PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
January 1, 2024
Greeting
In Psalm 31, the Holy Troubadour sings,
“You are my God,
my time is secure in Your hands.”
We have come to acknowledge, in one voice:
“You are the God of us all. Our time is secure in Your hands.”
Our time belongs to God.
Our New Year, 2024, belongs to God.
Penitential Prayer
Heavenly Father, we confess
that we have usurped Your time;
that we have used Your time for our selfish purposes;
that we have wasted Your time in idle
pursuits.
Therefore, Heavenly Father, in asking Your forgiveness, we hasten to reaffirm.
that our time belongs to You;
that our time is insecure in our weak hands;
that we come and go in time according to Your Divine Plan;
that our time is secure only in Your hands;
that because Your gift of time is lovingly tendered to us, we must give lovingly of
our time to You, Father, and all our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Blessing
As the tree trunk supports its branches,
your faith supports you.
As the rain sustains the rivers,
your hope sustains you.
As the Lord God lovingly fulfills His creation,
your love for one another fulfills you.
Happy New Year!
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
January 7, 2024
Greeting
As we worship at the threshold of eternal things, the very doorway of heaven,
let us leave behind everything that would make us stumble and instead, enter with expectant joy.
Penitential Prayer
Forgive us, Lord, for doing the right things at the wrong time.
When we should have listened, we talked; and when we should have talked, we were silent.
When we should have been strict, we were lenient; and when we should have been lenient, we were strict.
When we should have been firm, we vacillated; and when we should have been gentle, we were harsh.
When we should have been patient, we hurried, and when we should have been prompt, we were slow.
Forgive us, Lord, for doing the right things at the wrong time.
Blessing
May the Providence of the Father who hovers over you,
the Presence of the Son who stands beside you,
and the Power of the Spirit who lives within you
be the strength of your life.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
January 14, 2024
Greeting
In Jesus, our Messiah,
God is present among us.
Through Jesus, our Messiah,
God assures us that we are never abandoned;
From Jesus, our Messiah,
we will learn where we are going.
But, in the Name of Jesus, let us all admit
that we need direction.
Speak, Lord, your servants are listening!
Penitential Prayer
Father,
We have listened only after deciding in advance what You had to tell us;
We have been guilty of selective tuning, letting in Your message of comfort and security, but shutting out Your message of responsibility and commitment;
We have refused to recognize Your voice in the cries for help transmitted through throbbing, suffering, living humanity.
We have paid little attention to Your solemn declaration that, “Whatever You do to My brothers, you do to Me.”
Father, for these sins of pride and disbelief, we beg Your mercy.
Blessing
Go forth now …
Full of joy in the Holy Spirit,
boldly proclaiming the Good News:
Look! There is the Lamb of God
who takes away the sins of the world!
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
January 21, 2024
Greeting
This is the time of fulfillment!
The reign of God is at hand!
Reform your lives!
Believe in the Gospel!
Follow Jesus!
Penitential Prayer
God, our Father, we admit that we have failed to be the followers of Christ You want us to be. We regret our failure to recognize the presence of Jesus Christ in one another.
Liberate us from being further tortured by our failures. Release us from their yoke so that we can move forward into the future unafraid, knowing that even if we fail, your help, which comes to us through Jesus Christ, is never out of reach.
Blessing
Each of us is called to follow Jesus in his or her unique, individual way. Jesus knows our limitations and our capabilities and guides us accordingly. Jesus knows where He is leading us, but we must follow.
Take up His Cross and follow Him!
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
January 28, 2024
Greeting
Jesus went to the synagogue and began to teach. They were astonished at His teaching. He taught them as one who had real authority.
Be alert and attentive so that you also may
become spellbound by His teaching.
Penitential Prayer
Father, we know that Your Son Jesus did not remain a little baby, but grew in wisdom and stature, teaching in the synagogue, asking and answering questions.
As followers of Your Son, we too wish to grow in wisdom and in the knowledge of Divine Truth.
But we acknowledge that all too quickly after Christmas, our enthusiasm for worship and study fades.
We often come to Your house to be entertained rather than to be challenged.
We find ourselves applying the sermons to other people rather than to ourselves.
We allow ourselves to be slaves of the clock and the parking lot.
Forgive our inattention to our worship experiences.
Forgive us, Lord, instill in us the desire to learn and to grow, to stretch our minds and our faith, and to grasp more completely the truths of Your Divine revelation.
Blessing
May you advance in wisdom.
May you grow in faith, in hope,
and in love for God and man.
