Prayer: Hospitality (Luke 10:25-37)

 Heavenly Father,

We sit in awe of you: God in three persons - Father, Son, Spirit - a being of relationship with yourself, and yet you open up your arms to welcome us into that eternal relationship. You have invited humans into relationship since the very beginning, you have continued extending invitations to us through promises, covenants, prophecies, through the incarnation of your Son Jesus as one of us, and through the indwelling of your Spirit within us every single day. What an amazing truth that is!

And because of your great love for this world and all the people in it, you've called us to offer that same invitation, to welcome people into our homes, our church, our communities, and our lives on your behalf. We haven't always been great at that, and we're sorry. We admit that we've turned our nose up at people sometimes - because of how they look, or how they sound, or even how they smell or how they make us feel. Sometimes we feel scared, sometimes we feel ashamed, sometimes we just don't feel like it because it's hard. And so we're so thankful to you that you give us the strength to be more like you, to be welcoming and inviting to anyone, and we're thankful to you for all the opportunities you give us to make new friendships, to build up existing ones, to be more loving to our family and friends and strangers alike.

And so we ask you tonight, Father, for the power of you in us to take away our fear and replace it with openness; to take away our shame and replace it with welcoming; to take away our tiredness and replace it with warmth. We pray that each step we take in the lives of the people around us might be a step alongside them and a step closer to you. We pray especially for those families that we have sent out into the world with that mission: to everyone on staff here, to everyone we support across Australia and across the world. Take away their fear and their shame and their tiredness too, and give them the openness and welcoming and warmth that we all need from you to hold out your invitation to all those around us.

And finally we pray for every single person who gets that invitation, that you will soften their hearts and help them to receive it. For blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb! These are the true words of God. And in your name we pray, Amen

Prayer: Pentecost 2022

 Heavenly Father,

Today we remember that great moment in history when you poured out your Holy Spirit on all believers, marking us with a seal, a guarantee that we belong to your kingdom and your family, and empowering us to perform great acts for your glory and the furtherance of your gospel.

We remember the many amazing things that have been accomplished through your Holy Spirit since that time: we think of how your gospel has reached the ends of the earth through ministries of healing and mercy to the sick, gifts of generosity and hospitality to the needy, acts of justice for the marginal and oppressed, translation of your holy word into many different tongues, and the fearless preaching of the gospel throughout the world. None of these works would have been possible without your Holy Spirit leading, guiding and empowering these ministries.

We are so thankful for all that you have accomplished through the works of your servants, who have been your hands and feet and lips across the ages and across the world. Without the tireless efforts of the Christians of the past, we can safely say that none of us today would have heard your good news and responded to it.

And today, Father, we pray that your prophetic words will remain true for our generation, because there is still so much work to be done, still so many who need  help, still so many who need to hear the good news that Christ has made a way for them to be with you forever. So we ask today, Father, that just like at that first Pentecost, you will pour out your Spirit on all your people. We pray that you will continue to put your words upon the lips of our sons and daughters. We know that across Australia the church is facing a drought of pastoral and ministry staff, and that across the world there are whole people groups who still can't even hear your word in their heart language.

We pray that you will raise up leaders among our young people, giving them dreams of how the world might be transformed to be more like what you want it to be; and we pray that you will give our existing leaders visions of how they can make that happen in ways that benefit us all. We pray that you will work wonders across the world, showing through your servants the wonders of your love, your mercy and your grace. Work in us by your Spirit to give us hearts that will be generous, giving, loving and selfless in the face of the needs, pains and sufferings that come before us.

In those past days, Pentecost was the time that saw over 3000 people added to your newly founded church, as people listened to the words of Peter. Let those same words be on our lips today: "Be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah. Therefore repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Stay true to these words, Father, and keep us true to them by your Spirit, for we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen

Prayer: 24/10/21 (Rev 2:18-29)

 Heavenly Father,

You are mighty. With your feet of bronze you stand strong and unmoveable against your enemies, and with your eyes like fire your sight can pierce our hearts and see us for who we really are.

We hope that as we come before you today, you will look into our hearts and see our deeds, our faith and our love, as we seek to serve you and persevere in your service. All that we have done and all that we seek to do, we want to be able to commit to you. 

And yet we know that despite trying to be faithful, we can so easily fall short. There are so many in this world who compete for our attention, who teach us to think things and to do things that are against your will for us. Often we listen to these voices because they promise to give us things we crave for ourselves: whether they be pleasures we think will make us feel happier, secrets we think will make us seem cleverer, or rulers that will make us more powerful. Father, please forgive us for opening ourselves to these voices that speak against your truth. Help us not to tolerate such false teachings, but to always turn our faces to you, to seek out your will and to follow what we hear from you to the exclusion of all others.

We thank you for all the activities and opportunities to serve you that you lay before us, and we think of all the opportunities that will become available as the lockdown restrictions ease. We thank you that we will soon be able to meet together again, and we pray for our church leaders as they decide how this can be done in a safe and inclusive way. We pray for all of those who have suffered because of the pandemic, and pray that you will be their comfort. Help us as a church to continue to hold to our love for others as you have loved us. 

We thank you that you have not placed on us a burden we cannot bear, but instead ask us simply to hold on to the amazing message of grace and mercy that you have given us through your son Jesus Christ. We thank you for the provision of well-trained Bible teachers who provide our church with sermons and Bible studies where we can learn your message to us more fully and more deeply. We thank you for the provision of Nick Speyer to our church while Marty was on leave, and we thank you that Marty had the opportunity to rest. Please be with them, and with all of our preachers and Bible study leaders as they help us to hear your voice more clearly. We remember our brothers and sisters around the world who do not have such easy access to high quality Christian teachings, and pray that you will make your gospel known clearly and powerfully throughout the world.

