PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP October 5, 2008
Greeting
Let us proclaim the fruits of true faith:
Death will be conquered,
violations will be forgiven,
misery will be subdued.
Penitential Prayer
The sins of one person are the sins of all people.
Let us bury our irresponsibility.
Let us bury our uninvolvement.
Let us bury our self-righteousness;
Let us bury our narrow opinions;
Let us bury our pretentious manners;
Let us bury our ill wishes;
Let us bury our shallow pursuits.
Let us plant the seeds of love,
and water the flowers of hope.
Blessing
Having heard the way,
walk in the Way;
Having walked in the way,
run in the Way;
Having run in the way,
fly in the Way.
Hear-Walk-Run-Fly
The limits of the Lord are boundless.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP October 12, 2008
Greeting
We are Godís guests of honor —
Let us attend His banquet singing, praising, and
glorifying His Name.
We are Godís guests of honor,
let us act accordingly.
Penitential Prayer
Father, we confess that our faith has lagged;
our charity has waned;
our care has diminished;
our concern has dwindled;
our kindness lessened;
and our harmony has vanished.
Father, we confess our need for renewal,
our need for hope, and our need for understanding.
Please hear our prayers.
Blessing
Go into the world demonstrating,
teaching
and spreading the love of Christ.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP October 19, 2008
Greeting
Lord, God we love You,
we love Your world.
we love all Your people,
and we will show it by what we do with our lives.
Come, let us celebrate our commitment to the
Christian life!
Penitential Prayer
Lord, we often find ourselves playing around the
fringes of authentic religion,
much like the Pharisees of old.
Often our life is based on our money and possessions
and not on the deep, solid foundation of the Spirit of Love.
Lord, forgive us for not committing ourselves
beyond the fringes of authentic religion.
Lord, forgive us for clinging to a faith without love.
Blessing
May the Spirit of Christ remain in you always.
May the deep, solid foundation of the Spirit of
Love support you always.
May you cling to Jesusí saving hand, and never let go!
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP October 26, 2008
Greeting
Enter this House,
to discover the mystery of Godís love;
to experience the power of Godís love.
Penitential Prayer
Lord, we are an insincere people!
We say, ìCheers!î without being of good cheer.
We say, ìGood morning!î but do not make the
morning good.
We say, ìHow are things?î and then act as though
we donít really care.
We say, ìGod loves you!î but do not become the
channel of Godís love.
We say, ìI love you!î when we really mean
ìWhat can I get from you?î
Lord, forgive us for our casual approach to the Biblical command:
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Lord, forgive us our insincerity!
Blessing
Go forth from your Fatherís House in obedience to
the command:
love your neighbor as yourself.
Go forth, saying ìGod loves you …. I love you …
with all possible sincerity.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP November 2, 2008
Greeting
Let us rejoice in the miracles of Christ.
Let us rejoice in eternal life;
Let us rejoice in sacred forgiveness,
Let us rejoice in infinite love.
These are miracles of Christ;
Let us rejoice!
Penitential Prayer
Father, we come before You this morning
so that we might praise and worship You,
but our souls are blurred and tarnished.
Father, we pray that You will forgive our sins that:
we may better understand Your Word;
we may better love our neighbors as ourselves;
we may better serve the needs of our communities;
Father, we ask Your forgiveness.
Blessing
You came asking for peace,
you have been given peace;
You came here asking for forgiveness,
you have been forgiven;
You came here asking for light,
and Your Light shines throughout the world.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP November 9, 2008
Greeting
The Lord is in His Holy Temple;
let all the Earth keep silence before Him.
Penitential Prayer
The people of God
are a people of sinners.
The people of God
are a people of sinners
wise enough to know that they are sinners.
The people of God
are wise enough to know that they live
by virtue of repentance.
The people of God
are wise enough to know that they live
by virtue of the forgiveness of a Merciful God.
ìLord, we are not worthy!
So say the people of God
in their wisdom.
Blessing
Leave this Temple and return to the world …
to exercise Your Divine calling
by your every word and action.
Leave this Temple and return to the world …
so that the world may know
what manner of people
the Living God produces.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP November 16, 2008
Greeting
Come, you ìgood and faithful servants.î
ìCome, share your Masterís joy!î
Come, your Master is calling out to you:
ìWell done! Well done!î
Come, share your Masterís joy!
Penitential Prayer
O God, how great You are;
how small we are!
How infinite is Your wisdom;
how limited is ours!
How everlasting You are;
how brief our span of life!
How good and high are Your ways;
how selfish and impure are ours!
O Lord, take our weakness this very hour,
and transform us,
so that we may become Your
ìgood and faithful servants.î
Blessing
Go,
trusting in God;
Go,
and share the Masterís joy.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP November 23, 2008
Greeting
Come, let us worship the Son of Man.
