ours:

we pray for those hearts that are stony ground:
may they be opened up to you;
we pray for those hearts that are rocky ground:
may the way be cleared for you;
we pray for those hearts that are too burdened:
may the snares of their cares be untangled for you;

Let your seeds be scattered among us that, through us, your kingdom may grow. 

Amen.

The Dismissal

May God sow in you the seeds of an abundant harvest;
May Christ the Word be a lamp for your steps;
And may the Holy Spirit give life to you - body and soul.

We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,                        In the name of Christ.

The Grace

PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY JULY 23RD

SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Call to Worship

By the Spirit's power we cry out to God,
"Father! my Father!"

Let us worship God.

Prayer of approach and confession

Lord of creation,
who inspired the dreams of our mothers and fathers –
we come to worship You today.

For You, God, existed before all creation.
You, God, travelled with patriarchs and prophets

and disciples,
and with all our mothers and fathers in the faith.

You, God, have travelled with each of us.
Even when we turned away and ignored You
Your creative power has supported us.

You are a loving God,
and so, we can confess to You
that we are not always faithful to You,
and that we do not always love our neighbours

as ourselves.

You offer us divine dreams
of Your reign of peace and plenty for all people
which too often seem overwhelmed
by human nightmares of war and famine.

Loving God, forgive us our sins,
and set us anew on the path You dream for us.

Silence

Scripture says that the Spirit comes to help us,

weak as we are (Romans 8:26 GNB)

Send Your Spirit to fill us all
with hope, love and joy
that we might set free to be God's children in the world.
We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Prayer of the Day

O God of Jacob,
You speak in the light of day
and in the dark of night
when our sleeping is filled with dreams
of heaven and earth.
May Jacob's vision remind us to be open and watchful,
ready to discover Your presence in our midst.

Amen.

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession

Creator God,
we thank You that You are closer to us

than our next breath;
that You know us better than we know ourselves
that Your love for all of us, and for all Your children
is deeper and higher and broader

than we can ever imagine.

We thank You for all Your blessings to us
and that You are close to us in all our joys and sorrows.
We thank You for Jesus Christ,
that His life of care and mercy for those in need
His preaching of forgiveness
and His death and resurrection
speak to us of Your love for the world
and for each one of us.

Hear our prayers for the Church and the world.

May Your church be a place of mercy and forgiveness.
May all who are distressed find in the Christian community
the peace and comfort which You offer all people.

We pray for all who are seeking to plant
new initiatives of faith and service in the Church.
We pray for those faithful folks
who struggle to see green shoots
amid the weeds which seem to often choke the work of the Church.

Merciful and gracious God
Hear our prayer

We thank You for those who supply us
with the necessities of life,
especially, today, we pray for farmers and all who bring us our food.
We pray for fair trading systems
to ensure that those who produce food
are given a just reward for their labours.
We pray for those in our communities
who struggle to feed their families
and for an economic system which is fair to them, too.

Merciful and gracious God
Hear our prayer

We pray for doctors,
both those who look after our bodies
and those who tend minds.
We thank You for all who work in healthcare
especially at this time of stress on the health service
We pray for all who are ill
or who have long term ill health:
for those who suffer from pain in their bodies
and those who suffer in mind and spirit.
Bring them healing and a better quality of life.

Merciful and gracious God
Hear our prayer

We pray for all victims of war and violence,
and those driven from their homes because of hatred
or uprooted by poverty to seek new lives elsewhere.
May Your people always be welcoming
to those who are new among us
even if they are very different from us.
May those who claim to be Christians
never stoke up hatred and division in our communities.

Merciful and gracious God
Hear our prayer

We pray for those who have been recently bereaved
for those who mourn for loved ones long gone,

but not forgotten;
and for those who feel that they have lost
something else important in their life –
a sense of belonging, an opportunity denied,

a road not taken.
May they all know that they can never be far from Your love.

Merciful and gracious God
Hear our prayer

We pray for leaders, in our community,

in our nation, and around the world.
Give them wisdom, keep them honest,
and may they care for all the people

whom they are called to serve.

Merciful and gracious God
Hear our prayer

Hear us as, in silence, we remember
people and situations which are close to our hearts today.

Silence

Merciful and gracious God
Hear our prayer

Faithful God
may we all keep close to You,

as You are always close to us
looking for ways to nurture the coming of Your Kingdom
and always faithful to our Saviour, Jesus Christ
in whose Spirit we bring these prayers.                            Amen.

The Dismissal

All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
Brothers and sisters, we are all children of God.
So go in peace,
and be led the Spirit.   

The Grace   

PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY JULY 30TH

EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Call To Worship

Come and give praise to the Almighty God,

proclaim God’s holy name,

let the nations know of all that God has done.

Sing out, sing praise, tell of God’s wonderful acts. 

