PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY JUNE 5TH

DAY OF PENTECOST

Prayer of Approach

God, at Pentecost, You spoke through flame and fire
As we gather, through the power of Your Spirit,
may we follow Your call.

God, at Pentecost, Your Advocate spoke truth in our world
As we gather, through the power of Your Spirit,
may we hear and obey.

God, at Pentecost, You celebrated the gifts of diversity in cultures
As we gather, through the power of your Spirit,
may You hear our heart languages of prayer and praise.

God, at Pentecost, Your Helper offered peace to every troubled heart
As we gather, through the power of Your Spirit,
may You calm every anxious heart.

Amen.

Prayers of Thanksgiving

Spirit of God, we rejoice in Your empowering
The graces You give to each of us,

the graces You give to this church;
The chatter of our young and the wisdom of our old,
The texts of our teenagers and the words of our elders.
We celebrate these signs from Your Spirit in our midst.

Spirit of God, we rejoice in Your diversity;
The gifts and graces You give to the global church.
Those who sing Your song in the high-rises of Manila.
Those who serve Your mission in the slums of Brazil.
We celebrate these signs from Your Spirit in our midst.

Spirit of God, we rejoice in Your liberation.
The liberation You bring to all those enslaved.
The freedom You offer the addicted.
The justice You seek for the trafficked.
We celebrate these signs from Your Spirit in our midst.

Spirit of God, we rejoice in Your gifts;
The challenge of prophets, the hope of our dreamers,
The insights of everyone one of us, men and women.
We celebrate these signs from Your Spirit in our midst.

Spirit of God, we rejoice in Your scattering
Your work across the world
The partnerships we share

with agencies and workers for justice
And churches in countries near and far.
We celebrate these signs from Your Spirit in our midst.

Prayers of Confession

God, You are our truth-teller,
sifter of human hearts, strainer of human motives.

God, in Your truth, You reveal us as like Babel,
we build our towers,
to be known and recognised,
to gather to ourselves our human achievements.

God, In Your truth, You reveal our
love for the law of similar,
the comfort we find in the familiar,
the cultures and people we know.

God, You reveal
our struggles with difference,
our rigidity in the face of diversity.

We pause in confession,

making space for the Spirit of truth,
sifter of human hearts, strainer of human motives.

And we hear Your words of forgiveness,
‘Peace I leave with you', God's peace given to us.
In You, God, our hearts are no longer troubled,
and for this, we gratefully say,

Amen.

The Lord`s Prayer

Prayers of Intercession

When we look at our world,
we see war and conflict,
hatred between people of different languages.
With God's Spirit we pray, "Only love can conquer hate"

When we look at our country,
we see egos and deals,
building projects and business towers.
With God's Spirit we pray, "Only love can conquer hate"

When we look at our church,
we see tribalisms and insecurity
denominations that seem fractured.
With God's Spirit we pray, "Only love can conquer hate"

When we look at ourselves,
we see suspicion of others,
mistrust and indifference toward those not like us.
With God's Spirit we pray, "Only love can conquer hate"

And so, empowered and renewed by Your Spirit,
we offer these our prayers in Christ`s name.

Amen.

Blessing

Go in the name of the God who scatters
May the wind of the Spirit enfold you into God's mission
May the warmth of the Spirit rest on your work
May the words of the Spirit fill your mouth for witness
May the sounds of the Spirit guide your walk

PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY JUNE 12TH

TRINITY SUNDAY

Call to Worship

Gathered in the name of Jesus Christ,

inspired by the Holy Spirit,

and blessed by God,

we come to worship one, holy God.

O God, our own God,

how wonderful is your name in all the earth.

Your majesty is the music of the starry skies.

yet even children of dust can sing your praises.

In the name of the Healer, the Provider and the Enabler

let your gratitude and joy be made known.

O God, our own God,

how wonderful is your name in all the earth!

Prayers of Praise and Confession

The Word you spoke, and keep speaking, O God

   is the life, the sustenance,

   of all that is – seen and unseen.

The Life you gave, and keep giving, O Christ

   is the recreation, the renewed birth

   of every broken, wounded and sinful creature.

The breath you breathed, and keep breathing, O Spirit

   is the inspiration for creativity, compassion and community

   that connects and unites all that God has made.