All these things we pray in your son's name,

Amen

Prayer: The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Deut 10:12-22; Luke 18:1-8)

Heavenly Father,

We cry out to you for justice. It hurts to see weak people oppressed by the strong and careless. It hurts to see the poor downtrodden and taken advantage of because they are struggling to make ends meet. It hurts to see children abused because they have no voice. It hurts to see people marginalised and discriminated against because of political opinions, lifestyle choices, sexual preferences and even their gender. It hurts to see people locked up and mistreated because of their race, and because they are fleeing war and persecution. It hurts, and we feel powerless to do anything against it. We cry to you, God of heaven and earth, for justice.

And we thank you that you are the God of gods, the Lord of lords, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. You are just. You hear the cries of the oppressed, the weak and the vulnerable. You put yourself in their corner - you are their champion. You love foreigners, and you welcome all people to come to you and share in your love and salvation through Jesus Christ. We believe your promise to hear our prayers for the sick, the suffering and those crushed by other people's wickedness.

So we pray. We pray for the millions of refugees displaced around the world. Please give the people of the world your love, grace and mercy for them, and let them be welcomed with open arms into places of safety. We pray for the women, ethnicities and minorities who feel a real fear of persecution after the victory of Donald Trump in the United States. Assure them you will show no partiality and take no bribes. We pray for the people living on unemployment benefits, disability benefits and pensions here in Australia, who feel unfairly targetted by a cost-cutting government. Defend their cause, O God. We pray for those whose suffering is marginalised and silenced by our society: women suffering domestic violence, the disabled and the mentally ill.

We pray especially tonight for our sister Stacey and her family, suffering at this time due to a systemic failure in justice. Please heal Stacey's mother Heather, take away her pain, and provide her with housing. Please give the whole family comfort and strength in this great time of uncertainty and heartbreak. And please let this be an opportunity for her brother Craig to receive the treatment and care be had needed for so long.

Hear the cries for justice of all these peoples, and let them be assured that they will get justice, and quickly.

We pray with the psalmist, "Declare your enemies guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you."

"But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you." We take heart knowing that you will avenge the suffering of the weak and the oppressed. Help us to show your love to them; to seek to offer them your great refuge. Give us patience as we wait for your swift and terrible justice on the wicked; and give us strength to show you love while we wait.

Amen

Prayer: Abram and Lot (Genesis 13-14)

Heavenly Father,

You come first in everything. Before there was a mote of dust or a sliver of light, before anything was created, you were there. You have always been, always are and will always be. You are the first in power: you have the first say in what happens when, how, by who and why. You provide meaning to all things. And you have the last say: when everything is wrapped up and finished, you will judge and you will be right; and no-one will be able to question it. You are the first in righteousness: you are always right and good and true. There is no shadows in you, no lies, no scheming or deviance. You can always be trusted to have everyone's absolute best interests in your hand; you can make the simple wise, you can turn evil to good, you can turn stubborn hearts towards you, you can make the sick well, the humble exalted and the weak strong. And you are the first in love: before we loved you, before we were even born, you have loved us so powerfully, so intentionally, so perfectly and so fully that you would come to earth as one of us, join us in the trials and troubles of life, to stand with us, to teach us, to reveal yourself to us and to die for us and save us from the wrath we deservedly face. You are first in the resurrected life too: you did not stay dead, but rose again, and in doing so lift up our hearts with hope and assurance that you are victorious. You come first at the very end; your enemies are not your equal. You rise far above them, and you will cast them away so that there will be no more crying, no more pain, no more suffering and no more death.

We stand in awe of you, God. You are amazing from first to last, perfect in every way, and loving without fault. And we thank you that you pour your strength into us through your Spirit so that we can be a part of your amazing work in this world. We pray that through us you might heal the sick, lift up the weak, stand up for the oppressed and rescue the lost. We thank you for every person who comes through our church doors; those who have known you for decades, and those who still aren't quite sure about Jesus. Work in each of our lives so that we might know you more, and be Jesus to others. We pray for every child that comes in contact with our church - in C4K, in scripture, in junior jivers, in Oasis and in WAY - we ask that you will make yourself known to them again and again, and keep knocking on the doors of their hearts so that they might open up and receive Jesus. We pray for those who come to us for comfort, for strength and for help - by your power let us give them what they need in Jesus.

And we pray for all those who might never set foot in our doors; let our own lives be open doors to Jesus for all the people we meet. We pray for the people in our community of Waitara, our city of Sydney, and our country Australia; let them mix and mingle with Jesus through mixing and mingling with us. Let them meet Jesus at the shops, in schools, in the workplace, over shared fences, on public transport and in the street. May we be your ambassadors to many throughout our lives, and may Jesus walk among the people we meet.

And we pray for those who we may never meet; let our lives still speak the name of Jesus to them in every way they can. We pray for those thousands of people whose lives are touched by the Scotts in Taiwan, the Ongs in Malawi, the Compassion kids we support, and every person who receives a bible throuhg the Bible Society. We ask that through our prayers and through the gifts we provide, Jesus will be revealed to people we may never meet in this life. Just as you are first in everything, we ask that you would be first in everything we do and think and say.

Amen

Prayer: The wisdom of hard work (Proverbs)

Heavenly Father,

We are really thankful for work. You are a god who works: who has created all things; who sustains everything; who works hard at relating to people and reaching out to them; who sent Jesus to do the work of closing the gap between people and God by defeating our sin, nailing it to the cross.

You provide all good things for people, and you also have given us a say in how we go about getting those things. You provide us with so many good things to do, and there is so much good that comes from it! We can give people things they need. We can bring joy into people's lives. We can be creative and inventive. We can make a difference in this world. We work in jobs that pay us wages that we use to meet our physical needs, or in our families where children or the sick need care and sustenance and shelter, or in study in order to learn and grow and create future opportunities, or we simply work on cultivating godliness and joy in ourselves and others. You have given us a part to play in our own lives, and the lives of others, so that we can make a difference, and we are thankful.

