God
Father, Son, Spirit
one and three
we pray
we pray thankfulness for this time of worship
shared praise to our creator, redeemer and counsellor
thanks we are connected to you, our God
through our faith in you
and to one another through
as siblings in Christ
this blessing of unity is wonderful
as siblings
we have many gifts
in song, music, crafts, finance
gardening, sport, teaching
the list goes on and on
thank you for these blessings you have given us
they enrich our lives, give us meaning, hope and purpose
as your church in this place
help us to use these gifts for the church
to help and encourage one another
and to share the good news of Jesus
in this parish
to God’s glory and honour now and always
Christ our saviour and friend
thank you for your saving grace, for us and for all peoples everywhere
use us to be like oil poured on Aaron’s head
bringing abundant blessings to the places we touch in our lives
friends and family
in work and leisure
at the cafe and in the shop
may our words and actions show we are united in you
and reveal your blessing
Blessing one
your world is divided
by war, greed, famine
sometimes, we are ashamed to say we turn our faces away from the horror of the world
for it is so painful, so hard to comprehend
why, Lord, why does this happen?
Though we can feel helpless in many situations
fill us with the power of the spirit to know prayer is the most powerful tool we have
give us strength to pray even when all seems doomed
in the knowledge you do answer all our prayers
and all the nations are yours
turn your face towards those in most need, Lord God
those whose needs have been named thousands of times before
and turn your face on us
to help us be instruments of your blessings and love too
Christ Jesus
receive these prayers
offered in faith and trust
Amen