Prayers of Adoration & Confession

Holy God,
You gave up your only Son,
You suffered death and loss,
You wept and mourned,
For us.

Jesus, Messiah, Son of God,
You come and stand among us,
Offering us peace,
And sending us,
Just as you were sent by God.

Holy Spirit,
Breath of Jesus,
Shared with the first disciples at home,
And with us today,
the life of resurrection.

We adore you.

Forgive us Holy God when we do not give of ourselves for others,
when we do not share your sacrificial love.
Forgive us Son of God when we do not see you among us,
when we do not respond to your call.
Forgive us Holy Spirit when we do not feel your presence,
when we do not live as Easter people.

Amen.

Friends, the risen Jesus appeared to the disciples in their house
And he comes to us in our homes too.
He meets us where we are
And offers us peace.
And so we can say with confidence:
Our sins are forgiven.
Thanks be to God.

Kirsty Bennett, offered for worship 19/4/2020, Easter 2A

Prayers of the people

Some of the Prayers of the People today come in the form of collects.
Collects are an ancient prayer form that gathered up the needs of the day and called on God for help.
If you are interested in the spiritual practice of writing collects
I’ve made some simple notes available on the website here.
Julie

Let us pray

Jesus who breathes peace
Appear through our locked doors to stand among us.
Jesus who breathes peace
visit us when we are afraid.
Jesus who breathes peace
breathe through us when our own breath is anxious.
May we welcome you fearlessly into our homes, be they refuge or tumult.
Dwell with us we pray.

God of Shadows,
give shelter to hollow, shaken humans
bewildered by sudden closure.
Sturdy structures shattered, hopeful trade ended,
meaningful work gone.
In the shocking silence where nothing can be said,
let birdsong be heard.

God of those who are numbed,
stunned by loss.
Enfold us in a gentle darkness,
a hidden sleep, a long stillness.
Re-member us to ourselves
awaken the courage we’d forgotten we had.

Great God who calls us to belonging,
Who delights in curiosity, invention, ingenuity.
Praise be for minds that bend and flex despite restriction,
for bodies that signal love by staying apart.
Praise be for neighbours talking across fences,
calling from balconies, waving through windows,
for greetings that cross the space between us.
Praise be for strangers, careful on footpaths,
for children asking their questions,
for truth tellers who earn our trust and speak to our fear.
Praise be for friends who warn and chide and encourage,
for human warmth in time of distance.
Praise be.

Julie Perrin, offered for worship 19/04/2020, Easter 2A

Clicking on the links above offers an audio recording by Julie accompanied by photos taken by Ian Ferguson in East Gippsland.  The collects used in these prayers are included in collects in the time of virus on Julie’s Telling Words website.  Saide