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Submit Your Own! Prayers for March 9, 2008 By David von Schlichten Prayers for Worship – March 9, 2008 Fifth Sunday in Lent – Year A Call to Worship Leader: The Resurrection and the Life calls us out of the tomb. People: God unbinds us and sets us free. Leader: We, the baptized, are liberated to stand, full of God's breath. People: Now we can worship in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Leader: making our way to dark Gethsemene. Prayer of Invocation Spirit who dwells in us, we praise you for the life we have because of the righteousness that comes from Christ on the cross. Lead us out of the valley-depths to live according to the Good News that we believers will never die. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Prayer of Confession Out of the depths we cry to you, O LORD. Hear our voice. If you were to hold our iniquities against us, we would fall into hell. We set our minds on fleshly things, such as accumulating more stuff and outdoing each other with money, prestige and good looks. You offer us life, but we respond by clinging to death, hiding in the tombs of our stubbornness and narrow-mindedness. We lie dried out, refusing your rejuvenating breath. We are disconnected from each other. We are impatient and hostile toward you and do not hope in you. For the sake of the one who raised Lazarus, forgive us. Stand us up. Bring the dawn. Amen. Words of Assurance Day breaks. With the LORD is steadfast love and plenteous redemption. Christ has lifted you out of the depths. Christ has called you out of sepulchral sin into life. The Spirit has reconnected and revived you. All your sins: Gone. Christ has unbound you from death. You are his beloved disciples. Amen. Prayer of Inspiration Intimate Spirit, we praise you for breathing upon bones to create believers. Breathe in us, that we may speak and hear the Good News and then share the Resurrection and the Life with a dried-out, ossified world. Amen. Prayers of the People You have brought life to us, even when we thought there could only be death. We praise you for inspiring the Church throughout the millennia. As we struggle with divisive issues, hold us together with your forceful Spirit. Father, (congregational response: we thank you for having heard us.). You have blessed us with a great nation. Guide our nation and every land, including George W. Bush and all leaders. Let there be peace for Iraq, Afghanistan, the Darfur, Kenya, and the Congo. Make us your instruments of redemption. Father, . . . Timeless Ruler, you govern every season, every hour. Bless us as we make this transition to Daylight Saving Time. Help us to adjust well and to renew our commitment to serving you every second. Father, . . . The rough weather has taken a toll on many of us. Bless the sick and all in need, especially [Add names]. May we lead each other with warm compassion away from the cold, dark cave of suffering. Father, . . . God of Life, remembering our loved ones who have died makes us weep. We know that you weep with us and against the forces of death and the devil. We give thanks for the lives of [Add names]. As we draw nearer to Holy Week and Resurrection Day, help us to comfort one another with the assurance that, because we believe in Christ, we shall never die. Father, . . . You may add other praises or petitions here. We know that you have been attentive to the voice of our supplications. We praise you for having heard us and for the healing you will send us. In the name of our Weeping Lord we pray. Amen. Offertory Prayer Lord of tears and Lazarus, we offer these gifts, knowing that you will bless them to be means of life for those entombed in poverty, illness, injustice and other troubles. Amen. Benediction Leader: God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, has carried us out of Death Valley, People: so we go to share the unbinding News with all, Leader: preparing to welcome the humble King with passion. David von Schlichten, poedifier March 2, 2008 By David von Schlichten Prayers for Worship – March 2, 2008 Fourth Sunday in Lent – Year A Call to Worship Leader: The Lord is our shepherd who leads us by the hand into light. People: The Good Shepherd opens our eyes. Leader: We were blind, but now we see, People: so we worship in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Leader: our gaze on the empty tomb and the cross. Prayer of Invocation Holy Spirit, you selected David because you look at the heart. Guide our hearts, that we may serve you with open eyes and look upon others as you have looked upon us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Prayer of Confession Compassionate God, we glorify you for sending the Son to lead us through dark valleys to the radiant mountain top. Even so, we wander off into the wild, into the darkness. We turn away from you