Let your heart rejoice in God; give glory to the Holy one.  Seek and find strength in God’s presence.

based on Psalm 105:1-4

Prayers of Approach and Confession

Welcoming God,

you have sought us and we draw near,

you have called us and we wait here in your presence.  

What would we be without you? 

What would we do without you? 

Through Christ you have pursued us with grace,

forgiven us with mercy and embraced with love. 

In Christ, you have poured out your all to bring us,

all people and all creation

back into right relationship,

even submitting to suffering and death

so that we may know healing and life. 

In Christ you lead us through death to life

and promise us life in all its fullness,

undeserved and beyond our imaginings. 

We come with awe and wonder at the extent of your love,

broader, higher and deeper than we are able to perceive,

and we give you thanks and praise. 

Receive our worship,

hear our prayers as incense before your throne

and enable us to submit to you will and way. 

Prepare us for the coming days as we grow in you,

transformed by your Spirit and challenged by you calling.

Our God is ever present to us

and yet we are not always present to God,

our attention is diverted,

our will and actions pursuing our own will

and not the way of God. 

Let us, in this moment,

confess our sins

and empty our hands of the things that are a barrier

to our service of God

that we might be free to receive

and to serve whole heartedly. 

Let us keep silence as we call to mind

the things we have done wrong,

and the good that we have failed to do.

Silence

Sovereign God, ruler of our hearts and lives,

we have sought to life for ourselves

and ignored your will and purposes.

Loving God, giver of life and grace,

we have sought our own good

and ignored the cries of others.

Uniting God, who draws all things together in Christ,

we have sought to maintain division

and ignored the challenges of unity.

Gracious God, hear our cry for forgiveness,

set us free to live life in its fulness

in right relationship with you and one another,

through Christ we pray.

Assurance of Pardon from Psalm 103: 8-12 CEV

The Lord is merciful! 

He is kind and patient, and his love never fails. 

The Lord won’t always be angry and point out our sins;

he does not punish us as our sins deserve.

How great is God’s love for all who worship him? 

Greater than the distance between heaven and earth! 

How far has the Lord taken our sins from us? 

Farther than the distance from east to west! 

Friends, in Christ our sins are forgiven, we are set free!

Thanks be to God.                                                          Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

God of life and love, we thank you that you give us the privilege of prayer as a means of sharing in the kingdom purposes.  Help us and all your people to recognise both the wonder and the responsibility of your calling and join with you, in whatever way you lead us, in spreading your Gospel and living out our faith in you.

We pray for the people of this world in their rich diversity, teach us to see difference and variety not as something to be viewed with suspicion or fear but to celebrate that all people are expressions of your creativity, made in your image.  Remind us that we will never look into the eyes of another person who is not loved completely by you. 

May we welcome the stranger, make room for and seek to adapt to include the unfamiliar and share you love with all.

God of peace, we bring before you those places in our world where there is no peace, where conflict rages on, where lives are shattered by war and people driven from their homes.  Give courage to all who work for peace and hope to those who face the terrifying reality of the moment that they may know your love and hold tight to your promises.  Show us how we can offer help and support and speak truth to power in the face of injustice.

We pray for those whose lives are consumed by poverty, the hardship of natural disaster or the consequences of climate change beyond their fault and control. 

May those who lead the nations exercise power in light of your sovereign rule, guided by your example of grace and love, to make wise decisions for the good of all. 

Teach us to play our part in supporting those who face such life limiting situations through prayer and action

as you enable us.

King of kings, we pray for our nation as many folk struggle with the cost of living crisis, with the fear of not knowing what tomorrow will bring.  We pray for our government that they too may be guided by your wisdom and compassion. 

May we do all we can to live out your kingdom values as we serve those around us and put our faith into action.

God our healer, we bring to you all those who are suffering from sickness of body, mind or spirit, those in pain and those weakened by the struggle.  Give clarity, wisdom and strength to all who work to care for and provide medical support for others that they may also be embraced

by your love and care.

God of life and hope we hold before you those who are nearing the end of this earthly life that they may look ahead with confidence in your saving grace and rest into the joy of your promises of the kingdom to come. 

Be with those who mourn and enable them to find comfort in your presence and the hope you have given in Christ.

Our sovereign God knows the cry of our hearts, let us then, in a moment of silence, offer in prayer those things that rest on our hearts today…

Silence

Merciful God we bring our prayers in faith, knowing that you will hear and answer us as your will directs. 

Help us to trust that you know what is right

and what is best. 

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ,

your Son, our Saviour.                                                    Amen.

The Dismissal

Go out from here to live in the light of God’s sovereignty,

proclaiming the Good News

through word and deed

and working with God

to see the bounds of the Kingdom grow.

The Benediction

Minister ~ Rev Alan Kennedy 07733153203 01612703296 alanrk1690@gmail.com