~~~

From the Bishop of Sandhurst, Most Rev. Joseph Grech,

Lord God the creator of all things

Your Spirit moved over the face of the waters at the dawn of creation

You gather the seas into their places and direct the courses of the rivers

We praise you for the gift of water

Now our land is dry and barren, thirsting for life-giving rain

Send rain upon the earth so that it will bring forth life

May we use only the water we each need

And let us take care of and give encouragement to

All those whose livelihood depends on the produce of the land.

Amen

For the people of rural Australia:

That the Spirit of God will be with them,

Renewing their parched earth

As they deal with the opportunities and setbacks that challenge their faith

And test their confidence in the future,

We pray to the Lord

For Australians engaged in agricultural and related industries:

That they will be encouraged

By the personal and communal support they receive

In this season of their greatest need.

We pray to the Lord

For the people of Australia:

That the community as a whole will work collaboratively

In a spirit of decency, fairness and compassion

To maintain the morale of those most in need of understanding and support

We pray to the Lord

~~~

OTHER PRAYERS

Sustaining God, we receive the fruit of the earth from your generous hand,

Yet now we observe the eager earth frustrated by lack of rain

We remember the smell of damp earth, the welcome cooling,

We remember happy times, when silos were full

and all rejoiced in the prosperity of the land

Now we see heaviness and gloom,

We hear anger and despair

We fear that the burden of the rural community may be too great to bear

Have mercy O Lord on our parched land

Our worried minds, our anxious hearts.

In the name of the Prince of Mercy,

Jesus Christ. Amen

~~~

Confession:

God who gives us all things,

Directly and indirectly,

Forgive us for our incredible presumption upon your generosity

Forgive us for thinking our production is all our own work

Forgive us for calculating inputs and outputs and thinking you have no part to play

God who gave us great responsibility upon this planet,

And placed us with interfering power amid intricate systems,

Forgive us for meddling too much

Forgive us for damaging the earth

Forgive us for the animals we kill and the plants we plough up or chop down

We have to live

But we wish we could live more softly amid the delicate beauty of earth.

God who made us to love you and worship and serve only you in all our busy work

Forgive us for too much dependence on money

Forgive us for our unethical businesses and dreadful "bottom line" thinking

In which we justify bad behaviour and process by economic success

Forgive us for serving ourselves without loving you or our neighbours adequately

Pray for the Churches in rural Communities

Lord, don't let them play business as usual

Let them take this time of drought as a call to mission

Our country needs us

Let us and especially those who live in agricultural communities

Be present, diligent, creative and compassionate

Pray for the Drought Appeal Thank you, Lord of the churches, for the opportunity

That has appeared to give to a Drought Relief fund

And support the people hurting because of the drought

Let your people prove generous in the giving

And wise in the distributing

So that we can do your work and be a source of encouragement and uplifting

Pray for the Farmers You are a God who cares, who feels what we feel and suffers when we suffer

We pray today for those people who face devastating loss

For farmers facing bankruptcy, for those who have walked off, or sold off and must find new careers, for those who have to destroy their stock, or cut down their orchards, for rural businesses that must close the doors

We pray you will provide supportive networks and spiritual sustenance

We pray for those who are burdened by debt to the extent that it dominates family life and produces conflict and constant anxiety. For mercy from the banks, and for endurance of spirit and hope

We ask your kindness to be shown,

Through Jesus Christ. Amen