In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Praying the Sign of the Cross.

Acknowledgement of Country The love of God flows through the land on which we gather. We acknowledge the traditional owners who have cared for this land since the Dreamtime; the Turrbal and Jagera peoples. We honour the elders past, present and emerging who have carved their footprints in the sands of time and we thank them for their gifts to this land.

We Gather… We gather today to pray together, to recall God’s presence in our lives, a presence that we call on by making the Sign of the Cross. Let us call on our Trinitarian God, as we slowly, reverently and consciously make the sign of the cross together. All: In the name of Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Father… Let us turn our thoughts to the nature of our Trinitarian God. God, creator and lover of the universe, who calls us to relationship. Let us pause, and recall a moment in our lives when we were drawn to awareness of the presence of something far bigger than ourselves, far bigger than humanity – a presence that Christians name as God. What is in the depths of our hearts today that we want to communicate with God, who longs to be in relationship with us? We pause and pray in the depths of our hearts.

Son… Let us turn our thoughts to the nature of Jesus, who lived his life revealing the face of God to others. Let us pause and recall a moment from the life of Jesus, which is captured in the sacred Scriptures, inspired by the creative, imaginative storytelling of the authors. Which moment from the life of Jesus comes to mind? What is the wisdom that Jesus wants to impart to me today, from this moment in his life? We pause and pray in the depths of our hearts.

Holy Spirit… Let us turn our thoughts to the nature of the Holy Spirit, the aspect of God that breaks through boundaries, and in places where hope seemed impossible. Where has the Holy Spirit broken through boundaries in my life? Against all odds, where has goodness and love broken through to bring a new horizon of light and new life? Where do I need the power of the Holy Spirit in my life now? We pause and call on the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, as we pray in the depths of our hearts.

The Sign of the Cross… Let us turn our thoughts to the sign of the cross, signalling those moments when Christians intentionally call on the power of prayer. To pray is to believe that God is listening and will respond, somehow, in some way. To pray is to believe that prayer makes a difference, somehow, in some way. The sign of the cross reminds us that we are entering into a very real realm of sacred space, and the outcome is always unknown, but potentially life changing. Who in our lives needs the power of our prayer today? Who in our world needs the power of our prayer today? We pause and call on the energy of God, as we pray in the depths of our hearts.

The Cross… Let us turn our thoughts to the symbol of the cross. As we make the sign of the cross we trace the shape of the cross, which is a reminder of both crucifixion and new life. It is a reminder that there will be burdens to carry in life, but God’s love is ever present, patiently waiting for opportunities for transformation. The cross reminds all Christians that God calls people to live authentically and make whatever choices mirror real love.

We Pray… We pray together: God of tenderness, Open our eyes to see your presence among us today Open our ears to listen to your voice in the depths of our hearts Open our hearts to the power of prayer, the cross, and the choices of love. We pray this prayer through Jesus, our guide, Amen.

We Go into the Day… Together, we will intentionally, reverently and consciously make the sign of the cross together. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.