PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 4TH

TWELTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 

Call to Worship

We gather in the presence of God:
who knows us when we wake up
and when we go to sleep,
and in all the moments in between.

We gather in the house of God:
who has created a family for us.

We gather to be the people of God:
who appeals to us to follow
in love, in faith, in service.

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Confession

Eternal God our Potter,
we give you thanks that you come to us

before we come to you.
Jesus, the Christ,

you send your Heart to us

before our hearts are turned to you.
We give you thanks you that you send your Spirit to us,
when our spirits wander far from you.
We give you thanks that you set a Table for us,
when our souls are hungry, when our hearts are empty.

Our sins are not to be hidden from God.                                Rather, we bring them into the Light and lay them before Him, trusting in the One who shaped us for goodness and will transform our brokenness into wholeness. 

Searching God, we are so attached to our possessions,          we have trouble sharing them.                                            We are so connected to our pleasures                                    that we cannot feel the pain of those around us.                    We are so stuck on ourselves,                                              we cannot sense our souls slipping away into the shadows.

Most merciful God: loosen us from the grip of the world,        so we may feel your healing touch.                                        Sever us from our sin, so your Spirit might bind us to you.      Reshape us, redeem us, renew us,                                      so we may take up our crosses

and follow our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Assurance of Pardon

The God who calls us is the God who created us;                    the God who formed us is the God who forgives us.                This is the Good News - we are God's new creation.
In the name of Jesus Christ,

we are reshaped, renewed, forgiven.                         

Thanks be to God.                                                                Amen

The Lord`s Prayer

Prayers of Intercession

Father God, in whose love we live and move,                          we pray for a world crying out to feel loved,                        wanted, cherished and unique.

Heavenly Father, source of all love,
We pray for a world torn apart by conflict and war.
A world that lives uneasily in a climate of fear,
with no clear vision for future days.

Heavenly Father, source of all hope,
We pray for a world that thinks less of others than of self.
A world where division between nations, race, religion,
neighbour and family leads to distrust.

Heavenly Father, source of all peace,
We pray for a world that is short on happiness,
too busy to enjoy this world you have created,
too preoccupied with living to appreciate life.

Heavenly Father, source of all joy
We pray for a world where spiritual longing is satisfied
by fashionable notions and temporary solutions
with no thought for tomorrow.

Heavenly Father, source of our Salvation
We pray for a world that needs to know your love, your hope,
your peace, your joy and Salvation.                                      A world that needs to know it is special, unique                      and is uniquely loved by a heavenly Father.

Amen.

The Grace                                                     

PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11TH

THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Call to Worship

The foolish say, 'there is no God.'
We come, trusting in Jesus, the face, the voice,
the presence of the God who loves us.

The scoffers of our age ask, 'why do you seek after God?'
We come, in this time,
because God's grace has spilled over in our lives.

The hopeless around us think, 'no one cares about me.'
We come, in this time, to this place,
because Jesus has found us and brought us home.

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Confession

We thank you that when we are short-sighted
and think we can't see you,
you show us a mother cradling her sick child.

We thank you that when we are anxious,
certain you don't care about us,
you are confident enough to trust us with your grace.

We thank you that when we are cynical,
sure that nothing matters,
you are optimistic enough to become one of us.

God, you are our Hope.

You sweep the streets of the world,
to uncover the people we consider to be trash.
You shine your grace into sin's shadows
to find us when we have lost our way.
You would leave us to go find the sister we left behind.

Jesus, you are our Joy.

We thank you that when we walk the dusty desert of desolation,
you refresh us with showers of grace.
When our lives lie in ruined rubble,
you come and build a foundation for us out of love and faith.

Spirit, you are our Life.                                                       

Forgive us, that too often, we turn a deaf ear to the cries of people we have judged to be fools. We easily scoff at those we believe have nothing to teach us or share with us.
How foolish, Searching God, how foolish we are!                  Forgive us, and restore us to your goodness.

Then, send us forth to search

for all who sit in the shadowed corners of our world,

yearning for someone to come and find them,

even as Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, came to find us.

Assurance of Pardon

Mingled with faith and love,

grace is poured into our sin-parched souls,

giving us new life,

restoring us as God's children.                                              Thanks be to God.

