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Call to Worship (based on Psalm 84)

L: How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
P: My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
L: Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise.
P: Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
ALL: For the LORD God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the LORD withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.

Opening Prayer

The steadfast love of God, the life of Jesus Christ, and the growth of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

Let us pray. God of all creation, you reach out to call people of all nations to your kingdom. As you gather disciples from near and far, count us also among those who boldly confess your Son Jesus Christ as Lord. Amen

 

Prayer of Confession
by Rev. Moria Laidlaw, Liturgies Online

We confess, O God, our involvement with evil influences of our present age. Those influences which lower the standard of people’s lives and which damage their ability to experience lives shaped and filled with love, justice and mercy.
Forgive us for failing to stand firm against the evils of lawlessness and greed .                              
 A time of silence to reflect on these words

People suffer today when their lives are dominated and restricted by people who exercise power in inappropriate ways - in families; in society; in political, and even church structures.
Forgive us for failing to stand firm against the evils of unjust and oppressive actions.                 
A time of silence to reflect on these words

People suffer today when they believe that love has to be earned or when they have come to believe that their value rests solely in terms of what they can produce or what they do.
Forgive us for failing to stand firm against the evil of believing that people are worthless because they are unproductive or unemployed.
                                                A time of silence to reflect on these words

People suffer today when they are denied work or acceptance because of their race or appearance.
Forgive us for failing to stand firm against the evils of racism and prejudice.                                  
A time of silence to reflect on these words

 Merciful God, strengthen us with the Holy Spirit that we may withstand both the spiritual and physical forces of evil which can influence us personally, and as members of both this community of faith and the larger communities in which we live. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS:
Jesus said that he spoke words of spirit and life...(John 6:63),  so we pray: Spirit of life, grant us this day your forgiveness and love that we may stand firm in faith.  Rejoice in the assurance that Jesus, our Lord and Savior,  hears us and forgives us.
Thanks be to God!
 

 

A Prayer of Trust and Loyalty (by F. Schaefer)

Though the enemy is walking about like a roaring lion trying to devour and destroy, we put our whole faith in you...

In you, o LORD, we have been granted the ultimate victory even before the battle has begun.

In you, o God, we are tucked away in safety like the chicks who seek protection under the wings of the mother hen.

In you, dear LORD, we put our trust for we are certain that neither life nor death can separate us from the great love that you have shown through Jesus Christ our Savior.

Empower us to stand even in the midst of the storm; enable us to follow you wherever you may lead; enable us to be loyal to Christ and to stand by Christ's least brothers and sisters.

In all and through all we believe in you, LORD, now and forever more. Amen.

 

Intercessory Prayer of the Day

Growing in the soil of the Spirit, let us pray for the church, the world, and all who seek the richness of life in God.

Generous God, you feed us with bread that will nourish us to eternal life. Keep us always faithful to the spirit and life we receive from the Bread of life. Gracious God,

Hear our prayer.

Give to the nations of the world your light and your peace. Grant their leaders wisdom and courage, that they may lead with compassion for all people. Gracious God,

Hear our prayer.

Heal those among us who are struggling with sickness of any kind (especially), that being touched by you, their sickness may be turned to health. Gracious God,

Hear our prayer.

Bless those entrusted with the ministry of prayer in this congregation. Keep them alert to the needs of this community, that they may support all we do with their intercessions. Gracious God,

Hear our prayer.

We remember before you those who have died (especially) and ask that you would keep us in communion with them and all your saints who surround us in the great cloud of witnesses. Gracious God,

Hear our prayer.

Hear us as we pray, living God, and in your mercy give us all good things, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Amen

 

Poem: "I am the Way, the Truth, the Life"
by Carl Heinrich von Bogatzky

I am, says Christ, the way;
Now, if we credit him,
All other paths must lead astray
How fair soe'er they seem.

I am, says Christ, the truth;
Then all that lacks this test,
Proceed it from an angel's mouth,
Is but a lie at best.

I am, says Christ, the Life;
Let this be seen by faith;
It follows, without further strife,
That all besides is death.

 

Closing Prayer: (Prayer of Saint Patrick)

Christ be with us, Christ before us, Christ behind us,
Christ in us, Christ beneath us, Christ above us,
Christ on our right, Christ on our left,
Christ where we lie, Christ where we sit,
Christ where we arise.
Christ in the heart of every one who thinks of us,
Christ in every eye that sees us,
Christ in every ear that hears us.
Salvation is of the Lord,
Salvation is of the Christ,
May your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.  Amen.