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Call to Worship (based on Psalm 22)

L: From you comes my praise in the great congregation.
P: The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD.
L: All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
P: For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
L: Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.

 

Call to Worship
L: As branches are dependent on the sap of the vine.
P: So are our souls dependent on the Life that comes from God.
L: People of God, let us come to the Fountain of Life with hearts full of praise.
P: Let us taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
L: Come, let us worship God!

 

Prayer of Confession:

Almighty, ever-gracious God, you are the Master of the vineyard of our lives. We confess our sins and shortcomings to.
We confess that we have not yielded to you in the stillness our hearts;

Forgive our lack of devotion and commitment to you.
We confess that we have rebelled against you--the pruning you applied to our lives and your discipline.  Forgive us, Lord and make our heats patient and obedient, especially in times of trials.
We confess don't always seek to remain in you; instead, we try to find our own way;  forgive us, o Lord.

We confess that we are not always willing to live a life of service to you and our neighbors; forgive us, Lord, and empower us to do your work here on earth until the day your Kingdom is established in eternity, through Jesus Christ our Lord,  Amen.

 

Intercessory Prayer

Standing in the glorious light of the resurrection, let us pray for the church, the world, and all who wait for the Spirit's revealing power.

Let us pray for the church, that it may remain true to the vine from which it grows, and may bear fruits o worship, mission, and service. We pray to the Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for this congregation, that its ministries of education and learning would be deepened by teachers who are impassioned by God's word and eager to impart its joys and promises to their students. We pray to the Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for the world God has created, that where war paralyzes people with fear and chaos, peace and unity will be restored. We pray to the Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for those who wait patiently for cures and medications yet undeveloped. May strength be given to all who live in chronic pain or sickness that they will never be forsaken (especially). We pray to the Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for vibrant and faithful congregational life rooted in the word of God and the sacraments of God's love. May we make disciples who will join us in bearing fruit for the reign of God. We pray to the Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Let us pray with thanksgiving for all who rest in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection. We pray to the Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Gracious God, hear our prayers and receive them for the sake of the crucified and risen one, our Savior Jesus Christ.

Amen

 

Prayer for a Heart of Outreach

The time that you give to each one of us is precious time O God. In it we find a foretaste of the eternal. Thank you, Lord, for giving the human person an opportunity to find you and to be reconciled to you. Empower us by your Spirit so that we might be people who have a heart for the world.  Grace our hands with kindness, our hearts with compassion, our minds with goodness, and our wills with a holy resolve. Hear our prayer O Lord, and help us be mindful of the shortness of the time we have upon this earth and so to live in your presence that we might be found righteous before you.  Make us instruments of your salvation and channels of your peace. We pray, O God, for others around us - that your love and wisdom may touch them - and that they too may come to know the living water of Christ which truly quenches all thirst. This we pray in the name of Jesus, the one who came to us and who even now walks with us on our journey. Amen

Help Us to Live As Those Who Are Baptized

God of Love and Life; at the baptism of your Son you opened the heavens and announced to the world that he belongs to you.  As Jesus lived faithful to your commands, help us also, joined to him in our own baptism, to live in that sense of belonging, as forgiven and faithful servants. Our heavenly Father, help us live as those who are baptized.

You work, O God, by your Holy Spirit, in our lives. Through Christ's baptism of suffering you have ransomed us, you have called us by name; we belong to you. You have promised to be with us, when we go through deep waters and great trouble.     Be with us, we pray as we face a new year with many uncertainties; walk with us every step of the way and turn the uncertainties into possibilities for us and your kingdom.  God of Love and Life, help us to live as those who are baptized and empowered by your Spirit. Amen.

 

A Prayer for Fruitfulness

Dear Lord, we pray that our love for you and for one another may abound more and more in width and depth. Fill us with the fruits of righteousness that come through Jesus Christ.  May our knowledge of your will abound in all spiritual wisdom andl understanding.

Lord, help us to lead a life worthy of your sacrifice for us,
enable us to be fruitful in every good work and increasing in your knowledge, strengthened with all might, according to Your glorious power.  May we abide with all patience and long-suffering in Jesus Christ our life-giving vine. Amen.

 

A Prayer to be filled with God's Love.

Dear Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we bow our knees before you and ask you for strength on our journey of faith according to the riches of Your glory.  Grant that Christ may so dwell in our hearts and minds through faith, that being rooted and grounded in love,
we may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height of the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge. Amen.

Closing Prayer/Benediction:

Now, to Him Who is able to bless us exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask or think,  according to His power that is at work in our lives, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all ages, forever and ever!  Amen.