Prayers of Adoration

My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not stumbled. I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 17: 5-8

Let us pray,

Loving God,
We praise you, who numbers every hair on our head. Who knew us in our mother’s womb,
Who counts our every smile and tear

As you once taught us to pray, instruct us again
Teach us the hallelujahs of heaven
And melodious sonnets sung by flaming tongues above

Place us on the path of perfection,
Swing wide the gates of holiness
Guide us to the interior castle of sweet contemplation
Take us by the hand to light divine and mystical darkness
Lay us gently in sacred silence and loving peace

Bless us with eternal friendship, ever-present counsel, and the unfailing companionship of son and spirit
Cultivate in our soul a garden where you would walk, as you did once in Eden
Make in us a Tabernacle, for the dwelling of the Most High, and weave the frayed threads of our hearts into a nest for your spirit dove
Make our prayer unceasing, and ring forever the hollows of our heart with unending hymns of love, wonder and praise.

Turn an ear to us,
Alpha and Omega, First and the Last, beginning and end,
Come, Lord Jesus,
And hear our prayer.  Amen

Let us continue to pray, as we remain seated to sing, Answer When I Call, please join in with the refrain:

Turn an ear to me O Lord,
answer when I call.

Daniel Broadstock, offered for worship 30/9/18, Pentecost 19B

Prayers of Confession

God of mercy,
Lay your ear against our heart and hear our prayer

Hear our prayer when it rises joyfully with the breaking of the dawn
Hear our prayer when it is wept in the empty hours of the night
Hear our prayer when it is sung among the green cathedrals of creation, or whispered over taper-light
And hear us when our prayer is a groaning too deep for words

Dear Lord Jesus,
Who knelt in the quiet agony of Gethsemane
And stretched out abandoned on the cross,
Comfort us when our prayers are not answered
When heaven seems silent to suffering and pain
When hope is disappointed, when friendship falters
When dreams and ambitions are stolen by the thief of time

Have mercy on us when women are abused and slandered
Have mercy when children cling to barb wire fence
Have mercy when human beings, who bear the image of God, are hungry, cold, or friendless
Have mercy for wars that will not end, pains that will not heal, wrongs that will not be righted
For mistakes that are too terrible, and sins that cannot be spoken

But assure in us the resurrection promise that after the night comes the morning
After weeping comes peace, and after sorrow comes joy.
That the water of life runs in a current of mercy that washes away all stains, lightens all loads, relieves all guilt, and overcomes all wrongs.

Like an owl in the desert, like a sparrow, alone and afraid, we wait for you.
Come soon, Lord Jesus, Amen.

Friends, there is no prayer of confession that God does not answer.  Before we even say the words, God is ready with love and mercy without measure.  For the good news is that in Christ, through Christ and because of Christ, our sin is forgiven.

Thanks be to God.

Sung response

Let the giving of thanks be our sacrifice to God
Let the giving of thanks be our sacrifice to God

Daniel Broadstock, offered for worship 30/9/18, Pentecost 19B

Prayers of the people

Gracious and Loving God,
As your people gathered together we bring to you our concerns for the world, our community and each other.

Let us have compassion for so many people in the world who don’t know what having a home is.  The dispossessed, the homeless, the refugees.  As your people we attempt in many different and small ways to seek justice for them.

Let us pray for many areas of the world that are ravaged by poverty, war and unjust governments.  For Myanmar, Cambodia, Syria and Iran which is close to the hearts of a number of our community who have family there.

We pray for the people of Sulawesi recovering form the earthquake and tsunami especially those grieving for loved ones they have lost.

We pray for our Uniting Church of Australia, for the President, for all Synods and congregations and for all our members who keep the church alive in a world that throws us many challenges.

We give thanks for our congregation here in Brunswick and for the outreach we are privileged to offer to the wider community through our Student Houses, Olive Way, Olive Arts Collective, ASWC, YUCY, Out & About and other programs.

We remember people who may be grieving, coping with ill health, struggling with the challenges of life and pray that your love gives them strength.

We pray that in the coming week we live out our faith in ways that continue to strive for a respectful, peace and just world for all people.  Amen

Leanne Salau, offered for worship 30/9/18, Pentecost 19B