Our God is for us

Our giving Father,

You are for us; who could possibly oppose us.

You have given us your son; there is nothing more precious that you could supply.

You have justified us; who shall convict us.

Christ intercedes for us; who shall condemn us.

We are downtrodden; but nothing will separate us from your love.

Attached to you we are hyper-conquerors.

Thank you.

Amen

Adopted

Father you have loved us;

Set your seal upon us;

Chosen to live in us;

Made us to belong to you;

Taken us as sons and daughter;

Redeemed our bodies;

Filled us with hope;

Inhabited our prayers;

Given us life;

And given us an inheritance.

We thank you that we are loved indeed.

Advent Confession

O promised Christ:

We are a sinful people;

Our pardon depends upon your grace.

We are a world in darkness;

Our light depends upon your word.

We are a world in death;

Our existence depends upon your life.

We are a world under wrath;

Our salvation depends upon your mercy.

We are a world at war;

Our peace depends upon your coming.

We are full of good intentions but unable to do them.

We make promises to ourselves in the moments of strength that we do not keep in the moments of weakness.

We are intentionally and wilfully rebellious.

We do not regard sin as serious or Christ as precious.

Forgive us we pray.

Forgive us most of all our self-sufficiency

That we do not long for relationship with you;

We do not long for a messiah or a father;

And we do not look for salvation.

Forgive us we pray.

You have come in humility, suffering and death.

And you are coming again in power and victory.

And so we live, waiting,

looking backwards towards the manger and the cross.

And looking forwards to the day when

Our hope will become sight

Our darkness, light

Our tears, joy

Our death, life

And our sin defeated by your grace.

Come, Lord Jesus come.

Amen.

Hope in Suffering

Father,

You are at work for our good.

You are transforming us to be like your son our brother.

You seek that we are done with rebellion and wickedness and sin;

But these hold tenaciously to our hearts;

And our souls are turned away from you.

Do the work of suffering in us.

May our love for you be our all consuming passion.

May your purpose be our desire.

May your calling be our hope.

May our predestination be our security.

May our justification be our awe;

And our glorification be our vision.

Do the work of suffering in us.

Amen

A Marriage Prayer

Heavenly Father,

You have designed us to be different,

You have engineered us to build each other,

You have knit us together with needles of brilliance,

And you have loved us!

But

Our hearts are turned inwards,

Our souls are restless,

Our tongues are dangerous,

And our lives are rebellious,

Yet you have loved us!

Your love is constant and sure,

Sacrificial and costly,

Cross shaped, life providing,

Resolute in the face of our provocation. 

Turn our hearts away from our selfishness Turn our souls towards you

Turn our love towards each other

And give us joy.

For your glory sake

Amen

How Long O Lord

Father in heaven

Your Son’s departure was not a token of separation but a pledge of his return.

We long for that day

Because his death has redeemed us,

Your Spirit has sealed us,

Your love transforms us,

Your promises assure us,

And we know that life awaits us.

On that day we will see you.

Our mortal flesh will be replaced with immortality;

Our weakness replaced with power;

Our natural bodies raised as spiritual bodies;

Our sinful hearts forever transformed into hearts that love you;

Our strivings replaced with rest;

Our fears replaced with sight;

And our tears replaced with joy.

Keep us looking forward to that day.

Keep us trusting you.

And may that day influence and change the few short hours that we have left.

We ask for your glory sake

Amen

A  prayer in gratitude for Christ

Father you have granted to us the greatest of privileges

We  are brothers and sisters of Jesus

Not because of our goodness but because of your mercy

Thank You

You know that we love you because of what you have done

But our love is shallow and often cold

Warm us

Change us

And grow us that we might be more like our brother and our saviour

Fill us with the fruit of goodness

Make us merciful amidst selfishness

Joyful in a world of misery

Grateful in a world of grumbling

Peaceful in a world of striving

Patient in a world of anger

May we be kind with the hurting

Gentle with the weeping

Faithful in commitment and friendship

And self controlled in the midst of licence

Forgive us for the times when we are more like Satan than Jesus

For the times when we secretly tolerate lust and idolatry.

Forgive us that we succumb to the lure of wealth and the comforts of ease

Forgive us a lack of courage to stand for good and speak prophetically to our friends.

Forgive us where we have tolerated racism and allowed ourselves to scorn the poor

Forgive us and have mercy on us

That we might be more like our brother the Lord Jesus Christ

In his name we pray

Amen