Sunday Worship Prayers - Advent 4 - Fourth in Advent - Dec 18

Approaching God

Welcome and announcements

Prelude

Call to Light the Advent Wreath

Family: The season of Advent continues. Today we shall be lighting the candle of love.

Congregation: No other word so completely describes what we know of our God.  For God so loved the world that a child was given....God's love in human form.

Family:            We wait in hope and peace, and with joy.

The two purple candles and the pink candle are lit

Family: We light the candle of love to proclaim that God's love is revealed in the Child born in Bethlehem.

Congregation:            We are challenged to proclaim and
reveal that same love as we live out our faith here in this area.

The purple candle is lit

Family:            We give thanks for a love that passes our human understanding.

Congregation:            We await once more the birth of God's enduring love this Christmas. In Christ’s Sacred Name, we hope, wait, love, and pray. Amen

First Hymn:

           

Prayers of Adoration and Confession

Guide:              Heavenly Father, we gather as Your people and children, seeking to delight You with our prayers and music, as well as our praises and worship. We come before You as humble servants, thankful for our lives and grateful for Your blessings.

People:           Merciful Lord, we know that we are sometimes rebellious and wayward, and that we do not make the best choices each day. We confess that we are sometimes unwilling to listen to Your words and constantly ignore Your commands. We are guilty of being unholy and unfaithful, unworthy and ungodly. We keep allowing pride and prejudice, anger and greed, arrogance and envy to diminish our faith and contaminate our souls. Hear us now as we make our sorrowful confessions to You alone.

- Silent Confessions -

Guide:              Loving Father, You gave Jesus to us to become our only Savior and Perfect Redeemer. He can save us from our sins and restore us to Your grace. We ask for Your mercy in His Name. Without Christ's power, we would be doomed forever. Without His love, we would be eternally lost. In His precious words, we continue our prayers, saying, "Our Father, Who art in heaven...THE LORD’S PRAYER"  (debts/debtors)

           

Promise of the Gospel:

Guide:              Christ taught us everything about God's grace and offered Himself as the Supreme Sacrifice for all of our sins. Death cannot seize us forever, for we have been liberated by Christ's blood and reinstated to God's pleasure, both now and forever. Amen.

Gloria Patri (sung 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

Choir Anthem

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor:             O Lord, our God, we take refuge in You; save and deliver us from all that harms us. When pain reduces us to tears, or fear overwhelms our souls, grant us comfort and peace.

People:           O Lord, if we have brought harm and suffering upon ourselves, grant us mercy and relief. When we seek peace of mind and strength to overcome weariness, be near to us, O Lord.

Pastor:             O Lord God Most High, You are the shield of our hearts and the sustainer of our lives. Hear our pleas for healing and bestow upon our loved ones health and wholeness, recovery and restoration. Hear us now as we silently pray.

Silent Prayers for others and ourselves. A candle is lit.

Pastor:             We will give thanks to God for His righteousness and give praise to the Lord Most High.  In Jesus' Name, we make these prayers. Amen.

(Healing prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 7)

           

Singing of “Jesus Draw Me Close.”

Prayer of Illumination

Reader:           Holy Spirit, we are heirs to the Lord's covenant and His chosen people. Let these sacred words penetrate our hearts and minds, so that our spirits and souls may be strengthened through the teaching, love and grace of Christ. In His Name, we pray.  Amen.

Scripture Readings

The Message & The Apostles' Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory

Dedication (unison): Lord Jesus, we are saved through Your Gospel when we firmly hold to the words You have preached. Strengthen our beliefs and personal commitment to You. Take these tithes and gifts for the service of the Kingdom, the preaching of Your Word and the glorifying of God's Name.  In Your Presence, we give and pray. Amen.

Closing Hymn:

Benediction (unison): May Christ flow into our lives and enhance our faith; may the Father comfort and strengthen us every day; and may the Holy Spirit empower and enable us to worship and witness to the One, True and Living God, both now and forevermore. Amen.

Doxology         May God's Blessing & Postlude

Advent 4 worship prayers - Fourth Sunday in Advent - 19 December

Approaching God

Announcements & A Word of Welcome

Family:            This is the Fourth Sunday in Advent and we seek the Lord’s blessing.

All:                  His Peace heals our pain and His Love liberates our souls.

(Lighting of Three Purple Advent Candles and Pink Joy candle)

Family:            Since we have been justified through our faith, we have everlasting peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prelude

First Hymn:

Prayer of Adoration and Confession

Guide: Everlasting Lord, whose ways are beyond our imagining and whose will is beyond our control, we assemble in Your Holy Presence and gather to praise Your Sacred Name.

