Gathered 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.
​

​​You 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.

​Hear 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.

Call 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.

Come, 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.

​Almighty 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.

God 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.
​

​Prayers 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.