Prayers: 22 March 2026

Prayers inspired by: original prayers, Rev Waiora Te Moni ‘Rau Angiangi’:
Psalm 130; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45

 An acknowledgment

E Ihowa o ngā Mano
Titiro atawhai mai ki a mātou
Me ō mātou tini roimata
Ki a rātou kua wehe atu
Whakatikaia, whakatika.

God, look kindly on we
who wait,
Who mourn,
who weep
For those who have departed.
May Your justice come near.

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

 [Bidding and response]

We wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning

For the Church.

E te Karaiti
You have called us
To follow You,
For you are the
the resurrection and the life.
That is what we must do
As your gathered people.
Grant that Your Church
Lead us all on your beaten track,
Ignoring all other paths we could take.
Bless our ministries in all their forms;
Protect our people
Caught up in conflicts and hardship
all around the world,

Who seek you still in the midst of fear and uncertainly;
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you,
he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies
because of his Spirit who lives in you.

We wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning

We pray for the world and for this place.

Ezekiel saw hope.
Reclothed bones
with flesh and life.
In the scarred places of war and chaos;
we see people seeking Your hope,
Where the darkness is the thickest before the dawn.
Wairua Tapu, Holy Spirit, hope-bringer.
Wait with us.

We wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning

We pray for our communities and for our own needs.

 Atua Kotahi, God in Unity
Bless us, in our communities, our families, and in our homes
We share with Your Spirit our frustrations, our fears and mistakes;
our moments of joy and connection with others,
You are our God, the One in whom we trust,
May we remember anew Your Son’s journey
to the Cross, the pathway to our redemption. 

We wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning

Amen.