Prayers for Various Occasions

Extracts from A Prayer Book for Australia

Prayers of Confession

God the Father, maker of heaven and earth,

have mercy on us.

God the Son, redeemer of the world,

have mercy on us.

God the Holy Spirit, giver of light and life,

have mercy on us.

For accepting life yet living it without you,

forgive us, Lord.

For living without concern for others,

forgive us, Lord.

For tolerating oppression, injustice and wrong,

forgive us, Lord.

For disobeying your will and commandments,

forgive us, Lord.

For refusing to love and forgive others,

forgive us, Lord.

For turning the world to our own purposes and desires,

forgive us, Lord.

That in all things we may hold to your will and purpose,

Lord, hear us. Amen.

Jesus, our deliverer, we take your freedom from others.

Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, our hope, we deprive others of hope.

Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, God's peace, we distort your peace.

Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray that we will be joined together in working for reconciliation, and the healing of our ancient land and its peoples.

Forgive us for remaining silent and bound by fear.

Give us the courage to speak and act with justice.

Forgive us for our arrogance in closing our eyes to other peoples and cultures.

Enable us to know your redeeming power.

Forgive us for disfiguring this land and despoiling its bounty.

Come, Holy Spirit, renew the whole creation.

Forgive us for despising the cultures of others, and taking away their self-respect.

Give us grace to bind one another's wounds.

Forgive us for not listening to the griefs of all who are oppressed in this land, especially…*

Draw us together as one people.

Forgive us for our prejudice and indifference towards those whose ways differ from our ways.

Strengthen us to live with respect and compassion for one another.

*Particular prayers for forgiveness will often be appropriate.

O Christ,

in whose body was named

all the violence of the world,

and in whose memory is contained

our profoundest grief,

we lay open to you:

the violence done to us in time before memory;

the unremembered wounds that have misshaped our lives;

the injuries we cannot forget and have not forgiven.

The remembrance of them is grievous to us;

the burden of them is intolerable.

We lay open to you:

the violence done in our name in time before memory;

the unremembered wounds we have inflicted;

the injuries we cannot forget and for which we have not been forgiven.

The remembrance of them is grievous to us;

the burden of them is intolerable.

We lay open to you:

those who have pursued a violent knowledge

the world cannot forget;

those caught up in violence they have refused to name;

those who have enacted violence

which they have not repented.

The remembrance of them is grievous to us;

the burden of them is intolerable.

We lay open to you:

the victims of violence whose only memorial is our anger;

those whose suffering was sustained on our behalf;

those whose continued oppression provides

the ground we stand on.

The remembrance of them is grievous to us;

the burden of them is intolerable.

Hear what comfortable words our saviour Christ says to all who truly turn to God:

Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy-laden,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,

for I am gentle and lowly in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

5 Confession and Mutual Absolution

O God, you have searched us out and known us,

and all that we are is open to you.

We confess that we have sinned:

we have used our power to dominate

and our weakness to manipulate;

we have evaded responsibility

and failed to confront evil;

we have denied dignity

to ourselves and to each other,

and fallen into despair.

We turn to you, O God;

we renounce evil;

we claim your love;

we choose to be made whole.

In turn, around the circle, we say for each other, 'Your sins are forgiven, be at peace'. This can be accompanied by a gesture such as taking hands, or making the sign of the cross on the forehead.