PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP June 3, 2018
Greeting
This is the day Jesus made a new covenant with us;
a covenant of love
a covenant of justice
a covenant of mercy.
This is the day we renew our devotion to this sacred covenant
with the Lord
and with each other.
Penitential Prayer
The Psalmist says:
“He has remembered His covenant forever, the promise of which He authorized to a thousand generations.”
These words reassure us, Father,
and yet they shame us.
Because while You have remembered us,
we have forgotten You;
while You have forgiven us,
we have condemned our neighbor;
while You have given us so much,
we have shared with others so little;
while You have given us Your solemn promise
of eternal fulfillment, we have given You
only lip-service in return.
Father, have mercy on us for breaking
the Covenant of love
the Covenant of justice
the Covenant of mercy.
Blessing
With renewed devotion to our Covenant
with the Lord
and with each other,
we go, now, as disciples
of love
of justice
of mercy
of peace!
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP June 10, 2018
Greeting
Welcome, disciples of Christ!
Disciples
of the Fisherman
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
We are sorry, Lord, for our “sometime” discipleship.
— sometimes too embarrassed to express love
— sometimes too self-centered to share
— sometimes too talkative to listen
— sometimes too stubborn to say, “I’m sorry”
— sometimes too righteous to say, “I forgive you.”
We are sorry, Lord, for our “sometime” discipleship. Please forgive us.
Blessing
Let us go out, and make disciples of all nations, knowing that Jesus is with us now and tomorrow and always.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP June 17, 2018
Greeting
Because Jesus Christ teaches with Divine authority,
be alert and sensitive to His Word so that you may
grow and mature into the kind of person
you are created to be.
Penitential Prayer
Father, we acknowledge that we have been less than alert and sensitive to Your Saving Word. As followers of Your Divine Son, we acknowledge our need to grow in wisdom and in knowledge of Divine Truth. But we acknowledge also that …
We often come to Your house to be entertained rather than be challenged.
We find ourselves applying the Lessons to other people rather than to ourselves.
Forgive us, Lord, and 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,
in moral stature,
in favor with God and man.
May you grow
in faith,
in hope,
in love for God and man.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP June 24, 2018
Greeting
Consecrated in one baptism,
joined as one People,
we are here to worship the One Lord!
Come, celebrate our Oneness with the Lord
and each other.
Penitential Prayer
Lord, we confess our idea of “oneness” is not
what You have taught us.
Instead of seeking unity with You and one another, we seek our own isolation.
We are into comfort, not sacrifice.
We are into style, not substance.
We are into escapism, not discipleship.
We are into self-service, not service to others.
We are into getting ahead, not helping those left behind.
We are into good living, not Your Good Life.
Forgive us this lack of love in our lives as you so
often forgave it in those who were close to you.
Help us today and every day to live Your Presence in our lives, so that we may be reminders of You to those around us.
Give us the strength to love, and then to keep loving so that we may be one even as You, Your Son and the Spirit are one.
Blessing
Being created by One Lord,
and united by one baptism,
we leave this House with one hope …
May we live as One People!
