So, Lord, we prepare,

What do you want of me?

Lord says, Through Covid and now Advent, be!

Be the one who prays for others in quiet and loud moments

Be the one, who’s love for others they can see.

Be the one who’s greatest gift is presence,

Be with them for me.

Rest sure my Will will not send you where my grace cannot keep you,

But be with them for me.

To be afraid, it’s normal, you see,

The disciples, fisherman were petrified

But be with them for me.

So pray with others, walk with them, drink cups of tea,

Filled with my spirit, I am with you.

But be with them for me!

Amen

(Written by John Dangerfield and shared with the congregation on 6 December 2020)

Peter, James and John are here with Jesus, on this mountain. Why here?

The light!

Peace, grace, joy….love.

I fall to my knees! I am with the divine. Time stops. I want to stay, be…. dwell.

I can’t. We return. To what? The grind of life. Humanity.

I have experienced the presence of the divine, what now?

I must go on? What do I do God?

I love those that Facebook says are wrong!

I love those that are shamed, humiliated, broken.

To hold those who are ……. Untouchable.

To see, the invisible.

I sit with my eyes closed and pray, hoping again for a touch of the divine.

This faith I have, doesn’t make life easier. I’m challenged, conflicted.

I see people of great faith, through my envious eyes. They have it easy.

I pray for world peace, and sound like a Miss World contestant.

I pray for my neighbour and feel like I’m too small minded.

Oh God.

I am confused.

I pray you put me where I need to be, around the people that need my frail faith. That’s a risk, but you know that already. And yet, you still love me.

And so, I pray for world peace and my crazy neighbours, and me

Amen

(Written by John Dangerfield and shared with the congregation on Sunday 3rd March 2019)

This prayer was shared with the congregation on 2 April 2017 following on from devastating floods experienced in South East Queensland.  Written by John Dangerfield.

With the events of this week, our prayers go out people up and down the coast,

The lives disrupted, homes inundated, the crops and farms flattened, livelihoods changed.

Father, bring help and restoration to those affected and comfort to the families and loved ones of those missing or lost in the waters.

We give thanks for recovery teams, volunteers, our community leaders and those that made hard decisions leading to the protection of life.

For those quiet moments of compassion, like rescuing animals, sharing meals with strangers, offering a hand to move furniture and then helping each other with the clean up.

Father, this isn’t over yet. As we gather to pray, people and towns are still suffering as water courses where it usually doesn’t.

I pray that we find ways of helping where we can.

Yet, in other parts of our country water is precious, dams are dry and hope fades with each day with cloudless skies. Lord this is crazy, floods, drought and despair.

I cry out like the blind beggar as Jesus passes by, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus says, what do you want of me? We say, ‘soft rain, water in dams, courage to bear witness for you and human compassion to help each other”. Father, we see the harshness of our land, the contradictions, the pain. Holy Spirit pour over our nation and beyond into the hearts of men, women, children bringing healing and a yearning for you.

Amen

Heavenly father we bring to you our prayers for others.

Today we reflect on the needs of others both near and far.

We pray for Syria. We pray that this Government protects it people, rather than suppressing them and massacring, non-combatants, the old, women and children. That the international community does not sit back and watch idly by, as terror reins down

Stir the minds and consciences of peoples around the world, to protect those who dare to oppose an oppressive dictator and the innocents.

Lord, we give you thanks for a High Court in our country that is prepared to right the wrongs of the past; to quash Terra nullius and restore the respect of our traditional inhabitants on this ancient land.

Father, we pray for the descendants of Eddie Mabo who, with us will mark the 20^th anniversary of the High Court, Mabo decision, and the subsequent development of native title throughout Australia. We know that an independent judiciary helps to set the course of a nation and a judiciary restrained allows its people to be at risk, and for that reason our thoughts and prayers turn to Fiji and Papua New Guinea, where independence and democracy are under threat.

Lord we pray that the rule of law outlasts personal and military ambitions, so that democracy is restored and personal freedoms returned.

For the keepers of democracy, Lord, we pray for our defence forces in action and in peace-keeping around the world. Keep them safe and up hold their loved ones while they are away. Also we thank you for the recent safe return of a contingent from Afghanistan in the last week.

Lord this has been a devastating week for families on our roads across the country. Let your presence be felt as they ache for the loss of a loved family member or friend. Let the words “I will never leave you nor forsake you”; be meaningful to them in their quiet moments, as their loss crushes their spirit. {PAUSE} Let meaning and hope be returned to their lives.

Dear Lord, we pray for each other in this room. You know our fears, our desires, our anger, our hurt, our shame, our hopes and our aspirations. May we be there for each other and for those who are not with us today. We uphold our ministry and leadership team for their work with us, our groups and the wider community where we live and work each day.

Amen

(Written by John Dangerfield, and shared with the congregation on 3 June 2012)