We bring our praise to you

We bring our praise to you, God.
We bring our praise 
in the words we say,
in the songs we sing,
in the silences we keep.

We bring our praise
for those moments
when we have been awed by the beauty of creation,
for those moments when we have caught a glimpse
of the greatness of your steadfast love and faithfulness.

We bring our praise
for those moments
when we have sensed your Holy Spirit
hovering over this world
unsettling us
pushing us into new life
opening us to new possibilities.

Turn us toward you 
in those times
when praise gives way to 
sorrow
or anxious fear
or horror at the world’s pain and violence.

Teach us
that deep trust which 
makes even those troubling times
moments when we know that you are
moving us deeper into your love and grace.

We bring our praise, O God,
in the name of Jesus
and in the power of your Holy Spirit
for it is your goodness that holds us and keeps us
through all that life brings us.  Amen.

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We Give Thanks, We Turn To You In Trust

Gracious God, extravagant, God,
your goodness overflows into our lives.
You pour out abundance,
you wrap your love around us all our day.
What a wondrous world you have created.

We give thanks for the bounty of the earth,
for those who work the land and harvest the crops,
for those whose work provides us with food on our tables.

We give thanks for those who work for healing
of our bodies,
of our minds
of the earth.

We give thanks for those who learn and teach
for wisdom and knowledge and guidance.

We give thanks for those who struggle for truth and justice,
for those who risk their lives for others,
for your people throughout the earth who seek to follow you,
for those who bear witness to your Way and your grace in our world.

Surrounded by signs of your care for us,
Immersed in your abundant gifts to us,
we turn to you in trust.

Move us from worry to peace
that rests in your good keeping.

Move us from anxious grasping to
living with open hands
and open hearts
and open spirits,
ready to receive from you
life in all its fullness,
the heights and the depths
permeated through and through
with your grace,
with you,
our Saviour,
our Redeemer,
our Shepherd,
our Lord.  Amen.

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We hand our lives to you

A prayer said after the hymn “We Praise You, Creator” in Voices United # 293 and based on Philippians 3: 1-16 and Mark 9: 38 -50

Holy God,
Creator, Ruler, Maker,
Sovereign most high:
we do praise you and adore you.

We praise you and adore you because
your grace dwells among us,
your love goes before us,
your Word is truth that makes our lives
true and holy.

We praise you and adore you
and find ourselves in the company
of a long list of women and men before us
who turned toward you
and trusted you with all that they are,
with all that they have.

From generation to generation
they spoke your Word and gave hope;
they embodied your grace and brought peace;
they walked in your Way and pointed to your truth.

And now, Lord Jesus,
 you have called to us to do the same.

You know us —
searching for ways to speak
hope
and peace
and grace
so that the next generation
is beckoned into trusting you
with all that they are,
with all that they have.

You know us —
our uncertainties
our doubts
our fears.

We hand them over to you.

In your mercy,
gather up our stumbling attempts
to be your witnesses.
Breathe your Holy Spirit
into our words and actions.
Then, open us to
your resurrection power
at work within us
and among us
and through us.

Surprise us
at every turn
and make our lives
a joyful hymn of praise.  Amen.

Assurance of God’s Grace: When you open a space for God, God pours the Holy Spirit into your life. The Holy Spirit works within you and gives you a heart that lives by the rhythms of God’s grace. Lean into this promise and live open to the world-transforming love of Christ.

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This is the day you have made

This is the day that you have made:
you have filled it with signs of your presence;
your Spirit’s breath permeates every moment;
your grace fills each experience;
your promises move within event,
pulling us toward hope.

Receive our thanks.
Receive our praise,
through Christ our Lord
for in his love
we know your deep love
your faithfulness
your grace.

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Great is your love

A prayer based on Psalm 57: 9-11.

“I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations:
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory cover all the earth.”

All creation praises your name, Lord, God almighty,
for your faithful holiness permeates every moment of our lives.
Out of your great generosity
you brought the world into being and gave it life.
Then you gave it yourself
on the cross of human suffering.
You gave your Church your Holy Spirit.
And, even now, you draw us into your new future,
beyond our securities and comforts and protections,
beckoning us into the risks of love
and the demands of service.
Then, wonder upon wonders,
your Spirit grows in us the love which has been commanded,
the courage which is required,
the freedom which is our true inheritance in Christ.
Holy God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
we pour out our praise to you.

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A prayer for Palm Sunday

A prayer based on Psalm 116 (The Message)

 

We thank you, God, because you are good

and your love never quits.

When we are pushed to the wall,

you answer from the wide open spaces,

summoning us into your freedom.

Through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection,

You come to our side,

you walk with us every step of the way,

and we learn not to be afraid.

When we are on the cliff-edge,

ready to fall, you grab us,

your Spirit holds us fast.

Most compassionate God,

You are our strength.

You are our song.

You are our salvation.

O God, our God,

we lift you high in praise.

Your love never quits.

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I choose praise

A prayer based on Psalm 50

“Spread for me a banquet of praise,
serve High God a feast of kept promises
And call for help when you’re in trouble
I’ll help you and you’ll honour me.
….It’s the praising life that honours me.
As soon as you set your foot on the Way,
I’ll show you my salvation.” (The Message)

I lean into your promises:
for help when I call,
for signs of your salvation on the Way.
I choose praise:
praise that you are not ultimately mocked,
praise for your steadfast love
holding me
when the darkness
made by liars
blinds my way,
praise that your quiet patience
moves steadily towards
the moment of judgment,
praise for your salvation
being worked into my life
even in suffering.

I choose praise,
promise-keeping God,
God who honours truth
God of the Way
that leads to salvation
God who will blaze into view.

I choose praise
and wait.

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