Prayers

We look for God in the dramatic.
We discover God in the ordinary.
Invited by God to slow down,
we freshly open our eyes to slowly see
God’s life breaking into our awareness, all around.

Loving God,
thank you for the wonder of our interconnected universe,
sustained and held in being by your love.
Tiny seeds nurtured by earth, that grow into great scrubs,
sheltering creatures.
Barely visible yeast cultures leavening flour for bread.
Treasures that make life precious and joyful.
Wisdom handed down to us, freshly understood.
Your reign breaks in around us in so many ways;
help us to see and rejoice.
Amen.

Lord God, we leave worldly thoughts behind,
and gather to seek your wisdom.
Teach us kingdom values, we pray,
so that we may grow in faith
this day and always.
Amen.

Father, all time is in your hand, unfolding;
we see so little of it in a lifetime,
yet sometimes it is overwhelming.
God of the kingdom of heaven,
you are our haven in life’s storms,
our lifeline in calamity;
we watch and await your coming in power.
Amen.

A prayer of confession

Lord, we confess that the concerns of the world weigh us down.
We worry about our needs, our wants, how others perceive us.
We are so overwhelmed that we fail to riddle the gold from life’s dross.
We turn to you, seeking the assurance that your kingdom is with us and among us;
help us to discern where it lies, so that we may turn our backs on all else.
Grant us the patience to seek you and your ways
with the forbearance you show as you wait for us.
Amen.

Assurance of forgiveness

Almighty God, although we take forever, you have forever –
you are the God of Eternity.
We are slow to seek you,
slow to learn, slow to grow in faith;
but when we are faltering,
you wait sure and steady to forgive us;
when we are lacking in trust,
you forgive us and persist in working out your ways despite us.
Thank you, O God of forgiveness and forbearance.
Amen.

God, we thank you for teaching us the things that matter,
the things of true value.
We praise you that the treasures of your kingdom are hidden beneath the mundanity,
and sometimes the drama, of everyday life;
and that they are often there in small ways that,
if nurtured, grow in abundance.
Thank you for your pearls of wisdom and your seeds of faith.
Let your Kingdom grow among us.
Amen.

Almighty God we are but one minute speck in your created order, but you care for each speck that you have made, for each of us and for all those who we bring our prayers for now.

For those who feel they do not belong in the place in which they live, house, town or country, feeling isolated, unsettled, unwanted or unloved. Feeling adrift from others and maybe from themselves, seeking and searching for answers and somewhere that feels like home.

Bless all those for whom we pray with your presence.
Bless them Lord, bless them. 

Bless those surrounded by war, violence and upheaval, living in now derelict and destroyed areas that were once comfortable places to live. Bless them in their distress, in their pain, in their loss and confusion. Bless them in their searching for new ways, new hopes, new dreams, new homes. Bless them in their search to make sense of life and love.

Bless all those for whom we pray with your presence.
Bless them Lord, bless them.

Bless those Who live with divisions between race, religion, ethnicity. Those who are segregated for their faith, tortured for their faith, cast adrift because of their faith. Unfairly treated because of their faith. Those who stand out from the crowd and are discriminated against because of their ethnicity. Especially remembering this week Israel and the Holy Land and all its strife.

Bless all those for whom we pray with your presence.
Bless them Lord, bless them.

Bless those families who will struggle to cope during the summer school holidays, those struggling to feed their families without extra school support, those who struggle with lack of indoor space and precious little, if any, outdoor space to healthily wear out the children before bedtime. Bless those who have had poor experience of being parented and who now repeat the same with their own children.

Bless all those for whom we pray with your presence.
Bless them Lord, bless them.

Bless those living in the midst of immediately visible effects of climate change, excessive heat and flooded grounds, wildfires, landslides, parched ground. Remembering especially the people of Rhodes and the ongoing difficulties due to loss of tourist visits. May we all seek to find a way to live more fairly and sustainably for this generation and the generations to come. May we all be prepared to sacrifice something for the good of future generations.

Bless all those for whom we pray with your presence.
Bless them Lord, bless them.

Bless those in pain and anguish, physical and mental. Bless those who seek to care for them. Bless those who teeter on the edge of life, those who feel their lives are pointless and those for who life draws to an end, give them peace, security and comfort.

Bless all those for whom we pray with your presence.
Bless them Lord, bless them.

For these and all your people, Lord we pray.
Amen.

For this body prayer, invite people to sit comfortably,
feet on the floor, hands in their laps.
Pause for a few moments after each line.
The optional actions, where given, may be helpful for younger people.

Feel a sense of your body. (wiggle your bottom)
Your feet on the floor. (tap your toes gently)
Become aware of your breathing. (listen to your breath)
As you breathe in, imagine it is God breathing life into you.
Hold that breath and remember who you are – a child of God.
As you breathe out, imagine it is God’s love flowing from you to those around you.
Remember your hands, feet and love are useful to God.
Amen.

Loving God,
thank you for your reign breaking in, all around, for those with eyes to see.
May the light of your love be focused within us.
May we create space in our hearts to treasure it.
And may we be of service to your love, now and always.
Amen.

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