and go blind, thinking that we have twenty/twenty vision. We do our sins in secret, thinking no one notices. Our stubborn foolishness makes us blind to new possibilities. For the sake of our transfiguring Lord, forgive us. Lead us into the shadow of the cross, which is far brighter than the light of human wisdom. Amen. Words of Assurance Christ died on Good Friday so that we can live in the radiance of God forever. The Almighty sees all our sins, and the empty tomb has swallowed every one of them. Our vision is clear: God has forgiven us our sins. We were lost, but now we're found. We were blind, but now we see. Prayer of Inspiration Spirit of the Cruciform-Shadow, just as you guided Samuel to David and the blind man to sight, guide us with the Word, that Christ may shine on us. Amen. Prayers of the People Lord of the dawn, across the centuries you have shepherded us, the Church. Continue to lead us beside the still waters and to prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies. Correct our spiritual myopia, that we may always see and help the person in need. Shining God, (congregational response: restore us.). You have blessed us with a great nation. Guide every nation, including President Bush and all leaders. Protect each soldier. Teach all of us to be children of light. Shining God . . . Over and over, Lord, you have healed us. Bless all in need of healing, including [Add names.]. Wash us, make us whole. Shining God . . . Challenging Healer, sometimes we are so set in our expectations that we cannot see the truth that you have put in front of us. Help us to focus so that we can see what you have placed before us. Shining God . . . We praise you, Saving Lord, for the gift of eternal life that we have solely because of Christ's death and resurrection. As we step closer to Good Friday and Easter, give us strength to help one another cope with grief. May we always know in our deep hearts that, because of Christ, we have life. Shining God . . . You may add other praises or petitions here. These prayers we raise to you, Shepherd God, knowing that you hear us and that you will respond with goodness and mercy forevermore. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Offertory Prayer We offer these gifts, Lord of assurance, that you may use them to fill to overflowing the cups of the needy. Amen. Benediction Leader: “Jesus Christ is the light of the world.” People: God Almighty has fed and instructed us. Leader: We follow the Father, Son and Holy Spirit throughout the week, marching in the cross's shadow, People: “letting our light so shine before others, that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.”
February 24, 2008 By David von Schlichten Prayers for Worship – February 24, 2008 Third Sunday in Lent – Year A Call to Worship Leader: The Messiah leads us from the wilderness of Sin to the water that quenches our thirst forever. People: Throughout these forty days, the rock of our salvation refreshes us. Leader: With our hearts toward the crucifixion, we worship in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, People: boasting not in ourselves but in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Prayer of Invocation Rabbi, you taught the Samaritan woman, and she responded by sharing the Good News. Teach us through this worship service so that, by our actions and words, we may share the Good News with a parched world. Amen. Prayer of Confession Lord, we are weak, dehydrated. We gripe with hardened hearts like the Israelites did at Massah and Meribah. We are slow to trust and praise you and quick to criticize you, as if we know better. We are eager to pass judgment on outsiders and slap labels on each other. We obsess over people's questionable pasts instead of sharing with one another the exclamatory future we have with you. We make excuses not to sow or reap. We boast about how self-sufficient we are, denying that we are dying of thirst. For the sake of One who breaks down barriers, forgive us, that we may never thirst again. Amen. Words of Assurance Leader: Come, let us sing to the LORD; People: let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation. Leader: We are justified by faith. People: We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Leader: We quaff the Good News, which flows only from God. People: Therefore, we boast, not in ourselves, but in God through Christ. Prayer of Inspiration God who is spirit, you pour into our hearts the living water through the Holy Spirit. Quench our thirst with the Word, that we may have the vitality to sow and reap. Amen. Prayers of the People Lord of Jew and Samaritan, male and female, Meribah and Sychar, we glorify you for the Spirit-gushing Church. We thank you for washing us with baptism. We give special thanks for your servants the hymnist George Herbert and the church-renewers John and Charles Wesley. Refresh us