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Books and resources for ministers, worship leaders and all spiritual people

Philip Garside Books

Prayers for Southern Seasons - Print.

Prayers for Southern Seasons - Print.

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$25.00 NZD
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Prayers for Southern Seasons: Poems and prayers for Christian worship and devotions

By Joy Kingsbury-Aitken

Prayers for Southern Seasons is a collection of prayers and poems designed to enhance Christian worship in Aotearoa New Zealand, reflecting the unique rhythms of the church year and inviting congregational participation.

This book:

  • Helps worship leaders create services that resonate with the unique seasonal experiences of Aotearoa New Zealand.
  • Offers a variety of prayers for different occasions, enhancing the depth of congregational worship.
  • Includes many prayers designed for responsive reading, encouraging active participation from the congregation.
  • Reflects the local church calendar and seasonal changes, making it relevant and relatable for worshippers.
  • Sparks inspiration for worship leaders and congregants alike, enhancing personal and communal spiritual practices.
  • Serves as a readily accessible guide for worship leaders needing words for various liturgical moments.
  • Includes poems suitable for personal reflection, enriching the spiritual life of individuals outside of corporate worship.

Features

  • Comprehensive Prayer Collection: Includes prayers for gathering, intercession, thanksgiving, and more, catering to various aspects of worship.
  • Poems for Reflection: Contains poems that can be printed for bulletins or service covers, adding a thoughtful touch to worship materials.
  • Seasonally Arranged Content: Prayers and poems are organized to align with the church year and seasonal cycles specific to the Southern Hemisphere.
  • Biblical Imagery: Draws upon rich Biblical storytelling and imagery, enhancing the theological depth of worship.
  • Lay Preacher's Insights: Written by a seasoned lay preacher, providing practical insights and experiences relevant to worship leaders.

Published: May 2019
Language: English
Words: 25,870
B/W text, 122pp
Soft cover
ISBN: 9781988572086

[20 in stock 21 Nov 2024]

Description

Prayers for Southern Seasons is an invaluable resource for worship leaders seeking to craft meaningful and contextually relevant services in Aotearoa New Zealand.

This engaging collection of prayers and poems reflects the unique rhythms of the church year in the Southern Hemisphere, beginning in early summer and celebrating the richness of each season as it intertwines with the liturgical calendar.

Joy Kingsbury-Aitken, a seasoned lay preacher, shares a variety of prayers designed for numerous worship occasions, including gathering, thanksgiving, intercession, and more.

Many prayers invite congregational participation through responsive readings, fostering a deeper connection between worship leaders and their communities. The accompanying poems offer moments of personal reflection, making them ideal for use in weekly bulletins or on order of service covers.

Each prayer and poem draws upon Biblical imagery and storytelling, enhancing the worship experience and providing a rich tapestry of language and inspiration. As Joy’s heartfelt words resonate with the lived experiences of worshippers, they spark creativity and devotion, enriching both public and private faith journeys.

Whether you’re leading a service, preparing materials for your congregation, or seeking inspiration for your own spiritual practice, Prayers for Southern Seasons will guide you with thoughtful, seasonally arranged content that honours the sacredness of worship in all its forms.

Sample Prayers 


God You Don’t See as We See (Petition)
1 Samuel 16:7

God you don’t see as we see.
You are not impressed by fortune and fame.
You know beauty is so very fleeting
and that charm can often be vain.

God you don’t see as we see.
You look at what lies deep within,
at attitudes affecting our thinking,
leading to both virtue and sin.

God you don’t see as we see.
So we ask that you give us insight,
to view our ways as you see them,
to delight in doing what’s right.

God you don’t see as we see.
So we desire to become more like you,
that we may be pleasing in your sight,
and see things the way that you do.

God you don’t see as we see.
You see what we have become,
your family of beloved children,
redeemed by the death of your Son.

• • •


Lord God, Source of Eternal Light (Gathering)
John 1:1-5; 3:5-8, 16-17; 4:10-14; 7:37-39; Acts 2:1-4

Lord God, source of eternal light,
we come seeking illumination.
Lord God, the wind that blows through our lives,
we come seeking the Spirit’s inspiration.
Lord God, the source of living water,
we come seeking refreshment at the
spring that gushes up to eternal life.
We have gathered together
knowing you are in our midst.
We have gathered together
listening for your voice.
We have gathered together
your people born to new life.
Open our minds
to understanding your word.
Open our mouths
in joyful praise and grateful prayer.
Most of all, open our hearts
to the Son who came into the world
not to condemn the world but to save it.
We acknowledge our failures
and seek your forgiveness of our iniquities.
We know our shortcomings
and seek your patience with our inadequacies.
We have come from our world to worship.
Send us back into your world to praise.
Bless this holy time O Lord.
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

• • •

Forgive Us, Restore Us and Change Us (Confession)

Lord, your intention is that we be family,
kindly, self-sacrificing, loving.
Sometimes we act more like enemies,
uncaring, self-serving, unintentionally cruel.
In such times forgive us, restore us and change us.

