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1/30/2019 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, E4C Call to Confession
Woe are we, for we are lost. We are a people of unclean lips. Let us confess our sin before God and seek God's mercy. Prayer of Confession, E4C Merciful God, forgive us when we make our own plans, chart out our course without consulting you. Forgive our arrogance and humble our hearts that we may live according to your will. Gracious God, forgive us when we focus on our weakness instead of your strength, our failures instead of your victory, our humanity instead of your divine nature. Forgive our timidity and renew in us a spirit of power. Eternal God, forgive us when we refuse to lead justly, to speak life, to love as we have been loved. Forgive our shortsightedness and our lack of compassion for our neighbor and lead us into a spirit of unity for the sake of reconciliation. In Jesus' name we pray. Assurance of God's Grace Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Dt, 31:6) In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. 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.
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1/29/2019 0 Comments Call to Worship, E4C Come, you prophets, long-ordained;
Come, and do not be afraid. God will put God's Word in you, Prepare to be sent. 1/26/2019 0 Comments Prayers of the People, E3C Almighty God,
We need you to lead us because we have proven that we cannot lead ourselves with integrity or honor. We have forgotten your Word, have turned away from your wisdom, have chosen other paths. We have failed to call upon you for guidance and direction, Lord. Call forth your prophets to lead us back into paths of righteousness by the law of love for your name's sake. Merciful God, We need you to heal us, to gather us together and to lead us into a Spirit of unity. The pain of division is real, Lord.. When members of your Body are suffering, we all suffer together. Heal us, we pray, and renew in us a spirit of hope that we might go forward in peace. Compassionate God, We need you to inspire us! Set the feast for us and call us to your Table as a reminder of your holiness. Lead us out of our past that we may not repeat it, and lead us into a future with joyful hearts that the love you have shown us overflows among us upon the neighbor and the stranger in our midst. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. 1/23/2019 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, E3C Call to Confession
We were once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and we died. (Romans 7:9) Let us confess our sin before God and seek God's mercy. Prayer of Confession, E3C We have not gathered in your presence faithfully, nor have we listened when we did. Understanding was not our priority, but finding defenses for our indefensible behavior, so we only paid attention to what we wanted to hear. Hear the voice of our pleas for mercy when we cry to you for help. We have not stood before our God, have not lifted hands in worship, have not bowed our heads or humbled ourselves nor do we offer our "Amen"s with conviction for we do not dare to wish for God's will to be done. Hear the voice of our pleas for mercy when we cry to you for help. We mourn and weep on holy Sabbath, grieving for ourselves and for our sin, for we are ashamed, but are we ashamed enough to repent and turn from our wickedness and seek the paths of righteousness? Hear the voice of our pleas for mercy when we cry to you for help. Assurance of God's Grace Do not grieve! The joy of the Lord is your strength! In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! 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~ 1/22/2019 0 Comments Call to Worship, E4C Throw open the gates
and welcome the stranger in for this is God's house! Throw open the gates for there are no "others" among those who belong to the Lord. 1/18/2019 0 Comments Prayers of the People, E2C Liberating God,
Justice is so far from us today. Held prisoner by division among the leaders of our nation, your people are crying out for freedom: freedom to work with integrity, freedom to earn a living, freedom to provide for themselves and their families. Where are you in this tug of war, God? We need to know you are present and active, that you will not remain silent, that justice will shine like the light of a new day! Comforting God, Grief is increasingly near to us today. Feeling the depths of emptiness, your people are feeling forsaken. We cannot find the words to speak hope. We cannot find the words to speak life. We cannot find the words to speak joy. Instead, we are buried in our hopelessness, our lifelessness, our lack of joy. We need to know that you have bound yourself to us, that you love us deeply and are present with us in our pain. Eternal God, the present is too overwhelming to look to the future. Your people are distressed. We cannot see the brilliance of the new thing you are promising among us for the tarnished dreams of yesterday. Open our eyes to see your righteousness. Open our hearts to receive your covenant in love. Restore to us the celebration of living in your delight, that we may reflect your glory to the world. 1/16/2019 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, E2C Call to Confession
All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Let us confess our sin before God, and seek God's mercy. Prayer of Confession Regarding your greatness, we have remained silent, O God. Regarding your wonders, we have held our tongues. We have reflected neither your righteousness nor your glory to the nations. No, God. Instead we have called people rapists and murders who are not. We have called whole countries words that should not be repeated. Forgive our faulty generalizations. Forgive our failure to love our neighbor and even our enemy. Forgive our choice not to love as we have have been loved ... as unlovable as we have proven ourselves to be. Renew in us a spirit of joy in your love that inspires us to love the other, to welcome the stranger, to learn from our neighbor, that our world may reflect your righteousness and your people sing the glory of your name. Assurance of God's Grace God has promised that when we confess our sin before God, 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! 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~ 1/15/2019 0 Comments Call to Worship, E2 The sun rises on God's people near and far.
The sun rises and all of earth sees God's glory. God's people are called Beloved, Precious-in-God's-Sight. God rejoices over God's children near and far, in every land, of every race and every gender. God calls God's people together for celebration. We are one in the name of the Lord our God. From our diversity and our commonality, let us worship as one.  God of Endurance and Calm,
hear the prayers of your people drowning in stormy seas. We are overwhelmed with hatred and disagreement creates division between us and those we love. Reunite us, we pray, with our brothers and sisters around the world, in the name of love that our shared dreams may restore hope for a future of peace. Holy One of Israel, hear the cries of your people engulfed in raging rivers. We are drowning in our own grief. Our dreams are shattered. Our expectations have failed. Lift us out of the roaring waters and set us on solid ground, we pray. Dry our tears, we pray, and lead us to safe harbor. Eternal One, hear the pain of your people feeling the heat of joblessness of poverty of homelessness of food insecurity of abuse. Encircle your people with protection, O God, and shield your most vulnerable children from harm. In the name of Christ we pray, Amen.  Call to Confession
When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. (Psalm 91:15) Let us confess our sin before God and seek God's mercy. Prayer of Confession, Baptism of the Lord C We are in over our heads, God. Our sin is greater than our capacity to correct. We are navigating rough waters, seasick from the tossing and turning, unable to stand on our own two feet. Finding ourselves between a rock and a hard place, we cannot see a way forward. We have strayed so far from you and from your truth that we do not know how to find our way home. Forgive us, we pray. Reassure us of your presence. Rescue us from peril. Redeem us from our failures, and renew us by your grace. Assurance of God's Grace fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10) In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. 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~ |
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Julie participated in the 25th Seminar for Certified Zentangle(R) Teacher Training in June, 2019, trained by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. In addition to creating art as a personal spiritual practice, Julie also incorporates the Zentangle(R) method in Prayer Art Retreats in a variety of contexts, including church groups, friend gatherings, and at a local art gallery. Check out the Upcoming Events page for a calendar of events, or use the Contact Us page to inquire about scheduling an event with your group!
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