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Opening Prayer
God of Creation,
you are the creator and lover of all that is visible and invisible.
Forgive us for those times when we turn our backs on what your hands have made.
Refocus our minds so that we will once again be good stewards of what you have created.
We praise you as we marvel at the majesty and splendour of your creation.
May our praise lead us to care for all creation, in the name of your son, our Saviour we pray. Amen.
(North America \Moravian Daily Texts, adapted, 310)
♪ Te vai ora (song from Tahiti)
Combien de fois, tu es venu.
Combien de fois, tu m’as invité à venir.
Te rencontrer, seul à seul,
te rencontrer, cœur à cœur,
loin de tout.
Te Vai Ora, Te Vai Ora.
Merci pour ce que tu es.
Tant de frères, tant de sœurs
ont retrouvé le bon chemin.
How many times have you come.
How many times you invited me to come.
To meet you, alone,
to meet you, heart to heart,
far from everything.
Te Vai Ora, Te Vai Ora.
Thank you for what you are.
So many brothers, so many sisters
have found their way back to the right path.
Responsive Psalm 70
Be pleased, O God, to deliver me. O Lord, make haste to help me!
Let those be put to shame and confusion who seek my life.
Let those be turned back and brought to dishonour
who desire to hurt me.
Let those who say, “Aha, Aha!” turn back because of their shame.
Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you.
Let those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”
But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end, Amen.
Scripture Reading: Joshua 8: 30 – 35
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
Reflection Question: Why do you suppose of commitment or recommitment seem to carry more significance when done in the presence of people?
Prayer of Intercession and Thanksgiving
Faithful God, as we pray with the people and churches of Fiji, Melanesia, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Polynesia and the Solomon Islands, we are thankful for the amazing diversity of people and cultures living on the islands of Oceania.
Lord, we you thanks and praise.
We give thanks too for the magnificent natural scenery and sea life which nourishes and sustains all livelihood.
Lord, we you thanks and praise.
With hearts filled we gratitude, we give thanks for the strong, faithful presence of churches in these lands in the Pacific.
Lord, we you thanks and praise.
May your people be encouraged to celebrate their stories as they continue their bold witness to the impact of climate change, reminding the rest of the world that: “We are all in the same ‘boat’, seventy percent of which is the ocean.”
Lord, we you thanks and praise.
Merciful God, as we pray for the peoples and churches in this region, we remember before you their efforts to preserve these island nations in the midst of rising seas.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, we pray for those adversely affected by earthquakes, volcanoes, and cyclones that they will be enabled to rebuild their lives after such devastations.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
God who heals and restores, we lift before you those dealing with the legacy of past nuclear weapons testing and with garbage dumping today. Protect them from any further nuclear exposure.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of justice, may there be good governance within these countries. And as leaders govern may they seek especially to preserve indigenous cultures and effectively serve those who are impoverished, hungry, lacking education, or unable to make a living more so during the COVID 19 pandemic.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
(Pilgrim Prayer, adapted, 193)
The Lord’s Prayer (each in the language of our heart)
Benediction
Lord, oil the hinges of my heart‘s door,
that it may swing gently and easily to welcome your coming. Amen
(Pilgrim Prayer, 196)
