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11/30/2018 0 Comments Prayers of the People, Advent 1C Where are you, God?
What are you doing? You promised justice. You PROMISED. Where is this justice? We search for it in government and in business, in education and in the work force, and we do not see it. Hear the cries of your people, O God! Hear the cries of your people! How we long for the day when the marginalized will be liberated! How we long for the day when our children of all races and gender identities and socio-economic groups will live in safety! Come, o come, Emmanuel! Come, Righteousness! Sprout in us anew and lead us into hope. In the name of Jesus Christ, our promised King, we pray.
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11/28/2018 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, Advent 1C Call to Confession
Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. Isaiah 45:22 In our brokenness, let us turn to the Lord our God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, who alone is God, and seek God's mercy. Prayer of Confession, Advent 1C "Watch for this," you said, God. But we are not watching. We have turned our heads to see the spectacles happening around us instead of focusing our gaze on the ways in which you are working in our midst. "The time is coming," you said. But we are not waiting. We are racing ahead of you. We are celebrating the not yet instead of living in the anticipation of now. "I will keep my promise," you said. And you did. But we have not kept ours. We have been less than faithful in our sacrificial offerings and in our worship. Forgive us, we pray. Set things right in us, that, renewed by your Spirit, we may kneel at the feet of the One who is and was and is to come. Assurance of God's Grace And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. Jeremiah 32:38-40a 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. 11/27/2018 1 Comment Call to Worship, Advent 1C Come, you tired trees,
you old, dead stumps, you brittle branches. Come, and wait together for the new life that is about to spring forth in you. Come, and hear the promises renewed. Come, and worship. 11/23/2018 0 Comments Prayers of the People, CKSB God of Jacob and Rebekah,
we bow before you. Prince of Peace and King of kings, we honor you. Eternal Spirit, we worship you. Hear our prayers for those who govern that they might hear your voice and be led by your example, administering justice according to your law of love. Hear our prayers for those who rely on your covenant for order and security that they might grow and prosper and rest in the hope of salvation according to your everlasting promises. Hear our prayers for those cut off and tossed away who, imprisoned by their own pain, long for community and for new life in Christ, that they may be reconciled to you and restored to wholeness. Hear our prayers for a new day, O God, that they sun may rise upon your people throughout the earth and bring light to the darkness as we remember who we are and whose we are, and realign our loyalties with the One who reigns in glory.  Call to Confession
I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. (Jeremiah 32:40) Let us confess our sin before God and seek God's mercy. Prayer of Confession, CKS, Year B Rock of Israel, Fortress, King, we have failed you, have failed to serve you according to your everlasting covenant. Our leaders do not lead with love but with greed, in many cases, they neither govern fairly nor well, and we not only allow them to represent us, we elected them. Perhaps it is because our greed is greater than our desire to serve you. We do not love our neighbor as ourselves, or, if we do, we do not love ourselves. We stuff ourselves before we feed the hungry. We busy ourselves to the point of never having time to sit with the lonely or comfort the grieving or show grace to the imprisoned or bring healing to the sick. We refuse to welcome the stranger or to show hospitality even to our friends and neighbors if they do not look like us. Forgive us, we pray. We give thanks for your steadfast love for us in spite of our failure to live as you have called us to live in your kingdom. Forgive our waywardness, we pray, and restore in us a spirit of peace according to your graciousness. In the name of Christ, we pray. Assurance of God's Grace God said, "But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall." (Malachi 4:2) 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. Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this day and in the days to come. 11/20/2018 0 Comments Call to Worship, CKS, Year B There is a king who rules justly,
who rules in the fear of God. Let us rejoice in the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Let us give thanks for the fulfillment of the everlasting covenant. Let us celebrate with songs of praise and thanksgiving! 11/16/2018 0 Comments Prayers of the People, OT33B O Lord of hosts,
look upon your servants with mercy. Grant a double portion of compassion upon your children whose spirits are wounded, who weep and fast in desperation. Day after day, your people cry out in agony. Day after day, their hope persists in the face of hopelessness. Exasperated with worry and with fear, your people all upon your name, Lord, and seek your favor. Comfort your people, O God, with your Spirit of gentleness, with your grace-filled Word, with your everlasting love. Make of your church a haven from hatred, a welcoming community, a hospital for the helpless. O Lord of hosts, grant the petitions of those who earnestly seek to serve you, in Jesus' holy name. 11/14/2018 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, OT33B Call to Confession
Our Lord has promised that when we call upon God in the day of trouble; God will deliver us. Let us confess our sin before God, seek God's mercy, and glorify God. Prayer of Confession, OT33B Forgive us, God, for we refuse to listen ... refuse to listen. Our souls weep in secret for our pride; Our eyes weep bitterly, so bitterly, and run down with tears. Forgive us, God, for we blame you ... blame you for our pain. We cannot see your all-encompassing love in the face of our grief. Forgive us, God, for believing you would punish us when the price for our sin has already been paid. Consider our affliction, Lord, and the hardships we have endured, and forgive, Oh Lord, forgive, we pray, all ... ALL ... our sins. Assurance of God's Grace God said, "When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue them and honor them. (Psalm 91:15) 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. 11/13/2018 0 Comments Call to Worship, OT33B Come, you barren and you fruitful,
loved and unloved, dreamers praying for fulfillment of your hearts desires. Come, you ridiculed and you provokers, cast down and leveling, all who feel punished and alone. Come, you who weep in fervent prayer and know that you are not alone. Come and worship the God who grieves with you in your distress and longs to comfort you. 11/7/2018 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, OT32B Call to Confession
All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Let us confess our sin together and seek God's mercy. Prayer of Confession, OT32B We are desperate, God. We manipulate the outcome we want instead of trusting you to provide. We sell ourselves and others to secure our futures. We claim what isn't ours as a right because society has taught us that we can. Forgive us, we pray. Teach us to place our hope in you alone. Grant us courage to right systems that oppress, so that the marginalized are protected and the poor are fed. Assurance of God's Grace Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:22) By the sacrifice of Jesus, we have been declared righteous, and in his n ame, 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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