But we live in a broken world, where it doesn't always work out the way we'd like. You have told us that you have a plan for people and for the world, but we so often see things going against your plan. We want to pray for and commit to you, Lord, people who are unemployed because they cannot get work, or who are too sick to work. We pray for people who don't want to work. We pray for families where the young or the old are neglected and not looked after. We pray for people whose jobs are sometimes boring, or unnecessary, or whose work does not help meet people's good needs, or who are trapped in a job and cannot leave. We pray for those whose work is valuable, but who are underappreciated or forgotten; or who are exploited by their employers or by society. And we pray for those who don't have anything worth doing, or who waste their time and money on things that are pointless, that don't bring joy, or that bring trouble and harm. We pray for those who work for work's sake, and who miss out on the rest that you provide.

None of these things are in your plan, and yet we live in a world where they are so common. We ask you, please Lord, to help us to follow your guidance for work. Help us to help others who are trapped in these problems and troubles of work. And help us not to turn work into an idol, or to trust in our work to solve our problems, but instead to trust you to have everything in hand.  And help us to rest in you; to place things into your hands, look to you for our provision; and to spent quality time with you. Give us the values of your own heart: let us work for your glory, your righteousness, for truth, and for love.

We pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Prayer: Unwrapping people (Revelation 6 and 7)

Heavenly Father,

We are amazed at your majesty. You are the God of Eternity, the God of Existence, the God of Power and Greatness and Salvation. You are so much bigger than we can understand or comprehend. And yet you talk to us.  You are so strong that sin and suffering and death are things that you can bat away with the back of your hand. You are so amazing that you can use the prayers of little children to defeat your enemies.

In the face of your greatness, we can only ask why? Why would you even deign to pay any attention to human beings at all? We are just one part of your grand creation. We only live a short time. We cause lots of pain and suffering. We ignore you, and seek to oust you from our lives. We rail against your rightful rule, and rebel against your good and perfect plans.

And yet not only do you listen to us; you love us. You glorify us and honour us with your attention. You make us in your image, and you give us freedom. You choose us, you set us apart. You lift us up over the rest of the earth, giving us power to shape it and change it and improve it; to be creative and innovative, just like you. You deputise us to look after what you have created. You treat us with dignity and respect.

We're sorry that we don't always treat you the same way. We apologise for all that we have done this week that has disrespected you, that has gone against your plans for us, that has caused us to push ourselves away from you. We also pray on behalf of our families, our communities and our leaders, all of whom may have turned against you in some way this week, may have caused harm and injury to others, may have plundered the weak or frustrated the poor, been unjust to the innocent or oppressed the powerless. We come to you pleading for those who are suffering, that you might be with them, comfort them, and bring an end to their sorrow. Tonight in particular we pray for the Chapman family, and for Bruce's recent diagnosis of cancer. We pray for your comfort of their family, your healing of Bruce, and that the hope you give us might bring them joy.

And we thank you that despite all this, you sent your Son to walk as one of us - to be human as we are human; but to be perfect as you are perfect. We thank you that in Jesus we can see the relationship that you so desire from us. And we thank you that you work your perfect plans through his life, his death, and his resurrection. You have redeemed us from the curses of death and judgment by Christ becoming a curse for us. And then you have destroyed these enemies once and for all through his great resurrection. We thank you for your promise to us that there will no longer be crying, there will no longer be mourning, no more hunger, pain or death. What a great God you are to clue us in to your plans, to give us that hope, and to let us start living for you now.

And so we praise you together, Lord Most High. We praise you not as slaves to sin and death, but as children and heirs in your eternal family. Help us, in all that we do, to proclaim your wonderful deeds. May our lives mirror those amazing actions of Christ, so that the earth might be filled with your glory.

In all these things we pray by the authority of Jesus Christ,
Amen

Prayer: Eternity Unwrapped - Revelation 21 and 22

Heavenly Father,

We praise and adore you as the one who is before all things, who always was, always is, and always will be. You have the whole of history at your fingertips, and every day of the future is an open book to you. For you there are no mysteries. And not only do you know all that has happened, all that is happening, and all that will happen, but you hold it all in the palm of your hand. You are the architect of the future, building and furthering your plans through every decision we make, right or wrong. You are so great that you can turn our worst mistakes into your biggest blessings. You even turned our rebellion against you and our denial and murder of your son Jesus Christ into our eternal salvation. You are just that amazing.

But even though you can see the beginning, and the end, and you know what came before, and what will come after, you still dwell here with us in the now. You care about every one of us, and our momentary concerns. You want us to call on you when things get tough. You tell us to ask you when we are sick, to complain to you when life is hard, to question you when things just continually go wrong, and in all that to continue to have faith in you that you've got everything under control. And you do, Lord God. Because you don't hide your plans from us. We hate sickness, we abhore injustice, we avoid pain and we are upset by death. And you have shown us that these things will not last. You will last forever. We know that. But you call us to live with you forever, to live a life with you where there is no sickness, there is no injustice, there is no pain and there is no death. That's your plan, and you have shared it with us. And you have told us that these words are trustworthy and true. Our pain and our shame and our grieving will all be done away with. And we can trust you to do it, because you are our God.

And so we pray to you about all these things, as you have told us to. We pray for the sick in our midst, and those in our lives who are plagued with illness. We pray for those who face injustice, unfairness and oppression, both in our community and across the world. We pray for those who are wracked by pains, whether from physical hurt or from guilt, shame and betrayal. And we pray for those who grieve because of the loss of loved ones. We pray for all these things because we know you care about them. Give comfort and strength, encouragement and support to your people, so that we might see for ourselves these glimpses of your eternal kingdom. And then let us take those lights out into the world, where others might too see your glory through the comfort and strength and encouragement and support we offer others, as we pass on this testimony of your Son that you have given us - the time is coming, and it is coming soon. We praise you because you promise to accept anyone who wishes to take your free offer to live with you forever.  These words are trustworthy and true.

We rejoice in the thought, and we pray together, "Come, Lord Jesus." And we ask that the grace of the Lord Jesus be with your people. Amen.

