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Submit Your Own! April 6, 2008 By David von Schlichten Prayers for Worship – April 6, 2008 Third Sunday of Easter – Year A Call to Worship Leader: What shall we return to the LORD for all his bounty to us? People: We will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. Leader: We will pay our vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, People: for God has saved us through Christ's death and resurrection. Leader: We continue our fifty-day Easter celebration in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, People: our hearts burning within us as the risen Christ opens our eyes. Alleluia! Prayer of Invocation Son of God, you were destined before the foundation of the world to save us through your blood. Alleluia. Come to us now through the proclamation and the breaking of the bread, so that we can see your loving presence standing before us, even when our hearts are heavy with grief. Amen. Prayer of Confession Father, we live in reverent fear because we know how sinful we are. We take for granted the Good News of Easter and Good Friday. We fail to see you even when you are walking beside us. We slip into the ways of this corrupt generation. Our souls are impure with stinking sin. We hear about life but fixate on death. For the sake of the Revealed Son, forgive us our sins. Deliver us from the snares of our iniquity, from the pangs of Sheol. Amen. Words of Assurance Leader: Alleluia! We love the LORD; he has heard our voice and supplications. God has forgiven us because of Christ's death and resurrection. People: Christ has delivered our souls from death, our eyes from tears, our feet from stumbling. Leader: The Lord has saved us, not with gold or silver, but with the priceless blood. God has purified our souls, People: so let us love one another deeply from the heart and rush to share the Good News. Amen! Prayer of Inspiration Spirit of Pentecost, you inspired Peter, produced three-thousand baptisms in one day, and compelled Cleopas and another disciple to hurry back to Jerusalem. Stay with us. Open our eyes through the teaching of the Word, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. Prayers of the People God who meets us on the road, we thank you for being patient and persistent with us. You have empowered the whole Church with your guidance through the Scriptures and the breaking of the bread. Bless us, the baptized, that we may listen with faith and hope, love one another deeply, and share the Good News with urgency. Lord of Easter and Good Friday, (congregational response: teach and feed us.). You have blessed the Church with countless faithful servants. We give special thanks for your remarkable servant Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who wrote with insightful eloquence about you and who gave his life in the name of defying evil. Lord of Easter and Good Friday, . . . You have given us the United States of America and many other nations rich with wisdom and tradition. Guide all of us citizens of Earth, including President Bush, the candidates, and every leader, that we may care better for the planet, eliminate war, and feed the hungry. Lord of Easter and Good Friday, . . . We praise you, God of the Word, for poetry, which entertains us as it brings us closer to beauty and wisdom. Help us to use words to glorify you and poedify one another, ever mindful of the awesome power of words. Lord of Easter and Good Friday, . . . You may add other praises or petitions here. Emmaus-Elohim, we hand our prayers to you, knowing that your responses will reveal to us your love. In the name of the Walking Companion we pray. Amen. Offertory Prayer Accept, O LORD, our offering of this thanksgiving-sacrifice. We pay our vows to you in ecstatic gratitude for Christ's precious, saving blood. Amen. Benediction Leader: You have taught and fed us. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, send us out. People: Make our hearts burn with passion to share the Good News with family and friends, strangers and enemies, through acts and words. Leader: Cultivate us, we who are born anew of imperishable seed, through your living and enduring Word. People: Let is be so. Alleluia! David von Schlichten, poedifier March 30, 2008 By David von Schlichten Prayers for Worship – March 30, 2008 Second Sunday of Easter – Year A Call to Worship Leader: Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows, People: but we believe in the risen Christ, even though we have not seen him. Leader: We worship the Good Friday/Easter Elohim, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, continuing this fifty-day celebration of the Resurrection, People: loving the one we have not seen. My Lord and my God! Alleluia! Prayer of Invocation Giver of Peace, you have come through our locked doors to breathe upon us the Good News. Guide us to live according to the new birth and living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. Prayer of Confession Leader: Trusting in the mercy of the One who raised up Jesus, let us bare our hearts to God , confessing our sins, confident that, because of Christ, God will not abandon us to Sheol. All: Almighty LORD, you are quick to forgive. We admit that we often doubt in your reality and powerful love. You give us Peace, but we toss it aside and pick up weapons, foolish arguments, and destructive competitions. We take upon our lips the names of false gods who do us no good. We are slow to rejoice and reluctant to endure suffering for your sake. By the blood of the One you raised from death, forgive us. Direct us back to you, that we may walk in the shadow of the