A prayer for Mardi Gras

An inner Sydney Minister, Dominic Steele, has prepared a special prayer for the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

Heavenly Father,

On this Mardi Gras weekend we pray for Australia, for those who are confused or in pain in regards to their identity or sexuality, or are struggling to listen to you, follow you or obey you in the area of sexuality.
We ask for your mercy and for a special gift of your Spirit.

Forgive us Lord for when we have not lived as you would have us lived.
Forgive us for the things we have done with our bodies that we should not have done.
Forgive us for the things we have looked at that really we wish we hadn’t seen.
Forgive us for the things for we have thought and said that were wrong.
Forgive us for when we have run from you, like the younger son in the Prodigal Parable.
But forgive us also for when we have been far from your heart, proud and judgemental, like the older brother in the Prodigal Parable.

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Thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you that he always lived to please you in every area of life.
Thank you that he perfectly offered himself on the cross to pay for our wrong before you.
Thank you that his death was enough to pay for all our wrong.
Thank you that you raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead as our ruler and judge.
Help us now to live to please you in our thoughts and in our actions.

Please Lord give us your spirit that we might live lives of celibacy in singleness and faithfulness in marriage.
Please help married men to be faithful to their wives.
Please help married women to be faithful to their husbands.
Keep us from unfaithfulness in our thoughts, in our actions, and in what we look at.

Lord again where we have failed you please forgive us.
Help us to each help those who caught in a wrongdoing.
Help us to restore each other in a gentle spirit, watching out that we won’t be tempted.
Lord keep us from the sin of acting wrongly.
And keep us from pride.

We pray that Australia’s churches might be ‘hospitals for sinners,’ where we can safely come broken to you, where we can find people who will love us in our sin, and speak to us of the Lord Jesus, reminding us of his forgiveness, and pointing us to his Holiness.

And Lord, we pray especially for those who are this weekend tempted to mock you or insult you. We ask for your mercy Lord, that you in your kindness would extend forgiveness and love.

And we pray these things in the powerful name of Jesus.

Amen.

Dominic Steele is the minister of Village Church Annandale and director of Christians in the Media. Watch his address with Patricia Weerakoon on God and Sexuality http://j.mp/godandsexual

Image:

‘Mardi Gras – Mardi Gras Volunteer’ by Christian Tan, https://www.flickr.com/photos/christianocious/5545749887/in/photolist-7MxzGb-7MxzCw-7MxzGW-7Mxzwq-7MtAXz-7MtAMK-7MtAPx-7Mxzyy-7MtB1z-7MtAKt-7MtB26-7MxzC1-7Mxzn9-7Mxzo7-9s4qen-ChDPV-9s4qoV-dTUTjz-9s7p9h-9s4qhc-bnkARN-bAftun-bAftm2-9s7oSu-dZeQ5Y-bnkAX9-bAftsD-dZ9wwg-dZ9nik-dZ9tgv-dZ95GD-dZ9ECx-dZ9D3p-dZf6NN-dZ9eVz-dZ9a7H-dZeVvY-dZf9Wb-dZ93yD-dZfdhs-dZ9uJX-dZf9ch-dZf1Rh-dZ9AVg-dZeSRY-dZf62J-dZf7DJ-dZ9CbF-dZeTRC-dZeJqh, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/