Life-giving, Life-restoring, Life-fulfilling God,

   our worship seeks to honour you

   our hearts are devoted to you

   and our lives are completely given over to you. 

Holy and triune God,
You alone live in perfect relationship,
One God in three persons,
Mutual and loving,
Ever seeking reconciliation and unity.

You have called us to live in your completion, yet
We confess that our relationships are imperfect and
We are incomplete without you.
We are selfish and greedy.
We are anxious and resenting.
We feel the shame of our foolish behaviour and brokenness.
We have allowed sin to drive us apart from one another
And from you.

Forgive us and restore us,
Draw us close and bind us together in your mercy.
May we long for wholeness and peace,
May we strive toward gratitude and grace
In the saving name of your son, Jesus Christ,
By the working power of your Holy Spirit.
Amen.

The Lord`s Prayer

Prayers of Intercession

We are a world that is desperate for you, God.

When powers struggle for dominance,

and war, oppression and abuse result;

When groups of people oppose one another

    because of ideology, religion or culture;

We need a God who is bigger than ourselves,

and our personal interests.

(Prayer may be offered for specific areas of conflict in the world.)

When people are disregarded and devalued

   because of poverty, geography or disease;

When compassion and justice is withheld to some

because of sexuality, race or gender;

We need a Saviour who is more compassionate than we are

   who includes even those we would exclude.

(Prayer may be offered for specific people and places

of suffering in the world.)

When resources are mismanaged and abused,

   and the world and its creatures are destroyed;

When motivation is scarce and creativity is in short supply

   to address the challenges that we face;

We need a Spirit who is more powerful and more creative

   than we could ever be.

(Prayer may be offered for specific challenges and issues

that we struggle with in the world.)

Lord God, Loving Saviour, Empowering Spirit,

   we offer you these prayers

   because we need you so desperately.

Captivate us, call us and fill us,

   that we may be carriers of your eternal life

   to this world that you love so dearly.                                                                                         Amen.

Blessing

May the blessing of the God of peace and justice

be with us;

May the blessing of the Son

who weeps the tears of the world’s suffering

be with us;

And may the blessing of the Spirit

who inspires us to reconciliation and hope

be with us

from now into eternity.

Amen.

PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY JUNE 19TH                                FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Call to Worship

We gather in the presence of God,
who loves each one of us.

We come, those who seem perfect,
those who are at peace.
We come, those who seem tarnished,
those who are discomforted.

We come together
to worship God,
all of us,
all loved,
all called,
all forgiven,
for all our hope is in God.

Prayers of Adoration and Confession

God of earthquake, wind, and fire,
God of healing touch and uniting love,
God of our ancestors, neighbours, and grandchildren,
God of deafening silence and quiet harmonies.

We are drawn by Your Spirit
calling out to our own souls,
for You are the source of all life,
the home to which we will return.
In You we find strength and comfort,
safety and courage.
May all that is in us, praise You, O God!

We are crafted in Your divine image: we rejoice;
we fall short of Your perfect love: we lament;
we contribute to the pain of others: we confess;
we fear what we do not understand: we repent.

In our return to You, welcoming God,
we seek Your healing, transforming touch,
knowing You will not withhold it,
not now, not ever: praise be to You, O God!
Amen.

The Lord`s Prayer

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession

Eternal defender and protector of the weak,
we give thanks for Your universal love,
which sees beyond our human labels and divisions,
rejoicing even more in Your preference for the outcast and oppressed.

We give thanks for everyone in the church
who works tirelessly, and often in confidence, to keep others safe;
we pray for all children and vulnerable adults who engage with our mission:
may they know Your love and protection.

We give thanks for the shelter and protection of our homes;
we pray for all people who are homeless, for whatever reason,
including refugees and victims of trafficking:
may they know Your love and protection.

We give thanks for the range and quality of food around us;
we pray for each person who is hungry,
whether they be across the world or on our doorsteps:
may Your love be shown in practical ways.

We give thanks for easy access to clean water;
we pray for all who are parched with thirst,
especially where the decision is dirty water or none:
may Your love be shown in practical ways.

We give thanks for the relative peace and security we enjoy:
we pray for all places of war and violence,
whether the aggressor be in the home or another nation:
may Your peace be known in our time.