People: Almighty God, whose covenants have always been fulfilled, and whose compassion is unequalled, we gladly worship Your Power and glorify Your wonderful deeds.

Guide: Heavenly Father, when sin affects our souls and we willfully damage our spirits by yielding to temptation, enable us to humbly seek Your forgiveness, and grant us the favor of Your pardon. You alone have the authority to condemn us or forgive us, to judge us or justify us. Hear us now as we personally make our confessions to You.

- Silent Confessions -

Guide: Gracious God, You are our refuge and hiding place, our safe haven and sanctuary. Your Holy Son Jesus Christ has purchased our salvation with His own blood. We are grateful for the opportunity to be acquitted of our past mistakes and restored to Your love and blessing.  We humbly make these confessions in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Only Savior and precious Lord, in whose words we faithfully pray, saying,

"Our Father…THE LORD’S PRAYER (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel

Guide:  God sent Jesus into the world to heal it of all its unholiness and to reclaim creation to God's Kingdom. We know Jesus as our Savior and Christ, our Peace Bringer and Soul Restorer. So let us gladly rejoice in His perfect obedience, complete forgiveness and everlasting reassurance. In His Name. 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

Choir Anthem

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor:             O Lord of Life, in the midst of weakness or strength, we place our hope in Your sacred words. When we are fearful or anxious, O God, we look to You for comfort and compassion.

People:                        In times of distress or despair, we will not forget Your words of holiness and healing. When our patience is stretched and our peace is broken, reassure us with Your presence and strengthen us with Your love.

Pastor:             When we fall down, or when we feel feeble or frail, do not forsake or abandon us; do not forget our pleas or reject our prayers. Compassionate Father, we appeal to Your mercy and grace and we ask for healing. Restore all our loved ones, and us to health and wholeness. Protect us from all that harms us in body, mind, heart, and soul. Hear us now as we silently pray.

Silent Prayers for others and ourselves. A candle is lit.

Pastor: Preserve us according to Your gracious words. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Healer of the World and Savior to the Nations. Amen.

(Healing prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 119:Kaph)

Singing of ‘Jesus, Draw Me Close.’

Prayer for Illumination

Reader:             Holy Spirit, release us from our fears and strengthen our faith in Jesus. Let God's word bring us closer to Him and equip us to go out into the world liberated by Your love and inspired by this message. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.

Scripture Readings

Sermon & The Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory

Dedication (unison)   Lord Jesus, You have taught us to cheerfully give of ourselves to You and God's Kingdom. You have sacrificed Your life for our salvation, so we gratefully bring to You these gifts and tithes, praying that You will accept them for the life, ministry and work of Your church here in this congregation, our community, and throughout the world. In Your Holy Name, we give and pray. Amen.

Closing Hymn:

Benediction (unison):

May Christ lead us each day to accomplish His purpose for our lives; may the Father's gracious love keep us always in obedience to Him; and may the Holy Spirit continually influence us so that we may glorify and praise the One, Triune and Living God, from this day forth and forevermore. Amen.

Doxology        Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; etc & Postlude

Sunday prayers: 4th Sunday in Advent - Advent 4 - December 20

Approaching God

Welcome & Announcements

Gathering Song & Prelude

Call to Worship:Fourth in Advent: PEACE

Advent Guide:  Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Strength of God and the Sacred Shepherd of our souls.

All:      Your greatness is amongst us and Your power reaches out to the ends of the Earth.

(Lighting of Three Purple Candles & Pink Candle)

Advent Guide:              Lord Jesus, let us live securely in Your peace and be blessed forever by Your Holy Name. Amen.

Hymn:

Confessional Prayer

Guide: Eternal Lord of Life, we come before You as servants seeking Your favor, and as disciples devoted to Your Kingdom. Almighty God, we place our trust in You for You are our Rock and refuge, our shield and salvation, our gracious leader and loving guide.

People:  Heavenly Father, we have wandered from Your ways and rebelled against Your righteousness. We have chosen to embrace our pride and greed; we have decided to follow our fallen ideals and selfish sins.

Guide: Loving God, we have sometimes placed our confidence in our own strength and rejected Your truth. We have frequently allowed ourselves to be swayed by our culture and misdirected by our misconceptions. Forgive us for being false and foolish, unholy and unworthy. Hear us now as we personally confess our sins.

