Almighty and everlasting creator, redeemer and sustainer of our lives, the true and only wise God, we thank you for the marvellous works of your hand. Indeed, they signify how great you are. The morphological design of earth describes the splendour of your beauty. Gracious and merciful God, despite your goodness toward humanity we have […]
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A contemporary service in a United Church of Zambia congregation will usually include a ‘Prayer of Adoration, thanksgiving and confession’ following either the Call to Worship or the first hymn. The prayers included on this post are written by students of ministry and theology at the United Church of Zambia University in Mindolo, Kitwe. They […]
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God, forgive us for the many times that we rely on our short-lived strength. Help us see that all good gifts come from you, and that you are the never-failing source of our strength, hope, and joy. When we draw near to you, our minds are refreshed and our strength is renewed.
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A prayer of confession and an entreaty for transformation, inspired by the contrast between the simplicity of life in Zambia and the complexity of life in the United Kingdom. (To create a group prayer, change ‘my’ to ‘our’ and ‘me’ to ‘us’.) God, forgive my/our barns My cupboards My bureaus Full to overflowing. Invade my […]
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With the knowledge that God’s compassion is bigger than all our sins, let’s pray together. Forgiving God, we admit that we don’t really like praying prayers of confession. To speak aloud our imperfection, our failings, our actions that caused harm and the good we refused to do… it makes us vulnerable. Not only that, but […]
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This liturgy was written for midday prayers at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. It may be reproduced and adapted for local usage. More resources are available here from the World Council of Churches We gather in silence. As we gather we listen to the gong/bell, calling us to remember, calling us to pray and […]
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God, the keeper of the atoms and stars: You made us collaborators in creation, but we have pilfered the secrets of ordered existence and justified their immoral use in the name of “security” and “peace.” We could say then that we didn’t know the consequences. Now we do know, but we are complacent and silent. […]
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You promised us the earth and you delivered. You gave us a home – a dwelling of delight; a good place to be. You gave it to us, saying, ‘Here. This is my gift to you. Live! Make it yours.’ We have made the world in our own image. We have treated it like we […]
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Read the prayers aloud. At each point, pause to reflect and fill in the names of places and people as appropriate. Creator-Spirit, Heartbeat of God’s love, melt my coldness, chase away the shadows, captivate my heart, until I am filled with the same stubborn, selfless and self-giving Love for the world that is your […]
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We were wrong: We were wrong when we closed the door and you needed us most. The people who claimed to follow a man who never closed doors appeared to slam ours when you were despairing confused hurt hopeless broken hungry thirsty for more. We were wrong when we pretended we couldn’t see didn’t know […]
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Holy God, forgive us, for we have forgotten our baptism. You call us to draw near, but we turn away in fear and shame. You call us to love our neighbour, but we allow our distrust and preoccupations to justify our indifference. You call us to love ourselves, but the voices of insecurity and self-criticism […]
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You call us to be your voices in this world and we stay silent. You call us to be your hands in this world and we keep them hidden. You call us to be your feet in this world and we go our own way. You call us to stand up for our faith And […]
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Call to Confession Face the music. Jesus calls us to follow him, not just to another party of praise, but to the hard work of bringing God’s love and justice into this world of violence and fear. Let us prepare ourselves for this task by confessing our sin. Prayer of Confession One: Source of all […]
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Prayer of confession and assurance of pardon written for Second Sunday of Epiphany, Year B God of love, you know us inside and out. With you there is no point in hiding or pretending. You invite us into your presence, and we come as we are. We confess that we often forget to listen […]
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Pause before the prayer, allowing God’s Spirit to search your heart. Make your own confession. Pause after the prayer to experience the reality of God’s forgiveness. Why do I so readily settle for less, Spirit-giver? Respectable religion instead of living faith; God-at-a-distance instead of the searing closeness of your parenthood; sameness instead of the adventure […]
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Independence Day for Jamacia for Ghana for the United States of America breaking away from oppression forgive us for the ways we keep others back down, under, behind, invisible breaking away from tyranny forgive us for the ways we claim privilege, power, prestige forgive us when we walk through an open gate and close it […]
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Luke 12:13-21 ‘The Rich Fool’ Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Year C God of Life, Creator of the earth and all that is in it, we lift our prayers of thanks to you For the beauty of the earth that surrounds us, For spring flowers that dazzle us and summer’s greenery that delights us, For […]
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Prayers of confession and repentence for Earth day (22 April) and Season of Creation (1 Sept-7 Oct) Prayer of confession God of all Creation, we come to you in a moment of personal and corporate confession. We participate in a system which is exploitative and violent, which separates humanity from the rest of Creation. By […]
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The Empire Feeds Cold and dark clamp down on us. The Empire feeds itself, human bodies as fuel, boots tracking blood. Rachel weeping for her children, we’ve heard it before. The person with the megaphone doesn’t care. The emperor has spoken. Only the most fragile voice cries out for hope. The gentle bear it, weeping […]
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First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a […]
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WORD Good Friday Confession, Lawrence Moore Pause before the prayer, allowing God’s Spirit to search your heart. Make your own confession. Pause after the prayer to experience the reality of God’s forgiveness. I want to keep my hands smooth, my skin unbroken, my feet unscarred. I don’t want the imprint of the cross on my […]
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A Prayer of Confession inspired by John 11:1-45 We confess that we do not always want our lives restored or renewed. Speaking truth to the things and the people who bind us is very scary. Our ‘burial bandages’ not only bind us tightly, but they also keep us thinking we are secure, hidden away in […]
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Loving God who summoned the world into being, moulded the mountains, bathed the earth in colour and light, and breathed into us the Spirit of life we bring you our praise. We adore you, the God who first loved us – who knew us in the womb made each of us unique and who tends […]
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Pause before the prayer, allowing God’s Spirit to search your heart. Make your own confession. Pause after the prayer to experience the reality of God’s forgiveness. The old ways are so comfortable, O God. They fit like old slippers; they feel like old friends. I don them more readily than my resurrection clothes; I live […]
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Creator of the Universe, Lover of all that you make, We thank you for this marvellous world Which you have given us for our home. Help us to show our gratitude As much by our lives as by our words. We acknowledge that so often Our best efforts are tinged with greed, The desire for […]
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