Prayers of Adoration & Confession

Creator God,
We see the miracle of creation,
as Spring starts to work its magic,
As the bulbs begin to flower and trees
are filled with leaves again.
We see your beauty in the small and fragile things of the world,
And you show us how precious these things are
And how much more beautiful the world can be because of
A smile, a rainbow, the song of the birds.

Compassionate Jesus,
Who sees a neighbor in us all,
You show us a new way,
One that does not succumb to the barriers
and prejudices of society,
One that offers love,
A welcome,
And a seat at the table
To us all.

Unifying Spirit,
You make it possible for people to understand
one another when they speak a different language,
You gather us as one community when
we come with different understandings,
And inspire us to share what we have with others,
Creating a community where everyone
has a place and is loved.

For the times when we have not cherished Creation,
When we have not paid attention to the small things in life,
When we have not seen the beauty all around us.
Forgive us.

For the times when we have not recognized our neighbor,
When we have not shown compassion,
When we have excluded rather than included,
When we have criticized rather than encouraged,
Forgive us.

For the times when we have not tried to understand,
When we have focused on difference.
When we have not shared
and we have not welcomed others,
Forgive us.

Declaration of Forgiveness
Sister and brothers,
In Christ all things are made new
And so I say to you
‘Our sins are forgiven’
Thanks be to God.  Amen

Kirsty Bennett, offered for worship 10/9

Prayers of the People

Let us come together in Prayer.

“Wherever 2 or 3 are gathered in my name,
there I am in their midst”
We, your disciples gather here today and pray
that you will move among us and hear our prayers.

Where is Love?

Today there are so many people and places to pray for
we don’t know quite where to start.
God of love be with the people of India, Bangladesh,
Nepal and Pakistan as devastating floods
destroy their lands and they struggle to survive.

We pray also for the survivors of the earthquake in Mexico,
and for those watching the movements of Hurricane Irma
as it moves with terrible destructive power
through the Caribbean and on to the coast of America.
For the people coping with the aftermath of floods in Texas.
For the Rohingas Muslim people who are being killed
by security forces in Myanmar.
And for the whole world as we watch Kim Jong-un
and Donald Trump thump their chests
and head the whole world into an intolerable mess.

Spread your love, light and comfort
over our world of conflict and devastation
and be with those teams of people
who will risk themselves to try to help.

Where is love?

God of compassion we pray for tolerance and understanding
as we look at the questions before us here in Australia.
For those seeking the right to marry someone they love,
for refugees seeking asylum,
and for the rights of our First Peoples
and we pray that the extremes of our society
do not continue to find a stronger voice
through fear of the unknown or different.

Where is Love?

Lord of Light, shine here
in our community and our Church family.
May you walk with us and guide us
in everything we do in both the wider Church
and here in Brunswick.
Be with Ian and his family as they travel
and with those who lead us while he is away.

Where is love?

God of comfort be with those who are suffering
through poverty, unemployment,
health problems, disability, or old age,
be with families and workers who care for them
and in a land of plenty
may we find the compassion to share what we have.

Where is love?

May we, each and every one of us
share with each other,
with friends and strangers the wonderful,
and awesome power of your love and compassion.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Helen Burnham, offered for worship 10/9