Document
Opening Prayer
O God,
save our shores from the weapons of death,
our lands from the things that deny our young ones love and freedom.
Let the seas of the Pacific Ocean carry messages of peace and goodwill.
Turn away from our midst any unkind and brutal practices.
Let each child swim and breathe the fresh air that is filled by the Holy Spirit.
O Lord Jesus,
bless all who are makers of that inner peace that breaks down the barriers of hatred,
and unite us with the open arms of your cross,
that all the peoples of the world may live happily together.
Amen.
(Pilgrim Prayer, 194)
♪ Faafetai I le Atua (Thanks to God)
Responsive Psalm 5
Give ear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my sighing.
Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.
For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil will not sojourn with you.
The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house,
I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.
For there is no truth in their mouths; their hearts are destruction;
their throats are open graves; they flatter with their tongues.
Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels;
because of their many transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
so that those who love your name may exult in you.
For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you cover them with favour as with a shield.
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: Proverbs 16: 21 - 33
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
Reflection Question: When was the last time “pleasant words are [which] like a honeycomb” were spoken to you from an unexpected source. How did it sweeten your soul and added health to your body?
Prayer of Intercession
Creator God, God of the oceans, God of the land and all that is within it: you created this world with the power of your word. You formed humankind with your own hands, and breathed your own breath into us. You gave us these lands as a gift– a source of our identity and sustenance. You empowered us to be the stewards of what you have made.
Lord, Hear our cry, and listen to our prayers.
Loving God, we have failed you and abused the gift you have given us. We have offended you and defiled what you have made. Forgive us for betraying your trust.
Lord, Hear our cry, and listen to our prayers.
Forgive us for our greed and arrogance. Forgive us for what we have done to your earth. Forgive us for what we have done to your oceans. Forgive us for what we have done to your creatures, on the land, in the sky and in the depths.
Lord, Hear our cry, and listen to our prayers.
Hear, O God of Compassion, our prayers today as we pray with the people and churches of Fiji, Melanesia, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Polynesia and The Solomon Islands. The land have become a desert; laid barren through corrupt agricultural practices, pollution, mining and deforestation.
Lord, Hear our cry, and listen to our prayers.
The islands are drowning in the rising seas as oceans rise with the melting of the ice. The cries of distress me from Mother Earth with storms and droughts. God of Creation, recreate what has been destroyed.
Lord, Hear our cry, and listen to our prayers.
God of Life, heal your wounded earth. Empower us to choose the road that leads to life. Guide us in the paths of righteousness for your name’s sake so that we may experience once again your Shalom in the land and in the sea. This we ask in the name of the one who came that we way have life in abundance, your Son, our Saviour Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Lord, Hear our cry, and listen to our prayers.
(Pilgrim Prayer, adapted, 195)
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)
