Prayers: 9th August 2026
Prayers inspired by original prayers I Psalm 85:8-13; 1 Kings 19:9-18; Romans 10:5-15; Matthew 14:22-33,
[We gather]
A preparation
E te Atua
Tō tātou kaihanga -
Te Ārepa me te Omeka.
Whakarongo mai
Me tā mātou īnoi;
God our creator
The Beginning and the End.
Hear our prayer.
E te Atua
Ka maringi
ō mātou roimata
mō rātou kua hoki ki Tō poho
rātou ki a rātou
Ka hāpai ake ō mātou whakawhētai,
ō mātou īnoi
Kia whakanuia, ka tika
A, ake tonu atu.
God,
our tears fall
for those who now rest in You.
We lift to you
our thanks,
our hopes,
It is right to praise you
Forever.
[Bidding and response:]
Jesus, we remember your words:
“Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
[We pray for the Church]
E te Atua kaha rawa,
God of strength unending.
We cry to you from the depth of your creation.
But you are not in the bricks, or glass of our churches;
You are not the candle flame, or the outstretched hand.
And yet, you whisper to us,
your light comes to us,
And we feel your presence,
Within us,
between us,
among us
in Your body.
Grant us, as Your Church
Unity in the face of schism;
Grant us common grace with one another,
In the face of all that would separate us from each other;
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
for the same Lord is Lord of all,
bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Jesus, we remember your words:
“Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
[We pray for the world]
E te Tama arohaina, Beloved Son
We ask for your healing blessing
upon the dark places of the world,
In Iran, in Palestine, in Ukraine, in Russia;
Around Cabinet tables, in debating chambers,
In boardrooms, and in refugee camps,
In crowded emergency wards, and broken and bereft families,
where-ever there is disaster, strife, disease,
and a hunger that can never be satisfied.
May those who can act, act for what is good,
No matter how small such actions,
To you be all glory.
Jesus, we remember your words:
“Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
[We pray for our communities and for our own needs.]
E te Wairua Tapu, Blessed Spirit,
We pray in hope
for you to go before us
in the places where we are;
That in those places:
Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs up from the ground,
and righteousness looks down from the sky.
We pray in silence for our communities,
and for the bread of life we need for every day.
You know what we need.
Guide us, Blessed Spirit in the days to come,
To turn to our God.
Hear these prayers
we offer for all Your faithful people;
that we may serve you
in holiness and in truth.
Jesus, we remember your words:
“Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
