3/29/2019 1 Comment Prayers of the People, Lent 4CGathered into the circle of healing, Lord,
we call upon your name. We lift our prayers to you ... prayers of thanksgiving for the miraculous journey that has led us to this place in our lives, prayers from the deepest places within where we recognize our unworthiness and cannot begin to put into words our expressions of gratitude. Hear our prayers for those who have not seen the fulfillment of your promises, who have longed to see the Promised Land and have died in the wilderness along the way. Comfort those who grieve their loss, and be for them a mighty fortress as they seek to live out the promise of hope in memory of those who went before and set the path. Hear our prayers for those who lead us into new territory to be the people you have called us to be. Grant them wisdom and courage to direct your people according to your Word. Remind them of the many ways you have led your people before and inspire them to reflect meaningfully on what that means for your people going forward. Teach them to listen, Lord, to you and to one another, and to look to your law of love to govern and to guide. O Lord, be present at our tables, as both host and honored guest, and season our conversations with kindness and with grace. May we be ever mindful of those who do not have bread to eat that we might commit ourselves to working for a world where all will be fed. Bless each one whose labor has contributed to the meals we are blessed to share: from the producer to the trucker to the grocer to the cook, that they might prosper by your hand. May our bodies be so nourished by the gifts of the earth and our spirits by these moments in community that we will be fortified to return to the work you have called us to do. May it be so.
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3/27/2019 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, Lent 4CCall to Confession
While we kept silence, our bodies wasted away through our groaning all day long. (Psalm 32:3) Let us confess our sin before God, and seek God's healing mercy. Prayer of Confession, L4C Turn away the disgrace we dread, O God. Hear our inward groans of despair. We have defiled ourselves, delighting in idols. We have been failthless when you were faithful, contrary when you were merciful, rebellious when you gave instruction. Do not pour out your wrath upon us, or spend your anger against us, but hear our anguish of spirit and restore us to favor in your sight. Guide us to springs of the water of life, we pray, and we will sing for gladness of heart. Assurance of God's Grace God's mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. 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. 3/26/2019 0 Comments Call to Worship, Lent 4CYou who have long lived
in the legacy of disgrace ... you are welcome here. You who have felt the humiliation of being treated as less than, as objects rather than as humans, of being used as a means to an end ... you are welcome here. God who frees us from slavery to abuse of power and to our own fears calls to you in love. Come into this circle of healing and hope, and worship. 3/22/2019 0 Comments Prayers of the People, L3CHear our prayers, Eternal One,
For those who come thirsting for freedom and security And find doors shut in their faces, Their children taken from them, Their dreams shattered Against proverbial walls. Grant that the poor and penniless Might be restored to community Where grace is abundant And hope overflows, Where opportunities are shared Lavishly By those who have more than enough, And where life-giving words are spoken In your name. Hear our prayers, O God. Hear our prayers Eternal One, For those who are busy plotting violence And wrong-doing, Intent on causing pain and destruction To fulfill in themselves some sense of power Over the powerless. Hear our prayers for healing for them That they might know the peace that comes from Knowing you intimately …. From being welcomed at your Table … From resting in your unconditional love … And as a result, may be transformed Into wholeness, As living witnesses to the grace your pour out In unexpected places and In unexpected ways. Hear our prayers, Eternal One, For those who are distracted by Too long To Do lists And too few hours, By grief And broken dreams, By mundane moments That slip by slowly In the drip, drip, drip of uninspired living. Nourish them with words of encouragement That fall upon them like glistening snow And soak into their very beings And enliven them anew With a purity of purpose That can only come from you. Refresh your people, Lord, That they might be led forth in peace, Dancing in joy, According to your divine will. 3/20/2019 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, L3CCall to Confession
“Being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish our own, we did not submit to God’s righteousness.” Romans 10:2-3 Let us confess our sin before God and seek God’s mercy. Prayer of Confession, L3C Covenant-Keeper, We have trampled on your blessing, Have ignored your life-giving word, And run from your all-encompassing love. As heirs with Christ in all that is, Everything that belongs to you is already ours, But in our greed, we grab cheaper and less-fulfilling substitutions … Imitations of your greater gifts … And we waste our resources on that which does not satisfy. Our focus is not on you. We do not seek you … Do not ask for your input on our lives … Do not try to discern your direction. We are so sure of our own ways of doing things That we do not pay attention to yours. Forgive us, we pray. Guide us back to the discipline of practice, So that listening for your voice And recognizing it Become second nature to us. Lead us away from our selfish behavior Into selflessness and love, So that we may serve as witnesses to the lavishness Of your grace. Assurance of God’s Grace Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation, I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 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. And also with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to your neighbor and to all whom you encounter today. 3/19/2019 0 Comments Call to Worship, L3CCome, you who long for abundance and joy,
