Prayers of Adoration & Confession

(Sung)
Gather us, O God.
Body, spirit, soul and mind.
Gather us, O God.
One in union now with you.

God, who brings life out of nothingness,
how can we meet the greatness of your creation?
Teach us to listen when you tell us what is needed
and delight in the good things we have made.

Jesus, bringer of new life,
how can we walk with you in the act of recreation?
Free us from the traps of nostalgia and fear,
Encourage us to embrace new ways of living and understanding.

Holy Spirit, seeker of truth and justice,
in the midst of the whirlwind, what should we question?
Allow us to notice the ways we impact other living beings,
May we be a reflection of the hope and love you bring to the world.
Amen

A prayer from Seven Collects for the Let the Earth Speak Exhibition, by Julie Perrin.

3. God of tree-bark,
Who speaks skin with depth and solidarity
Guardian of texture rough and smooth.
Take us up in your big branching arms
Release us from the skins we need to shed
Drown us in the beauty of new tenderness
Protect us and shock us, cradle us and blow through us
Because we are afraid,
And you know us from newborn through to humus.  Amen

In Christ we are created anew, in faith, hope and love.
In Christ, through Christ and because of Christ, our sin is forgiven.
Thanks be to God.

offered for worship  by Amelia Ware, 6/10/19, Season of Creation 3

Prayers of the people

Living Creator God, thank you for the wonder of your creation. As we sit here in this beautiful space that was once the fruitful and nourishing land of the Wurundjeri people, we acknowledge and celebrate the beauty of your world and our connection to it. As we ponder the history of this space, the land that was, the people who managed it so carefully for Millennia and the dispossession that occurred so that the roads and houses could spread and this church be built, we acknowledge the pain and suffering and loss that underpinned our ability to now live in this land and worship in this space. Loving Creator God, help us to never take such privilege for granted and to find ways to work for justice and healing with first nations people, to listen to their stories, support their calls to protect and restore this land. May we all learn from first people about caring for this earth, your beautiful creation, again.

Loving God, we acknowledge the wonder and creativity that exists right here, in each of us, as we sit in silence contemplating the wonder of our physical bodies that sustain us, the life that supports each of us in wondrous and complex ways. The minds that you have given us that enable us to recognize and explore what it means to be human and to understand something about how our bodies and this world works. Thank you that each of us is such an essential and interconnected part of this world and can be part of your creative spirit.

As we reflect on the art that this space held over the last week, art that sought to listen to your creation and to give voice to its beauty and power, we reflect on the stunning ways that our community members captured and celebrated your creative spirit in so many diverse and beautiful ways. So, we pray for guidance about how each one of us can join in this act of creation and to celebrate the human ability to create and recreate beauty in this world. We also acknowledge that each of our actions and choices can have a positive or negative impact on the world. We commit to doing our bit to give life, protect your creation and to be part of its restoration and recreation.

Loving Creator God, as we not only contemplate the looming impact of climate change but see its impact on our world right now, we are even more aware of our connection to and reliance on the health of this land and our need to nurture and care for it. Help us not to be overwhelmed by the size of the fight and the powers behind the struggle for climate action but to draw on your love, your creativity and power, to fight for action to save our world into the future.

We acknowledge that so much of human endeavour has been a battle to control wild places, and force conformity over diversity. To argue and dominate rather than listen and share. Show us ways to live that add to the beauty of this world and to not be part of its destruction. We thank you for the resilience of your creation and its ability to restore and recreate. We seek to draw on that resilient spirit to keep fighting for justice and to protect your creation. And we draw on that creative spirit now to find healing and love in our own daily lives.

Creator God, be with us here at Brunswick, as we work as a community to discover and celebrate your creative spirit in each of us.

Amen

offered for worship by Meredith Budge, 6/10/19, Season of Creation 3