Sex is Life: or is it? John 4:1-26

Our loving Heavenly Father
Jesus offers us living water
With the woman we ask, “Give us this water.”
Become in us a spring, welling up to eternal life.
Keep us from deflecting when you challenge our sin
May we grasp the glory that Jesus is the Messiah king

And may we invite our friends to come and see.
Amen

Is your Jesus big enough? John 3:22-36

Father,
May Jesus increase
May I decrease.
May we decrease.
May we trust that he is above all.
May we listen to your words from Jesus.
May we trust that all things are in his hand.
Even as we believe and obey your Son.
Amen

Let's talk about Life (part 2) - John 3:16-22

Our Father,

Love explodes from you at every point.
You have given your most precious Son.
You have done what we need that we might not perish
But may instead live.
We believe. O help us in our unbelief.
Forgive us that we still love darkness.
Expose the darkness within us.
And bring us evermore into the light
Even as you bring others into the light too.

Amen

Let's talk about life (part 1) - John 3:1-15

Father,
Thank you that we can enter the Kingdom of God
Thank you, that when we believe, we are given eternal life
Thank you that we are loved by you
Thank you that we are not condemned by you
But instead saved by you.
Help us to come increasingly into the light
To hate the darkness
To hate the evil and wicked things that dwell in our hearts
To love the light
To do what is true
Amen

A light and a lamp - Psalm 119:105-112 - #YearoftheBible1

Our loving heavenly Father
You have promised to keep us safe and to light our way in a world of dangers
You have promised to give us direction so that our lives might not be wasted
But we are deeply afflicted
The wicked have laid snares for us
And often we feel like we are lost.
We seek your word to us
We seek the safety of your rules
We seek to stay within your precepts
We seek the joy of your testimonies
And we incline our hearts to perform your statues forever
Amen

When Justice seems very far away - John 2:12-25 (& Malachi 3:1-5)

Our Father, you have sent your messenger
And the Lord whom we seek has come to his temple;
But who can endure the day of his coming,
For he is like a refiner's fire.
He has promised to draw near for judgement.
Forgive us that we have consulted sorcerers,
We are guilty of adultery,
We have sworn falsely,
We have oppressed those who have laboured for us,
We have not cared for the widow, the orphan and the refugee,
But worst of all we have not feared your name.
Forgive us and restore us.
Thank you that your Messiah comes not just in judgement
But also to bring blessing and salvation.
We trust him
And we seek his mercy this year.
Amen

Christmas 2 Collect - reworked in modern English

Almighty God, 
You have wonderfully created humans in your own image, 
And even more wonderfully you have restored us. 

Grant, we pray, that as your Son our Lord Jesus Christ
took on our humanity, 
So too we may increasingly take on the divine nature; 

ever growing like you in holiness,
Through your Son, 
Who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, 

One God, for all eternity. 
Amen.