____________________________________________________

 

Call to Worship (Psalm 147)

L: Praise the LORD! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
P: The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. 
L: He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.
P: Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
ALL: The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.  Praise the LORD!

    

Opening Prayer/ Invocation--Dwight in WV

Holy and Majestic God,
Though we may feel as insignificant as insects in your gentle presence,
We know your care for even the weariness in our bones.
We look too far for your awe inspiring power and miss the subtlety of your love.
May our spirits soar on the wings of your sustaining and redeeming Holy Spirit as we worship you with our whole hearts this hour. We thank you for the for your grace through Christ, AMEN

           

Prayer of Confession (based on Isaiah):
by Rev. F. Schaefer

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wickedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness

We confess that we have rebelled against your love; we have turned away from you and followed the ways of the world.  We have not loved our neighbor as ourselves, we have not heard the cry of the needy, and we have not devoted ourselves to you in trust and true faith. 

Forgive us, we pray, and restore us into perfect union with your will and purposes.  By your Spirit empower us to render our offerings of time, service, devotion and tithes from the sincerity of our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
   

Wings-Like-Eagles-Prayer "For Those Who Wait" (use with Isaiah 40:21-31)
BOW, United Reformed Church

Trapped by the violence of someone once loved;
held by the poverty of a crop dried up;
threatened by the state for views strongly held.
Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength
They shall mount up with wings like eagles.

Imprisoned at home by the fear of outside;
frozen by the frost on the street at night;
lost in a maze of benefit claims.
Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength
They shall mount up with wings like eagles.

Chained to the concrete of a protest tunnel;
victimised by those who see in black and white;
excluded by society's dis-ability to change.
Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength
They shall mount up with wings like eagles.

Abused by a friend whom they thought they could trust;
oppressed by the dark blanket of depression;
consumed by the fear of playground bullies.
Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength
They shall mount up with wings like eagles.

Everlasting God, we hear your promise to us.
Thank you for your support when we are weary,
for your strength when we are faint.
Uphold us and embrace us with your power.

  

Prayer for a Heart of Outreach (use with 1 Corinthians 9:16-23)

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

  

Prayer (for the Gospel lesson)
adapted from a prayer of the Augustinian Friars

Let us pray to the
Lord of the harvest who calls men
and women to serve him in love.

(Pause for silent prayer)

All glory and praise are yours,
God of truth, light of our hearts, for
you guide your people in
the ways of holiness.

Help us
and our fellow brothers and sisters
to seek you through mutual love and worship
and to be servants of your Church as
examples that others may follow.

Enlighten men and women
to see the beauty of the Christian life;
strengthen them in your service
so that the work you have begun in
them may be brought to fulfillment.

Amen.

 

 

Closing Prayer of Devotion / Re-Dedication
by St. Augustine

Lord,
let my whole heart
be inflamed with love for you;
let nothing in me belong to me
and let me have no thought for myself;
let me burn
and be wholly consumed in you;
let me love you with my whole being
as one set on fire by you.

 

Closing Prayer by Rev REV in NJ

Almighty God, you have set the planets in their courses, and the seasons in sequence, in an unending rhythm of beauty and wonder. Help us now to find a rhythm for our lives, so that as we live out each day we may find the poise and the power we have seen in your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.