Sunday worship prayers - Ordinary 15C - July 14

Approaching God

Welcome and announcements

Prelude

Gathering Song

Call to Worship

Liturgist:          As we gather in God’s Holy House, may our spirits be prepared to worship and applaud Him.
People:            We adore the Almighty Lord for His unlimited power; we glorify His Everlasting Name above all else.
Liturgist:          Let all who gather here today, praise the One, True, and Living God, whose glory lasts for ever and ever. Amen.

First Hymn

Prayers of Adoration and Confession

Guide:             Everlasting Father, we have come to this sacred place of praise and prayer to honor Your sovereignty and to worship Your greatness. Your infinite grace sustains our lives and we are richly blessed by Your unending love.

People:            Gracious God, we seek to live our lives by pleasing You, but sometimes we fall prey to temptation and yield to sinful ways. We make impulsive choices that disappoint You and we follow our own misguided beliefs. We neglect to do deeds that are both good and right. Hear us now as we humbly and silently confess our faults and sins to You alone.

- SILENCE -

Guide:              Loving Lord, Your Holy Son Jesus Christ is the Only One who can forgive our sins and restore us to Your favor. Only His Name can save our souls; only His blood can redeem us forever. Thank You for sending Him to the Earth and for giving us His life as the means of our eternal salvation. In Christ’s Name we pray, and through His own words we make our sacred requests, saying: “Our Father...THE LORD’S PRAYER” (debts/debtors)    

Promise of the Gospel

Guide:              Jesus is our Intercessor, who pleads for our souls before God’s holy throne. He has the mercy and grace that we need to be welcomed into Heaven. Let us, therefore, praise and glorify Christ, for He has redeemed and restored us forevermore. Amen.

Gloria Patri sung in unison): 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

Anthem

 Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor:             Grant us Your healing, O Gracious God. Allow Your righteousness to strengthen our bodies and minds. Help those among us who are afflicted with pain and discomfort, or with anxiety and sorrow. Comfort them with Your love and blessing.

People:            Restore our spirits, O Living Lord, and free us from all that ails or harms us. Protect us from all illnesses and enable us to fully recover from injury or surgery, accident or infirmity.

Pastor:             Eternal Father, Your loving kindness has been known and experienced by our people for generations. Refresh our weary spirits and renew our tired souls. Heal us and our loved ones from all that harms us in body, mind, heart, and soul. Hear us now we pray.

Silent Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit

Pastor:             Loving God, sustain our hopes with healing. May we know of Your abounding grace, both now and always. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.         

(Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 72)

Singing of ‘Sanctuary.’

Prayer of Illumination

Reader:           Holy Spirit, descend among us and open our hearts and minds to the message of the Gospel. May we honor and glorify Christ through the hearing of these words and the living of His teaching. Amen.oly

Scripture Readings

The Message and the Apostles' Creed

Serving God

Dedication (unison, led by pastor):                Lord Jesus, we give everything of ourselves to You alone. We ask that You will accept our lives, and the tokens of gratitude that we place before You. Bless them for the work of this church, as well as for the proclaiming of the Gospel, and the advancement of God’s Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we give and pray. Amen.

Closing Hymn:

Benediction (unison): May Christ grant us opportunities to serve Him in this community; may the Father help us to reach out to others who need His love; and may the Holy Spirit grant us the courage to live out our faith in our homes, businesses, schools, and neighborhoods, to the glory of the One, Triune, and Living God forevermore. Amen.

Doxology and Postlude