26 May 2012

Yesterday I attended a Presbytery meeting at which Darrell Guder gave an inspirational talk on what it is to be a missional church in the 21st century. Prof Guder is the Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. These prayers are inspired by Darrell's thoughts. And there is no truth in the rumor that at the end of Prof Guder's talk, Ineke was heard to exclaim "How Gouda is that!"

Let us pray:

In the last week we have experienced the wind and rain sent by God, and here today the wind and fire of the Holy Spirit. (Wave streamers.)

We pray that peoples everywhere may see the cleansing wind of your power and might. We who have seen the love of God made man in Jesus Christ and are called to be disciples, grant that our witness to the people whom we meet shall give evidence to that love. May love spread to one another, as it spread from Jesus to the early disciples, and the early church.

We praise you for the actions of the disciples in establishing your church, a church that saw itself called and sent out in mission for the world. May the spirit of that early leadership light upon us, that like Paul, we can go forth to build witnessing communities in Christ.

We rejoice in the one-anotherness of the Gospel message. May our one-anotherness make us worthy witnesses to that Gospel, and give hope to the down-trodden, the sick and ill, the homeless and stateless peoples of the world. Give us the courage of those early disciples to speak out against the injustice, exploitation, arrogance and insensitivity that we see around us.

In a fellowship of one-anotherness, we remember our Uniting Church brothers and sisters in the Coatesville congregation, and the churches of Springvale, St Kilda (Chapel Street) and UC Mission. We also offer prayers for those worshipping you in the Monash City Church of Christ with their minister Rev. Peter Broadbent. We commend especially initiatives within their church, including the encouragement of running the ALPHA series for the first time, the leadership shown through those presenting the material, and the steady building of small groups. Be with Pastor Peter as he prepares for long service leave.

Lead us to the generosity of the early saints in sharing what we have. Help us to sow generously the seeds of Christ, not so that we can pull out weeds, or count outcomes for ourselves, but to leave the harvest to Christ.

We name before you people that believe in Christ's community here today, and commend them to your care: (read list)

These are the prayers of your witnessing community in Glen Waverley. Breathe on us your fire to help us to be worthy witnesses.

Jesus, put the holy wind up us to become witnesses in your world.

29 Apr 2012

Some of may be unaware of the sudden passing of Peter Barr during the week. In our prayers, we will remember Alison and her family on this sad occasion, and give glory to God for the life and work of Peter

Our Prayers of the People today are based upon Psalm 23, and are drawn from an on-line prayer by Ormonde Plater.

The response, when I say "Glory and praise to you" is "O Living God".

Gathered in the care of the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep, let us pray to God who knows our every need.

For the holy churches in every place, and for the unity of all.
Glory and praise to you – O Living God.

For this our church and all who gather in the name of the risen Christ.
Glory and praise to you – O Living God.

For our ministry team of Rosemary, Greg, Belinda, Alison and Alanee.
Glory and praise to you – O Living God.

For our Synod and Alistair McCrae our moderator, for our Presbytery and Ian Ferguson our Presbytery chair, and for all who minister in Christ.
Glory and praise to you – O Living God.

For the world and its leaders, our nation and its people.
Glory and praise to you – O Living God.

For all those in danger and need, the sick and the suffering, the strayed and the lost.
Glory and praise to you – O Living God.

For those who walk in death's dark valley.
Glory and praise to you – O Living God.

For ourselves, our families, and those we love.
Glory and praise to you – O Living God.

Remembering all the saints who have dwelt in the house of the Lord, let us offer ourselves to the living God, through Christ.
Glory and praise to you – O Living God.

We remember too those in our congregation we specifically name before you: (read names)
Glory and praise to you – O Living God.

Blessed are you, O Lord, who soothes our head with oil and fills our cup with wine. Hear the prayers we offer for every need, and revive us with your Holy Spirit: through Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose name we pray this prayer, and the prayer he himself gave us:

Our Father in Heaven ...

(John Hurst)

18 Mar 2012

In our prayers of the people today, I am using some words of Martin Luther King (1967):

Let us pray.

Lord, we pray for the world:

Lord, we pray for the nation:

Lord, we pray for our everyday lives:

Lord, we pray for ourselves:

we also pray for the health, hearts, minds and inner spirits of the following people we name and don't name: (read names)

We ask this in the name of Christ, Amen.

(John Hurst)

19 Feb 2012

We've had some good images, metaphors, for our story today. Mountain tops, dazzling clothes, shining lights. But we know that life isn't always like that. I have a story that starts with the subterranean, not the superterranean!

