Prayers of Adoration & Confession

Our God of wine and water,
Spirit of love, who is too deep for words,
too beautiful for images,
too distant to be known and too close to be lost.

We see you in the radiant spread of the heavens,
in the celestial sweep of planets and stars
that dance upon the commandments of creation.
You are in every blade of grass,
and in every mote that glides through sunlit air.
You are in the narrow and the wide.
You are the on the surface and in the deep.
All things on heaven and earth
are before your everlasting eyes
and held in your ever-generous heart.

Lift away from us all that is heavy.
Lay around us your spirit of gentleness,
and pass your love through us
like warm light through a glass.
Hold us close in your presence
as the river parts to enfold the island.

Our ever-coming God,
we lament that your Kingdom
is not yet realised in our world.
We are battered by loss, anger,
loneliness, and disappointment.
We hear cries of violence and recrimination,
and we long for peace.
We see the tears of children
and we thirst for justice.
We feel the darkness within
our own hearts and we look for the light.

All our imperfections and failures,
we confess to you.
Though your heart is heavy
and your shoulder is burdened
with the sin of the world,
have mercy on us.

For your compassion is without end.
Your mercies are ever new,
and your faithfulness endures.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus,
and remake us in the light of your love.  Amen.

Kyrie eleison, kyrie eleison,
Kyrie eleison, kyrie eleison

Friends, the good news is
that nothing can separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers, neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation.
In the light of that promise,
we say our sin is forgiven.
Thanks be to God.  Amen

Daniel Broadstock, offered for worship 27/8

 

Prayers of the People

To you, O God,
Creator, source and Lord of all,
we pray for this thirsty world;
for those thirsting for water;
for those thirsting for meaning;
for those thirsting for friendship or love;
for those thirsting for justice.
So, we pray: Send your living streams.

For those whose only thirst is for vengeance,
not least in your name;
for those who allow themselves
to be refreshed by hate;
for those who thirst
for power and dominance;
for those who do not understand
the thirst of others.
So, we pray: Send your living streams.

Remind us, too, of the preciousness of physical water.
For those victims of floods in Asia
who can only access water contaminated and diseased;
for First Australians and their wisdom
and insight into this land’s natural resources
– may it be nurtured.
So, we pray: Send your living streams.

We pray for your church and our role in it;
we pray for those who look
to the church for renewal and hope
but struggle to find it;
for those who lead the church
in this and other contexts;
for the churches of the global south
their witness and example
to us of love and hope.
So, we pray: Send your living streams.

For the churches in this country
as they participate in the debates
and conversations about Same Sex Marriage;
for those who are thirsty for respect,
understanding and truth;
for strength to speak wisely,
courageously, gently and truthfully.
So we pray: Send your living streams.

For this church and all its members,
low or high profile, energetic or tired, your or old;
for those of us whose thirsts
are silent and known to only a few;
for those of us who carry special responsibilities
for the needs of families and friends;
for those who feel the expectations of others;
for all who find this a place of refreshment.
So, we pray: Send your living streams.

We dare to pray for people everywhere.
Keep us mindful of the commands
to love our neighbours and our enemies.
May we, and all that you have created,
come to the fullness of life you intend
for all your creation.
So we pray: Send your living streams.

All these prayers we pray
in the name of Jesus Christ,
our Lord, the living water. Amen.

Geoff Thompson, offered for worship 27/8