Call to Worship (based on Psalm 91)
L: We who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in
the shadow of the Almighty,
P: We will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my
fortress; my God, in whom I trust."
L: For he will deliver us from the snare of the fowler and from the
deadly pestilence;
P: God will cover us with his pinions, and
under his wings we will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
L: Come, let us worship the One who sits enthroned on the cherubim
and, yet, surrounds us and watches over us always and everywhere.
Responsive Call to Worship
L: We worship the God who inhabits our world and who dwells in our lives.
P: We need not look up to find God, we need only look around, within
ourselves, beyond ourselves, and in the eyes of another.
L: We need not listen for distant thunder to find God, we need only listen
to the music of life, the words of children, the rhythm of a heart beat.
P: We worship the God who inhabits our world and who faithfully dwells in
our lives.
Prayer of Confession:
Father, you have given all peoples one common origin. It is your will
that they be gathered together as one family in yourself.
Fill the hearts of humankind with the fire of your love and with the
desire to ensure justice for all.
We confess that we often put our trust in the power of man-made things,
unmindful of Your mighty power and that Jesus is " King Of Kings." We
confess that we have turned our eyes away from You to go our selfish ways.
Money, power and pleasure are the gods we serve today. Through greed and
fear and hatred, we are seeking to destroy.
Oh, Father up in heaven, stir and wake our sleeping souls.
May there be an end to division, strife and war. May there be a dawning
of a truly human society built on love and peace. We ask this in the name of
Jesus, our Lord.
By sharing the good things you give us, help us to secure an equality for
all our brothers and sisters throughout the world. Amen.
A Prayer of Vision for a Future of Peace
by Helen Steiner Rice
Our Father up in Heaven, hear this fervent prayer.
May the people of all Nations be united in Thy Care.
For earth's peace and our salvation can come only by Thy grace.
And not through bombs and missiles and our quest for space.
For until all recognize that "The Battle Is The Lord's"
And peace on earth cannot be won with strategy and swords.
We will go on vainly fighting, as we have in ages past.
Finding only empty victories and a peace that cannot last.
But we've grown so rich and mighty and so arrogantly strong,
We no longer ask in humbleness-" God, show us where we're wrong."
Renew our faith and lift us up and give us higher goals.
And grant us heavenly guidance as war threatens us again-
For, more than Guided Missiles, all the world needs guided men and
women. Amen.
Prayer for Justice And Peace
Father, you have given all peoples one common origin. It is your will
that they be gathered together as one family in yourself.
Fill the hearts of humankind with the fire of your love and with the
desire to ensure justice for all.
We confess that we often put our trust in the power of man-made things,
unmindful of Your mighty power and that Jesus is " King Of Kings."
We confess that we have turned our eyes away from You to go our
selfish ways. Money, power and pleasure are the gods we serve today.
Through greed and fear and hatred, we are seeking to destroy.
Oh, Father up in heaven, stir and wake our sleeping souls.
May there be an end to division, strife and war. May there be a dawning
of a truly human society built on love and peace. We ask this in the name of
Jesus, our Lord.
By sharing the good things you give us, help us to secure an equality for
all our brothers and sisters throughout the world. Amen.
Prayer of Intercession
Remembering God's marvelous work and living in hope, let us pray for the
church, the world, and all people according to their needs.
Let us pray for the church, that its leaders and ministers will be faithful
heralds of the one mediator, Jesus Christ, and draw others to the knowledge of
the truth. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let us pray for the leaders of the world, that they will govern wisely and
protect those under their care, so that all people may live a quiet and
peaceable life. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let us pray for the poor and for all people oppressed and exploited by
dishonest business practices, that they might receive justice. Lord, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who mourn because they are childless, that God will
give them comfort, hope, and fulfillment. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let us pray for all who are sick and dying (especially), that they would be
lifted from their pain and despair to healing and hope. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let us pray for our congregation, that we would be called away from the
lure of wealth and everything that might impede our service to God and others.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let us give thanks for (names, and all) the saints who lived in the
knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ and now rest securely with him. Bring
us also to that rest. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
God of faithfulness, encircled in your lovingkindness, we lift up to you
all in need. Hear our prayers on behalf of others and sustain us as we await
the coming of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose name we pray.
Amen
Blessings Upon You
adapted from a prayer by Margaret A. Davidson
Blessings upon you, upon those you love
and those you shall never know.
Blessings upon your steps
and upon the vision of your eyes.
Blessings upon you in all circumstances;
joy and sorrow, for wisdom rests in them,
twin experiences with different faces.
Blessings be upon what lies before you,
the challenges and decisions,
the pain and the relief.
Blessings upon you, my friends in Christ.
Closing Prayer:
Thou who art over us,
Thou who art one of us,
Thou who art:
Give me a pure heart, that I may see thee;
a heart of love, that I may serve thee;
a heart of faith, that I may abide in thee.
Amen.
