PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
May 4, 2014
Greeting
We have entered the house of the Lord,
Let every voice sing out in praise;
Let every heart beat with love and adoration.
We have entered the house of the Lord,
the Gateway to peace,
the Gateway to peace and blessed fulfillment.
Penitential Prayer
Today, we resolve to make an earnest accounting of our shortcomings.
We acknowledge our greed, and pray that
we might grow more charitable;
We acknowledge our biases, and pray that we might grow more open-minded;
We acknowledge our insensitivity, and pray that we might grow more understanding;
We acknowledge our lusts, and pray the we might
grow more temperate;
We acknowledge our self-centeredness, and pray that we might grow more other-centered.
Father, we pray that through Your Infinite Love we may be cleansed.
Blessing
As we return, absolved of sin, to our families and to our neighborhoods and work communities, let us practice the Christian art of caring and forgiveness.
Let us share in boundless measure the Lord’s blessings which we have received.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
May 11, 2014
Greeting
“Come,” beckons the Good Shepherd to His flock!
“I am the Gateway to New Life. Come!
for refreshment …
for comfort …
for healing …
for peace of soul …
Come, and I will make you whole!”
Penitential Prayer
We overlook so much of Your world’s simple beauty.
We overlook the sweetness of the birds and their songs;
We overlook the wonder in the rise and fall of the seasons;
We overlook the passion of autumn, the majesty of winter; the freshness of spring, and the fruitfulness of summer;
We overlook the heart-warming joy in a child’s laughter;
Father we have overlooked so much for which we have to be thankful.
We ask forgiveness for our shortsightedness and pray that we might become more fully sensitized to the wonder and glory of Creation.
Blessing
Follow the Good Shepherd.
Answer His call.
Walk in His tracks.
Obey His commands.
Follow Him, hopefully, joyfully.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
May 18, 2014
Greeting
“Trust in God, and trust in Me”
says the Lord Jesus.
Today, we have come
to trust in Him,
to follow his way,
to listen to His Word,
to experience His life.
Penitential Prayer
Heavenly Father,
We who are divisive, we who are deceptive, we who sow hatred, we who inflict the pain of betrayal, are the bearers of evil fruit.
We ask forgiveness Lord, for severing our union with You, our true Vine.
We want to reunite with the One, True Source of
Resurrection Power, without which we cannot bear good fruit.
Blessing
Go now in the knowledge that our works of love in the Lord’s service are necessary and valuable contributions to the fulfillment of God’s Plan of Redemption.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
May 25, 2014
Greeting
Do you feel abandoned?
Hear the Word of the Lord: “If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14).
Are you fearful in your loneliness?
Hear the Word of the Lord: “I will not leave
you orphans. I will come back to you …
And you will live” (John 14:18,19).
Penitential Prayer
Lord, we confess our failure
to welcome strangers
to comfort the lonely ones
to visit prisoners
to help the downtrodden
Lord, we confess that by these failures we have sown bitterness and anger and resentment in others which we now pretend not to understand.
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 life so that, in the Spirit of God, we might give ourselves to the world. Go, therefore, and,
welcome strangers.
comfort lonely ones,
visit prisoners,
help the downtrodden,
love your neighbor.