Who thirst for it like water. Come, and delight yourselves by feasting On the Word. Seek the Lord. Call upon God’s name. For the Lord your God will grow in you Seeds of joy and peace and healing. Come, and be restored. 3/15/2019 0 Comments Prayers of the People, L2CAlmighty God,
you have promised peace, even sending your Son to be the Prince of Peace, though we crucified him, and we continue to crucify each other. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers for the peace you have promised. We grow weary in our waiting for your promises to be made real in our midst. As your children die senselessly in schools and in homes and in houses of worship ... places that should be safe are instead places of horrendous tragedy. Be present, O God, with those who grieve and grant comfort in these times of trial, and make of your people everywhere, peacemakers, who will bring hope to the hopeless in places of conflict and strife that violence will cease and love will prevail in your name. Creator God, you have silenced the storm and soothed the waves, and promised to be our refuge and our strength. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers for the strength you have promised. We find ourselves asking, "How long, Lord?" in the face of nature's ire. From the eye of the tornado and the depths of the floods, from the blinding blizzard and the incessant rain, and the bottom of the avalanche, we call to you on behalf of those evacuated and those who get caught in the midst of the mess. Be present, O God, with those who are displaced, with those who have lost much, with those who are struggling to survive, and make of your people everywhere, rescuers, who will reach out and provide, sharing from our own blessings to lift up those who have been struck down, so that they might find the strength to stand again. Merciful God, you have promised newness of life in lands unknown where generations will prosper beyond our imagination. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers for leadership that leads us to this promise faithfully and with great courage. From places of fear and frustration and foolishness and even faith, we call to you, begging you to remember your covenant, and to deliver your people everywhere from this agony of waiting and restore to us the promise of salvation as we journey through the wilderness of Lent, that we might encourage one another with the stories of your faithfulness and in acts of worship forever and ever. 3/13/2019 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, L2CCall to Confession
All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) Let us confess our sin before God and seek God's mercy. Prayer of Confession, Lent 2C Here we are, God, the helpless, hopeless, half-hazard humans you have called to be the church. Here we are, fumbling, failing, frustrated fools, living in fear instead of faith. We question when you call us to take risks. We choose small and safe instead of the large and expansive you offer. We are impatient and demanding. Forgive us, we pray. Help us to trust where we cannot see. Help us to rest in your promises. Grant us courage to follow where you lead, and the strength to trust in your Word. Assurance of God's Grace Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you insect, Israel! I will help you, says the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 41:14) In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God! Since we have been forgiven 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. 3/12/2019 0 Comments Call to Worship, L2CGod calls to us, "Do not fear."
Come, you strong and courageous. Come, you terrified and afraid, for the Lord our God will go with us wherever we go. God reassures us, "Do not worry." Come, trusting in the Lord with all your hearts and trying not to lean on your own understanding. "Look," says God, as God points to the breadth of God's faithfulness. Come, and wait for the Lord. "I'm the same God," says our God. Come and find your refuge and strength in God, who is an ever-present help in times of trouble. Let us worship God. 3/8/2019 0 Comments Prayers of the People, L1CPrayers of the People, L1C
Creator God, by Your hand, we are blessed, the fruits of your creation abundant for our needs. Hear our prayers of thanksgiving as we approach the throne of grace in gratitude and praise. Hear, also, our prayers for all of your created order, that those who seek to destroy it in the name of greed might be transformed and be inspired to protect that which they currently destroy with limited perspective, that ALL may be fed, that habitats may be protected, that sustainable farming methods might be promoted and your creation continue to flourish and to thrive. Head of the Church, by your grace, we are called, the gathered people the Body of Christ at work in the world. Hear our prayers of adoration as we lead your people in worship. Hear, also, our prayers for continued provision that no matter how small our congregations may be, we may continue to answer the call to make disciples, to baptize in your name, and to teach all you have commanded. In action and in truth, may we go out from this place and be the Church you have claimed and commissioned, that the world may glorify your name in every time and place. Spirit of Love, by your leading, many have found refuge and safety in foreign lands. Hear our prayers of praise that those who were in danger have found safety, that those who were hopeless have found hope, that those who were hungry have found abundance, that those who were grieving have found comfort, that those who were oppressed have found freedom. Open our arms to receive your children and offer them hospitality according to your law of love, that the world may truly find community in your embrace, that those who are secure may offer shelter, and those who are blessed may bless others, and those who have suffered may offer compassion, and those who are free may use their voices to effect justice according to your perfect will. |
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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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