Simon Perry

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity:

God of love and truth
whose voice is heard through those with whom we disagree
whose grace is at work in those we struggle to accept.
whose love is made known through those we find it hard to befriend,

Strengthen our love for one another and for you,
that the church may be made holy
that your name may be glorified
and that the world may know that we are your disciples.

Lent

As the sun sets on our hopes for this world,
We watch and we wait and long for you to come.

But we are tired of waiting,
Waiting with the mother who cannot feed her child,
Waiting with the father, separated from his family in order to provide for them.
Waiting with those without family to care for them,

Come today,
Renew our lives,
Revive our church,
Remake our World.

Education

Spirit of all Truth
Open our ears to the truth we encounter
In the pulpit and the Sunday school,
In the lecture hall and the soup kitchen,
In the class room and the sitting room,
In the summer camp, and the refugee camp,
In the playground, and the battleground.
Spirit of truth,
Lead us into all truth.

Spirit of Truth
Radiate your wisdom,
And let it be heard,
Through teachers and parents
Through lecturers and ministers
Through our elders, through our loved ones.
Through the journalist,
Through the child,
Through those with little to say,
Let your true word be heard,
And may it not return to you empty.
Spirit of truth,
Bring freedom,
Move your church to do the same.

Easter

We thought you had lost control of your creation.
But our Lord’s tomb lies open.
We thought that your promises were broken,
But our Prophet’s tomb is empty.
We thought your kingdom was defeated,
But our King’s body is nowhere to be found.
We thought hope was lost, that darkness ruled, that evil triumphed.
But Jesus our Saviour has risen from the dead.
Christ is Risen
Alleluiah!

April

God of all fools,
Give us eyes that see our world as it is, and see you at work in it.
Give us ears that hear the cries of the oppressed, and listen for your voice.
Give us a voice that utters prophecy, and radiates grace.
Give us a heart that feels compassion, and stirs us to action.
Where hope is lost, where darkness has prevailed, where injustice reigns:
Make us fool enough to be true heralds of your kingdom.

Pentecost

Into a world
Overfed with information but hungry for real truth,
Saturated with trivia but ignorant of grim realities,
Tolerant of anyone, unless their beliefs threaten mine,
Open to all, as long as they are just like me.

Come, Holy Spirit,
Set a holy flame in our hearts,
That would ignite the world in praise.
Come, Holy Spirit, energise your church,
Come, Holy Spirit, liberate our world.

June

Jesus, our Great Shepherd
Pour out your peace,
Upon all who face exams,
Upon all who face trials of many kinds
Upon all whose faith is tested
Upon all whose worth is their achievement,
Upon all whose energy is spent,
Upon all who know no peace.
Make your Church a haven of world-changing peace.
 

Environment Sunday

Lord God of all creation.
In our era of climate chaos
Where those who emit little suffer first,
Where those who refuse to change suffer last
Where those who could save the world, care the least:
Show us how to live responsibly, and tread lightly on the earth.
Lead us to act politically, and establish justice for all.
Move us to pray passionately, and love our distant neighbours.

Holidays

Be still and know that I am God

When our priorities are dictated by forces beyond our control,
When worry and concern hunt us through our days,
When we sacrifice ourselves to meet the needs of others,
When being still would make us feel useless, appear lazy, or fear silence,
Teach us the meaning of Sabbath
Show us how to be still
Assure us that you are God.

Harvest Prayer

Our double-glazing and air conditioning distance us from the seasons,
Open our eyes to the rhythms you beat through our world.
Our supermarkets make fruits of all seasons available all at once,
Awaken us again to the beauty of creation’s rhythms.
Our aims and goals and targets and hopes, demand results of their own,
May we yield our fruit in season,
Lord of the harvest, restore to us the seasons.

October – One World Week

Lord Jesus, in you all things hold together.
But we see your world splintering, disintegrating,
So make us one, as you and the Father are one:
That those living in fear receive true hope.

That those driven by hatred or greed encounter living faith.

That those obsessed with security experience sheer grace.

That your people may be agents of radical unity, locally, socially, politically, globally.
Lord Jesus, make your people one, as you and the Father are one.

Remembrance Prayer

Open our eyes
To the daily bread we eat, because of work done by others
To the justice we take for granted, because of sacrifices made by others
To the peace we enjoy, because of wars suffered by others
May our worship of you
Result in righteous action,
That those who hunger today for peace, or justice, or daily bread
Will reap what we sow,
And give glory to you.

Christmas

Creator God,
Who made a universe so magnificent,
Who came to this earth in a body so frail,
To transform our world with a love so powerful:
Move in power, through the frail body of your church,
To embrace all who are
Lonely or forgotten,
Hungry or thirsty,
Wounded or broken,
Betrayed or bereaved,
That in today’s world,
The people living in darkness
Will see a great light.
Our Lord, Emmanuel.