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Call to Worship (from Psalm 148)

L: Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
P: Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
L: Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
P: Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
L: Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.
P: Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
L: Let us praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.

Prayer of Illunination for the Christmas Season

Send, o God, into the darkness of this troubled world,
the light of your Son.
Let the star of your hope touch the minds of all people
with the bright beams of mercy and truth;
and so direct our steps that we may ever walk in the way revealed to us,
as the shepherds of Bethlehem walked with joy
to the manger where he dwelled,
who now and ever reigns in our hearts, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Prayer of God's Providence (adapted from a Letter by St. Francis de Sales)

Almighty God and Father,
     In our shared humanity, our hearts fear more than ever before in this world filled with anxiety, strife, and uncertainty.
     For those who doubt and fear that evil is greater than good we pray for the grace to take the side of your divine Providence. May we always believe that it does all well, and disposes all things for the best.
     And for all of us we pray for wisdom and justice, for courage and hope. May we know that, even if everything is taken from us, your divine Providence means that You will never take Yourself from us, so long as we do not will it.
     Enlighten our minds, encourage our hearts, and enliven our souls that we might know your presence, grow in love, and bring new hope to our world.    Amen.

 

Prayer for God's Guidance for the New Year
Barry in OH

O God beyond every calendar, and every season under the Sun, how foolish we can be with our obsessions and fixations on time, its courses, vagaries, and purposes. Speak to us with power and wisdom from your secret dwelling beyond time, which has a door in every heart, and a window in every soul. Help us see with utter clarity how you are at work in our lives, through our lives, with our lives, giving birth to the fullness of time and the goodness of creation. Give us strength and courage to follow Christ Jesus, all the time, for the sake of our time, until the end of our time. Amen

 

Closing Prayer:

The Almighty God bless us with divine grace,
Christ give us the joys of everlasting life,
and unto the fellowship of the citizens above
may the King of Angels bring us all.
Amen.