to tell others about you. Great I AM, (congregational response: teach and revive us.). Rock of our salvation, we are in awe of your fierce compassion. Bless the United States and all nations, including President Bush and every leader. Give us the courage to break down barriers and irrigate the whole world with the Good News. Great I AM . . . Creator of both types of time, we thank you for giving us an extra day. Help us to use it for your glory and for the benefit of those in need. Great I AM . . . God of the gushing rock, millions of people lack clean, safe water. Help us to get to these people the water they need, and help us to use our water wisely, remembering that how we use physical water reflects how we regard the living water. Great I AM . . . Omni-influential Adonai, we praise you for all the times and ways you heal us. Bless those struggling with a cold or the flu. Bring healing to every person need, including [Add names]. Great I AM . . . You may add other praises or petitions here. These prayers we lay before you, God our Rock, knowing that you will flood them with grace. In the name of the Rabbi we pray. Amen. Offertory Prayer We kneel before you, LORD, by offering these gifts. Use them to soften our hearts to greater humble service of you and the outcast. Amen. Benediction Leader: You have filled us with life-giving water People: and now send us out to sow and reap Leader: in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit People: as we prepare for holiest days of the year.
February 17, 2008 By David von Schlichten Prayers for Worship – February 17, 2008 Second Sunday in Lent – Year A Call to Worship Leader: We lift our eyes to the hills. People: Our help comes from the God of Abraham and Sarah. Leader: Full of the renewal of Lent, we worship in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, People: giving thanks for and meditating on the Lifted-Up Beloved. Prayer of Invocation Mysterious, blowing Spirit, we do not understand you, but we trust you. Breathe upon this worship service, that we may keep our hearts' eyes on the cross and love one another has God has loved the world. In the name of the Crucified Son we pray. Amen. Prayer of Confession Lord of the forty days, through faith in Christ you reckon us as righteous, and we often have responded by turning our eyes downward, away from you. You call us, but we do not follow you. You call us to the daylight, but we sneak around in the dark. You save us through Christ, but we keep trying to save ourselves. You watch over us always, but we think you're sleeping. You love the entire world, but we respond with hatred and apathy toward people we do not like or understand. For the sake of your Son, forgive us. Preserve us from all evil. Keep our lives. Amen. Words of Assurance Just as the Lord justified Sarah and Abraham, so also has God justified us. Despite our unworthiness, because of Christ God forgives us all our sins. Through the Lifted One we have been born from above. God so loved the world that, because of the Son, we will not perish but will have eternal life. Prayer of Inspiration Spirit of new birth, we lift our hearts to the Word, eager to speak and hear the Good News that God has sent the Son to save the world. Teach us to love one another as Christ has loved us. In his name we pray. Amen. Prayers of the People Loving Father, you blessed Abraham and Sarah in order to bless all the families of the earth. We praise you for the diversity of humanity. We give thanks for every Christian, Jewish, and Muslim child of Abraham. Guide us to be one. Give us the wisdom to be still and love you and one another. Lord of light, (congregational response: teach and renew us.). Maker and Sustainer of the world, we exalt you for the entire Church. We remember today with gratitude Martin Luther and Polycarp. Many of us are Nicodemus, trying to follow you but stumbling in the dark. Lead us, the baptized, from the dark to the bright shadow of the cross. Lord of light . . . You have taught us that our help comes from you. Bless the United States and all nations, including leaders everywhere. Bring peace to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Sudan. Help us to help one another as we cope with dangerous weather. Inspire us to serve as your instruments by watching over and sheltering those in need. Lord of light . . . We thank you for our Presidents, past, future and present. We recall with high respect Presidents Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln. Bless President George W. Bush, that he may govern with love. Bless our nation as we elect a new President, that we may choose in accord with your will. Lord of light . . . Our help comes from you, Adonai, the maker of heaven and earth. Bring healing to all the afflicted, especially [Add names.]