Start with story about caving and squeezing through tight spaces - getting stuck even! What do you do? Don't Panic! Barb's story - hope even when your battery is failing!

In our lives we often find ourselves in such thin spaces, and we can use those times to draw closer to God.

Let us pray:

When the walls of Our world close in, widen our minds to see new hope, Lord

We pray for the leaders of our world, that they may govern in hope for all mankind. Turn them away from violence Lord, as Jesus taught us to do. Grant that they may approach their differences in wisdom, rather than aggression.

When the walls of our communities close in, widen our minds to see new opportunities of service, Lord

We pray for grace in our daily lives, Lord, that when the thin spaces of money, work, families, and church life are upon us, we may still respond with kindness, compassion and patience.

When the walls of our circumstances close in, widen our minds to see new opportunities of hope, Lord

We pray for steadfast faith in the hour of distress, Lord. When hope seems forlorn, whether in times of adversity, ill health, or bereavement, be always at our side.

We pray that we, as witnesses to you, may be at the side of the following people in our congregation:

Lastly, in recognition that your grace flows to us through the teachings of your son, we pray the prayer that he himself left for us:

(John Hurst)

22 Jan 2012

In our prayers today, let us use the events of the world to reflect upon our own lives, our own prayers, and our own calling. After each litany, I will say the words Thou knowest Lord, the secrets of our hearts; shut not thy merciful ears unto our prayers, followed by a short silence. Please use that silence to reflect upon the secrets of your hearts.

Let us pray:

We pray for the world, its people, its life, its resources. We seek to be careful stewards of this world, looking to create a sustainable environment, free from wars, pestilence and famine.

We pray particularly at this time for those affected by disasters such as the sinking of the Costa Concordia. Let us keep in mind that we should not be quick to judge the captain of that vessel, for we all make mistakes of some kind.

We pray for our leaders, church, state and workplace. Give them wisdom in their discernment, that freedom, justice and equality for all may prevail.

We pray particularly at this time for our federal politicians. Let us keep in mind that their task is not an easy one, as they juggle with competing interests - for we all fall short of the perfect integrity that You showed us through Your Son.

We pray for our nation as it celebrates its birthday. Just as Jesus' birthday brings new hope, we ask that our national day might bring new hope and vision for this country.

We pray particularly at this time for the people of Australia. Let us celebrate our ancestry and culture, recognizing that we are all travellers in this land of ours. We acknowledge that there are many travellers with many stories - just because they are different from us and our stories, let us not forsake them.

We pray for our community, our friends and our family. Immersed in our daily lives, we need to see the face of God in those whom we meet. Lift up our hearts to offer a smile, a kindly wave, a thoughtful gesture to both known and unknown faces.

We pray particularly for those in our prayer book, whom we name before you: (read names)

Let us say together the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father in heaven, ..."

And the people said: "Amen".

(John Hurst)

9 Oct 2011

The theme for today is "Spiritually Inspired Living". In our Prayers of the People then, let us ask the Holy Spirit to assist us on our spiritual journey. In John 14:15-17 we read "If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of Truth ..."

When I say "Holy Spirit, Comfort us in our prayers", your response is "Spirit of Truth, abide with us". (repeat)

Let us pray:

For men and women, that each may learn from each. Where there are differences in thinking, we pray that we can accept and understand those differences. Where there are differences in action, we pray that our actions may complement each other and not lead to estrangement. Where there are differences in spirituality, we pray that each may lead to our common love of God, abiding in us.

For young and old, that the spirit of enthusiasm of the young may blend with the spirit of wisdom in the old, enriching all our lives.

For the rich and the poor, that the rich may share their wealth of earthly needs with the poor, who in turn can share their richness of spirit with the yearning of the rich.

For the powerful and the powerless, that the powerful may act for the good of all, and the powerless may inherit the earth.

For the churched and unchurched, that those who hold dearly to Christ may act in compassion and understanding for all, while those outside the Christian faith may act in respect for the spirituality of the whole human race. We also pray for our Christian friends in the Good Shepherd Catholic church, under the leadership of Father Kaz Trawicki.

For the healthy and the sick, that the healthy may tend to the needs of the sick, We pray especially for people in our congregation whom we name before You: (read prayer list). We pray also in silence for those not named except in our hearts, and for those whom we cannot name. (observe a short silence)

And let us pray the prayer that Jesus taught us: "Our Father in Heaven, ..."

(John Hurst)