Prayers of Adoration & Confession

Creator God,
You show us what love is.
You offer us love unconditionally.
You come and make your home with us.

Jesus, Son of God,
You offer us words of hope and reassurance.
You give us your peace.
With you we know we have no need to be afraid, no need to be troubled.

Advocate, Holy Spirit
You are with us.
You teach us
And remind us of all that Jesus has told us.
In you, he is present.

Creator, Son and Advocate, we adore you.
Forgive us when we forget what love is,
When we do not let you make your home with us.

Forgive us when we are troubled and afraid,
And do not accept your peace.

Forgive us when we do not see you among us,
When we try to make sense of things on our own, and do not live in your presence.

Amen

by Kirsty Bennett, offered for worship, 26/5/19

Prayers of the people

Breath of God – help us to hear your voice in the everyday noise & business of life.
May we really hear the voices of those that we live and work with.
So that we can be present and hear the unspoken truths of grief, mental illness,
addiction or family violence – bearing witness to God’s grace and love.

Blessed Jesus – help us to listen to our LGBTIQ friends and community members.
May we listen and bear witness to their stories of both pain and anguish as well as hope and love.
So that they may feel truly heard, loved and welcomed as members of our wider church and Christian faith.

God of mercy – Help us to find the empathy in our hearts to work together even when our nation is divided.
Take care of those who will struggle greatly in this time and help us to band together as one family of faith.

Light of the world – May we continue to listen and shine a light
on the plea of those who remain locked in Manus island and detention centres in Australia,
who are languishing with each day they remain there.
May we also be reminded by their stories of torture, violence, war and persecution
of all those people who continue to live in fear throughout the world.
Help us to continue to witness our brothers & sisters stories and call for peace at home and abroad.

Creator God – give us the strength to not turn a deaf ear to the groan of our earth.
Help us to hear the plea of our wildlife and land.
So that we don’t loose hope and continue to work
towards real and lasting change both at home and government level.

Amen.

by Tonia Beggs, offered for worship, 26/5/19