Prayers of the People for Children’s Day / Labour Weekend

We give thanks for all that is good and life-giving

generous and refreshing

pure and joyous

in our lives and in our world.

For love and friendship

for innocence and experience

for those with much to learn

and those who have learned and known much

for this place and each other

we give thanks.

We hold in our hearts the war zones in this troubled world

places where the fighting is what we’ve come to call “conventional”

and places where hostage-taking and terrorism

take the lives and hopes of ordinary people,

civilians as well as military personnel.

We think of all who are mourning the loss of family and friends

[in an international disaster]

and all those who offer aid and support, diplomacy and healing

of physical and emotional hurt and distress

and here in New Zealand, we hold in our hearts

all those who mourn the loss of loved ones

through accidents or violence, from illness or misadventure

And on this Labour Weekend, we especially hold in our hearts

those who travel – our loved ones, members of this congregation -

that they and we may be safe and careful

especially on our roads and at our beaches

And we hold in our hearts those who mourn the anniversary

of their loss of loved ones on previous Labour Weekends

and public holidays:

may they find peace

On this Children’s Day, we hold in our hearts

Not only the young but all those who are vulnerable

dependent on the actions and attitudes of others—

“for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven”.

We give thanks for those who work to heal and reconcile

where there is hurt and injustice.

We give thanks for caregivers, parents, whanau, communities

who nourish the minds, bodies and spirits of young people

helping them become all that they can be.