Prayers of Adoration & Confession

Watch or 9:56

A meditation on 4 artworks leading us through praise and confession and reconciliation. Between each work we will offer our meditations to God in song, O Lord hear my prayer.

Image 1: One perfect moment – Jessica Kvansakul
Begin in black and white.
Jessica has captured the beauty and contrasts of nature, the light and the dark, the intricacy and the complexity.

Our creator makes a world of such awesome delicacy and power, and we are part of it.
What do you see? What do you feel?

silence
Let’s offer our meditations to God in song:

O Lord, hear my prayer
O Lord, hear my prayer,
O Lord, hear my prayer:
          When I call, answer me.
O Lord, hear my prayer,
O Lord, hear my prayer,
          Come and listen to me.

Image 2: Royal Way (Camino Real) – Lesbia Centeno
The next image is by Lesbia Centeno – her work encourages observers to imaginatively visit her homeland, Venezuela.

Before lockdown, Lesbia only drew in black and white. Then, she writes, “suddenly in times of social isolation in lockdown, from within I heard the screams of silence, which told me: colour your days, draw joy on your face and put colour in whatever you do these days because only colours will help you not to lose heart on the path you have to travel. I began to add colour to my drawings, until today I only think about painting and expressing the joy that the magic of colours transmit to me.”

Our God also colours the world with love through the life of Jesus by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
What do you see? What do you feel?

silence
O Lord, hear our prayers

O Lord, hear my prayer
O Lord, hear my prayer,
O Lord, hear my prayer:
          When I call, answer me.
O Lord, hear my prayer,
O Lord, hear my prayer,
          Come and listen to me.

Image 3: A Glass Cage – Naser Moradi
Back to a colourless place. Naser has been in immigration detention for many years. His whole life is spent in lockdown – there is no physical emergence for him. He writes: “our life is in transit, whether we want it or not, whether we are rich or poor, whether we are free or prisoners in a glass cage. It would be better to be like butterflies, able to fly away together.”

Even in God’s wonderful world so much is broken.
What do you see? What do you feel?

silence

O Lord, hear my prayer
O Lord, hear my prayer,
O Lord, hear my prayer:
          When I call, answer me.
O Lord, hear my prayer,
O Lord, hear my prayer,
          Come and listen to me.

Image 4: Hopeful World – Naser Moradi
Naser writes of this painting: “I have put all my compassion into painting to express my wish for Australia to become a green and beautiful country again very soon.” This is an image of hope for the world and a word of grace to us from detention.

So also, the hope of our faith proclaims, that out of our brokenness comes rebuilding, out of the locking down comes emergence, out of the dying comes resurrection.
What do you see? What do you feel?

silence
O Lord, hear our prayers

O Lord, hear my prayer
O Lord, hear my prayer,
O Lord, hear my prayer:
          When I call, answer me.
O Lord, hear my prayer,
O Lord, hear my prayer,
          Come and listen to me.

Let us pray together in the words that Jesus taught us to say:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.

Ian Ferguson, offered for worship 14/11/2021, Pentecost 25B

SONG:  O Lord, hear my prayer, by Jacques Berthier, from Together in Song, Harper Collins Religious, WORD OF LIFE

Prayers of the people

Watch or 59:51

God of our past, present and future,
as our lives open up again, we give thanks for all that you give. We give thanks for the birth, life and death of Jesus who walks with us through the shadows, and helps us to find your light.

God of hope
We pray that we will build a world where love is found. We pray for peace, where there is conflict, in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Somalia, and on the border of Belarus and Poland.
We pray for all the men, women and children who suffer and try to escape intolerance, greed, and  the quest for power.
We pray for all those who suffer in this Pandemic. For countries where there is little vaccine, and poor health services. For governments to share knowledge in manufacturing vaccines so we all benefit.
We pray for those who care for the sick and the dying, for Doctors, nurses, paramedics, and hospital staff.

God of Creation,
we pray that we build a world that cares for creation. We pray that we will recognise the warnings your creation is giving us. We pray that we join together, to save our animals, our land, our seas, and our skies, our very lives and the lives our children.

God of Community,
we pray that we can bring an end to inequality and  intolerance. Where colour, race, wealth, disability, and age no longer matter.
We pray that we, your Church, will build places where all feel welcome. We pray for all the groups that make up our Church, and  for everyone who comes through our doors or watches our service online. You have called us here from different lives and different places, we pray that we can build a Church where we always listen, speak your word and show your love.

God of Love,
You hear our prayer, know our fears, our joys, our laughter, and our pain. We pray these things in the name of Jesus, the Architect and builder of our faith, our hope and our love.

Amen

Helen Burnham, offered for worship 14/11/2021, Pentecost 25B