Lord, your intention is that we be generous,
sharing the bounty you have provided.
Sometimes we act more like misers,
reserving your blessing for ourselves alone.
In such times forgive us, restore us and change us.

Lord, your intention is that we be worshipful,
giving you glory, praising you for your grace.
Sometimes we act as if you don’t matter,
by going our own ways, doing our own things.
In such times forgive us, restore us and change us.

Lord we thank you for your parental care
and are grateful for your brotherly love.
Lord we thank you for your liberality
in providing our needs and much more besides.
Lord we thank you for your faithfulness
that never wanes irrespective of our waywardness.
Lord your mightiness humbles us.
Your promises elevate us.
You sacrifice has saved us.
So we come with words of praise and thanksgiving,
knowing that you have forgiven and restored us,
and that you are changing us. Amen.
   
About the author
Joy brings to her writing a love of literature and a love of scripture. In the 1970s she graduated with an honours degree in English from the University of Canterbury, and in the 1990s she studied part-time for the Bachelor of Theology degree from the University of Otago, graduating in December 2004.

Soon after Joy began to be asked to lead worship for her home congregation and then for other congregations, learning how to do so by trial and error and with helpful advice offered by those sitting in the pews. This experience convinced her of the importance of resourcing lay worship leaders for the task they are requested to undertake.

Joy has served on the executive committee of the New Zealand Lay Preachers Association, including in the role of President. She is a member of the Village Presbyterian Church in Christchurch. Joy is now retired after a thirty-one year career with the Christchurch City Council, in the discipline of road safety education.

She is married to David Aitken, without whose support her lay preaching ministry could not happen.
  

Contents

  • Definitions
  • Introduction

Prayers and Poems

Summer

  • Summer Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving)

Advent

  • The God of Love Came as a Gift of Love (Blessing)
  • Advent is… (Poetry)
  • Gathering in Hope (Gathering)
  • Giving Gifts of Love (Offering)
  • Lighting the Advent Candles (Candle lighting)
  • The Season of Our Joy (Gathering)
  • The Season of Advent (Confession)

Christmas

  • What a Gift! (Gathering)
  • Gather Us Together this Holy Morning Lord (Gathering)
  • Light has come into the World (Gathering)

Epiphany

  • We Gather as Pilgrims (Gathering)
  • Blessing for Pilgrims (Blessing)
  • We Bring Our Gifts (Offering)
  • We Have Been on a Journey (Poetry)
  • Travelling God (Intercession)

Autumn

  • A Season of Transition (Poetry)

Harvest

  • God of Creation, God of Harvest (Thanksgiving)
  • Thanksgiving for Food (Thanksgiving)

Lent

  • Change (Poetry)
  • From the Ordinary and Everyday (Gathering)
  • Our Imperfect Faith (Gathering)
  • All Too Often (Confession)
  • Forgive Us, Restore Us and Change Us (Confession)
  • God of Abraham (Gathering)
  • In Lent We Have a Tradition (Intercession)

Transfiguration Sunday

  • Keep Us Moving (Petition)

Palm (Passion) Sunday

  • Praise the One who Came in the Name of the Lord (Gathering)
  • Like Passover Pilgrims (Gathering)

Monday before Easter

  • God Our Temple (Poetry)
  • We have Heard Your Call (Gathering)

Tuesday before Easter

  • The Size of the Gift (Poetry)
  • Given in faith (Offering)

Wednesday before Easter

  • Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem (Poetry)
  • Who Is this Man? (Poetry)

Maundy Thursday

  • Grubby Feet (Confession)
  • Gifts for the World (Offering)

Good Friday

  • Darkest of Days (Poetry)
  • We Remember Your Suffering (Praise & Confession)

Easter Eve

  • Waiting (Poetry)

Easter Sunday

  • Our Lives are Shaped by Resurrection (Gathering)
  • Easter Comes to Us in Autumn (Poetry)

ANZAC Day

  • Remembering the ANZACs (Poetry)

Home and Family Day

  • We Give Thanks for Families (Thanksgiving)
  • For Children and Their Families (Intercession)