Prayer: God at Work in Spite of Fear (Judges 6)

Heavenly Father,

We know you are a god of Good.  We know that you don't delight in evil or wickedness, that it doesn't please you when people do wrong. And yet we look around our world, and we see so many acts of evil and wrong, human against human, or the world seemingly against us, and it shakes us up. We hear of oppression and bullying and mistreatment of people based on their sexuality or gender identity, and we fear that they might suffer harm. We watch people fleeing from danger being put into detention centres by our government, and we fear for their safety and health. Stories of terrorism abound - bombings in Belgium and Pakistan that kill and wound hundreds; kidnappings, beheadings, shootings, knifings, all of which are designed to strike fear into our hearts. We hear statistics of domestic violence and child abuse, and they scare us - they make us look at our own churches, even our own families, and see possible dangers for ourselves and our children. All around us people get sick, and although we have good medical facilities and hard-working doctors and nurses, people still suffer with health problems, they grow frail and they die.

We know you're a good God, but when we see and hear all these terrible things, we become afraid. And so we call out to you, our mighty God, and we ask you to hear us in our fear. We don't understand why all these terrible things happen, but we thank you that we can trust in you, Lord, knowing that you are in control. We thank you that no matter how big and scary and unstoppable the forces of evil might seem to us, you are bigger and more powerful, and you can stop them, and you will stop them. We take your promises to heart, and we rely on them, knowing that you have set a time when evil will fall, pain will end, and you will call all of your people to come to you forever. Thank you for having that wonderful endgame, and sharing it with us so that we can have that hope.

And with that end in mind, we ask that you will give us faith to stand firm in amongst the many things that we might fear in this world. Give us strength in your spirit to carry your name into dark places, so that all of your children might hear your voice, hear your call, and come back to you.  Make us your hands and your feet, so that we can offer refuge to all who call on you and ask for your help. Fill our hearts with your love for the lost, the marginalised, the mistreated, the oppressed and the weak. Fill us with joy that we can share with them in their distress. Bless us as we give whatever we have, Lord, so that they might see your light and receive your gifts.

We pray for your protection and relief for those who are suffering in the grip of physical and mental health issues. We pray for new mothers and expecting mothers and fathers, that you will be with them and watch over them, and fill them with joy and keep their children safe. We pray for those who have lost loved ones through sickness or violence, that you will be with them in their grief. We pray for those who are struggling financially, that you will ease their burdens. And we pray for those struggling with sin and spiritual darkness, that you will show them your amazing grace, and welcome them into your wonderful light.

All these things we pray, trusting in your son, Jesus Christ, amen.

Prayer - God at work despite our disobedience (Judges 14-15)

Heavenly Father,

We know that you are a holy God, perfect in love, justice and truth. We know that you are set apart from anything or anyone else. You're certainly set apart from us. We're definitely not perfect in love, justice or truth - not as individuals, not as a church, not as a society, and not as the human race. We fall short of your perfect holiness, and yet you tell us, "Be holy, because I am holy," and Jesus tells us, "Be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect."

We are not perfect, and you know that. We are tired, exhausted, sick, troubled and weak. We despair at our condition, and you know that too. So we ask you to have mercy on us, Lord, because we are faint; heal us, Lord, because we are in agony; save and deliver us, Lord, because our souls are in deep anguish. 

And we thank you, our glorious and awesome father, because when we look around this world, full of troubles and sins and suffering, we see you at work through the weakness and inability of your people. We hear about you healing people through medicines and doctors and nurses and people who go out of their way to bring relief to the sick; and we pray that you will continue to heal the sick through your people. We watch videos of you bringing comfort and relief to those who are losing homes, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, children and fields because of persecution they face or because of disasters that strike; and we especially pray for those in Japan who are helping with the earthquake relief efforts there, and for those in Chibok, Nigeria, whose kidnapped daughters have now been missing for two years. We read about those who are taking your message into places it's never been, or to people who've never heard, or who have heard a hundred times before, who are guiding and discipling people into brand new relationships with you; and we pray that you will continue to work in the hearts of all those who hear in prisons, in scripture, in church and everywhere else. And we can look around and see your hand stretching over the adults and children and families in this church, and thank you for the provision you give, the instruction you give, the support you give, the love you give amongst us and between us; and we pray that you might help us as we continue to love and support one another through times of difficulty and stress and even joy - for all the new and expecting mothers and fathers of our church, we pray you will work through your people to provide love, comfort and support.

We know that we can turn our backs on you, and yet we thank you that you never turn your back on us. We are amazed at how you can turn even our weakest moments, even our greatest failures or temptations or sins, into your most glorious successes, into times that will make the heavens fill with songs of gladness. Only you can turn evil into good, O Mighty God - only you can create perfection with such imperfect tools - and we are humbled as you choose to work through our weakness to further show your strength and glory. Help us to embrace our weakness and accept your strength as we rejoice in your glory, and praise your amazing name.

By the grace of Jesus Christ we pray,

Amen

Prayer: Understanding Miracles (John 20:24-31)

Heavenly Father,

All your works are amazing and astounding to us. From the beginning, you created the world and everything in it, suspended in a universe so finely tuned for our survival that the very existence of everything speaks to us of your love and care for us. You made humanity in your own image, and revealed yourself to us, wanting your creation to know its creator and to relate to you in love. Again and again you have chosen to work through the weak, the troubled, the sinful and the scorned, so that when you are victorious - which you always are - your victory is that much more impressive for the path that it came. You chose a man and woman, old and unable to have kids, and turned them into a nation. You took that nation, when it was overpowered and enslaved, and made them your people, giving them freedom and riches and blessings.

When you came into our world as Jesus, you didn't do it as a mighty king backed by legions of angels, or born to the emperor of the most powerful nation. You chose shepherds and foreigners for your ancestors, a carpenter and a vulnerable young woman for your parents. You came without fame or fortune, and yet you healed the sick, drove out demons, and taught us your will with power and authority. You modelled a life of love and holiness, caring for the needs of your creation. And then you did the most amazing thing we can imagine: you defeated our greatest enemies - sin and death - through dying yourself. You made yourself the lowest of the low, a criminal on a cross, cursed for us.

And then you raised Jesus from the dead... and he left again.  Rather than storming the earth and conquering it at the hands of your glorified and risen Son, you sent your spirit to dwell in your people, in ordinary people, in people like us, and you sent them to conquer the world in your name - not with violence, but with love. You have worked through us - ordinary, normal, weak and stuttering and sinful and stumbling people - to bring your loving message to billions. 

