PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
July 2, 2023
Greeting
Welcome, all who have gathered in His Name!
Welcome, disciples who say, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
Disciples
of the Teacher
of the Healer
of the Messiah
of the Risen Lord
of the One Truth.
Welcome, disciples of Christ,
as we gather to hear His Word.
Penitential Prayer
Forgive us, Father, for our failure to identify with Your one and only Truth.
We want to be Your disciples
but are afraid of the consequences.
We want to proclaim Your Truth
but are afraid of the criticism.
We want to feed the poor
but are afraid of the cost.
We want to shelter the homeless
clothe the needy
heal the sick
defend the helpless
but we are afraid of the time involved.
Lord, forgive our fears and give us the courage to be Your disciples of Truth.
Blessing
Go now, with God’s blessing!
Go now, and lose your life in His ministry of love.
Go now and discover who you really are!
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
July 9, 2023
Greeting
Lay aside time for your labors.
Lay aside time for your burdens.
Find rest under the yoke of Jesus,
for His burden is light.
Penitential Prayer
Lord, God,
we speak “love” but act vindictively;
we speak “hope” but act despairingly;
we speak “faith” but act confusedly;
we speak “unity” but act divisively;
we speak “justice” but act unjustly.
Father, in so doing, we place a heavy yoke on our
brother and sister. And for this, we ask Your merciful forgiveness.
Blessing
Go in the peace of Christ which enables you
to act as well as speak.
in faith
in hope
in unity
in justice
in love
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
July 16, 2023
Greeting
Come,
let our ears hear
the sweet sound of the Word of God.
Come,
let our hearts understand
the true meaning of the Word of God.
As the Father now reveals Himself
let us be silent
and listen!
let us seek to hear
and understand!
Penitential Prayer
Forgive us, Father, for sowing the seeds of sin:
we close our eyes to the needs of elders, especially
for companionship;
we shut our ears to the needs of the young, especially
for understanding;
we clench our fists to the needs of the poor,
especially for our personal gifts.
And, as we reap our sinful harvest, we cut ourselves off from our own greatest need: The Grace of realizing Your Loving Presence.
For our harvest of sin, we ask You to forgive us, Father.
Blessing
The Kingdom of God is like a man who sowed good seed …
The Kingdom of God is like leaven …
The Kingdom of God is like a tiny mustard seed …
Go, Now,
sow good seed in the world,
and be a leaven in society.
Like the tiny mustard seed,
grow tall and strong into the Kingdom of God.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
July 23, 2023
Greeting
The Lord is gathering the wheat into His barn.
Come to the harvest!
The Lord is blessing those who have seeing eyes and hearing ears and understanding hearts.
Come … you are the harvest!
Penitential Prayer
Lord Jesus, Your parables are intended for us as hard lessons in living.
Yet, we have grown accustomed to regarding them as quaint little stories or regarding them not at all.
For the many times we have misused the Scripture in this way, we ask forgiveness.
Blessing
Live by the Gospel
in all you think,
in all you say,
in all you do.
Do this in Jesus’ Name.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
July 30, 2023
Greeting
What is …
the hidden treasure?
the pearl of great price?
the meaning of life?
We gather before the God who gives us answers, the God who reveals His Plan for our fulfillment.
Penitential Prayer
Father, there is no hidden treasure, no elusive
pearl of great price, no secret truth about the meaning of life. All these things You have revealed to us in and through the Lord, Jesus Christ.
You are the answer!
Your Divine Life is the answer to our human quest for fulfillment.
For our repeated failure to make this the guiding principle of our lives, our reason for being, we ask Your forgiveness, Father.
Blessing
In and through you, others can discover.
the hidden treasure,
the pearl of great price,
the meaning of life.
In and through you, others can learn to
trust in God.