Mothers’ Day

  • A Prayer for Mothers (Intercession)
  • Call to Worship on Mothers’ Day (Gathering)
  • Mothers’ Day Blessing (Blessing)

Winter

  • Winter’s Lessons (Poetry)

Pentecost

  • Lord God, Source of Eternal Light (Gathering)
  • Spirit God (Gathering)
  • We Experience the Spirit Moving (Gathering)
  • Pentecost Blessing (Blessing)
  • Pentecost Offering (Offering)
  • May We Dance (Poetry)
  • Holy Spirit (Praise)

Trinity Sunday

  • Lord We Come (Gathering)
  • A Blessing for Trinity Sunday (Blessing)

Disability Sunday

  • What We Truly Are (Petition)

Ordinary Time (Any Time)

  • Only a Prayer Away (Poetry)
  • God You Don’t See as We See (Petition)
  • Prayer for Illumination (Illumination)
  • Lord Heal Us of Our Blindness (Confession)
  • With Words of Encouragement (Commissioning)
  • The God Who Sees (Thanksgiving)
  • The Limits We Place (Confession)
  • In Search of Us (Thanksgiving)
  • Between this World and His Kingdom (Blessing)
  • The Sound of Thunder the People Heard (Poetry)
  • Between Two Realms (Confession)
  • More of You and Less of Us (Confession)
  • We Acknowledge Your Grace (Assurance)
  • Lord We Gather (Gathering)
  • You Alone (Gathering)
  • Precious in Your Sight (Confession)
  • A Community of Great Value (Gathering)
  • With our Lips We Praise You (Gathering)
  • There can be No Answers without Questions (Confession)
  • How Wonderful (Thanksgiving)
  • “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few” (Confession)
  • Words of Assurance (Assurance)
  • For All You Have Done (Gathering)
  • What a Privilege (Gathering)
  • As Guests Invited (Gathering)
  • God is Not Limited by Our Limitations (Blessing)
  • Another Week Has Past (Gathering)
  • Blessing for Older Folk (Blessing)
  • Well of Salvation (Gathering)
  • God Our Companion (Offering)
  • The Darkness of Our Doubts (Confession)
  • We Have Come (Gathering)
  • In this Humble Place (Gathering)
  • We Have Confidence in You (Confession)
  • Much to Praise You For (Gathering)
  • Fling Open the Gates (Poetry)
  • Our Parenting God (Intercession)
  • Like Sheep (Gathering)

Refugee Sunday

  • Care for the Vulnerable (Intercession)
  • Out of the Bounty of Your Grace (Offering)

Peace Sunday

  • What would it take? (Poetry)
  • We Pray as People who Mourn (Intercession)
  • As When You Walked on Earth (Intercession)
  • Be People of Compassion, Mercy and Peace (Blessing)
  • We are Challenged to be Merciful (Confession)
  • Today We Light the Christ Candle (Candle lighting)

Lay Preachers’ Sunday

  • Lay Worship Leaders (Thanksgiving)

Fathers’ Day

  • God our Father (Offering)
  • A Prayer of Lament for Fathers (Intercession)

Spring

  • Spring Warming (Poetry)

In Spring (Gathering)

Spring Flower Service

  • In Spring We Come to God with Praise (Thanksgiving)

Season of Creation

  • Sky (Poetry)
  • We and the Earth Mourn (Confession)
  • Life Giving God (Confession)
  • God of the Storm (Poetry)
  • God the Creator (Poetry)
  • For the Victims of Climate Change (Intercession)
  • We Remember (Gathering)

St Francis of Assisi Day

  • Thanksgiving for Companion Animals (Thanksgiving)

Social Justice Sunday

  • We Pray for the Excluded (Intercession)
  • We are Overwhelmed by Suffering (Intercession)
  • Those Whom You Never Forget (Intercession)
  • Words (Intercession)
  • Transformed World (Intercession)
  • We say, “This is not our doing.” (Confession)
  • We Live in a World that Needs to Know You (Intercession)
  • Our Golden Images (Confession)

All Saints

  • We Pray for the Persecuted Church (Intercession)
  • For the Mission to Come (Offering)
  • Giving Thanks for Those Who Serve in the Church (Thanksgiving)
  • A Cloud of Witnesses (Poetry)

Reign of Christ Sunday

  • A Call to Worship the King (Gathering)
  • We Remember (Confession)
  • Sovereign Christ (Intercession)

Scripture Index

  • About the Author
  • About this book

• • •

Joy's second book Prayers for Southern People is available in print here:
https://philipgarsidebooks.com/products/prayers-for-southern-people-print

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