Siblings of Christ,
bring your honest confession
of dishonest behavior
and stand before God in the courts of mercy.
Heirs of the Kin-dom,
bring your devotion to God
and release your devotion to worldly idols
and kneel before the Lord 
in worship and in thanksgiving.
Servants of the Most High,
bring your shrewdness
to exchange for holiness
that you may leave this place transformed
by the power of the Spirit at work.

Loving Shepherd,
we gather near to you
at your invitation,
with all our imperfections
and insecurities,
and bask in the warmth 
of your gracious hospitality.
By your great love,
we are known 
and are able to love others.

Be present, Lord, we pray,
with those who do not know the wonder
of your unconditional love
and grace;
who have not experienced it 
in those around them
and do not, therefore, 
know how to extend it 
to those whom they encounter.
Embrace them with your mercy
and show them what it means 
to be called "Beloved."

Be present, also,
with those whose loss is great,
and comfort them
as they search for wholeness
and reconciliation
and celebrate with them 
when their blessings are restored.

Transform your church, O God,
into a place of welcome
where all are treated with love
and respect,
where the lost are sought
with faithful persistence,
and the poor and lonely
are lifted up 
and encouraged
in times of trial,
where sinners are encircled
by other sinners
in humility and hope.

The King of Love My Shepherd Is
Come Thou Fount of Ev'ry Blessing
Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
Just As I Am
Amazing Grace
The Lord's My Shepherd
Come, You Sinners, Poor and Needy
There's a Wideness in God's Mercy
All People That on Earth Do Dwell
Lord, Speak to Me that I May Speak
You Are My All in All

Come, tax collectors and sinners.
Come, you who make and enforce rules
indiscriminitely
without forethought or compassion
and you who write those rules
into law.
Come, you grumblers 
who worry more about the impact
of Jesus-followers on your bottom line
than about how Jesus-followers
are helping the downtrodden,
oppressed,
and voiceless.
Even you are welcome in the courts of the Lord.
Come and give thanks for God's
amazing grace!

Compassionate Creator,
Hear our prayers for fathers and mothers
who are estranged from their children
or find their relationships stressed
because of differing understandings
of what it means to serve you.
Grant us serenity to accept the things we cannot change,
courage to change the things we can,
and the wisdom to know the difference,
even as we seek to follow you.

Redeeming Savior,
Hear our prayers for spouses 
estranged from each other
after years of commitment and sharing life together
because of differeng understandings
of what it means to be a your disciple.
Grant us serenity to accept the things we cannot change,
courage to change the things we can,
and the wisdom to know the difference,
even as we seek to follow you.

Holy Spirit,
Hear our prayers for siblings
at odds with one another
after lifetimes of common experiences
because of differeng understandings
of what it means to serve you.
Grant us serenity to accept the things we cannot change,
courage to change the things we can,
and the wisdom to know the difference,
even as we seek to follow you.

Take Up Your Cross, the Savior Said
O Jesus, I Have Promised
Jesus Calls Us
Here I Am, Lord
In the Cross of Christ I Glory
Go To Dark Gethsemane
Blessed Jesus, At Your Word
I Have Decided to Follow Jesus
How Clear is Our Vocation, Lord