Prayers of Adoration & Confession

Holy God, you are steadfast love incarnate.
You loved us into being and love us beyond our understanding.
In humility and longing you gave your only Son
to show us what love looks like, how love acts and responds.
You call to us through the ages ‘Humans, where are you?’
And in our brokenness we turn to you and you holds us in love.

Jesus, Son of God, your steadfast love took you to the Cross
and on the way you met with the world’s brokenness with love
responding with love to challenging questions, ‘How can this be?’,
‘Where do I get this living water?’, ‘Surely we are not blind, are we?’
Betrayed and alone, bombarded with Pilate’s questions, hung on a cross
Your last gift was love, always love.  We love and adore you.

Jesus, Risen Saviour, on this Holy day we meet you in the garden.
We have wept in our hearts before the tomb of brokenness and despair
Love responds and the stone is rolled away, angels speak
We turn to you; you speak our names and love blooms anew.
You unbind our hearts and set us on the path of love, always love
a forgiven people, beacons of hope and compassion in a broken world.  Amen

Let’s respond to God’s grace and mercy, standing to sing out our joy

SONG:  Halle, halle, halle, TiS 720
Halle, halle, hallelujah!
Halle, halle, hallelujah! (Halleluja!)
Halle, halle, hallelujah!
Hallelujah, hallelujah! (Halleluja!)

Saide Cameron, offered for worship 12/04/2020, Easter Day A

Prayers of the people

God of the wilderness
We have passed through the wilderness of the Crucifixion. Dreading the days and moments that we know will come and yet longing for the joy that comes with the rising of the sun on Easter Day, when we can say

Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed.

Lord of the Dance of life,
Be present as we meet you in our homes instead of at church. It is difficult at the moment, we are used to being together and finding support in each other. Help us to find a new way to worship and a new way to care for each other.

Loving and compassionate God, we pray that we live in your image. That we are tolerant, considerate, and compassionate people in this time of great stress and anxiety. We pray for us all in our isolation, and fear. But especially for the homeless, for they can’t isolate themselves and are vulnerable in the cold and rain. We pray for those who find themselves stranded far from home and support, and for those who die alone in overworked hospitals. Lord we pray for those who live in countries at war, for refugees and those who live with disaster, flood, drought, and all who survived the recent bush fires here in Australia. We pray that they are not forgotten in the turmoil of trying to live through the crisis of Covid 19

Lord of Light, Love and Life
We give thanks and pray for Doctors, nurses, paramedics, orderlies, cleaners, medical researchers, and scientists.  And for all those who are striving to overcome this crisis and keep the countries functioning.  In this time Lord, we pray that although we cannot meet together, we will find new ways to encourage and support one another. That the earth can breathe again. That we  learn to find joy in small things, and that we can learn to look around us, and see and hear the wonder of your creation.

God of our past and our future
Your light, which had gone out on Good Friday, has blazed to life again and our Mourning has turned to joy and Dancing.

Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed.

Amen

Helen Burnham, offered for worship 12/4/2020, Easter Day A