Psalm 130

Prayers of Adoration & Confession

We wait in hope for the Lord,
God is our help and our shield.
And so our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in God’s holy name

Creator God all the many blessings in our lives flow from you
You are the source of all life, all joy, all hope, all love.
Your steadfast love wraps around all the suffering in the world.

Jesus you are the bread of angels, the bread of life
You speak to us of eternal life, of eating and not dying.
You invite us to believe in you, offering forgiveness and hope.

Holy Spirit you are the holy flame burning within us
You help us in the darkness, praying for us when words are few
Our hearts and souls rejoice in your loving redeeming presence.  Amen

We wait in hope for the Lord, …

Creator God, Jesus bread of life, Holy Spirit
we confess our sadness, our hunger, our despair.
We confess the grieving and groaning of all creation.
We confess our struggle to believe, to understand.
We confess the destructive power of injustice.
All our hope is in you in the depths of this darkness.
Our souls wait for you, all our hope is in your saving word.  Amen

We wait in hope for the Lord, … 

The psalmist proclaims
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
Through this steadfast love we are offered
the bread of life, the gift of grace, the joy of forgiveness.
Come, open your ears, your hearts and souls
Receive the gift of grace and rejoice,
for in Jesus’ name our sins are forgiven.
Thanks be to God.  Amen

Saide Cameron, offered for worship 12/8/18, Pentecost 12

Prayers of the people

At the start of our service today, Saide asked us if  we were heavy hearted, if we felt despair over the injustices in our world?

Sometimes I do feel overwhelmed as I look around at the world, the church and my community and I see so much sadness, loss, destruction, and poverty. What can I do?

As I listened to Radio National yesterday morning they were talking about how friendship and community are vital to creating equitable societies, to removing injustice and hardship, and encouraging belonging.

And of course I thought of BUC, because that is what we are.
Friends and community.  Agents for change.
Sisters and brothers in Christ, who make the world a better place,
simply by being the community of BUC,
even before we do more.

And so it is in this sprit that I lead us in our prayers this morning.  Let us pray:

Creating God,
We see suffering in so many places.
We pray especially for the people of the seaside suburbs of Athens
as they recover from the destructive bushfires
that whipped through their communities with little warning 3 weeks ago.
For the people of Lombok,
as they deal with the devastation wrought by earthquakes and aftershocks.
We live in neighbourhoods where there is violence
Within families, and on the streets.
Where some people don’t feel they belong
And others don’t feel safe in their homes and surroundings.

May we show and share your love, and the friendship and love of our community here at BUC and so make the world a better place.  No one is alone.

Jesus Bread of Life,
As we look around us far and wide,
we see people in need of food, of shelter, of work, and of income.
We see people who come seeking asylum and people who have been born here
who are made to feel alienated and unwelcome
We see institutions that have failed the people they should serve:
The church, community service and government agencies, the banks.
We see people who feel betrayed and disappointed.

May we show and share your love, and the friendship and love of our community here at BUC and so make the world a better place.  No one is alone.

Holy Spirit, bringer of hope
We live in a world where we experience grief and loss.
Where people we love are sick
Where young and old are faced with frailties of mind and body.
Where we struggle with life

May we know and share your love, and the friendship and love of our community here at BUC and so make the world a better place.  No one is alone

We offer these prayers in the name of Christ, Amen.

Kirsty Bennett, offered for worship 12/8/18, Pentecost 12