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Call to Worship
L: God is good!
P: All the time!
L: Whether it rains or whether the sun shines brightly.
P: God is good all the time!
L: Let us worship God!
Call to Worship (based on Psalm 126)
L: When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who
dream.
P: then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts
of joy.
L: Then they said among the nations: "the Lord has done great things for them.
P: The Lord has done great things for us; let us be glad and rejoice
in him.
L: May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy!
All: Come, let us worship God in his temple with shouts of joy!
Invocation
From our God who loves us with an everlasting love, who brings forth a new
creation in Christ, who leads us by the Spirit in the wilderness: Grace and
abundant mercy by with you all.
And also with you.
Let us pray. Almighty God, our redeemer, in our weakness we have failed to
be your messengers of forgiveness and hope in the world. Renew us by your Holy
Spirit, that we may follow your commands and proclaim your reign of love;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
Prayer of Confession
from the Graz worship book
L: Eternal and all-powerful God, you put away nothing of what you have
created, and you forget the sins of those who repent. Create and awake in us a
new and contrite heart, that we may regret our sins, recognize our wickedness,
and receive from you, God of all mercy, full pardon and peace, through Jesus
Christ, our Lord, Amen.
L: Let us seek the forgiveness of God and of each other for the divisions
that have hindered Christian witness: Lord we have sinned against you and
against each other.
C: Lord, have mercy.
L: O Christ, our divisions are contrary to your will and have impeded our
common witness to you.
C: Christ have mercy.
L: Lord, we have not loved you enough in our brothers and sisters, created in
your image, but different from us.
C: Lord, have mercy.
L: Creator God, let us no longer live beside each other as strangers. Satisfy
the longings of our hearts, grant our rightful requests, and unite us soon in
one holy church through your Son Jesus Christ who with you in the communion of
the Holy Spirit lives and reigns eternally.
brief silence followed by the pardon
Prayer of Intercession
As we seek in this Lenten time to grow in our faith, let us pray for the life
of the world.
That the church might always be watchful for God's love that is always new,
and might be found faithful on the day of resurrection, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
That throughout the world, nations and peoples might experience peace,
justice, and beauty, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
That those preparing for baptism might find in those waters springs of new
life, rivers in the desert, and mighty seas of deliverance, let us pray to the
Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
That our stewardship of the creation be faithful, and that animals and
plants, waters and seas, desert and wilderness might declare their Creator's
praise, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
That those in need: the sick, the grieving, the poor, the dying,
(especially), be cared for as Christ, and receive God's care; let us pray to the
Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
That this congregation, like Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, may always be ready
to receive the Lord at table, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
That we might press on toward the goal, and together with (names, and) all
the saints, attain the resurrection from the dead through Christ Jesus, let us
pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
Grant these prayers, merciful God, and all that we need, as we eagerly await
the Easter feast; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Prayer of Trust in God's Salvation (by St. Augustine of Hippo)
--Epistle
My God, let me know and love you, so that I may find my happiness in you.
Since I cannot fully achieve this on earth, help me to improve daily until I
may do so to the full. Enable me to know you ever more on earth, so that I may
know you perfectly in heaven. Enable me to love you ever more on earth, so
that I may love you perfectly in heaven. In that way my joy may be great on
earth, and perfect with you in heaven.
O God of truth, grant me the happiness of heaven so that my joy may be full
in accord with your promise. In the meantime let my mind dwell on that
happiness, my tongue speak of it, my heart pine for it, my mouth pronounce it,
my soul hunger for it, my flesh thirst for it, and my entire being desire it
until I enter through death in the joy of my Lord forever. Amen.
Prayer for Love and Devotion
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.
