Prayers 18 October 2026
Prayers inspired by: original prayers, Psalm 96:1-9,(10-13); Isaiah 45:1-7; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22
An approach, an acknowledgment.
E te Atua tapu te tino Atua
Nōu te ao, te mauri, te ora;
Meinga kia noho kei raro i Ōu parirau
rātou kua wehe atu ki te pō roa
Tītiro atawhai mai ki a mātou
Tēnei te hunga ora
Arohaina mai,
Ake, ake
Āmine.
Holy God, the Most High
Yours is the world and all its life.
May those who have departed to the long night -
Rest under the shadow of Your wings.
Look kindly upon us who remain.
Cover us also with Your love.
Now and forever,
Amen.
For the Church.
E te Atua, our creator;
The one who
can break in pieces
the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron
that hold us captive.
Through Your beloved Son
You make of us Your church.
In all our ministries and places of worship,
Help us to show forth Your love,
Without poverty of spirit;
Help us to do Your will,
without hidden agendas,
Help us to see Your wisdom,
Never obscuring it from the world.
Grant that we call others back to you;
In wisdom and with grace.
Bidding & Response
God who knows each of us by name:
equip us to be your people.
We pray for the world and for this place.
E te Karaiti, Christ our friend and brother,
Redeemer.
You came to save the world,
We pray for those places of conflict around the world,
those both seen and the unseen.
Even as Cyrus became God’s instrument
To bring the Children of Israel back from Babylon;
May there be others who may not yet know You
Who can point the way to You -
And through You, to peace.
We pray also for other places that need Your justice, O Lord.
Where people suffer from the extremes of weather,
from broken economies, and distrust in each other.
We pray for those places
where hope is hard to find.
May Your hope shine forth.
God who knows each of us by name:
equip us to be your people.
We pray for our communities and for our own needs.
Wairua Tapu, Holy Spirit
We pray for Your loving and healing presence among us,
In our homes, our families
In our communities
In our dealings with those we know
And those we do not know.
Show us how to listen, and to do what is necessary.
Grant us what we need,
Today, and in the days to follow.
Most of all, e te Wairua Tapu
Even when joy seems impossible,
Let us recall even the shadow
Of that joy that belongs to all creation:
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
God who knows each of us by name:
equip us to be your people.
Amen.
