Prayers of Adoration & Confession

Watch or 15:21

Let us pray:

God of the covenant
Of rainbows and stars,
You bring new life from old
And make a place for us in your heart.
Your steadfast love endures forever.

Forgive us when we forget your promise to us,
when do not live confidently in your love,
when our hearts are closed and cold.

Jesus of Nazareth,
Living God risen from the tomb
You surprise us.
You give us hope when all seems lost,
You make the impossible possible.

Forgive us when we focus on loss and lose hope,
when we do not see the possibilities before us
and limit ourselves and others.

Holy Spirit of resurrection life,
In you Jesus is no longer bound to Palestine but lives among us,
as he goes from Galilee to Brunswick, to Craigeburn,
to Moonee Ponds, Pascoe Vale, Northcote, Ascot Vale and beyond.
We hear and feel you move among us
Calling us to follow Jesus’ way.  Amen

Jesus is risen from the grave
Death has lost is sting
In Christ love has triumphed
And so, we say with confidence:
‘Our sin in forgiven’
Thanks be to God.

Kirsty Bennett, offered for worship with Saide Cameron, 4/4/21, Easter Day B

Prayers of the people

Watch or 51:58 

Pick up the stone you have with you, hold it in your hand as we pray.  After the prayers we will take our newly lit Christ Candle to the Chapel space where you are welcome to light a taper for your own prayers later in the service.

Living God,
Risen from the grave
Offering life in the Spirit,
We pray for the world, the church, the community

Notice the weight of the stone in your hands.  Remember the women who came to the tomb in the early morning to find the stone rolled away.  The stone was very large, seemingly difficult to move and yet they found it rolled back, unable to contain or restrain their Risen Lord.

As we remember the stone that guarded Jesus’ tomb
We pray for places where there are barriers,
Barriers to participation, to inclusion, to belonging,
For places where boulders block paths, where people are imprisoned.
We pray for new life.

Notice the shape of the stone in your hands.  Think of its journey, its story, the waters it has travelled through, the timelessness of stones in our impermanent lives.

We remember the places where stones have been shaped and washed over centuries,
by rivers, by oceans, and moved from one place to another and their edges rounded.
We pray for places where water is being polluted and habitats destroyed,
Where water is used as a convenient rubbish bin rather than a treasure.
We pray for renewal of the earth.

And now notice the feel of the stone in your hands, sharp, smooth, bumpy perhaps. Think of the people in your lives in all their beauty and diversity. 

We remember this stone is a sign of God’s love,
Of God’s covenant with us.
We pray for the places where God’s love is most needed:
Where people are sick,
Where people are lonely,
Where people are grieving.
We pray for healing.

God of the Covenant
As we hold this stone in our hand,
we know your love,
we know your promise,
we know your resurrection,
and we commit anew to live as your people,
following the way of the risen Christ.  Amen.

Kirsty Bennett, offered for worship with Saide Cameron, 4/4/21, Easter Day B