- SILENCE -

Guide: Merciful Lord, we regret our past mistakes and look to Jesus for our salvation. We turn away from our guilty sins and seek Christ to renew our lives. Help us to remain united with Him. In His Holy words, we now pray, saying, “Our Father…THE LORD’S PRAYER (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel

Guide:  Christ was sent by our Heavenly Father to save the world from sin. He sacrificed Himself so that we may be given the opportunity of being forgiven and restored to God’s favor and grace. Without Jesus, we have no hope of avoiding the wrath of God. With Christ, we are spiritually purified and eternally pardoned. We rejoice in His power and Holy Name, both now and forever. Amen.

Gloria Patri(unison-sung): 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: O Lord, in the midst of this sanctuary, our souls yearn for Your Favor, our hearts cry out for healing. Bless us, Living God, for having set our hearts on You and trusting You for strength.

People:                        Hear our prayers, O LORD God Almighty; listen to us, O God of Jacob. Look upon Your people, O God, gathered here in Your Name. Look upon us with mercy and compassion.

Pastor: For You, O LORD, fill us with hope and help us through each day. Do not withhold Your power from us and heal our loved ones from their sickness and pain, anxiety and depression, illnesses and injuries.

Silent Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit

Pastor: O LORD Almighty, blessed are those who trust in You. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

(Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 84)

Singing of Jesus, Draw Me Close

Prayer for Illumination:

Reader:             Holy Spirit, enable us to receive Christ into our hearts through the reading of these sacred scriptures. Heal us of the past and lead us by His presence in our lives. May we experience Christ being born in our spirits this day and forevermore. Amen.

Scripture Readings

The Message & The Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory:

Dedication(unison): Lord Jesus, You are the Perfect One and our lives are transformed by Your mercy and grace. In return, we pledge to You our lives and dedicate our time, talents and tithes to You alone. Take these gifts and bless them for Your work in the world and Your ministry among us. In Your Holy Name, we give and pray. Amen. 

Hymn:

Benediction(unison):  May Christ enable us to love our neighbors each day; may the Father help us to support one another with mercy and grace; and may the Holy Spirit lead us to fulfill God’s law through being servants of His Kingdom and disciples of Christ, for now and always. Amen.

Doxology         Praise God, from whom all blessings flow & Postlude

Sunday prayers: Fourth in Advent : Advent 4 - Dec 21

Approaching God

Welcome and Announcements

Prelude & Gathering Song
Family: The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world (John 1:9).

People: We light these candles as a sign of the coming light of Christ.
( 3 purple and the pink candle are lit)

Family: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it (John 1:1–5).

Hymn:

Confessional Prayer
Guide: Eternal Foundation of Life, Immortal Creator of the Universe, we come before You as servants and seekers, disciples and devotees. We place our trust in You, for You are our Rock and refuge, our shield and salvation, our gracious leader and loving guide.

People: Heavenly Father, we have wandered from Your ways and rebelled against Your righteousness. We have chosen to cherish our pride and greed; we have decided to follow our fallen ideals and selfish sins. We have placed our confidence in our own strength and rejected Your truth. We have allowed ourselves to be swayed by our culture and misdirected by our misconceptions. Hear us now as we personally confess our sins.

- SILENCE -

Guide: Merciful Lord, we regret our past mistakes and look to Jesus for salvation. We turn away from our guilty sins and seek Christ to renew our lives. Keep us in fellowship with Jesus and help us to be united with Him. In His Holy words, we now pray, saying, “Our Father…THE LORD’S PRAYER (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel
Guide: Christ was sent by our Heavenly Father to save the world from sin. He sacrificed Himself so that we might be given the opportunity to be forgiven and restored to God’s favor and grace. Without Jesus, we have no hope of avoiding the wrath of God. With Christ, we are spiritually purified and totally forgiven. We rejoice in His power and Holy Name, both now and forever. Amen.

Gloria Patri (sung) : 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: O Lord, in the midst of this sanctuary, our souls yearn for Your Favor, our hearts cry out for healing. Bless us, Living God, for having set our hearts on You and trusting You for strength.
People: Hear our prayers, O LORD God Almighty; listen to us, O God of Jacob. Look upon us as Your people, O God, gathered here in Your Name. Look upon us with mercy and compassion.
Pastor: For You, O LORD, fill us with hope and help us through each day. Please do not withhold Your power from us; heal our loved ones from their sickness and pain, anxiety and depression, illnesses and injuries.