And so we come together today, Father, to ask you to continue doing what have done from the beginning. We ask you, Lord, to glorify yourself. Make your name great among all the people that we meet - Waitara locals, family and friends, workmates, acquaintances and strangers. Show your love to us and through us to others, so that more and more people might know you and love you in return. Reveal yourself and your love in every way possible, and give us the faith to know your love and accept it even when it doesn't look like the love we might want.

We pray for those among us who are sick, who are struggling, who are in pain, who are suffering trials of many and various kinds. We ask, in love for them and for you, that you will act in love to them. And we know in faith that you already do. If it is your will to heal them and to make their situations easier, do that and be glorified, Lord. If it is your will that they continue on these difficult paths and you give them the strength to overcome through faith in you, do that and be glorified, Lord.  And if it is your will that they be helped through their pain and suffering by the loving actions of your people, give us the strength to do that, so that you will be glorified, Lord.

And in all these things we pray that you will be revealed to us in greater measure, so that we might know you better, love you more, and live for your glory. And we ask these things in the authority of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen

Prayer: The Man from Heaven Heals the Official's Son (John 4:45-54)

Heavenly Father,

You are a promise keeper. You said to Abraham that you would make him into a great nation, and you did. When that nation were enslaved in Egypt, you promised to free them from captivity, and you did. You promised to take them into a rich land of blessing, and you did. You promised to make them your people, and you did; to be their God, and you are. You promised to bless their obedience, and punish their wrong; and you did both those things. But you also promised to never leave or forsake them, and you have always stayed with them, even in their exile and disobedience. You promised to bring them out of exile and back to their land, and you did that too.

You promised a king who would sit on the throne forever, and a prophet to guide your people, a suffering servant who would take away our sins. And you have given us all of those in your son Jesus Christ. What an amazing God you are, that you would bind yourself to us with such promises, and continue to keep them regardless of our constant failures and rebellions. It is so wonderful to know that no matter how faithless we might be, you remain faithful to us. We thank you that even if we can't rely on ourselves to keep promises to you, we can rely on you to keep your promises to us.

And you have made yet more promises, that we can't always see fulfilled right at the moment. You promise that you always work for our good as we love you. Help us to love you then, knowing that our good times and our bad times are in your hands, and that you have only our best interests at heart, and always work for our benefit. Help us to believe in you for this, even when we can't see any way something might be good. We pray for those who suffer from sickness, from pain, from stressful circumstances, from loneliness and abuse and mistreatment and neglect; help them to have faith in your goodness when nothing else looks good.

You promise that your Holy Spirit dwells within us, marking us as guaranteed members of your family, and transforming us to be more and more like you. Help us to constantly strive to be more like you, even when we fail in sin, even when it hurts, even when we feel like we are far from you and have our doubts and our questions. We pray for those who you have called into your family and who yet live with failure, with sin, with doubts. Draw them close to you, and help them to know your genuineness even in the midst of doubt.  You promise that mercy is blessed; that purity is blessed; that peace is blessed; that righteousness is blessed; that persecution is blessed; that poverty is blessed; that meekness is blessed. We take you at your word, and seek to live for your blessing.

You promise that you will bring to yourself a people who you will call your own, that will be countless in number, that will live for you in perfect harmony forever, free from sickness, hunger or pain of any kind. You promise that Jesus will return, and take all of your people to be with you in a new heaven and new earth forever - and that he will judge wickedness and evil, and it will be banished forever. We long for those days, Lord; help us to have a thirst for that day, and to constantly look forward to it, and to live for it. And fill us with love so that we may long to see our many friends and co-workers and loved ones join us in that day; that we may long to see so many strangers we don't know on that day, and that we might even see our enemies who seek to hurt us and harm us and ruin us, stripped of their evil just as we are, and saved right alongside us on that day.

Let your promises ring true to us, and shape our lives so that we are living on the assumption that everything you have promised is true, is happening, and will happen. Let your word be our firm footing, for every step we walk this week, this year, and in this whole lifetime.

In Jesus' name we pray,

Amen

Prayer: John 3:22-36 Man from Heaven - Greater than John

Heavenly Father,

You are the biggest and the strongest, the greatest and the smartest, the fairest and most just, the best and most righteous, the most powerful and the most loving, the richest and the most generous - you are superlative in every way that is good. You are infinitely perfect, so much so that our brains can't even begin to fathom the magnitude of your awesomeness. We only see reflections of your amazingness: in the beauty of the creation around us; in the love of one person for another; in the endless complexity of even little, insignificant things; in the history of your truthfulness and faithfulness to your people.  You have no equal - no-one else even comes close to your all-encompassing greatness - and we realise in the light of your total perfection that we could never be like you.

And so you became like us. When we consider what you have done in sending your Son to earth, God as a human among us, we just have to stop and stare, because it is so amazing. You are almighty and supreme above all things, but you don't lord yourself over us like a tyrant. Instead, you made yourself nothing. You shed the royal robes of heavenly glory and took on the humble rags of an ordinary human being. You became one of us; and more, you went further and humbled yourself to become our servant! You who are the only thing in existence untainted by sin washed our dirty feet! You who needs nothing to sustain yourself gave us bread, and ate it with us. You who lives forever wept for our deaths. You, the infinitely perfect, died on a cross, alone and ashamed, to save us from a punishment we deserve.

And so we bow down our lives before you, almighty God, because you are worthy of the highest honour, the greatest glory, and all our praise and worship. And we do that by humbling ourselves, surrendering all we think and do and have and are to you. We humble ourselves because that's exactly what you did for us. We aren't as good at is as you, and sometimes we stand back on our feet, or we seek a little glory for ourselves.  We apologise for that, and we turn away from it.  You have given us so much, you deserve to be at the absolute top of every list in our lives.

