April 6, 2008
Greeting
The Word of the Lord is revealing,
shedding light in our darkening world.
The Word of the Lord is reliable,
true in all that it teaches.
The Word of the Lord is loving,
giving comfort in times of distress.
Come, let us gather to worship our God
for in His Word there is life,
and comfort, and hope, and power.
Penitential Prayer
We confess, Lord,
That there is a gap between our knowledge and our action.
We are well informed about Your Will, but we often choose to ignore it.
You have told us what the Scriptures say, but we fail to put Your teachings into practice.
Our spirits are willing, but our flesh is weak.
Forgive us, Lord, for our inability to put principle
into practice.
Forgive us, Lord, for our failure to carry out our good intentions.
Blessing
May the Lord
walk before you to guide you,
hover over you to protect you,
and live within you to strengthen you.
April 13, 2008
Greeting
Do not greet the Good Shepherd like a stranger —
Open your arms and embrace Him fully!
Open your hearts and love Him dearly!
Penitential Prayer
Forgive us Lord, for our failure to be clothed in sincere compassion, kindness and humility.
Forgive us Lord, for our failure to be clothed in gentleness and patience.
Forgive us, Lord for our failure to put on love.
Blessing
Do not try to bypass Christ. Follow Him.
Christ is the way in to the Heart of God;
Christ is the gate to eternal peace.
April 20, 2008
Greeting
Come forth, you who are hungry
for in the House of the Lord
you will be fed.
Come forth, you who are weary
for in the House of the Lord
you will be comforted.
Penitential Prayer
Father, we ask Your forgiveness
if we have said, ìWe give up,î
rather than, ìGod, give us strength;î
if we have said, ëIt is impossible,î
rather then, ìGod makes all things possible;î
if we have said, ìDeath conquers all,î
rather than, ìGod offers eternal life;î
if we have said, ìThe world is damned,î
rather than, ìGod promises blessed salvation.î
Father, we ask Your forgiveness
if we have said, ìWe can make it alone,î
rather than, ìGod, show us the way.î
Blessing
May the wealth of a generous heart,
the light of a clear mind,
and the grace of a pure soul
be the eternal blessings of your faith.
April 27, 2008
Greeting
Do you feel abandoned?
Hear the Word of the Lord:
ìI shall ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever.î
Are you fearful in your loneliness?
Hear the Word of the Lord:
ìI will not leave you orphans. I will never abandon you.î
Penitential Prayer
Lord, we confess our failure …
to welcome strangers
to comfort the lonely ones
to visit the sick
to help the downtrodden
Lord, we confess that by these failures we have sown
bitterness and anger and resentment in others.
Forgive us, Lord, for abandoning those of our
brothers and sisters who need us most.
Forgive us for our failure to share with them the
Spirit of God.
Blessing
Jesus has given us another Advocate so that, in the Spirit of God, we might give ourselves to the world.
Go therefore, and,
welcome strangers,
comfort lonely ones,
visit the sick,
help the downtrodden,
love your neighbor.
May 4, 2008
Greeting
All things derive from one Source.
All things emanate from one Divine Force.
We proclaim the Power of God.
We acknowledge our dependence on God
for life
for the meaning of life.
Penitential Prayer
Father, we confess that in many ways our lives have been
less than Christian.
Although we have been enlightened, we have failed to
give light.
Although we have known the Spirit of Godís love, we
have failed to share it with others.
Although we have been prepared for discipleship, we
have failed to practice it.
Forgive us, Lord, and set us straight.
Teach us to love others as Jesus has loved us,
unreservedly, unconditionally.
Blessing
Go in peace.
Pray for every living being.
And be gentle in all you say and do.
May 11, 2008
Greeting
Again we are gathered in the assurance that the Risen Christ is with us, saying, ìPeace be with you/ Receive the Holy Spirit.î
Penitential Prayer
Forgive us Father. We lock Your Holy Spirit out of our hearts, wanting You, and yet afraid.
We want to be Your disciples
but we fear the risks involved.
We want to proclaim Your Truth
but we fear the criticism.
We want to feed the poor
but we fear the cost.
We want to shelter the homeless
clothe the needy
heel the sick
defend the helpless
but we fear the time involved.
Lord, we want to confess our sins
but we fear to admit them.
Lord, we want to open our hearts to Your Holy Spirit
but we fear the consequences.
Lord, forgive our fear so that we may experience Your true peace.
Blessing
Though our burdens may be many and heavy,
because we are a Spirit-filled people, we go out into the world as a light-hearted, happy people.
MAY 18, 2008
Greeting
The Father summons,
and promises always …
a Kingdom to come
a Kingdom of truth
a Kingdom of Love.