Silent Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit

Leader: O LORD Almighty, blessed are those who trust in You. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
(Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 84)

Anthem

Prayer for Illumination:
Reader: Holy Spirit, enable us to receive into our hearts through the reading of these sacred scriptures. Heal us of the past and lead us by His presence in our lives. May we experience Christ being born in our spirits this day and forevermore. Amen.

Scripture Readings & Sermon & The Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory:
Dedication (unison): Lord Jesus, You are the Perfect One and our lives are transformed by Your mercy and Grace. In return, we pledge to You our lives and dedicate our time, talents, and tithes to You alone. Take these gifts and bless them for Your work in the world and Your ministry among us. In Your Holy Name, we give and pray. Amen.

Hymn:

Benediction (unison): May Christ enable us to love our neighbors each day; may the Father help us to support one another with mercy and grace; and may the Holy Spirit lead us to fulfill God’s law through being servants of His Kingdom and disciples of Christ, for now and always. Amen.

Doxology & Postlude

Sunday Prayers: Advent 4

Approaching God

Welcome & Announcement

Prelude & Gathering
Call to Light the Advent Wreath

Family: The season of Advent continues. Today we shall be lighting the candle of love.

Congregation: No other word so completely describes what we know of our God. For God so loved the world that a child was given....God's love in human form.

Family: We wait in hope and peace, and with joy.

The two purple candles and the pink candle are lit

Family: We light the candle of love to proclaim that God's love is revealed in the Child born in Bethlehem.
Congregation: We are challenged to proclaim and reveal that same love as we live out our faith here in ….

The purple candle is lit

Family: We give thanks for a love that passes our human understanding.

Congregation: We await once more the birth of God's enduring love this Christmas. In Christ’s Sacred Name, we hope, wait, love, and pray. Amen

Hymn:

Confessional Prayer
Guide: Lord of Love and Life, we come before You as Your people, hoping to please You with our praises and seeking to delight You with our worship.
People: Almighty God, in whom our lives are lived, and by whom our days are sustained, we place our faith, hope, and love in You alone.

Guide: Gracious Father, we know that we have allowed temptation and sin to over rule our spirits. We have succumbed to our selfish desires and made poor choices.
People: Benevolent Majesty, forgive us for taking Your grace for granted and for setting You aside. Pardon us for disrespecting Your ways and disavowing Your words with our sinful actions. Hear us now as we inwardly confess our sins.

- SILENCE -

Guide: Merciful God, only Your Son Jesus Christ can save us from our sins. Only He can bridge the gap that we have created through our sinful deeds and wicked ways.
People: We place our lives and souls into Christ’s hands. We ask for redemption and restoration through His precious blood. In His Holy words, we now pray, saying, “Our Father, etc.

Promise of the Gospel
Guide: When Jesus came into our world, He brought God’s everlasting grace with Him. By living a life of true obedience, He has enabled us to be given an eternal hope from God. We are no longer cast away from God. We are restored to His throne and returned to His Kingdom through Jesus Christ, our Savior, Redeemer, and Lord. 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)

Anthem

Encountering God

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor: O Lord, in this holy sanctuary, our souls yearn for Your Favor, and our hearts cry out for healing.
People: Bless us, Living God, for we have set our hopes in You, and trust You with all our strength.
Pastor: Hear our prayers, O LORD God Almighty; listen to us, O God of Jacob.
People: Look upon Your people, O God, gathered here in Your Name. Look upon us with mercy and compassion.
Pastor: For You, O LORD, fill us with faith, and You help us through each day.
People: Gracious God, do not withhold Your power from us. Heal us and all our loved ones from sickness and pain, anxiety and depression, illness and injury.

Silent Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit

Pastor: O LORD Almighty, blessed are those who trust in You. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
(Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 84)

Prayer for Illumination:
Reader: Holy Spirit, teach us God’s plan for our lives through the reading and receiving of these sacred words. Challenge and change our ways, so that we may become true witnesses of Christ’s Gospel. In His Name, we pray. Amen.

Scripture Readings & Sermon & The Apostles’ Creed

Serving God
Offering & Offertory:

Dedication: Lord Jesus, we bring before You an offering made up of our tithes and gifts, resources and wealth. We pray that it may honor and glorify You. We humbly ask that You bless this offering for the spreading of the Gospel, the mission of the Church, and the praising of God’s Name, both now and always. Amen.

Hymn:

Benediction (unison): May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace as we trust in Him, so that we may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; One God forevermore. Amen.

Doxology & Postlude