. Guide our hands to be a means of healing. Lord of light ... You may add other praises or petitions here. Lord of relentless love, we offer our prayers to you, confident that you lead us through the forty days. We pray in the name of the Son of Man lifted like the serpent. Amen. Offertory Prayer God of the hills, the sun and the moon, we entrust this offering to you, that it may glorify you and serve the neighbor. Transform our thanksgiving-sacrifice into milk and honey. Amen. Benediction Leader: God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, People: but in order that the world might be saved through him. Leader: We leave here and return to the world and all its darkness, People: in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Leader: full of the Spirit, proclaiming rebirth through word and action, People: knowing the Lord watches our going out and our coming in Leader: from this time forth and forevermore. People: Amen. David von Schlichten, poedifier February 10, 2008 By David von Schlichten Prayers for Worship – February 10, 2008 First Sunday in Lent – Year A Call to Worship Leader: Mercy embraces those who trust in the LORD. People: Whether we are on the high mountain, famished in the wilderness, or on the pinnacle, the Word gives us strength against Satan. Leader: We are dust, our moisture dried up, People: but Christ leads us throughout these forty days to the empty cross, the empty tomb. Leader: In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, therefore, we gather to worship, People: fallen because of Adam and Eve but justified through Christ's love. Prayer of Invocation Leading Spirit, we praise you for forcing Jesus into the wilderness so he could face and overcome the devil. When we are face-to-face with the devil, give us the wisdom to draw strength from the Word. Amen. Prayer of Confession Leader: We will confess our transgression to you, O LORD. People: We are quick to give in to our appetites. Leader: We find promises of glory and power tempting. People: We delight in putting you to silly tests. Leader: We take and eat the fruit, craving to be equal to you. People: We shrivel up from guilt due to our refusal to accept responsibility. Leader: For the sake of the one who defeated the devil, People: Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Words of Assurance For the sake of the crucified Son of God, the Almighty forgives us all our sins. God creates in us clean hearts, renews our spirits, casts us not away from his presence. One man has dragged us down, but another has raised us up. Thanks be to God. Amen. Prayer of Inspiration Challenging Spirit, reteach us the Word, that we may be wise when evil coils around us and tries to squeeze us to death. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Prayers of the People LORD of the Garden, you showed Adam and Eve mercy even when they had disobeyed you. Moreover, you justified us all through Christ's death on the tree. Clothe us with humility. Bless all the Church, that we, the baptized, may defy the devil and follow you. God of the wilderness, (congregational response: embrace us with your mercy.). We exalt you for the entire Church in all its diversity. We praise you for your servant Valentine. Lead us throughout these forty days, that we may repent anew, learn more about your truths, recommit ourselves to serving you. Spring-clean our souls as we prepare for Easter and Good Friday. God of the wilderness . . . We thank you for our nation. Bless the United States and every land, including President Bush and all leaders, that we may end violence of every form and cultivate love. God of the wilderness. . . Lord of Scripture, many of us misuse the Bible to serve our sinfulness. Sit us down and open our minds to the Scriptures, that, through word and action, we may proclaim the Good News. Steer us away from prooftexting. God of the wilderness . . . Agapic Adonai, we thank you for love. Most of all, we praise you for the love you have shown us through Christ. Teach us not to trivialize or sentimentalize love, but to revere it and to share it through words and actions of compassion, especially toward the lonely, sick, and overlooked. God of the wilderness . . . You may add other praises or petitions here. These prayers we will let rise before you as incense, trusting in your guiding eye, in your love which is mightier than the devil. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Offertory Prayer We offer you this loving sacrifice of thanksgiving, grateful that, over and over, you deliver us from the Evil One. Amen. Benediction Leader: The Father, Son and Holy Spirit leads us out, teaching us the way that we should go. People: Therefore we can always say, “Away with you, Satan!” Leader: Throughout these forty days, the LORD will instruct us, scrub us clean, cultivate us, ever in love with us. People: Thanks be to God. Amen. 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 |
