PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP April 2, 2017
Greeting
We are here to affirm that
through the Resurrection power of God
there will be a new tomorrow;
through the Resurrection power of God
there will be a better day;
through the Resurrection power of God
love will find a way!
Penitential Prayer
Where is our Resurrection faith in Jesus’s prescription
for our sweetest foretaste of the Father’s eternal Love
— namely, our acts of loving service to one another?
Where is our Resurrection faith in the works of peace
and brotherhood as our highest form of service to God?
Where is our Resurrection faith in Jesus’ victory over
the enemy, death?
Forgive us, Lord, for our lack of Resurrection faith.
Blessing
We go forth with a God centered
Resurrection Faith in Jesus’ teaching
that our works of peace and brotherhood
signify our willingness to serve God,
to trust God, and to love God.
Therefore, we go in peace.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP April 9, 2017
Greeting
Come, let us see Jesus today.
Let us see Him in the garden,
agonizing for our sins.
Let us see Him in the courtroom,
spit upon for our transgressions.
Let us see Him upon the Cross.
Come, let us see Jesus today.
Penitential Prayer
Lord, we confess that we have sometimes made
light of sacred things.
We have treated with disrespect people created
in Your image.
We have taken in vain Your Holy Name.
We have treated as commercial and common
Your Holy Day.
We have passed by Your Cross with a shrug.
Give us, O Lord, a sense of awe before that
which is holy, and thereby give us a deep
understanding of the vital issues of life.
Blessing
Depart in peace,
for Jesus humbled Himself
and became obedient unto death.
Depart in joy,
for God has bestowed on Him the Name
that is above every name.
Depart in hope,
for at His Name every knee shall bow,
and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP April 14, 2017
Greeting
People, why do you weep?
This is not a day of
mourning
or anguish
or senseless tragedy.
Rejoice!
This is a day of
celebration
and holiness
and sacred fulfillment.
This is the day the Lord seals His Covenant with us.
This is the day of our salvation.
Penitential Prayer
On the first Good Friday, jesus took the necessary
step for the fulfillment of His Father’s Will.
Yet, on this Good Friday, we are standing still …
while the poor are trampled on by our economic system;
while minorities are subjected to second class
housing, and schooling, and citizenship;
while thousands are denied their basic human rights;
while refugees drown in a sea of government inaction;
while Israeli children are murdered in the name of
Palestinian Liberation;
while Arab children are shelled in the name of
internal security;
while Irish Catholic and Protestant children are
bombed in the name of Jesus.
Father, even as we gather in memory of Jesus’ sacrifice,
we admit that we have made none.
Forgive our arrogance for praying on this Holy Day,
when we have done nothing to make it Holy.
Blessing
Remembering the Lord’s
Cross
pain
and His death for us;
Go now, sacrificing your
time
energy
and life for Your brother and sister.
Go now, not in the spirit of helpless mourning,
but in the spirit of active ministry.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP April 16, 2017
Greeting
Look — see the tomb is empty!
Listen — hear the angels speak of His Resurrection!
Stop — think what this all means!
He had risen!
He is alive!
We have been given New Life!
Penitential Prayer
On Easter morning, Jesus rose and left the tomb,
leaving his death shroud behind.
We confess, Father, on this Easter morning
we have not left behind our own shroud of sin …
Even as we celebrate His Resurrection we cannot
shake our fear of death.
Even as we sing songs of praise we do not feel
the joy we express.
Even as we pass the collection plate we are still
held spellbound by the lure of material wealth.
Even as we exchange a sign of peace we hold onto
our old grudges.
Even as we receive His cup of unity we still harbor
our own personal and racial prejudices.
Even as we receive the benediction we are wondering
how fast we can get out of the parking lot..
Lord, we are sorry that on this Day of New Life
we still hold onto the vestiges of sin and death.
Forgive us for praising You as our Resurrected Lord
when we do not act as Your Easter People.
Blessing
We are an Easter People
and alleluia is our song!
Sing thankfully for His Sacrifice!
Sing joyfully for His Resurrection!
Sing triumphantly for His Victory!
We are an Easter People,
may we sing our Easter Song!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP April 23, 2017
Greeting
God invites you this morning to come and believe.
Believe in God the Father;
in God the Son;
in God the Holy Spirit.
Believe in the forgiveness of sins,
the fellowship of believers,
and
the resurrection of the life to come.
God invites you this morning to come and believe.
Penitential Prayer
Father, we come to You, trembling,
acknowledging many doubts and fears.
There are tragedies in life we fail to understand,
illnesses that make us question Your love,
and teachings of Your Word that seem strange.
Yet we know, Father,
that the just are saved by faith
and shall live by faith.
Lord, we believe.
Help our unbelief.
Blessing
Believe sincerely.
Witness clearly.
Love dearly.
In the Name of Jesus your Lord.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP April 30, 2017
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.