Penitential Prayer
Father, we confess the inadequacy of our love …
Scripture tells us You so loved the world
that You sent Your only Son,
not to condemn
but to save!
Father, truly Your love is vast.
But mankindís love is frequently preempted,
by thoughtless condemnations,
by revengeful acts,
by hateful exploitations.
Father, forgive us!
Blessing
Go out into the world in love:
hold fast to what is good,
return no evil for evil,
strengthen the weak,
support the poor,
honor all your brothers and sisters.
Go out into the world in love
and live as men and women in Christ.
May 25, 2008
Greeting
He who is hungry, let him come,
For Jesus is the Bread which gives us life.
He who is thirsty, let him come,
For Jesus is the wine which lifts the spirit.
Penitential Prayer
Lord Jesus, we are really unworthy to be guests at Your love feast.
We have sometimes disobeyed Your clearly-stated Will.
We have sometimes come reluctantly, because we think there are more important things to do.
We have sometimes quarreled with the other guests.
We have sometimes been neglectful about inviting others
to the celebration.
Nevertheless, in Your Mercy, You have invited us to come!
Blessing
Having been fed,
depart to share.
Having been inspired,
depart to encourage.
Having remembered,
depart to tell.
June 1, 2008
Greeting
Come, let our worship experience be permeated with
a clear awareness that we stand before the Lord.
His deeds we proclaim to one another in the spirit
of sharing.
To achieve love and peace among men and women — these are the concerns of our worship experience.
Penitential Prayer
God, forgive us,
for building our lives on the shifting sands of money and things.
God forgive us, for building our lives on the shifting sands of
passing pleasure.
God forgive us, for building our lives on the shifting sands of egoism and pride.
God forgive us, for not building our lives on the solid rock of Your saving Word.
Blessing
May you be one in faith,
one in hope,
one in the deeds of justice and peace.
May you be one in the love of God,
made visible in the Lord Jesus Christ.
June 8, 2008
Greeting
Let each one of us come before the Lord,
in the spirit of hope.
Let each one of us come before the Lord in the spirit of joyous expectation!
Penitential Prayer
We ask Your pardon, Lord,
If we have been like the Pharisees, paying more attention to religious appearances than to true godliness.
We ask Your pardon, Lord.
If in the busyness of doing great things for You we have
overlooked small opportunities for giving encouragement and assistance to others.
Father, forgive us!
Blessing
Each of us is called to follow Jesus in his or her own
unique individual way.
Jesus knows our limitations and our capabilities and
guides us accordingly.
Jesus knows where He is leading us, but we must follow.
Take up His Cross and follow Him!
June 15, 2008
Greeting
The Lord is gathering the wheat into His barn.
Come to the harvest!
The Lord is blessing those who have seeing eyes and
hearing ears and understanding hearts.
Come … you are the harvest!
Penitential Prayer
Lord Jesus, Your parables are intended for us as hard lessons in living. Yet, we have grown accustomed to regarding them as
quaint little stories, or regarding them not at all. For the times we have misused the Scriptures in this way, we ask forgiveness.
Blessing
Live by the Gospel
in all you think,
in all you say,
in all you do.
Do this in Jesusí Name.
June 22, 2008
Greeting
Keep your head erect,
your hopes high,
your hearts light,
and your spirits soaring!
Every hair on your head has been counted.
The God of Love will not abandon you.
Penitential Prayer
Father, we confess that often we become intimidated
by events in the political, social and economic areas of our society. We confess that we have not been …
keeping our heads erect,
keeping our hopes high,
keeping our hearts light,
and keeping our spirits soaring.
We confess that we often are frightened into conformity, even opting for violence as an acceptable means of resolving tensions between individuals and between nations.
Forgive us, Father, for turning away from Jesusí promise …
that Your Kingdom is coming;
Blessing
Jesus assures us, ìevery hair of your head has been counted So there is no need to be afraid.î
Through every trial and tribulation
God is with us. God cares. God is merciful!
June 29, 2008
Greeting
Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, comes to us in the gathering of the church.
To know the joy of His coming, to experience His Presence, we gather expectantly.
Our expectation is like our praise.
Expectation is part of the bridge of faith that makes it
possible for Jesusí Presence to become real in our lives.
Penitential Prayer
Father, forgive our pious proclamation of Jesus as Messiah when it fails to signify deep commitment to follow the way of the Lord.
Father, forgive us our failure to proclaim His Message of peace and forgiveness, New Life and hope.
Father, for our failure to be Christís messengers, forgive us.
Blessing
We accept Jesus as Messiah in terms of commitment.
This means following in His footsteps in a ministry of
peacemaking,
reconciling,
forgiving,
healing,
loving.
