Prayers for Worship May 2009

PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP May 3, 2009
Greeting
The pulse of every living creature
quickens in the Springtime.

The promise of New Life,
the dream of future harvests,
are deeply rooted in our nature.

Today, let us celebrate
this time of renewal,
this season of New Life,
as we bless the wondrous creativity
of the Lord, our God.

Penitential Prayer
We confess that we have sinned, Lord,
against You and against one another.
Our motives in admitting these faults
are many and complex.
We are relieved to unburden our spirits,
as we seek Your compassion.
But, perhaps we fear the consequences
if we unburden too much;
if we face the faults we fear to name;
if we pretend they do not exist in us.
Understand us, Lord,
however much we complicate our lives.
Help us to grope toward You,
to cope with the tangled webs
of our own making.
And forgive us, Lord,
smile upon us,
and make us whole.

Blessing
May you walk in God’s Presence with confidence!

May the light of the risen Christ be your guide!

And may the Holy Spirit abide with you
and give you peace.

PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP May 10, 2009
Greeting
Of all the words in the English language,
the word love has suffered more than its share.
True love begins with the understanding
that God has loved us first.
Come, let us celebrate love’s beginnings,
in the experience of worship:
for God is Love!

Penitential Prayer
Father, the New Testament Christians urgently
desired to share the Good News of God’s Love
with the world …
— they proclaimed the Gospel;
— they told people about Jesus;
— they responded lovingly to one another’s needs;
— they bore much fruit in the Lord’s vineyard.

Father, forgive us, for the lack of urgency in our
desire to be New Testament Christians.

Blessing
Jesus has said, “My Father has been glorified in
your bearing much fruit and becoming My disciples.”

If we are in fact true disciples,
it is because we have learned the great
ecret of the Christian life —
to praise and thank God in everything!

PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP May 17, 2009
Greeting
“This is My commandment,” Jesus said,
“Love one another as I have loved you.”

Do we care about all others?
Do we really care?

We have come together,
in Jesus’ Name,
to give our answer!

Penitential Prayer
Lord, so often we are wanting
in the Christian lifestyle.

Do we fail to bless Your Name
when we arise?
Do we express appreciation for our food
at mealtime?
Do we hurry through the day
with scarcely a loving word
to those who love us most?
Do we inflate our egos
at the expense of others?
Do we waste time feeling sorry
for ourselves in our petty disappointments?

Lord, do we believe in You enough to truly
accept Your forgiveness by changing our
lifestyle? We pray that it is so!

Blessing
Having been blessed with the assurance
that we are loved by God,
we go now
to deliver this blessed assurance to our
isters and brothers —

whoever they are,
wherever they are.

PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP May 24, 2009
Greeting
Jesus sent His disciples out,
two-by-two:
first the “twelve”,
then the “seventy”,
then others,
now us.

We have come together,
not as passive receivers,
but as active ministers.

We have come together
in the Cause of Christ;
to further His ministry.

Penitential Prayer
Lord, You have graced us with Your Love,
but we sometimes choose to lurk in the shadows
and shun the light.

We sometimes turn away from opportunities
to serve You.
We complicate our lives,
because we put our way before Your way.
We become agents of destruction in our human
relationships because we put ourselves first,
our neighbor last.

Lord, we are failing in our ministry of
Christian discipleship.
But we ask Your forgiveness Lord, because
we want to succeed!
We want to keep trying!

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 May 31, 2009
Greeting
On the first Pentecost Sunday,
because the apostles were gathered
together in fear, they locked the door
and closed the shutters
of their room,
o that no one would enter.

On this Pentecost Sunday,
because we gather together in
faith, may we unlock the doors
and open the shutters
of our hearts,
o that the Holy Spirit may enter.

Penitential Prayer
Father, we lock You out of our hearts,
wanting You, and yet afraid.

We want to be Your disciples
but we 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 are afraid of the time involved.

Lord, we want to confess our sins
but are afraid to admit them.
Lord, we want to open our hearts to You,
but we are afraid.

Lord, forgive our fear.

Blessing
God ignites the flame of love in our souls
with the sacred fire of His Holy Spirit.
Go now and ignite the flame of love in your
brothers’ and sisters’ souls
with the same sacred fire.

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