Prayers of Adoration & Confession

Watch or 6:19

Lord our God,
Whose wondrous deeds are more numerous than can be counted,
You hear our cry and make our steps secure,
Your steadfast love and faithfulness
Are always with us.

Jesus, Lamb of God,
Who baptises with the Holy Spirit,
You are the Messiah, the Son of God.
And you invite us to come, to see where you are,
and remain with you.

Spirit, descending from heaven like a dove,
You appeared to John,
And you come amongst us,
The presence of the living God and
The giver of life.

Forgive us when we lose confidence in your faithfulness,
When we do not live in your steadfast love.

Forgive us when we do not follow you,
When we do not accept your invitation to come.

Forgive us when we do not see your presence among us,
When we do not look to you.

Amen.

The steadfast love of our God never ceases,
Her mercies never come to an end.
They are new ev’ry morning, new ev’ry morning.
Great is your faithfulness, O God,
Great is your faithfulness.

God is faithful and God’s love never ceases
And so we can say with confidence
‘Our sin in forgiven’
Thanks be to God.

Kirsty Bennett, offered for worship 15/01/2023, Epiphany 2A

SONG:  The steadfast love of the Lord, by Edith McNeill, from All together again, Lutheran Publishing House, Reproduced with permission under ONE LICENCE # 604502

Prayers of the people

Watch or 38:02

As we start this prayer, you are invited to let stillness enfold you, to be awake to a sense of calm, to a slower pace of breathing, to an awareness of your own presence in this church and in this world. Let’s pray:

At the start of this New Year, Dear God, we are reminded of your great and steadfast love for all creation. Love is in the DNA of the universe; abundance and grace are within all patterns of life and growth. And as the poet wrote “The world is charged with the grandeur of God”.
Remind us of this love, grace and grandeur we pray. May we share the same wild love for the world that we see in you and your son Jesus. May we be alive to the holiness of all places and all creatures. May we be attuned to your presence in all people, including those we would rather ignore, shut-out or criticise. Help us to respond with grace in times of uncertainty and threat. Help to see how your grace reaches into our lives, moment by moment, day by day and may that grace flow through us to others.

Open our hearts and lives we pray: to the stranger; to the outsider; to the possibility of new beginnings. When we would like to retreat and to hide behind our own masks and insecurities; may we be inspired again by Jesus to take new steps to live out the kingdom of God in our lives. For those of us who are too secure, may we trust instead in a sense of call to step out. May we hear again that holy offer and message to us that invites us to keep changing, keep growing, keep following the way of the cross.
We pray that this will be a year where we are reminded again and again of your call on our lives. Remind us too that this call comes to us as beings on this planet, as a community, and as individuals. Help us to find the time and courage to listen to that call and to respond. What are you saying to us in 2023?

Help us we pray, to be people of love, in our neighbourhoods, our homes and in the world. Help us in particular to notice and respond to those around us who are hurting, experiencing grief and loss or going through a time of trial. Dear God, hold them close to you we pray.
Help us we pray to be peacemakers and to speak out for peace even in the face of oppression, violence and a global security system that scorns any desire or preference for peace. May we hear and support those who speak up for peace and reconciliation both in Australia and across the globe. As a species, help us to move beyond our addiction to war before it destroys all life. May we find peaceful means to respond to oppression, persecution and hatred. May all political leaders be women and men who honestly seek peace, who want to turn swords into plowshares.

Loving God, we are grateful that you know us so well; that you see our failures, false steps and uncertainties, yet your love is always there and never changes. Walk with us into this year we pray, remind us of your call on our lives, especially when we stumble and lose heart. Help us, in this community to support each other in listening and responding to this call and help us to abide in your love, grace and grandeur we pray.
And we gather all this in Jesus name, Amen.

Tim Budge, offered for worship 15/01/2023, Epiphany 2A