Amen.

The Lord`s Prayer

Prayers of Intercession

Like a shepherd tending the flock you tend to our needs.

Be present with those who struggle,

suffer, are in pain or sorrow.

Guide those who are lost, or filled with worry and fear.

Protect those who are in harm’s way, heal those who are ill.

Mend those who are broken, as only your love can.

God of peace, watch over those who lead us                          in our various governments and churches.                          Fill our leaders with wisdom, patience, insight, and mercy.
Help them to lead with kindness and strength.

God of love, fill our hearts with the knowledge of You              that we can turn from the distractions of life

and be more like You.                          

May we be agents of your compassion,                                  offering kindness to those we meet this day.

God of all blessings, we thank you for all the gifts of life.      For your Son, our Saviour, our great Good Shepherd,
the one who stands at the gate

of all life's challenges and joys,
calling out to us in love, naming us, Beloved.
For all this, and more we pray.
Amen.

The Grace

PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 18TH

FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Call to Worship

Come, let us worship the one who calls us here.
We gather to worship with joy and in hope.
Come, let us worship the one who desires our hearts.
We bring our whole selves in worship to our God.
Come, let us set aside all that distracts us from true worship.
We come as we are and ask the Spirit to gather us in and direct our vision.
Come, let us worship the one who calls us here.
We are here to worship with all that we are.

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Confession

Most Holy God, Most Mysterious God,
we dare to approach you and to say in all candour
that you have been a balm and you have been a bother.
You have soothed and healed our troubled hearts;
you have disrupted and upended our complacent lives.
In all things, we give you praise for your wisdom

and imagination.
Surely you are working out peace beyond our understanding!
Surely you are working out justice beyond our envisioning!   

Everlasting God,
we must confess how we have not lived as your people.
We serve many masters—work, wealth, power, addictions—
yet find no hope in them.
We hear the cries of the poor,
and shut the doors of our hearts to them.
We ridicule those who expose their hopes and dreams to us.                                                             

Forgive us, Compassion's Heart,
and heal us of our brokenness.
Make us well, so that by our healing,
we might be the hope and love others need in their lives,
even as Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour,
brought these gifts to us,
calling us to be faithful with the grace, peace, and joy entrusted to us.                            

Amen.

The Lord`s Prayer

Prayers of Intercession

Loving God, we come to you praying for this world for which Christ came, died and rose again.

For the family of the late Queen Elizabeth

and all who mourn her passing.                                      

For the King in his new role and all those who advise him.

For the Prime Minister in her new role

and all those in government.                               

May they be guided through these difficult times as they seek to tackle the very serious issues facing our country

and our world at this time.

For the victims of the current greed and mismanagement of the world’s resources. May there be a better day for the hungry, homeless, unemployed, refugees, oppressed, and those who are condemned to grinding toil with scant reward.

For the people who try to alleviate the suffering of humanity. May your Spirit be with humanitarian agencies, church outreach and social justice bodies, and those arms of government that seek to rectify wrongs and heal the hurts of all.

For those who are looking for spiritual answers and find a bewildering array of churches and other religions. May you aid them in their search, expose religious errors, and bless everything that is true and good in the life of believers.

For any among our friends and loved ones who are finding it hard to cope at the moment. Loving God, in weakness be their strength, in darkness their light, in suffering their healing, in anxiety their peace, in fear their courage, in dying their hope, and in sorrow their comfort.

And now to you our God, who are able to do more than we can ever ask or conceive, we commit ourselves, our church,

and all those who seek first the kingdom of God.

May your will be done and your name loved and hallowed, today and always. 

Through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Amen.

Dismissal

Go now
and continue to offer prayers and thanksgiving for everyone.
Be shrewd in dealing with the world around you
but do not be seduced into serving wealth.
Weep for those who suffer
and share faith and truth with all.

And may God welcome you with love;
May Christ Jesus give you knowledge of the truth;
And may the Holy Spirit lead you into all godliness and dignity.

