Baptism prayer of thanksgiving and intercession 23 August 2015

A prayer of thanksgiving and intercession used as part of a service where the sacrament of baptism included. Bible passages were Matthew 22:34-40 and 1 John 4:7-21

Praise and honour and blessing belong to you and you along

our Mighty, powerful, strong God

our hearts, our souls, our minds, our whole being is permeated with gratitude for all you are, all you mean to us, all you have done in our lives

it is so wonderful, so amazing, stunning

that it is difficult for us to express in words all we wish to,

it is hard for us to articulate how totally brilliant it is to know you

So, in the quiet, we pause to reflect upon your constant blessing of our lives, knowing our hearts can express what our mouths struggle to say

We love you, Lord, and we are made complete in you.

Lord our God

so many in our world fail to comprehend that you are love

for where is love when families break down?

for where is love when profit and greed are more important than justice and mercy?

For where is love when the poor, the disabled, the refugee are attacked, are sanctioned, are discriminated against?

It is little wonder people struggle to see you in these situations

though we know your love for us, for the whole human race, for all of creation, we also sometimes question why you tolerate this

Yet somehow, we know your heart breaks at all the ways humanity fails to live as your loved and precious children

and, in all of those situations, you are there,

present through the organisations and individuals who campaign against discrimination, who support families through difficulties, who work for justice and mercy

and present, through your holy spirit, which guides and supports all who love their neighbour as themselves

Just and merciful God

we love you, so teach us to show that love

guide us, to demonstrate through our words and our actions, that you are love

so those who have not seen you, can know you through the love we show to them, in our daily living, in our daily walk with you son Jesus Christ

our Lord

Amen