PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP May 2, 2021
Greeting
We gather here in this House of Healing.
For all of you who are …
paralyzed by grief,
crippled by self-doubt,
blinded by prejudice,
made deaf by insensitivity,
Come in and be touched by the Lord.
Abide in Me, says the Lord!
Penitential Prayer
Forgive us, Father, for not remembering …
– that we followers of Christ are supposed to make a difference in the dark and troubled world;
– that we followers of Christ are supposed to equip ourselves to go out to serve others, in a ministry of love;
– that we followers of Christ are supposed to set the world on fire in a manner far out of proportion to our numbers.
Forgive us, Father, for not remembering that we have been called to bear much fruit in our servant ministry.
Blessing
Go now, with God’s blessing!
Go now, and abide in the Lord!
Go now, and lose your life
in His ministry of love!
Go now, and be the
fruit-bearers of the Lord!
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP May 9, 2021
Greeting
“Love one another as I have loved you,” says
the Lord.
True love begins with the understanding
that God has loved us first.
Come, let us celebrate love’s beginnings in this experience of worship: for GOD IS LOVE!
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 sometimes complicate our lives, because we put our way before Your way.
We sometimes become agents of destruction in our human relationships because we put ourselves first, our neighbors last.
Lord, we sometimes fail in our ministry of Christian
discipleship.
For our failures Lord, we ask your forgiveness.
Blessing
Go in Peace!
Having been blessed with the assurance that we are loved by God, we go now to deliver this blessed assurance to our sisters and brothers …
WHOEVER THEY ARE,
WHEREVER THEY ARE.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP May 16, 2021
Greeting
Welcome, all who have gathered together in His Name!
Welcome, disciples of Christ!
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, we have closed our ears to Your prophetic word: 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 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 May 23, 2021
Greeting
Come, let us serve the Lord!
Let us serve Him in the home!
Let us serve Him in the office!
Let us serve Him in the factory!
Let us serve Him in the school!
Let us serve Him in this Church!
Come, let us serve the Lord!
Penitential Prayer
Father, we sometimes choose to isolate You in this
sanctuary;
We sometimes choose to acknowledge Your Presence in our lives but once a week.
We sometimes choose to live and work and play independently of the experience of Your abiding Presence.
We sometimes act as though You were a part-time God.
For these sins of pride and arrogance, Father, we humbly beg forgiveness.
Blessing
Go in Peace and …
Wherever you go,
Whenever you go,
However you go
Whatever you do,
God is with you!
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP May 30, 2021
Greeting
Come and see the goodness of the Lord.
Come and embrace the Word of the Lord.
Come and taste the food of the Lord.
Come and feel the Presence of the Lord.
Come and hear the Word of the Lord.
Come and bow reverently before the authority of
the Lord.
Penitential Prayer
Father, we reach out for Your help …
Help us to forget our anxieties and remember
Your love;
Help us to forget our prejudices and remember
Your grace;
Help us to forget our limitations and remember
Your power;
Help us to forget our woes and remember
Your peace;
Help us to forget our opinions and remember
Your Truth;
Help us to forget our violations and remember
Your forgiveness;
Help us to forget our willfulness and remember
Your commands.
Blessing
Father, as we leave Your house, give us
enough difficulty to keep us humble;
enough challenge to keep us alert;
enough hurts to keep us tender;
enough love to keep us warm; and
enough success to keep us sure.