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2/28/2023 0 Comments Call to Worship, L2A Tired and troubled?
Come to the Lord. Hurting and hopeless? Look to God's Word. Struggling and stumbling? Seek God's face. Weary and worn? Enter God's embrace. Come, friends, and worship the God who loves you and keeps you in all times and trials.
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2/23/2023 0 Comments Playlist, L1A2/23/2023 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, L1A Call to Confession
No one who conceals transgressions will prosper, but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. (Proverbs 28:13) Let us confess our sins before God and seek God's mercy. Prayer of Confession Forgive us, God, we pray. We are a deceitful people, spreading lies like plagues that breed anger and hatred because we refuse to fact-check or to think critically about our sources. Forgive us, God, we pray. We have been taught that peacemaking means keeping silent in the face of injustice and untruths vs creating spaces where hard things can be shared with compassion and love. Hear our cries for deliverance, O God. Hear our prayers for instruction. Teach us how to curb our mule-like tempers, and open our hearts and minds to understanding; help us to listen to you and to one another with new ears. Assurance of God's Grace I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you. (Isaiah 44:22) Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this week. 2/21/2023 0 Comments Call to Worship, L1A Come into God's presence,
you whose sins have been forgiven, and you who are seeking mercy. We will be glad in the Lord and rejoice. We will shout for joy, all who are upright in heart. Come into God's presence, you who are distressed and calling out to God for deliverance. We will be glad in the Lord and rejoice. We will shout for joy, all who are upright in heart. Let us worship the Lord our God!  God of Mercy and Compassion,
we lift before you those who long for justice and equity, those who are actively waiting for the promise of your kin-dom to be realized for all your children everywhere. Mighty King, lover of justice, teach us how to name the injustices around us, to stand for what is right, and to bring healing to those who have been hurt by abuse of power and by greed. Redeemer, Savior, Hope of the World, hear the cries of your children, suffering from grief and sorrow, from exile and war, from division and exclusion, from terror and turmoil. Pillar of Cloud, light the way in the darkness; provide shelter in the storm, and presence in pain. Holy Spirit, move among your people, avenging our wrongdoings in the name of righteousness, and guide us to civility and kindness, to compassionate collaboration, and to attitudes of worship that all we do may bring glory to your name.  Call to Confession
Ever since the creation of the world God’s eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been seen and understood through the things God has made. So they are without excuse, 21 for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:20-21) Let us confess our sin before God, and seek God's mercy. Prayer of Confession Mighty King, Lover of justice, forgive our casual approach to your throne; forgive our lackluster praises as we enter your courts; forgive our distracted worship. The earth quakes at your greatness, yet we do not tremble. You call us to service, and we do not answer. You offer us guidance, and we do not seek it. Forgive us, we pray, and open our eyes! Restore us to right relationship with you, that we may once again be molded into relational people who reflect your unconditional love and grace and who partner with you in creating equity and justice in the war-torn valleys of this world. 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. Friends, hear the Good News: 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 week.  The Lord is king!
Let the earth quake. The Lord is great in Zion! Let us praise God's awesome name! Holy is God! We will worship at God's footstool, for the Lord our God is holy! *from Psalm 99, selected verses. 2/10/2023 0 Comments Prayers of the People, E6A Gracious God, we ask your blessings of comfort and peace
on those who are suffering great grief and loss in the wake of earthquakes, storm, and cold; for those torn from family by war or poverty or illness; for those who are divided by politics and polity. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. Holy Redeemer, we ask your blessings of justice and joy for those who are on the outside looking in because of their race or gender or different abilities, their addictions or anxieties or mental health status, because of who they love or how they see themselves. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. Sophia, Wisdom, we ask your blessings of calm and courage for those who teach your Word and those who study it, for those who lead your people, and those who follow, for those who worship wholeheartedly, and those who desire to. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. May all who seek to observe your statutes faithfully be restored to relationship with you and with all of humankind, bringing glory to your name. 2/9/2023 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, E6ACall to Confession
We have gone astray like lost sheep (Psalm 119:176a). Let us confess our sin before God, seek the shepherd, and ask for God's mercy. Prayer of Confession Forgive us, O God. We are far from blameless, lording the law over others instead of walking in the Lord's law of Love. We hold others to the statutes we do not keep diligently ourselves and wear self-righteousness like a shield, yelling "LIAR" when others dare to call us out on it. All you ever asked of us was to love one another, and we who claim to be your people flatly refuse. We deserve your condemnation. We deserve your wrath. Yet you, O Lord, continue to shower us with your unconditional love and grace. Teach us to seek you with our whole hearts. Fix our eyes on you and help us to follow your example, that the grace that is poured out over us spills over onto those around us -- friend and foe alike -- in the name of Jesus, whom we call Savior and Lord. Assurance of God's Grace For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,[a] 12 training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior,[b] Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:11-13) Friends, hear the Good News: 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 week. |
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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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