We give thanks for all the bits of our life that bring us joy and contentment;
we pray for the broken-hearted, bereaved, and lonely,
and for all who have lost faith or purpose in life:
may Your peace be known in their hearts.

Healing, liberating, transforming God,
in amongst our shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
may we hear Your still whisper in the midst of pain and suffering,
and may we respond with courageous tenderness
to the needs around us,
as we follow the example of Christ Jesus, our teacher and Lord.

Grant us, Lord God, a vision of Your world

as Your love would have it:
a world where the weak are protected,

and none go hungry or poor;
a world where the riches of creation are shared,

and everyone can enjoy them;
a world where different races and cultures

live in harmony and mutual respect;
a world where peace is built with justice,

and justice is guided by love.                                            Give us the inspiration and courage to build it,

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

Amen.

Dismissal and Blessing

"Return home,
and declare how much God has done for you."

And the blessing of our ever-loving God,
Father,  Son and Holy Spirit,
rest upon you and all whom you love,
this day and forevermore,                                                  Amen.

PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY JUNE 26TH

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Confession

We thank you so much, loving Creator,

for being present with us in this never-sleeping theatre of creation.

For this exquisite world, and for our native land and local landscape.

For its beautiful hills and valleys, flora and fauna.

We thank you, loving Saviour,

for wearing our humanity and offering us a share in your beautiful divinity.

For being nursed by a mother and enjoying play times with other children.

For partaking of our baptism and enduring the many faces of temptation.

For including and healing all kinds of people, without regard to status or race.

For daring to maintain integrity, even though it cost you an agonising death.

For standing beyond death, beckoning us to follow you into the unlimited future.

We thank you, loving Counsellor,

for being the Spirit-Friend who inspires us to attempt brave and loving things.

For enabling us to be reborn into a family whose head is the living God.

For leading us on into the full truth of Christ Jesus and nurturing our faith.

For breathing the mercy of Christ into our soul; so that we too become merciful.

For including us within the community of the church and giving us gifts for service.

For giving us delight in life and profound comfort in the hour of grief and death.

Holy Friend, you have prepared for those who love you,

gifts that are beyond human understanding.

Free our minds and hearts so to love you,

that loving you more than anything else, 

we may be ready to receive your generosity which exceeds all expectation. 

Most loving God, because you see through us and understand us better than we know our own minds, we bow before you with a sense of relief.                                      With you there is no need for pretence and no ground for excuse.

You see as we really are, 

a redeemable confusion of light and darkness,

love and fear, faith and folly.

We need your searching glance to uncover

everything that is suspect

and all that is blatantly corrupt.

We need to know the truth.

We pray that the truth will lead us on to divine grace;

that grace which annuls past wrongs

and promises a fruitful future.

Thank you, loving God,

for not dealing with us according to our sins,

nor rewarding us according to our iniquities.

You are a pardoning God.

You are light and health and peace.

We want to love, praise, serve

and stay close to you forever!

Through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Amen

Assurance of Pardon

Brothers and Sisters, do not merely say it but fully trust it:     

Jesus Christ is the Saviour who puts away all your sins

and grants you a new beginning.

Live now as the forgiven family of God.

Thanks be to God.                                                            Amen.

The Lord`s Prayer

Prayers of Intercession

When we pray for the needy,   

let us remember that God is always with them

ahead of our prayers.

For people who are afraid of dying,                                    and those who are afraid of living.

For sufferers who wait to be admitted to hospital,

and those who long to be discharged.

For the lonely who need friends,

and the busy who feel constricted by too many.

For children who are blithe and carefree,         

and those who are timid and anxious.

For folk who care deeply about others,   

and those who think only of themselves.

For the wronged who show mercy and forgiveness

and those who plot a fierce revenge.

For seekers who are keen to find faith, 

and the proud who wish to avoid it.

For the churches where we feel at home,

and others that seem strange or off-putting.

For our special friends in this congregation,

and those who often rub us the wrong way.

For ourselves,

Loving God, we do not ask for special favours                     

but that you will help us delight in, and share generously,

the favours you have already given.                                                

In gratitude and trust we commit ourselves      

and all that we have into your hands. 

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Dismissal

Go out into the world in peace.

Live as those who have already passed from death to life.

Give aid and be willing to receive it,

trust and be trusted,

forgive and be forgiven,

give respect and be respected,

love and be willing to be loved.

The Grace 

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