PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP May 1, 2016
Greeting
In His sacred Presence
the storm of the world is calmed;
In His Presence
even the mountains tremble.
Come, let us worship the Master —
Let us praise the Lord for His sacred Presence,
in all things.
Penitential Prayer
Father, there is not one among us
who will not admit his shame,
For into this house, Your Holy Temple,
we bring our greed,
our fears,
our lies,
our egotistical preoccupations,
our prejudices,
our anger,
and our weakness.
Father, there is not one among us
who will not admit his shame
and pray for Your forgiveness.
Blessing
Every breath is a miracle,
every heartbeat is a mystery.
Every entity of the universe
is generated and sustained
by the Will of Almighty God.
Abide in the word of The One True Lord.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP May 8, 2016
Greeting
Father, we are gathered as Your family.
We are one in Your Name.
We are gathered as Your children.
We are obedient in Your Name.
Father, we are gathered as Your family,
give us Your blessings.
Penitential Prayer
Lord Jesus, we have tried to live by Your law, but our will-power has faltered:
Our egos explode;
our tempers ignite;
our frustrations mount.
We have tried and failed.
With the help of the Lord, let us try harder.
Blessing
Our rational minds can take us only so far.
We must let our faith carry us beyond rationality.
Know by your faith that God dwells in all things.
Know by your faith that God dwells within us.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP May 15, 2016
Greeting
Today we have come away
from a world of aggression,
from a world of suffering;
Today we have come away
to enjoy the peace of Christ,
to sit near the throne of our Savior.
Penitential Prayer
Our Father, ruler of all nations, we confess that our
lives are meaningless without Your inspiration and
grace to guide us. But still we violate Your laws:
we sometimes covet the goods of our neighbors;
we sometimes envy the lives of our neighbors;
we sometimes ignore the hardships of our neighbors;
we sometimes hate the beliefs of our neighbors;
we sometimes attack the emotions of our neighbors;
we sometimes enjoy the suffering of our neighbors;
And in so doing, we violate Your laws.
Father, forgive us.
Blessing
“The Light shines in the darkness,
And the darkness has not overcome it.”
Go in peace.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP May 22, 2016
Greeting
Look for the Lord,
and you will find Him.
Pray to the Lord,
and He will respond.
Speak to the Lord,
and He will answer.
Penitential Prayer
Having tried and tried to make it alone,
having sinned again and again in
pride,
anger,
and aggression,
It is time now to stop.
It is time to turn to the Lord Jesus.
It is time to bury
pride,
anger,
and aggression.
It is time to restore our faith in the Father.
Ask for forgiveness, and it will be granted.
Blessing
This service is ended,
but your service to the Father will never end.
Pursue your God-given tasks.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP May 29, 2016
Greeting
I am the Way — follow Me.
I am the Bread — partake of Me.
I am the Truth — believe in Me.
I am the Light and the Life — become a part of Me.
Penitential Prayer
Father, Your Son has invited us to eat the Bread of Life,
but instead we are bloated from our own spiritual junk-food.
We feed upon advertisements which promise good living but not necessarily good life.
We feed upon the psychology of “Do it if it feels good,” even if it isn’t good.
We allow our children to feed upon a daily diet of mindless TV violence.
Father, forgive us,
for eating garbage
and turning down the True Bread of Life.
Blessing
May the Truth of the Father,
the Way of the Son,
and the Light of the Spirit,
be with you now and always.
May you feed on the True Bread of Life,
now and always.
Amen.