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Call to Worship (based on Psalm 146)

L: Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
P: I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
L: Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.
P: Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God,
L: who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;
P: who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free;
L: the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
ALL: Praise the LORD!

   

Prayer Reflecting the Lections:

We praise you, LORD for your great mercy in Christ Jesus, our high priest who gave himself for us--once and for all. Through your Son Jesus you call us to love you with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. In our weakness we do not know how to love as we ought. Teach us, God of love, hear our prayer. We praise and thank you for those who strive for peace and justice in our world. Bless their endeavors so that the senseless killing might cease, that the earth may be cleared of hunger, poverty, injustice and war and that we may start to love one another as we love ourselves. Amen.

   

Prayer of Intercession

In communion with all the saints, let us pray to God who is our eternal home.

Guide your church, O God, and give us courage to love you with all our hearts, and to proclaim your gospel in a culture of change and doubt. Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Watch over this troubled world. Bring peace to areas torn by strife, justice where it is lacking, and food and shelter to those in need of it, and lead us to be your agents in that work. Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Care for those who are overlooked, have compassion on those who are forgotten, and grant your gift of healing to all who struggle with ill health (especially). Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Guide those who are making inquiry into the faith, and all who wish to explore the baptized life among us. Give them strength in their exploration, and keep them in the nurture of this community. Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Sanctify the memory of all your saints, and especially those who have recently died. Keep us in fellowship with them always in your eternal love. Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Your reign, O God, endures forever, and in Christ we are free to be your saints and servants. Hear our prayers for the sake of him who died and rose again, and lives with you in the company of all your saints in light.

Amen

 

Prayer of Confession

Merciful God, help us examine our hearts so that we may be convicted of our sins and shortcomings through the ministry of your Holy Spirit within us.

We come to you in the name of Jesus, your Son and our High Priest. We confess that there are times when we go against your hopes for us as your people.

We confess that there are times when we go against your Word for us.  In silence, O LORD, hear us as we confess those things we have done, and those things we have neglected to do; times when we have failed you and each other. . .

(Time of silence)

Loving God, we ask you once again to receive us into your compassionate, forgiving arms that we might find favor with you for all the days of our lives. Empower us to serve you fully, to share the resources we have with those who have less, to weep with those who weep, and to laugh with those who laugh.  Amen.

Assurance of Pardon:
L: God loves us and forgives us.  God gives us the chance to begin again.
All: Thanks be to God.  Amen!

 

A Prayerful Declaration of Love to God (Gospel)

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 (Gospel)

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 for a Better World

We praise you, LORD for your great mercy in Christ Jesus, our high priest who gave himself for us--once and for all. Through your Son Jesus you call us to love you with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  In our weakness we do not know how to love as we ought. Teach us, God of love, hear our prayer. We praise and thank you for those who strive for peace and justice in our world. Bless their endeavors so that the senseless killing might cease, that the earth may be cleared of hunger, poverty, injustice and war and that we may start to love one another as we love ourselves.  Amen.

 

Prayer for Humanity

Where ignorance, self-love and insensitivity have fractured life in community,
give your light, O God of love.
Where in justice and oppression have broken the spirit of peoples,
give your light, O God who frees.
Where hunger and poverty, illness and death
have made life an unbearable burden,
give your light, O God of grace.
Where suspicion and hatred, conflict and war have challenged your goodness,
give your light, O God of peace.
Eternal God, remove our blindness so that we may walk in the light of love; remove our ignorance and stubbornness so that we with all people, might drink from the fountain of your goodness and justice.
AMEN.

 

Closing Prayer:

Precious Lord, empower us to serve you fully, to share the resources we have with those who have less, to weep with those who weep, and to laugh with those who laugh. Help us to be good stewards over the earth you have placed in our care; help us to unite in love and concern for one another, not just in our local community, but with brothers and sisters in all the world.  Amen.