Prayers of Adoration & Confession

Watch or 6:32

Our prayers this morning will be shaped by the remaining verses of Psalm 81.  Having called on God’s people to sing with joy and reminded them of God’s commands the psalmist now says a curious thing ‘I heard an unfamiliar voice saying, …’. Let’s listen now to this voice, God’s voice, speaking to the people of Israel and to us in our time.  The psalm will be offered responsively.  Meg will read the words in green, please respond with the words in white.  I will offer prayer after each section.  Let us pray,

I heard an unfamiliar voice saying,
“I eased their shoulder from the burden;
their hands were set free from bearing the load.

You called on me in trouble, and I saved you;
I answered you from the secret place of thunder
and tested you at the waters of Meribah.

Liberating God, you free us from the burden of despair
showering us with love, enfolding us with care.
You hear us calling to you from the dark places.

Hear, O my people, and I will admonish you:
O Israel, if you would but listen to me!

There shall be no strange god among you;
you shall not worship a foreign god.

Holy God, you free us from the distractions of our time
showing us mercy, setting our feet on the path of truth
You speak into our hearts, loving us into wholeness.

I am the LORD your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt and said,
‘Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.’

And yet my people did not hear my voice,
and Israel would not obey me.

Nurturing God, we confess our hunger for new life
we open our mouths, yet taste only the dust of loss
embrace us, open our ears to your words of hope.

So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their hearts,
to follow their own devices.

Oh, that my people would listen to me! that Israel would walk in my ways!

Broken hearted God, we confess our stubbornness
we stumble along, following the loudest voices
shine your light on our path, show us the way to freedom.

I should soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes.

Those who hate the LORD would cringe before me,
and their punishment would last forever. 

But Israel would I feed with the finest wheat and satisfy them with honey from the rock.”

Loving God, we confess that we are overcome
with many challenges that keep us from loving you fully
feed us with your finest wheat, with honey from the rock.

For these words of witness and for Christ the Word
Thanks be to God

Word of Grace
And now let’s breathe together as we take a few moments to focus on the artwork offered by Michael Rigby, titled ‘Embrace’ … a moment … Michael offers these words

While individuals turn away and a city goes awry,
God’s watch and embracing bow remains

a moment

We can be confident then, that in Jesus’ name
Our sin is forgiven.
Thanks be to God

Saide Cameron, offered for worship 28/08/2022, Pentecost 12C
Worshipping with the Psalms in Winter 3

Prayers of the people

Watch or 49:46

As we pray, close your eyes, be silent and listen for the unfamiliar voice,
the secret place of thunder here within this sacred church
dedicated to God and his liberating Son Jesus.

Let us pray.

God we long to know your love that binds our wounds,
liberates us from burdens and frees our hands,
feeds us the finest wheat and honey seeping from the rocks.

God bring your love to our families and friends who need
their wounds bound & liberate their hands free from burdens.
May they be fed the finest wheat and honey
from the rock through us and your love.

God bring your love to us as your church
to listen to the unfamiliar voice in the secret place of thunder.
To know your love as we bind the wounds of those who come to us,
to liberate their burdens free their hands as you call us
to feed them the finest wheat and honey from the rock.

God bring your love to the community and the world we serve in your name,
to bind their wounds and liberate them from their burdens,
to feed them the finest wheat and honey from the rock.

God, we pray for those in power that they will listen
to your unfamiliar voice found in the secret places of thunder
and cease their wounding and lift the burdens
they place on your creation and on humankind.
May they offer the finest wheat and seeping honey
from the rock to all people freed from oppression.

May all this happen through the love and
the liberation of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Jenne Perlstein, offered for worship 28/08/2022, Pentecost 12C
Worshipping with the Psalms in Winter 3