Australia

Invitation

I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ whose peace we seek for all creation.

Each day in this Temple dedicated to the pursuit of peace, reconciliation and healing of the spirit, we pray for peace and uphold one of the nations of the world.

Today we remember the people of Australia in our prayers.  Located in the South Pacific Ocean, Australia’s aboriginal people have the longest continuous cultural history in the world, dating back to the last Ice Age. The issue of replacing Britain's queen with an Australian president as head of state remains an issue of concern, but the government has yet to make a definitive statement.  Australia's biggest attraction is its natural beauty.  Community of Christ has been established in Australia since 1840.

As we unite in worship and prayer, we join with brothers and sisters in Australia, and all nations, in pursuing holistic peace for all persons and all creation.

Scripture Reading
—Romans 14:19 INT

Therefore, let us conduct ourselves in ways that lead to peace and mutual growth.

Prayer for Peace
— Matthew Naylor, Drummoyne, NSW, Australia

The warbling of the magpies,
The screeching of the cockatoo,
The laughing of the kookaburra,
The Lyre bird having no sound of its own,
imitating other sounds, masquerading as a rosella,
a bell bird, or even a passing car.
All these sounds sing praise to your name.

Goannas move through the sand
Koalas get drunk from the oil of the Eucalyptus
Possums hide from the raging bush fires
Wombats find home in the coolness of the earth
Kangaroos bound through the bush.
The wattle, bottle brush, Jacaranda, wild flowers of the desert.
In all of these and more, your creation is seen.

The sandy plains of the Simpson Desert,
The baron land of the Nalabor;
The beauty and isolated wilderness of the Kakadu;
In the glow of the Olgas at Ulluru,
And the tropical beauty of jungle forest.
Under the ground in the Kalbarri caves;
On the beaches, long, wide, deafened by the sound of the pounding waves.
Melbourne, Sydney, Muwoolunbaa, Widgiemoolotha, Narrogin,
Winnininnic, Gilgandra, Deniliquin, Perth, Talangatta,
Murwillumbah, Cootamundra....
In all these places, you can be found. 

Just as the animals, native to the isolated great south land, find peace, never preying off each other, may we too find peace.  How strange it is, O God, that we humans, so often thought of as sophisticated and great, live preying off each other, quick to attack, and live in war.

So our God, in this land of the strange and different, we pray that the people might also be strange and different; able to live in quiet inter-dependence, free from nationalism.

O God, for the great south land of Australia, blow over the deserts, through the rugged mountains, across the sunburnt plains, and into the lives of its inhabitants:  the aboriginal, the white Australians, the peoples from Asia, the migrant, the refugee....

Blow your wind of hope, of reconciliation, of forgiveness, of love.  Help them be free of the cobwebs which stop us loving you.  Amen

Hymn
In Nature’s Voice We Hear You, Lord - Hymns of the Saints #441

Prayers of the People
Please join us now, praying the “Prayers of the People. During the moments of quiet, you are invited to pray silently or meditate.

We praise you, God, for this day and its blessings, for family and friends who enrich our lives, for abilities to earn our daily bread, and for the gift of Jesus Christ who leads us in paths of righteousness and peace.

The People Pray in Silence

We bow before you in repentance of our sins.  Help us to be ever more aware of those things we should omit from our lives, as well as those actions we should add to our living.

The People Pray in Silence

We especially ask your blessing on the nation and people of Australia.  Guide and bless all who work to build communities of justice and peace in all nations.

The People Pray in Silence

We are aware of the injustice of poverty, oppression, violence and hunger in our world.  Help each of us partner with community and world leaders in bringing an end to unjust suffering through the generous sharing of all earth’s resources.

The People Pray in Silence

Please use this space to pray for any current concern or event in our community, city, state, nation or world that you feel needs to be held up to God for prayerful consideration.

The People Pray in Silence

Hear our prayer, O Lord, and help us know your presence in all we do.  Amen.

Sending Forth

Our service concludes with ministry of music, and you are invited to remain in the quiet of this place and pray or meditate as long as you wish.

Let us go forth with joy and actively engage in Christ’s mission of pursuing peace for all creation.

Ministry of Music