PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
September 4, 2016
Greeting
Come, let us worship God.
Let us be awed by His Presence.
Let us be shaped by His Standards.
Let us be enlightened by His Wisdom.
Let us be mobilized by His Spirit.
Penitential Prayer
We confess, O Lord, that sometimes we have neglected the vows we took when we made a public acknowledgment of our faith.
We have sometimes failed to make use of the means of grace.
We have often been content to remain just the way we are.
We have at times quenched the Holy Spirit.
We have failed to live out fully the New Life which had been planted in us, responding with defeat and
discouragement instead of vitality and hope.
Convince us again of the possibilities of the Christian way, and inspire us to walk it with joy.
Blessing
May God the Father, who created you, re-create His life
in you daily.
May God the Son, who redeemed you, enrich your life
as you walk with Him.
May God the Holy Spirit, who lives within you, equip you for worthy and joyful service.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
September 11, 2016
Greeting
The Lord our God is a welcoming God,
standing with arms outstretched to those who return.
The Lord our God is a seeking God,
calling in love to those who are wandering.
The Lord our God is a hearing God,
with ears that are open to our prayers of need and our hymns of praise.
Penitential Prayer
We acknowledge, Lord God, that we are very much like the sheep You characterized as having wandered away.
We tend to put our heads down and follow one tuft of grass after another, without lifting our eyes to see in which direction we are going.
We listen to the voice of other shepherds, whose intention is to use us for their own purposes.
We allow ourselves to get caught in the underbrush and rocky crevices of life.
We take lightly the sacrifice You have made for us when You warded off the predator who would destroy our souls.
Forgive us, we pray, for our wanderings, and encourage us by Your soft invitation to follow You in confidence and obedience.
Blessing
Farewell, friends in Christ.
Return to your homes secure in the knowledge that God loves you and that you are part of His family.
May you return again next week, having fulfilled God’s purpose in your life.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
September 18, 2016
Greeting
How lovely is the dwelling place
of the Lord of hosts!
Our souls long
for the courts of the Lord.
Our hearts and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Penitential Prayer
We confess that we are much like ancient peoples,
constantly tempted to place our trust in idols which cannot save us.
We find it tempting to worship money, believing that it will buy what we really want in life.
We are prone to worship power, thinking that through might and armaments we will overcome our enemies.
We find it tempting to put our ultimate trust in science and
technology, believing that the material world holds the key to the universe.
Forgive us, O God, for our misplaced trust, and help us to always worship the Creator rather than the creature.
Blessing
“Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, immovable,
always abiding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
September 25, 2016
Greeting
God has shown us what is good.
Do we know what He requires of us?
We must act justly, love kindness, and walk humbly
with our God.
God’s desire is that justice may roll down like the waters, and righteousness like an overflowing stream.
Penitential Prayer
If we have neglected the needy at our doorstep,
O God of mercy, forgive us.
If we have failed to defend the rights of the oppressed,
O God of justice, forgive us.
If we have turned a deaf ear to cries of need,
O God of compassion, forgive us.
If we have remained silent about injustice in our world,
O God of holiness, forgive us.
If we have shrugged at the frustrations of those who are victims of prejudice,
O God of all creation, forgive us.
Blessing
In the market place, in the school, in the factory, and in the home, live in such a way that justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