Because we know that you love and care for us, we have confidence to come to you and ask for anything according to your will. we pray for all those who are newly entering our community - please give them a warm welcome, and bless their time in Waitara. We ask for healing and strength for all of those in our community, that they can honour you. We pray for those who are being mistreated and caused to suffer by our government's harsh asylum seeker policy - please give them freedom and hope. We pray for those who stand against injustice - please give them courage. And we pray that in all things you might be glorified and exalted.

We pray this by the authority of your son Jesus,

Amen

Prayer: Man from Heaven: Calling Others (John 1:35-50)

Heavenly Father,

We love that you're are a relational God. You are not cold and lonely and distant. You exist in three persons - Father, Son and Spirit - which means you interact with each other, you relate to one another, and relationships are part of your godly DNA.

We love that you created humans in your image, so that we are relational too, and that you called out to us from the very beginning, not just to have relationships with each other, but to have a relationship with you too.  We thank you that it is possible for us to relate to you - the all powerful Creator God of the universe, relating with finite, powerless little humans. And yet you love us more than anything else in creation! Wow.

We thank you also that you give us relationships that we can enjoy with each other here on earth - mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, wives and husbands, fellow Christians, and all sorts of friendships. And of course children like Alexander.  These relationships bring us so much joy, and we know that they're all based on the relationships that come from you. Thank you.  We thank you that Jesus had a family, had brothers and sisters, and had many friends too. We thank you that he personally called them to come and follow him, and we thank you that he personally calls us to follow you too. Help us to recognise your glory, and follow you not just as a servant, but as a friend, and as his brother and sister.

We love that you called for yourself a community, who you set apart from the rest of the world, to be the trophy example of how you love people, and what relationship with you can be like. We thank you that you then broke open the gates into that community so that anyone can come and join up and be a part of that community. We thank you that you've made a place for us here in Waitara, and for people all over the world to love and worship you together, and to love and serve each other as a Christian family. Help us to look out for each other as a family, from the newest of our members to our oldest, and we pray for everyone in our congregations, that we as a church might serve one another in love.

We recognise that even as a Christian community, we fail to act as a loving community all the time.  We are sorry for that, and we thank you that you forgive us and always welcome us into your arms.  Help us to forever seek to return to you and your love and your relationship, and then take that love out to each other, and out even further to others who are beyond these church walls. We pray that you will empower us to open the doors of your community to all those who we meet and talk with and relate to each and every day.  Help us to reflect your great love to them, and to welcome them into the community you are continually growing, so that one day we might all be together in your presence forever.

We pray all these things in the name of Jesus, our brother and Lord and saviour,

Amen

Prayer: Christmas Eve 2015

Our Father in heaven,

We thank you that Christmas is upon us. We thank you and that the search for gifts is (hopefully) almost over.  We thank you for the safe arrival of those family and friends who are coming and going, for the time off from everything to celebrate, for food and friendship  and family that are a part of so many people's Christmas.

But most of all, we are thankful to you for what we are celebrating at Christmas: your coming into the world as Jesus, God as a human being. You have come into the world to be human, and so you know what it's like for us.

You know what it's like to travel at Christmas time to be with your family.  Mary and Joseph had to travel a long way while Mary was heavily pregnant with you.  And you came from heaven down to earth, leaving your glorious throne above to enter this world as one of us! So we ask you to keep people safe as they travel this year, knowing that you can relate to the stress and danger of travelling.

You know what it is like to live in poverty - your first home was a stable, and your hospital bed was a feeding trough for animals. And so we ask you to bless those who are poor this Christmas, who have little for themselves and less to share, and those who have lost homes in natural disasters and freak weather. We pray that you will be with them this Christmas, knowing that you too have lived in poverty.

You also know the joy of receiving great gifts, because when you were young and in need the wise men came and brought you treasures. And so we ask you to bless those who this year are giving out of their wealth to those in need, because you know what it is like to receive such wonderful gifts.

You, Jesus, know the trauma of being a target of violence and hate, because when you were just a child King Herod wanted to kill you, and your family had to flee to Egypt to stay safe.  So we pray for those who have been subjected to violence, and who this Christmas have had to flee from their homes and their communities, leaving their lives behind. We ask you to bring them comfort, and to meet their needs this Christmas, and to give them somewhere safe to live, because you know the pains of being chased away from your home.

You know what it's like to be pushed to the edge of society, and to be ruled over by people who treat you as less than who you are. You grew up in a land that was conquered by people who treated you as a second class citizen, and punished you as a criminal. And so we ask you remember those who society forgets or belittles: the disabled, the homeless, the mentally ill, the prisoners in our gaols, the lonely in our nursing homes and hospitals - the rejected, the marginalised, the disaffected, those who face prejudice and discrimination. We ask you to lift them up, and shine your light on them, and fill us all with compassion and care so that we might include them, because you know what it's like to be rejected and cast aside.

Our God, you know what it is to be human, because in Jesus you are human. You know the challenges we face, the impossible rift that stands between us and you. You know that we can't come to you. We can't climb up into heaven to sit beside you. We can't possibly meet your requirements of perfection.  You know our weakness and our frailty. And we thank you that before we could even pray for it, you closed the gap, you bridged the rift. You did it by coming down to us, by being a human and living among us by becoming Immanuel - God with us. And you came to us because you love us.

We are just in awe that you would come to us like this, experience our weaknesses and our troubles, and reach out across the divide to take hold of us. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Please help us this year to do the same, and to care for all those who you care for, who remind us of you in their difficulties. Make this Christmas a time when we remember you, and bring love to those who you came to live beside.

We pray this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, Amen

Prayer: Being Human Involves God (Genesis 11:1-9)

Heavenly Father,

From the very beginning, you have always had a place for us in your plans.  When you created the heavens and the earth, not only did you make humans part of your world, but you made us a crowning achievement, in your image, capable of relating to you and wanting to relate to you.  You named us as a people for yourself, and you guided us.  You sent messengers through history to tell us your plans and your will.  You sent your son, Jesus Christ, into the world as a human, coming to us and becoming one of us.  You share with us your desire to have us live in your presence for all eternity, and you put your Holy Spirit within us, so that you dwell inside us each and every day, assuring us that yes, you really do want to be with us, and want us to be with you. 