The Grace

PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 25TH

FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Call to Worship

With humble thankful hearts we gather to worship God
May we be united in love and praise

With generous, faithful minds we open our hearts to hear
May we be filled with the knowledge of Christ's teaching

With the trials and temptations of life in our thoughts
May we lay them down and prepare to freely worship God

Prayers of Adoration, Thanksgiving and Confession

Eternal and Loving God,
We are in awe as we worship You today.
Your generosity knows no bounds,
and we are humbled by the breadth,

length and depth of Your love for us,
which extends to the people of the whole world

that You made so creatively.

How wonderful it is that You brought variety, colour,

vibrancy and beauty to this earth,
for You have been a generous and caring master
who wanted to provide for Your children.

We are blessed with continents, countries and areas that range from the high mountain to the deep ocean,
the small rural village to the bustling city.
All of this has been made perfectly, a loving gift to be experienced and lived to the full.

Creator God,
You have showered upon us

all the resources we need for a fulfilling life,
including families and friends who love us,
work and leisure that inspires us,
and a faith that brings meaning and purpose day by day.
We are truly thankful for all You have done,

and continue to do for us, day by day.

Living and loving Lord Jesus,
with joy and happiness, we thank You for the blessings of life seen in our community,
in our homes and within the people

who mean the most to us.
We are grateful for the moments that encourage

and bring us hope and peace in our hearts.

We are thankful for the countless volunteers and staff
who make a difference to people living in poverty
by running foodbanks, clothing banks and other projects,
and we appreciate the time given

to challenging why this is necessary
in a country like ours in the 21st century.

We know that this work is needed because people are being treated unfairly and without respect,
and so it fills our hearts with thankfulness when we see

and hear the effect of a listening ear, an encouraging word, and the practical help that makes all the difference

to someone who has little or nothing.

We give You thanks
for those who give, even when they have little themselves,
for every gift makes someone's day, meeting needs in communities that are struggling.

We praise and thank You
for the work of the Church that changes lives,
that challenges why people are living in poverty,
and leads to new policies or extra funding

that turns lives around.

Almighty God,
You know everything about us.
The thoughts we have, the desires we fight against, and the words that are spoken that cause distress, worry and fear.

Our faults are many,

our failings emerge more often than we would like.
Our minds are influenced by those around us.
We even drift away from the path You have set before us.
We believe the publicity that says we should be ashamed of our lack of money, resources and ability, and our minds become burdened with what we have not done or achieved.

We confess the mistakes made, the actions taken, or not taken, and say sorry ...
Sorry because we let others gain the upper hand,

instead of turning to You.
Sorry that we have not been as faithful as we could have been.
Loving God, forgive us, assure us and empower us as we move forward in faith,
renewed and forgiven,
knowing You are with us, urging,

encouraging and driving us on.
With grateful hearts we offer our prayers to You.
Amen

The Lord`s Prayer

Prayers of Intercession

God of the poor, friend of the weak,
hear us as we remember  all those who bear the scars of poverty, and live with its effects on a daily basis.
We think of the young people in our communities
who may not have decent shoes, or a coat, or even school uniform to wear,
may there be an equality for all.

We pray for the people who have no idea where today's food will come from,
how a power card will be paid for,
or whether they have shelter and a bed for tonight.
We ask that no one will go to bed hungry today.

We lift before You those who are living without the essentials of life,
a bed to sleep in, towels to wash with, and a chair to sit on.
Humbly we pray that there will be a fair way of living for all.

We give thanks for the groups and organisations
that make a difference to people living in poverty,
especially those who provide practical help, advice and support.
May their work grow and extend,                                        despite the challenges of the cost of living today.

We pray for the people who are in power at local,                  national and international levels,
asking that they would act with integrity,

generosity and humility,
ensuring that there is fairness and justice for all,

regardless of age, creed or colour.

Lord God, surround with Your love
the countless individuals and families

who are treated unfairly because of poverty,
who are not given the chances others are given,
and who are held back or rejected because of their situation.

Generous God,
we pray that there would be an end

to the scandal of poverty in this country,
for You understand the effect this has

on people living in our community.
May there be a turning point that sees renewal and investment in our poorest communities, providing a better future for people of all ages.

Lord hear all our prayers in Jesus' name.
Amen

The Dismissal

As our service of worship ends, our service to God begins.
May we make the difference, challenge the preconceptions,
and show God's love in action, now and always.

The Grace

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