cross and the light of Easter dawn. Amen. Words of Assurance Leader: Alleluia. If we forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. In the name of Christ, I announce the entire forgiveness of your sins. People: Alleluia! Christ has unlocked us from Hades, has rescued us from the Pit. Leader: Because of the Messiah we have an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for us. People: In this Good News we rejoice. Alleluia. Prayer of Inspiration Savior, breathe the Holy Spirit upon us, that we may learn from the signs and wisdom written in the Bible and thereby cultivate within us the life-giving faith. Amen. Prayers of the People Alleluia! Thank you, thank you, Almighty Lord, for dying on the tree and rising so we could be free from hell and live forever. Even though the hyacinth has begun to droop and we have eaten all our chocolate and ham, we still praise you with extra enthusiasm, for Easter is fifty days long. Scarred but living Lord, (congregational response: we glorify you for hearing us.). Sustainer of the Holy, we honor you for the Church. We thank you for Thomas, who declared, “My Lord and my God!” We give special thanks for the Church's great artists, including poet and preacher John Donne and visual artists such as Albrecht Durer. Direct our hands, minds, hearts, and mouths, that we may create and poedify for your glorify and the edification of one another. Scarred but living Lord, . . . You are the Ruler of every continent and planet. We praise you for each nation, including the United States. Bless all nations, including President Bush and the other leaders. Bring peace to Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa. Give us the courage and creativity we need to make war extinct. Give us the courage and creativity we need to save the planet. Protect all soldiers. Scarred but living Lord, . . . Jesus our sibling, we praise you for parents. Help us to forgive our parents' trespasses, and teach all parents to love their children as you have loved us. Scarred but living Lord, . . . Living Messiah, it is easy to doubt that you are real and alive. Give us strength to see you clearly, despite our sin-myopia. Scarred but living Lord, . . . You may add other praises or petitions here. Lord and God, we give you these prayers, knowing that you are alive and powerful, able to transform our prayers into miracles. Amen. Offertory Prayer One true God, we offer nothing to false gods. We give to you alone our sacrifice of thanksgiving, our hearts glad, our souls rejoicing, because of Christ. Alleluia. Benediction Leader: Our Lord and our God has given us the faith to believe even though we have not seen. People: We leave to share that faith with a stumbling world, Leader: in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All: Alleluia! David von Schlichten, poedifier Resurrection Day 2008 By David von Schlichten In addition to these prayers, scroll down to read Tamara's lovely prayer contribution. Prayers for Worship – March 23, 2008 Resurrection of the Lord – Year A Call to Worship Leader: Alleluia! Give thanks to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for he is good; People: God's steadfast love endures forever! Leader: Christ is risen! The right hand of the LORD is exalted. People: Because Christ has dealt death a lethal blow, All: we shall not die, but we shall live. Alleluia! Prayer of Invocation Spirit of God, just as you guided Mary Magdalene to the resurrected Christ, guide us now, that our worship service and our lives may be full of Cruciform, Empty Tomb-Praise. In the name of the risen Savior we pray. Amen. Prayer of Confession Jesus Christ, it easy for us to stumble into sin. We tend to reduce Easter to ham and hyacinths instead of living out its healing holiness. We fill the church building today with no intention of returning next Sunday. Even though you have sacrificed yourself for us, we neglect to love others in like manner. We take your sacrifice for granted, reducing the cross to bits of bling. By your blood, forgive us. Guide us to live these fifty days of Easter as your Cross-centered, Resurrection siblings. Amen. Words of Assurance Leader: Alleluia! Even though we deserve infernal death, People: Christ fills us with eternal breath. Leader: By his blood Christ washes us clean of sin People: and promises us that we shall live in heaven. Leader: The devil has lost; we have won, People: because of Christ's death and resurrection! Leader: Alleluia! Prayer of Inspiration Spirit who enables us to say, “Jesus is Lord,” we praise you for inspiring Peter to preach the Resurrection story. Inspire us to hear and speak this same story, that, rejoicing, we may all seek the things that are above. In the name of the Victorious One we pray. Amen. Prayers of the People We praise you, God, for delivering us from the grip of sin, death and the devil. Your Son endured the shame of the cross so we could live forever. We will spend eternity in the new Jerusalem, where no one gets sick, dies, or struggles in any way, and we owe it all to Christ. Lord, we praise you. (congregational response: Alleluia!) We glorify you, Lord, for the Church and all its members. We thank you for enabling us to believe in Christ and to live accordingly. Lord, we praise you . . . We thank you, God Almighty, for the United States and every nation, and we trust that you will bless President Bush and all leaders. Care for everyone in the armed forces who cannot be home for this special time. Bring new life to Iraq, Afghanistan, the Darfur, the Congo, Kenya and our nation. Lord, we praise you . . . Pappa Adonai, we honor you for giving us good family and good