PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP September 6, 2009
Greeting
As high as the heavens are above the earth,
o high are God’s ways above our ways,
and God’s thoughts above our thoughts.
Come into the House of God and open yourself up to
His ways and
His thoughts.
“Ephphatha” — it means “be open.”
Come, be open to the Word of God.
Penitential Prayer
Lord, we have not been an open People. We have
not been open to the life-enriching possibilities
of forgiving another’s sin
of filling another’s need
of understanding another’s misdeed
of sharing another’s grief
of bearing another’s burden.
Lord, for being cautious, for being afraid, for
holding back, for looking down on, we beg Your
merciful forgiveness.
Blessing
Sing praise to the Lord!
For He has opened up my life
and filled it with meaning.
He has opened up my heart
and saturated it with love.
He has opened up my soul
and released all my joy.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP September 13, 2009
Greeting
Since we are the Lord’s followers,
it is fitting that we should be here today —
singing His songs,
seeking His guidance,
supporting His cause,
being friends with His people,
and hearing His Word.
Penitential Prayer
We confess that we have sometimes rebelled
against the idea of a divine law.
We have preferred to make up our own rules
along the way.
We have adopted the standards of our modern society.
We have regarded our own convictions as infallible.
We have tried to rationalize our behavior.
We have said, “I am free to do as I please.”
We have excused ourselves by saying, “I’m only
human,” and “Nobody’s perfect.”
We have, in various ways, rebelled against
the idea of a divine law.
For this, Lord, forgive us,
And turn us again to follow Your perfect will.
Blessing
You have heard God’s Word.
You have believed God’s Word.
Now become God’s Word.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP September 20, 2009
Greeting
May all people
great and small
young and old
peaceful and restless
somber and carefree
come together and worship the God
Who is all things to all people.
Penitential Prayer
Talk is cheap, Lord, and we realize that the
people “out there” are turned off by words.
They have heard all the cliches and pious
platitudes. It is not what we say but who
we are and what we do that matters to them:
they see us living in their midst
they see us making decisions
they see us reacting to pressures
they see us relating to one another in
family situations.
they see us relating to one another at
work and leisure.
For talking too much and doing too little,
Father, forgive us.
Blessing
God sends us out into the world as the medium
by which His message of hope and joy and love
is communicated to the world. Go now!
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP September 27, 2009
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.
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
share in the priesthood of Christ;
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.
Blessing
May there be a time this coming week when the
Presence of God’s Grace in you life convinces
omeone else that a Gracious God is in control.