And yet despite you being the King of the World, the Lord of Creation, the Lord God Almighty, we still feel like we can do things on our own. Worse than that, we sometimes think that we know better than you!  We trade your assurances of glorious eternity for false promises of a slightly better tomorrow.  We take the good news proclaimed in the Bible and explained to us by those you send, and we squander it, choosing to focus on our own entertainment, or our own pleasure, our own security.  We judge people you made in your own image, even those you call our brothers and sisters in faith. We have so little trust in you that we make up all sorts of excuses for not taking the many, many opportunities you give to us to do what you ask. Instead of being obedient and relying on you, we try and turn living for you into a system, so that if we can follow the right rules, say the right things, live the right kind of life, then we can tick the boxes and feel like we're on track.

Father, we're sorry.  We're sorry because we forget that for you it's not about rules, it's not about systems, and it's not about our accomplishments.  You don't want us to simply follow a pattern.  You don't expect us to be successful.  You sent your son, Jesus Christ, not just to show us how to live, but to die for us knowing that we are failures!  Our salvation is at your cost, not ours.  All you've ever wanted from us is to love you, to thank you, and to trust you.  

So thank you, our Father, for being so far above us that you never make the stupid mistakes we do. Thank you for stooping down so low to come and pay attention to us because you just love us that much.  Thank you for not leaving us to try and guess what we have to do. You take responsibility for the success of all your plans, and simply ask us to say yes to you.  Thank you for walking this human life with us, for sending Jesus to walk in our shoes, to know our victories and our struggles. And thank you for making your home in our lives through your Holy Spirt, so that every day, whether in times of plenty and joy, or in times of sadness and pain, we are never, ever without you. 

We ask you, Father, please be with those who are sick, who are sorrowful, who are struggling - please let them know that it's okay, you've got it all under control, that their suffering isn't because they're sinful or they're worthless or that you've forgotten them. Please be with them in every dark moment, leading them into the light, where you walk with them. And be with us as we help them out of love for you.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen

Prayer: Genesis 1:1-2:3, Colossians 1:15-23 What it Means to be Human

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Your glory is displayed both above and below, in the sky and here on earth. In the heavens, we see the marvellous work of your creative genius - the beauty of the Milky Way, the brilliance of a colourful sunset, the fearful power of a thunderstorm, and the perfect placement of earth in the solar system to allow life to grow and be sustained.

And yet you are interested in us, your creation! You make whole galaxies turn, and yet you turn your ear to listen to the words of little children. And you don't just listen, you answer their prayers! You not only provide for us, but you care for us, you love us, and you open yourself to us. We are such a tiny part of a massive universe, and yet you call us the crowning glory of your creation.

You have made us in your image! Like you, we can think and create, reason and relate. You have given us this world to live in, and given us strength to change it. Because of you, we have power over many parts of this world; we have filled it and to a large extent we have subdued it to our will. We can provide for each other.

And yet, though you made us to be like you, we are not you. You are infinite and timeless: we are like fireworks, that burst onto the scene and then as quickly fade to smoke; we are like goldfish in a bowl, who cannot see past our own limited circumstances and situation, and are quick to forget the past.  You are perfect and powerful: we are as likely to ruin something as to improve it; and we often make mistakes we cannot fix.

And yet we still think we're so great, that we ignore you. You, the power of powers, the giver of our life, the master of our future - we replace you with things as weak and uncaring as the sun and moon, or silver-tongued leaders, or the mighty dollar. We are made in your image, and yet we treat each other as less than human. When people need work, we exploit them; when they need respect, we abuse them; when they need wisdom, we arrest them; when they need protection, we detain them; when they need your word, we ignore them.

But despite our failings, you reach out to us, and call us your people, and send us message after message to tell us that you are still here, that you still love us, and that you want us to follow you. You continue to show us who you are, and through that who we are in relation to you - beloved, special, worthy of your attention. Help us to recognise that worth you give us - not just in ourselves, but in each other - and to follow your call and reflect your image by demanding justice for the weak, showing grace to the guilty, giving help to the hurting, support to the sick, comfort to the grieving, and love to the lost. We pray to you for these people - those we know, those close to us, and those we only hear about; those we love, and those who set themselves up as enemies against us - in love for them, seeking to love them as you have loved us through Jesus Christ.  It is by his name and in his authority that we pray, Amen.

Prayer: What does generosity look like? (2 Cor 9:6-15)

Heavenly father,

We come together this evening to praise you and bring you glory. For you, and you alone, are God - there is no-one greater than you, no power more powerful, nowhere you cannot see, nothing you do not know. Everything else is made by you, and you have made it well, and made it good. And you are good - you rule over everything you have made with justice and righteousness. Who can question your sovereign will? You are worthy of all glory, for you achieve your every goal, and you succeed in everything you at our to do.

But not only are you just - you are both gracious and merciful. You are abundant in your blessings, and open yourself to all humanity, holding out your arms in welcome to all who would call you father. We are not perfect, like you are perfect, but instead of turning us away, you make a path for us to come to you - Jesus, the messiah, God with us.  Not only have you come to earth as a human and shared yourself with us, but you died on a cross to take away our just punishment, to make us blameless before you. And so we praise your name, because you are good to us in ways we cannot possibly earn, and you forgive us debts we cannot possibly repay.  We can call the king of the universe our dad! We can call the creator of all things our friend! We can live a new life with the spirit of God inside us, transforming us, teaching us,  changing us by your power!

And it's because you've done all this for us, father, that we want to praise you to the whole world. We want everyone to have what we have, and to hear about how great you are. We want to give you a massive like on Facebook. We want to give you five stars on TripAdvisor. We want to write a letter to the editor and tell everyone about how great you are. We want to tell our friends. We want to talk about you and what you've done for us with each other.  We want you to go viral, because you are so excellent, we can't help but share.