From Him we have come,
to Him we must return
and in Him we live and move
and have our being.
Come, let us worship the Son of Man.
Penitential Prayer
If, in the midst of poverty all around our world,
we complain that our wealth is not sufficient,
Father, forgive us.
If while others are wearing rags,
we have opened our full closets complaining that we
have nothing to wear,
Father, forgive us.
Blessing
Learn Christís compassion.
Love the brethren.
Live peaceably with all.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP November 30, 2008
Greeting
Be ever watchful for the coming of the Lord.
watchful where we worship,
watchful where we dwell,
watchful where we work, and study and play.
Be ever watchful for the coming of the Lord.
Penitential Prayer
Merciful Father …
Because we have not lived by faith,
Because we have resisted Your Holy Spirit,
Because we have neglected Your Message of hope,
Because we have strayed from our appointed watch,
Because we have ignored the true signs of Your coming,
Because we have not loved one another as Jesus
has loved us,
Merciful Father …
We beg Your pardon. We ask Your help, that we may position ourselves to accept
Your Advent promise of eternal fulfillment in an attitude of joyful expectation.
Blessing
Stay awake,
For we do not know when the Master
of the House is coming.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP December 7, 2008
Greeting
Said John the Baptist, ìSomeone is following me … and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of His sandals … He will baptize you with the Holy Spiritî
Come, let us worship, for He of whom John spoke is here with us, ready to baptize.
Penitential Prayer
As those who listened to John the Baptist were called
upon to repent, we also should repent in preparation
for the coming of the Lord
We confess that we who have two coats have often failed
to share our luxuries with the needy.
We confess that we who have so much food have been
reluctant to give to the starving.
We confess that we have been caught up in the concept
of life which judges success in terms of material
possessions.
Forgive us, we pray, in the Name of Christ who wishes to establish His Kingdom in us.
Blessing
May the Spirit of the Living Christ
increase within you daily,
bringing forgiveness, fruitfulness and peace.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP December 14, 2008
Greeting
Make a straight way for the Lord;
make straight His path to our lives.
May every valley of doubt be filled,
and every mountain of sin brought low.
May the crooked ways be made straight
and the rough places made smooth
so we all can see
the salvation of our Lord.
Penitential Prayer
Forgive us Lord, if we have barred Your way to the full
possession of our lives;
if we have been too busy
to prepare for Your coming;
if we have been too preoccupied
to recognize Your presence;
if we have failed to clear away the underbrush
of greed, lust and anger.
By the strong arm of Your tough love break down our
defenses and invade our lives.
Blessing
May the Light of God break upon you
with glory and beauty,
majesty and power.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP December 21, 2008
Greeting
Come, let us worship the Lord,
for He has revealed Himself in our likeness,
and has saved us through His Son.
Penitential Prayer
If we have spent so much time shopping that we
have had little time to spend with those we are
shopping for,
Forgive us Lord, and give us sensitivity.
If we have been decorating our houses but have
neglected the inner beauty of our homes,
Forgive us Lord, and grant us love.
If we have thought much about Christmas 2008
but have thought little about the meaning of the
first Christmas,
Forgive us Lord, and give us insight.
Blessing
May the salvation that was announced to Joseph
be your salvation.
May the love that was conceived by God
be your love.
May the life that was born of Mary
be your life.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP December 25, 2008
Greeting
Praise God this Christmas day.
Praise God who has brought us great joy.
Praise God who has shared with us His beloved Son.
Penitential Prayer
For refusing Christís invitation to new life,
Father forgive us.
For turning away from Christís light,
Father forgive us.
For rejecting Christís Grace,
Father forgive us.
For abandoning hope in Christís promise,
Father forgive us.
For disobeying Christís command to love one another as He has loved us.
Father forgive us.
Blessing
Return to your homes this Christmas Day.
united in the spirit of sharing.
united in a fellowship of service.
united in the bond of love.
united in the brotherhood of Christ.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP December 28, 2008
Greeting
Rejoice! Sing praise!
Salvation is at hand, the promises of the Lord
will be fulfilled.
Penitential Prayer
Forgive us, Lord,
we understand the need to struggle for material gain,
but fail in our struggle for spiritual gain.
Forgive us, Lord,
we understand the need for social harmony and justice,
but fail to promote them through Christian sacrifice.
Forgive us, Lord,
we understand the need for sensitivity in human encounters
but fail to minister to each otherís hurts.
Father, forgive us our all too frequent failures.
Blessing
Having been blessed,
walk in the light.
Having been transformed,
share your secret.
Having been renewed,
go in peace.