friends. Sanctify our time together, that we may love you and one another. Keep us safe in travel. Teach us to comfort the lonely, feed the hungry, and care for others who are sad during this sacred season. Give us the wisdom to make peace with our enemies and to help everyone to hear the Good News. Lord, we praise you . . . We exalt you, Empty Tomb-God, for all the times that you have given us healing of body, soul or mind. Bless those in need of healing now, particularly [Add names]. We thank you for hearing us. Lord, we praise you . . . We cannot thank you enough for calling us out of death into life. Bless those who mourn, that they may find peace and renewed vigor because of the Good News. We exalt you for hearing us. Lord, we praise you . . . You may add other praises or petitions here. We praise you without ceasing, Merciful God, for hearing and answering us. In the name of the Risen Messiah we pray. Amen. Offertory Prayer Setting our minds on things above, we give you these gifts of the earth, knowing that our lives are hidden with you, O Christ, in God. We trust that you will use these gifts for the glory of God and the benefit of all going through rood-times. Amen. Benediction Leader: Mary's Messiah, you have called us by name. People: We have worshiped you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Leader: You have cleansed, taught and fed us, People: so now we go and tell, unafraid, ready to meet up with you in Galilee. Leader: Alleluia; People: Alleluia. All: Alleluia! David von Schlichten, poedifier Prayers of Thanksgiving & Intercession By Rev. Tamara V. EnTin, RCA/PCUSA God of life, we thank you for the coming of Spring, the birthing of lambs, the budding of flowers, the lengthening of days, the songs of returning birds, the fresh smell of showers, and the fluid sound of winter’s thaw.God of peoples and nations, we exalt you for the United States and all nations. Bless the leaders of every country, including President Bush. Inspire the leaders of the earth to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with you. We long for the day of peace among all nations and all peoples. Give us peace, O Lord. March 16, 2008 By David von Schlichten Prayers for Worship – March 16, 2008 Liturgy of the Passion/Palm Sunday – Year A Call to Worship Leader: Hosanna. Truly Jesus Christ is the Son of God. People: The King emptied himself for our salvation. Leader: We gather in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to worship the one who humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – People: even death on a cross. Prayer of Invocation Spirit of Christ, we have shouted both “Hosanna!” and “Crucify him!” Humble us to glorify Christ this week with solemn joy. We pray in the name of the one wounded for our transgressions. Amen. Prayer of Confession Leader: Eli, Eli, we have forsaken you. People: We have persecuted you by neglecting and abusing the poor and oppressed. Leader: We take for granted Christ's suffering on the cross and tend to overlook its importance. We fixate on ham, flowers and chocolate, ignoring Golgotha. People: We are quick to deny and betray you through our words and behavior. Leader: We who are dust beg you to forgive us for the sake of Christ. Let your face shine upon us. People: Save us in your steadfast love. Amen. Words of Assurance Leader: Hosanna. It is the Lord GOD who helps us, People: so no one can declare us guilty. Leader: Because of Christ's wounds, God's wrath passes over us. Christ's death gives us life. We are healed of all our sins because of the humble King. People: Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord to save us from sin. Prayer of Inspiration Spirit of the Sacred Shadow, you have led us from palm branch to the brutal tree. Inspire us to hear and speak the Good News so that this Holy Week will honor Christ's sacrifice through what we say and do. In his name we pray. Amen. Prayers of the People We praise you, Christ, for being our triumphant king who emptied himself for our salvation. Bless the Church, that we may break from our busy lives to contemplate and celebrate Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Crucified God, (congregational response: be gracious to us.). We exalt you for the United States and all nations. Bless ever country, including President Bush and all leaders. Teach us to live according to the self-sacrificial love of your reign. Crucified God . . . You have blessed us with family and other loved ones. Keep us safe as we travel to be together. Teach us anew to care for people who are lonely or sick during these holydays, just as you have cared for us. Watch over the soldiers, that this season may be soul-replenishing for them, as well. Crucified God . . . The holydays can be a time of renewed grief. Comfort those who mourn, and endow all of us with the wise compassion we need to care for the grieving. Crucified God . . . You may add other praises or petitions here. By the power of the Spirit, we entrust our prayers to you, Christ, confessing you as Lord to the glory of God the Father. Amen. Offertory Prayer Leader: What shall we return to the LORD for all his bounty to us? People: We offer you this thanksgiving sacrifice and call on your name. Hosanna. Benediction Leader: Hosanna to the King, who has set his face toward Jerusalem. People: We follow him to the upper room, to Gethsemene, to Golgotha. Leader: We leave now, ready to return on Thursday and Friday People: in honor of the one who suffered and died so we can live. David von Schlichten, poedifier [First Page] [Prev] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 [Next] [Last Page] Return |
