PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP August 1, 2010
Greeting
We have come together because our lives are secure
not in what we own,
not in who we know,
not in how much we earn.
We have come together because our lives are secure
in Him who cares for us,
in Him who fulfills us,
in Him who loves us.
We have come together to worship
Him who calls us.
Penitential Prayer
We have foolishly imagined that the quest for more and
more material possessions will bring us to fulfillment.
We have foolishly imagined that our number one need is
to be able to say to ourselves …
“My soul, you have plenty of good things
laid by for many years to come; take things
easy, eat, drink, have a good time.”
We have foolishly imagined that the human spirit can
somehow escape God’s creative intention to possess it.
We have foolishly overlooked God’s reminder …
“Fool! … Fool! This very night the demand
may be made for your soul.”
Lord, forgive our foolishness.
Blessing
Blessed are the followers of Christ who, wherever they go and whatever they do, are constantly trying to proclaim to the world …
“There is only Christ!”
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP August 8, 2010
Greeting
We turn toward God,
We listen to His Word,
We bow before His Majesty,
We strive to do His Will,
We thank Him for His gifts
and
We worship Him!
Penitential Prayer
For our lack of hope in God’s promise …
turning toward self instead of turning toward God
listening to the world instead of listening to God
bowing before the glitter of material things instead of bowing before the majesty of God
striving to do the will of the devil instead of striving
to do the Will of God
we earnestly beg God’s mercy and we humbly thank God for still another chance.
Blessing
We go into the world as faithful servants of the Lord who have willingly accepted the gift of hope in the unforeseen.
Let us try to convince our brothers and sisters everywhere that they can expect the unexpected, from a God who keeps His promises.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP August 15, 2010
Greeting
Come,
let us view this day as a day of victory,
for on a Sunday morning
Christ defeated satan, sin, and death.
Come,
let us view this day of celebration
for we who are Christ’s
share the triumph with Him.
Penitential Prayer
Forgive us, God, when our lives have failed to reflect the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ;
when we have sorrowed as those who have no hope;
when we have considered the forces of evil to be too powerful to fight;
when we have viewed our religious practices as a bondage rather than a liberation;
when we have seen our difficulties as obstacles rather than as opportunities;
when we have just wrung our hands in despair instead of working things through.
Blessing
Rejoice in hope.
Live life to the fullest.
Aspire to the highest.
Anticipate the best.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP August 22, 2010
Greeting
Blessed are the meek.
Blessed are the lowly who get their strength from
putting God first.
Blessed are the humble who gather together
in Jesus’ Name.
Let us stand back …
and make room for God.
Penitential Prayer
We confess our need Lord,
to replace our spirit of mutual exploitation
with Your Spirit of mutual service:
to strip our souls bare so that we may see
our arrogant selves as we really are;
to stand in our uncomfortable desert,
self-accused of sin;
to embrace the spirit of humility,
other-centeredness and brotherhood.
Lord, we confess, as sinners, our need to renew and enrich our lives in this way and by Your Grace.
Blessing
Blessed are they who go out into the world in complete
humility. God has entrusted His ministry to the lowly
people, who cannot be intimidated by the world to do other than His Will.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP August 29, 2010
Greeting
The Old Testament writer has proclaimed:
There is no cure for the proud man’s malady,
since an evil growth has taken root in him.
The heart of a sensible man will reflect on
parables, an attentive ear is the sage’s dream.
Let us give an attentive ear and open heart to our Sage of Sages who speaks to us today of pride — and humility.
Penitential Prayer
For our easy acceptance of “the way things are” in a
world of “winners” and “losers,” forgive us Lord.
For our devotion to life not as a love but as a competition, forgive us Lord.
For our stubborn refusal to uproot “the proud man’s
malady” from our souls, forgive us Lord.
Blessing
Let us make our way now to the lowest place. Let us make the needs and the concerns of others our number one priority.
Let us prove to one another and to the world the truth of these words …
life is a love and not a competition.
