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Call to Worship (based on Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9)

L: My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
P: Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;
L: You love righteousness and hate wickedness.
P: Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
L: Come, let us worship the LORD!

 

Call to Worship (responsively):

L: We, the Family of God, come together in unity.
P: We have gathered to worship the LORD, our great Parent.
L: We are from many walks of life, people of many colors and fabrics.
P: Yet we are woven together by the Master Quilt Maker; made into one beautiful piece.
L: Let us approach God with humble hearts, always willing to be transformed into the image of Christ. Let us worship God!

A Prayer for Faith in Action (based on the Gospel and Epistle lessons)

Almighty God, Parent of all Creation, today you speak to us about serious matters. Because you love us, because you care for our well-being, you exhort us to use wisely the privileges you have graciously granted us:

...the privilege of speech, which enables us to communicate with you as well as our sisters and brothers,

...the privilege of faith which enables us to hold on to hope,

...the privilege of fellowship with others, brothers and sisters, loved ones and friends whom we need for companionship and help.

Help us, Good Shepherd, to use these gifts wisely, help us not to take them for granted; but instead live in such a way that our faith shines through our every deed, so that your love may spread to the hearts of all people. This we ask earnestly in the name of our LORD Jesus, the Christ. Amen.

A Prayerful Declaration of Love to God

You, who alone is worthy of all love and adoration, cause me to not only know your precious word, but let it become a medium through which I might encounter you in the depth of my heart. You ever surround me with a sense of  boundless love and infinite wisdom. Through your Spirit, strengthen the bond of love between us every day.   Bless the LORD, O my soul, and declare your great love for Him in all the earth!

Prayer for Love of Neighbor

Teach me to love, Lord, as you love,
unconditional, honest, and kind.
May it be seen in my face and my eyes, Lord.
May it be simple and sincere. Amen.

 

Prayer of Confession

Almighty God, we confess that we are so often swept up in the tide of our generation.  We have failed in our calling to be your holy people, a people set apart for your divine purpose.  We live more in apathy born of fatalism than in passion born of hope. We are moved more by private ambition than by social justice. We dream more of privilege and benefits than of service and sacrifice. We try to speak in your name, without relinquishing our glories, without nourishing our souls, without relying wholly on your grace.
Help us to make room in our heart and lives for you.  Teach us to live in the intricate balance between faith and works, between being and doing, being nourished and serving others.  Forgive us, revive us, and reshape us in your image. Amen.

 

Closing Prayer:    - by St. Thomas Aquinas

Give us, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downwards; give us an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give us an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.