Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Sunday prayers: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Nov 16

Approaching God

Welcome & Announcements

Prelude & Gathering Song

Hymn:

Confessional Prayer
Guide: Lord of bounty and blessing, God of Creation and wonder, we have come here to Your Holy house of prayer, seeking refuge and looking for hope. We lift up our hearts and voices to praise and honor You. We are called to be disciples and servants of Your kingdom, so we rejoice in this sacred place of peace and power.

People: Almighty Father, You know everything about us. You are aware of our sinful deeds and selfish ways. You have seen our arrogant acts and experienced our intolerant pride. You have witnessed our bitterness and shallowness, our indifference and lack of compassion. Forgive our sins and pardon our foolish mistakes. Save us from temptation and rescue us from doing wrong. Hear us now as we humbly approach You with our personal confessions and individual prayers.

- SILENCE -

Guide: Everlasting God, we cannot avoid Your judgment. No matter how independent we have become, we still are indebted to You. Only Your Son can heal the breach between us; only Jesus can restore us to the joy of Your Kingdom. We place our lives into His hands and seek the blessing of His forgiveness.

People: We make these petitions in the Name of Jesus Christ our Savior, who taught us to pray saying, “Our Father…” THE LORD’S PRAYER (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel
Guide: How can Jesus save us from our sins? By giving His life as a ransom for our own and by shedding His blood to cleanse us from our mistakes. By sacrificing Himself on the Cross, so that we may be forgiven and restored to God’s favor and grace. So let us rejoice and be thankful, for Christ our Savior has fulfilled all that was necessary to save our souls, both now and for ever. Amen.

Gloria Patri : Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen.

Family Sermon (parents and all children, including Elementary school students come forward)

Encountering God

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor: How long, O LORD, must we suffer and experience discomfort? How long will our ailments continue? Do not leave us without hope. May Your mercy come quickly to us, for we are in desperate need.

People: Help us, O God, our Savior, for the glory of Your Name; deliver us from harm and restore us to health. We humbly ask to You to send forth Your Holy Spirit to touch us and all our loved ones with Your healing grace, Your bountiful blessing, and Your compassionate love.

Pastor: May the cries of our hearts and the prayers of all our loved ones come before You; may You strengthen and preserve them, delivering them from despair and healing them from all that harms them in body, mind , heart and soul. May our faith in You be realized through the healing of our lives. Hear us now as we silently pray.

Silent Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit

Pastor: We are Your people, the sheep of Your pasture. We will praise You forever. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
(Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 79)

Anthem

Prayer for Illumination:
Reader: Holy Spirit, meet with us today in this sacred place and enable us to encounter Jesus through these holy words. Penetrate our hearts and minds with the true meaning of these scriptures and help us to apply these eternal truths in our daily lives. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.

Scripture Readings, Sermon, & The Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory:
Dedication: (unison) Lord Jesus, from the bounty of our resources, we give back to You these gifts. You have blessed us each day and enabled us to offer our time, talents and treasures to the glory of God. We seek Your approval of our pledges, tithes and offering, praying that we may use them for the life, work and ministry of this church in Your Sacred Name, both now and forever. Amen.

Hymn:

Benediction: (unison)May we submit to Christ’s authority each day; may the Father preserve us from punishment by giving us His grace; and may the Holy Spirit keep us conscientious and faithful as Christian people, who worship, glorify, and adore the One, Triune God, both now and always. Amen.

Doxology & Postlude

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