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7/20/2018 0 Comments Prayers of the People, OT15B Good Shepherd,
show compassion for your people, we pray: for those who lead with great sincerity, but fail to rest or to care for their physical, emotional, or spiritual needs. In your mercy, grant respite in the form of competent substitutes, courage to set appropriate boundaries, humility to accept human limitation, and wisdom to step away from the chaos to be fed by your Spirit. Show compassion, we pray, to those who are lost, alone, and afraid. In your mercy, speak words of inspiration and hope to families that are separated by distance or by force, to those without shelter in the heat, in the fire, or in the storm, to those suffering from mental illness and those who love and care for them. Show compassion on the sick, Lord. In your mercy, place your healing hand upon all who are injured or ill, in pain and in despair, restoring balance of body, mind, spirit, and emotion, and restoring them to complete wholeness and health. Reform your Church, O God, that we might go out to serve as the Body of Christ at work in the world. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
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7/18/2018 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, OT15B Call to Confession
Woe to the one who builds a house by unrighteousness, and upper rooms by injustice, whose neighbor is forced to serve without wages. (Jer. 22:13-15) But to the one who confesses their sin, God will be merciful. Let us confess our sin before God. Prayer of Confession OT15B How quickly we forget that you are the God who brought us up out of bondage, who provided for us in the wilderness, who led us to the Promised Land. How arrogant we are, how self-assured: certain that we are the chosen. It is all about us. Forgive us, we pray. Open our ears to your still, small voice reminding us that you are God, that you are sovereign, that you are Love. Transform our hearts, we pray, and instill in us a servant spirit that everything we do is born of the quiet humilty that comes from remembering to whom we belong. Assurance of God's Grace Believe the Good News: We have been delivered from the hand of our enemy that we might serve the Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before God all our days. (Luke 1:74-75) Thanks be to God! Amen! Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this day. 7/17/2018 0 Comments Call to Worship, OT15B Come away to a quiet place,
a place of rest and renewal, a place of healing and hope. Come, and sit beside still waters, souls refreshed, cups overflowing. Come to listen and reflect, to remember and recognize: God is among us ... everywhere. Come, and worship. 7/13/2018 0 Comments Prayers of the People, OT14B Faithful and ever-present God,
Hear the cries of those who come, uninvited, to the party, Hoping to be included, Longing to dance in the safety of community, And are separated from those they love As the door is shut in their faces. Be merciful, O God, we pray, and inspire hope in them that they may dance the dance of freedom. Hear the cries of those who wait to be rescued, Willing themselves to stay alive, Praying for strength. Hear the cries of those who wait for them And the rescuers who seek to restore them to wholeness. Be merciful, O God, we pray, and inspire hope in them That they may dance the dance of new life. Hear the sighs of those whose hearts are hardened As they look upon joyful expression From places of fear And jealousy And loneliness. Open their hearts to the delight that comes When they release their rigid hold on self-control, and follow your lead. Playful Creator, send your whirling Spirit To dance within and among us Just as you sent your Son to lead us in the dance Of life that is rooted in love. Amen. 7/13/2018 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, OT14B Call to Confession
Every day, we fail to love the Lord our God with ALL our hearts and with ALL our souls and with ALL our minds and with ALL our strength. Let us meditate on the ways in which we have fallen short of the glory of God. Prayer of Confession Forgive us, God, Our fear overtakes us, Our doubt is stronger than our faith, Our hearts are filled with anger. We have laid down our instruments, Refusing to dance, Refusing to acknowledge your presence In our midst. We neither frolic nor play Nor feast together in true community. Move within us, O God, And enliven our spirits, Opening our hearts to a joyful expression Of your faithfulness To your people. Assurance of God’s Grace God has promised that when we confess our sin, God who is faithful and just, will forgive us our sin, removing it as far as the east is from the west, and remembering it no more. In the name of Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Thanks be to God! <pour water into baptismal bowl as a reminder of our baptism> Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter today.. 7/6/2018 0 Comments Prayers of the People, OT13B Our hearts are broken, God!
We lament the loss of human decency, of kindness to the stranger among us, of care for the children, of due process, and of hope for the future. We lament the ways in which the mighty have fallen, the gentle have been destroyed, the beloved have been tortured, and the others have been marginalized. Hear our cries, O merciful God, for those whose voices have been stifled, for those whose finances determine their fate, for those whose choices have inflicted pain, and those whose leadership is corrupted. Hold your grieving world in your loving arms and offer comfort and strength. Restore to us the hope of salvation, we pray. Be present in your people everywhere through the power of your Spirit, that the redeeming love of Christ might open hearts and turn the tide. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. 7/4/2018 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, OT13B Call to Confession
The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us for we have sinned! Let us confess our sin before God and seek God's mercy. Prayer of Confession, OT13B Forgive us, God. Fear overtakes us, and we seek to destroy those who are different from us, whose ideas and practices makes us uncomfortable, whose stories we do not understand. Forgive us, God. Our own insecurities threaten to destroy us, so we strike out in anger to level the playing field, undermining authority, disrespecting those closest to us, failing to love our neighbor as we have been loved. Forgive us, God. We have forgotten that ALL people are created in your image, claimed and called, ordained to serve, and we are quick to use assumed power to intimidate and control Forgive us, God. We have laid down our instruments and halted our songs, chanting angry words instead, and taking up weapons of war. We have resorted to exclusionary practices, building walls instead of bridges to keep the other out. Transform our hearts, we pray, and lead us from our egocentric ways to practices of peace and reconciliation. Open our eyes to the injustices we perpetuate and give us courage to champion the rights of all humans in the name of our Redeeming Lord. Assurance of God's Grace The Lord our God delights in us. Our sin is forgiven in Christ, and we are restored to relationship through him. Thanks be to God! Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this day. 7/3/2018 0 Comments Call to Worship, OT13B Grief,
tears through our unsuspecting hearts and we are angry, and sad and confused and devastated beyond our comprehension. How did this happen? How did we get here? God is faithful, keeping God's promises to a thousand generations to turn mourning into dancing and wipe tears from our eyes. God's name be praised! 6/29/2018 0 Comments Prayers of the People, OT12B In time of fear and oppression
God's people cry for deliverance. Condescension. Lies. Gaslighting. Harrassment. Authority and money equal power. In time of hatred and of violence God's people cry for deliverance. Discourse devolves. Arguments ensue. Police are called. No one is safe from rage, within or without. In time of grief and hopelessness God's people cry for deliverance. Families are separated. Hearts are broken. Everyone loses when justice is unjust. God alone can save. In time of challenge, Lord, empower your people to meet the enemy that stands before us with complete trust that Hope reigns. Enlist us. Embolden us. Equip us. Energize us. Lead us forward in your name. Amen. |
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