PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP February 7, 2016
Greeting
Come, let us serve the Lord!
Let us serve Him in the home.
Let us serve Him in the office.
Let us serve Him in the factory.
Let us serve Him in the school.
Let us serve Him in this Church.
Come, let us serve the Lord!
Penitential Prayer
Lord, we confess our reluctance to become fishers of men.
We seem so afraid of the deep water,
so terrified of the storm,
so uncomfortable about launching into the unknown,
so afraid, even of the fish.
We are so outspoken about politics,
but so reticent about religion.
We cheer so wildly at sporting events,
but are so silent at church.
We share our opinions so readily,
but not our opinions of Christ.
We recommend commercial products,
but not spiritual realities.
Lord, forgive us for our fears,
and give us the courage
to launch out into the deep.
Blessing
Visit the sick.
Feed the poor.
Comfort the sorrowing.
Befriend the lonely.
Encourage the downtrodden.
Inform the unknowing
of the Christ who cares.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP February 14, 2016
Greeting
Coming to Church today was not easy for some of us.
Some of us would rather
be sleeping
or reading the paper
or watching the ball game.
But we are here — so rejoice!
We have rejected the call of temptation,
and have answered the call of the Lord.
Penitential Prayer
” … and lead us not into temptation.”
Lord, we have recited Your prayer hundreds of times,
and all the while we lead ourselves into temptation.
Like Eve in the Garden of Eden, we listen to temptation, and convince ourselves to sin.
Forgive us, Lord, for our tendencies
to make things easy for the Devil.
Blessing
We go from this House of Sanctuary
to a world of temptation.
Go with the Lord’s Faith
and you shall not be unduly tempted.
Go with the Lord’s Strength
and you shall not succumb.
Go with the Lord’s Love
and you shall be triumphant!
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP February 21, 2016
Greeting
The Lord is near —
listen for His message;
watch for His sign.
The Lord is near —
feel His Presence;
taste His sweetness.
Penitential Prayer
Father, we often busy ourselves with
worldly pursuits,
worldly pleasures,
worldly gratifications,
and worldly interests.
Now, Father, we pray that we will turn ourselves
to heavenly pursuits,
heavenly pleasures,
heavenly gratifications,
and heavenly interests.
Father, we know that our time in this world is short, but our time in heaven will be infinite; therefore, we pray that our interests and energies will be directed toward our ultimate fulfillment in God’s life.
Blessing
Look for the Lord in our children.
Their freshness and innocence are
at the heart of Christ’s message.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP February 28, 2016
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 awkward excuses;
Let us bury our shallow pursuits;
Let us bury the seeds of love, and water the flower of our 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.