You're so amazing and so incredible that we want everything we do to show it - not just so that others get to see, but because you are genuinely worth the praise and the glory! And so we ask that in everything we do, in everything we say, in every dollar we spend, in every choice we make, that people might see what you're doing in us and in our circumstances, and see how great you are. And those circumstances aren't always cheerful. We pray especially for those who are suffering through trials, poverty, sickness, pain, and other difficulties. We ask that you will give them strength, and endurance, and faith in you, so that they can meet these challenges, and we pray that you will give us opportunities and skills to help them, so they don't need to do it alone. We ask that you might show yourself in good times and bad, so that in every instance you are praised and glorified.

We ask it because you deserve it, because of Jesus. Amen

Prayer: 2 Cor 8:1-15 Why Be Generous?

Heavenly Father,

You are a God of gifts. You love to give good things, and you are doing so constantly. You provide us with life, with existence, with a capacity for understanding ourselves, and relating to each other, and for loving you. We couldn't create ourselves, but you made us. We owe our very living to you, but that is not a debt you ask of us - it is a gift you give to us. You give us beauty, creativity, innovation and seemingly endless variety. Why are there a so many types of flowers and fruits and sand? Why are there so many colours and shapes and sounds? We feel so much wonder at seeing a sunset, or a beautiful painting or photograph, or when we hear a good piece of music, or eat a really good meal, and it's because you have given us that wonder as a gift, to bring us joy. We thank you for the everyday joys of life - for sunny days, that particularly good cup of coffee, or seeing someone we love smile - and we thank you for those special days of joy - graduations, new jobs, weddings, births, and all the things we have to celebrate.

We want to thank you today, not just because there are nice things and we get to experience them, but because you are a God of love and goodness who loves to make good things, and to give good things. These aren't gifts you only give your own people. Your sun shines on everyone, the righteous and the wicked, and you allow all people to have life and to experience what you have made. And you don't just reveal yourself to those who seek you out - you have signed your name on every creature, every natural vista, every work of art and every new invention, so that everyone gets to catch a glimpse of you through what you have made. You put all these things into our hands - a whole planet of resources, a whole kaleidoscope of talents, so we can be as giving to each other as you have been to us. We can experience the joy of giving gifts just like you give to us, and for that we thank you.

But we're not perfect, and we don't always succeed in giving gifts as freely and as richly as you give to us. We fall short of the example you have set for us. You don't discriminate in your giving, but we live in a system that is unfair and unjust. You are open and welcoming to all, but we shut ourselves off from some people, or refuse to give them help, or simply ignore them. When we were far from you, you didn't hold back - you gave your own son, Jesus, and paid the ultimate price of death and separation. You emptied yourself of everything on that cross for us, to give to your enemies the greatest gift of all - an eternity with you. It cost you so much, and yet you still sent him in overflowing love! But we still count our dollars and cents, and our minutes and seconds.

We pray, Lord and Father, that you will continue to give to us - not just in goods, not just in beauty and wonder and closeness to you, but we pray that you will keep giving us that same spirit of love and giving that you have towards us. Make us into your hands and feet, so that through us you might give to those who are in need, who struggle to make their rent or to put food on their tables; so that through us you might heal the sick, and bring comfort to those who are tired and distressed, so that through us you might open arms of welcome to those that our society marginalises, despises and rejects. Give to us your spirit of generosity, so that we might overflow in that same way your love overflows to us. Don't let us be pools of your blessing, but make us fountains that spill over to everyone, so that your great gifts might reach those who need them.

Do this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, Amen

Prayer: Receive the Word (1 Thess 1:1-10)

Heavenly Father,

It is so amazing that you give us your word, written down for us, so that we can turn to it at any time and hear from you. You have revealed yourself to us.  You show us your power, your holiness, and your love that you have revealed through history. You have revealed more to us about ourselves than even we know. You have shown us how we are made in your image, how we fall short, and how you seek to draw us back to you. You have revealed your will to us.  You have given us guidance and wisdom, steering us away from evil and beckoning us towards good.  You have revealed the mystery of your son, Jesus Christ, who came as a human to save humanity from sin. You have revealed that your Holy Spirit lives within us, and counsels us in truth.  You even give us glimpses into the future of heaven, into your great glory, where you call us to be with you forever. We thank you that you have opened our hearts to your message, and you have brought us into your family. Thank you for awakening in us a faith that produces work, that calls us into reliance on you at every step. Help us to constantly come back to you and to your word, and continually convict us of its truth, and our need to obey it.

Father, we thank you for revealing so much to us! We thank you for those who have worked so hard over generations to make sure that your word in the Bible comes to us in a language we can understand; who have sought to write and teach and preach to us about what it means; and who challenge us to read it, accept it, and live by it. We ask that you will bless Bible translators, that you will bless the lecturers and students at Moore College and other Bible colleges that uphold your word, and that you will bless Marty as he seeks to bring to us challenges from your word tonight. 

We pray also for the work of the Bible Society, and other missionary endeavours that seek to translate the Bible into the heart language of every human community, and to put your word into the hands of everyone who wants it. Please be with the thousands of translators, scholars, typesetters, computer programmers, financial controllers, printers, distributors and donors who make accessibility to the Bible a reality for so many people around the world.

And we pray for all of those in our own community and country who are starved of your good news message, not because it's inaccessible, but because they are blind and deaf to your words. Please continue to open people's eyes and ears, so that they might see and understand what you have to say to them. And open their hearts and minds, so that they might receive the truth of your words to them. We pray for the hard work of people involved in scripture classes - for those in our church, those from HADCEA, and those involved in university ministries like Karen Sowden and others with EU, AFES and IFES. We pray for school chaplains,  prison chaplains, sports chaplains, army chaplains, hospital chaplains - wherever someone is seeking to share your word with people in need, Lord, we pray that you will be there to pour out your blessings on them, and on those who hear and receive your word.

And we pray that we likewise might share your word with those around us - our families, our friends, our workmates, whoever we come into contact with. Place your word in our hearts, encourage us to read it as part of our daily lives, and fill our hearts and our minds with your wonderful message of salvation for the world. Never take your word of truth from our mouths, for we have put our hope in your promises.

And it is through Jesus Christ, who is the Word from the beginning,  that we pray. Amen.