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Call to Worship

L: To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
P: O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
L: Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
P: Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
L: Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness' sake, O LORD!
All: All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

 

Call to Worship for Lent
L: Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!
P: God has blessed us, let all the ends of the earth fear God!
L: Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon God while he is near.
P: The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart God will not despise.
L: Let us draw near God and worship at his footstool.

 

Prayer for God's Strength to Resist Temptation:

Almighty God, your blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan.  Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations.  And, as you know the weakness of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord. Amen.

 

Prayer of Confession

Merciful God, 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, now and forevermore.    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!

 

Thanks for Baptism

God, source of hope,
We praise you.
We thank you for your gift of salvation in Christ.
We thank you for all those, our brothers and sisters

through the one baptism into Christ,
who call upon you as the source and giver of life.

We thank you for the hope of new life in Christ

for ourselves, our churches, and the whole creation.

We thank you that you have made us one.

We long to live as one.
Forgive our divisions,
and empower us in our work to overcome them.

In the joy of the resurrection to eternal life we pray, Amen.

 

Prayer for strength for the Lenten Fast

O Lord our God, teach us temperance and self-control, that we may live in the Spirit and be mindful of all that Jesus endured and sacrificed for our sakes, and how he was made perfect through sufferings.
Help us so to keep the fast that you have chosen, that we may loose the bonds of wickedness, undo the heavy burdens, and let the oppressed go free; through the grace of Christ Jesus our crucified and risen Savior. Amen.

 

Poem: God's Rainbow
(you may want to print this in the bulletin)

The falling rain dissolves into mist and the thunder begins to die; as the sporadic lightning fades, an arch of color pours from the sky.

Rainbows appear after mighty storms when things look their worst. Just when the sky is darkest gray, out of Heaven does a rainbow burst.

God first sent the rainbow to Noah as a sign that His word is true. The rainbow's eternal message still speaks to me and you.

The rainbow is a sign of God's promise that He will guide us through any storm; that He will ease all our troubles, no matter what their form.

When you feel battered by life's storms and you are filled with doubt and dismay, just remember God's rainbow is coming for it's blessing you have only to pray.

~ Author Unknown

 

Closing Prayer:

WESLEYAN COVENANT PRAYER

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt,
rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low by thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.