SUNDAY PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP
September 3, 2006
Greeting
God is present to us now. There is
no evil situation,
no illness,
no broken relationship,
no feeling of despair,
no catastrophe
which escapes GodÌs compassionate notice.
Come, draw near, and allow the healing power of God to take over in your life!
Penitential Prayer
Father, we are honorable persons.
We sing praises to Your Name — one day a week:
for we are honorable persons.
We follow Your Commandments and abide by the
Scripture — when it is reasonable to do so:
for we are honorable persons.
We are quick to forgive and show mercy to others —
once we receive an apology:
for we are honorable persons.
Forgive us, Father,
for heaping honor on ourselves
and not upon You.
Blessing
O Lord, may our
songs of joy
prayers of praise
words of exaltation
and deeds of love
break out from our innermost being,
and give You all honor and glory.
Amen.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP September 10, 2006
Greeting
Listen in the silence of your heart;
ChristÌs message is spoken quietly.
Listen in the conscience of your mind;
ChristÌs law is spoken justly.
Penitential Prayer
Father, forgive us if we accuse others
but overlook our own guilt;
Ò if we criticize the manners of others,
but are unaware of our own social faults;
Ò if we attack the religions of others,
but do not understand the complications
of our own doctrines;
Ò if we are annoyed by the habits of others,
but do not analyze our own bad habits;
Ò if we blame others for lack of control,
but do not control ourselves enough not
to blame others.
Father, forgive us.
Blessing
The noise of the world
has not subsided,
but the peace of your hearts
has been enriched.
Spread your peace throughout the world.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP September 17, 2006
Greeting
Since we are the LordÌs 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 onl 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 GodÌs Word.
You have believed GodÌs Word.
Now become GodÌs Word.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP September 24, 2006
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 thereÓ 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 at 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.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP October 1, 2006
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 set the world on fire in a manner far out of proportion to our numbers.
Forgive us, Father, for not remembering.
Blessing
Will there be a time this coming week when the presence of GodÌs Grace in your life convinces someone else that a Gracious God is in control?
Go, and reflect GodÌs Presence in all you do and say.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP October 8, 2006
Greeting
We are one People:
for although we are different from each other, we are fused together by our FatherÌs Love.
We are one People:
come to celebrate our individual uniqueness
and our unity as GodÌs children, both.
Penitential Prayer
Father,
— we know there are persons among us who desperately need to know there is a way out of the deepest pit of human degradation and despair.
— we know there are persons among us who desperately need to be able to put their trust in someone who can show them the way.
The question is, “Why do we hesitate to lead them out of the pit of despair and show them the way to New Life?Ó
For our hesitation ministry, Father, we beg
Your forgiveness.
Blessing
Proclaim GodÌs Presence!
Rejoice in GodÌs Presence!
GodÌs Presence gives us unity;
our unity proclaims His Presence.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP October 15, 2006
Greeting
Jesus calls, and we come …
to feed the mind with the truth of God,
to turn the will to the purpose of God,
to open the heart to the Love of God.
Come, let us follow Jesus to New Life,
in the fellowship of the Kingdom of God.
Penitential Prayer
Lord Jesus,
for our lack of faith in the power of Your leadership,
for our lack of trust in Your Supreme Wisdom,
for our lack of hope in Your Blessed Promises,
for our lack of resolve in carrying our Your Sacred Purposes,
for our lack of conviction in proclaiming Your Gospel of Love,
for our lack of zeal in becoming fishers of men,
forgive us, Lord, for these and all our sins, corporate and individual.
Blessing
You who now have seen more closely
heard more clearly
understood more fully
honored more faithfully
go now and
love more completely.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP October 22, 2006
Greeting
As the Christ served,
let us serve.
As the Christ sacrificed,
let us sacrifice.
For in such lies the secret
of true greatness.
Penitential Prayer
Forgive us, Lord, not only for doing the wrong things, but also for doing the right things for the wrong reasons. We confess that sometimes we have done good things to gain recognition and esteem.
Our giving has sometimes been adulterated by the desire to receive honor.
Our service has sometimes been prompted by a need for recognition.
Our morality has sometimes been prompted more by the fear of discovery than by a yearning for righteousness.
Give us, Lord, not only the right actions, but the right motives as well.
Blessing
You who can give
give generously.
You who can listen,
listen sympathetically.
You who can heal,
heal gladly.
You who can help,
help lovingly.
PRAYERS FOR WORSHIP October 29, 2006
Greeting
Come, let us open our eyes.
Let us see wondrous things in GodÌs Word,
beautiful things in GodÌs world,
delightful things in GodÌs people.
Penitential Prayer
Forgive us, Father, for our failures of sight, for we have often seen only the ugliness around us and have neglected to look at the beautiful.
We have seen only the face, the form, and the figure, and have not seen the beauty of the soul.
We have sought out the rumor and the current report , and we have not bothered to seek out the truth.
We have looked with jealous dismay at the possessions of others, and have failed to see how much we really have.
We have had our eyes wide open to see the faults of others, and have them half closed when we look at our own.
We have gazed so intently at the material, and have perceived so little of the spiritual.
Blessing
May the God who brought light out of darkness
enlighten your path,
bring you to your destination,
and show beauty all along the way.
