We pray

God of promises, your vision for peace stretches our imaginations, pushing us beyond platitudes and stirring up the fire of justice in our hearts. Show us our place and our purpose in leveling mountains and raising valleys, in straightening roads and clearing pathways. We pray as people of anticipation, who long for peace with anxious energy as we await the arrival of Christ among us. Amen

We welcome and thank Graham Ross for his message and other members of the Teen Challenge organization to our worship this day.

We pray,

Generous and gracious God, you have shown us the fullness of your love in Christ, the Shepherd who gathers and restores, the King who rules with mercy, and the Saviour who gives all for our sake. Plant your love deep within us, that we may grow in faith, hope, and generous living. Through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

A Service of Praise and Prayer in a Time of Drought

We thank Mark Frost for leading us in this Lay Reading service this day.

We pray.

God our Heavenly Father, in a dry and dusty land, our soul thirsts for you. Look down with mercy upon us. Hear our prayers of concern for our land, for our people in distress, for our industries that suffer, for all who are still affected by drought. Send rain to replenish the parched land and bring life and hope to your creation. In you alone we trust, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

We pray.

God of life and promise, you renew your people by your living Spirit and make us your dwelling place in the world. As you once filled the temple with your glory, fill us now with faith, hope, and love, that we may each rejoice in your salvation and walk as your new creation in Christ Jesus, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

We pray

Almighty and eternal God, you have surrounded us with a great cloud of witnesses who live in your light and share your glory. Open the eyes of our hearts by your Spirit, so that we may know the hope to which you have called us, the riches of your inheritance among the saints, and the greatness of your power for all who believe. Keep us steadfast in faith, joyful in hope, and eager in love, until we join the saints in everlasting praise before your throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

We pray.

Almighty and liberating God, you are our refuge and strength, our ever-present help in trouble. Through your Son, Jesus Christ, you have written your truth upon our hearts and set us free from the power of sin by your gracious word. Renew your Church in this freedom, that we may live by faith alone, proclaim your saving truth with courage, and find our joy in your steadfast love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

We pray.

God of promise and provision, you brought your people into a good land and filled their lives with your bounty. In every season you remain faithful — protecting,

guiding, and sustaining us by your presence. As we rejoice in your gifts, turn our hearts to trust your promises and to live as signs of your generous grace; through Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

We pray.

Gracious God, you are faithful in every season — in displacement and in homecoming, in hardship and in healing. Teach us to live faithfully where you have placed us: to build and bless our communities, to endure hardship with hope, and to return always in gratitude for your mercy. Strengthen us, Lord, to be people whose faith works, waits, and worships — until that day when you bring us into your place of abundance, through Jesus Christ, our risen and reigning Lord. Amen.

Let us pray that we faithfully serve God.

Faithful God, have mercy on us, your unworthy servants. Increase our faith. Strengthen us to forgive freely, love abundantly, seek your will eagerly, and serve you inherently through the way we live our lives. We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.