Sunday Worship Prayers : Advent 1

Approaching God

Announcements & A Word of Welcome

Prelude, Gathering

Advent Candle prayer (liturgy from the Uniting Church in Australia)

Family: Today is the first Sunday of Advent - the time when we prepare once again for the coming of Jesus.

Congregation: We light a candle each week to remind us that Jesus brings light into the dark places of the world.

Family: Today, the prophet Isaiah describes a future shaped by peace for all nations as they walk in the light of the Lord. We wait in hope for this prophecy to be fulfilled.

Congregation: We light the candle of hope to proclaim that God's light is coming into the world

A purple candle is lit.

Family: God of all nations - You spoke to Isaiah and You empowered him to speak welcome words of peace and hope to the people of his time.
Congregation: We need to hear Your word anew to us today as the darkness of despair is still experienced wherever peace and hope are absent.

Family: Strengthen us with the power of the Holy Spirit so that we may be Your prophets in this day and age - teaching Your ways and lifting people's darkness through words and work of love and peace and justice.

Congregation: In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

First Hymn:
Prayers of Confession

Guide: Loving God, who established the heavens and the earth, we come before You as people of Christian faith, seeking to please our Lord and King.

People: We raise up our prayers and praises to You alone. We worship You with our lips and cherish You in our hearts.

Guide: Almighty Father, we have come into Your holy house, so that we may learn Your sacred words and be thankful for Your merciful ways.

People: We remember that You judge us, so we confess our sins to You alone. We regret our past mistakes and disputes. We are sorry for our selfish choices and foolish decisions. We seek Your pardon and need forgiveness. Hear us now as we personally pray.

- SILENCE -

Guide: Gracious Lord, thank You for sending Jesus into our world and for the hope and peace that He brings to our lives. He is our Loving Savior and we are restored to Your favor through the blood of Christ.
People: We live and walk in the light of Christ. By His own words, we conclude our confessional prayers, saying “Our Father... (THE LORD'S PRAYER” debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel

Guide: Our salvation is bought dearly by the blood of Jesus Christ. We are clothed in His righteousness and redeemed forever by His truth. Let us rejoice and celebrate our everlasting forgiveness through Jesus Christ, our 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)


Encountering God

Anthem

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor: Contend, O LORD, with those things which harm us; defend us against all illnesses which weaken our bodies, minds and spirits.
People: Receive our heartfelt prayers and personal pleas for healing; arise, Heavenly Father, and come to our aid.
Pastor: Brandish Your power against those viruses and diseases, sicknesses and cancers which threaten our health. Grant peace for our troubled minds and bring strength to our souls by becoming our complete and effective shalom.
People: Permit our loved ones to rejoice in Your healing, LORD, and bring them to recovery through Your total deliverance.
Pastor: May our whole beings exclaim, "Who is like you, O LORD? You rescue the poor in spirit from sickness and despair. You deliver the anxious and needy from the fears which overwhelm them.”
People: Enable us to give You thanks in this congregation for answered prayers; from within our hearts and souls, we bring You our petitions for hope, health and healing.

Silent Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit

Pastor: May we delight in our deliverance and shout for joy with gladness; may our loved ones joyfully say, "The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of His people." In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Singing of '"Jesus Draw Me Close." (Choir leads this)

Prayer of Illumination:

Reader: Holy Spirit, awaken us from our spiritual slumber and make us more aware of what Christ is doing throughout this present age. Help us to ponder upon these scriptures and openly receive God’s teaching in our hearts. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Scripture Readings & Sermon & The Apostles' Creed

Serving God

Dedication: Lord Jesus, the day of our salvation is nearer than we know. In Your Holy Name, we gather together our tithes and gifts. Bless them for the holy work of Your Church, the preaching of the Gospel, and the saving of souls throughout the earth. Amen.

Communion

Closing Hymn:

Benediction: May Christ clothe us in His righteousness each and every day; may the Father teach us His ways, so that we may continue to walk in His paths; and may the Holy Spirit shower us with the light of eternal love, so that we may continue to worship and glorify the One, Triune and Living God, both now and always. Amen.

Doxology May God's Blessing & Postlude

Sunday Prayers 25 Nov 2007

Approaching God

Welcome & Announcements
Prelude and Gathering

Call to worship

Pastor: With thankful hearts and grateful spirits, we approach You, O King of the Universe.
People: We seek to love and serve You; we wish to please You and follow Your commands.
Pastor: We are truly grateful for Your presence in the world and Your influence over our lives. Hear us now as we worship and glorify Your wonderful Name. Amen.

Hymn:

Confessional Prayer

Guide: Everlasting God, who looks at the entire world and sees the lives that we each lead; whose wonders and deeds far outshine our greatest achievements and highest successes; we humbly approach Your Holy Presence, seeking Your approval and hoping for Your favor.
People: Almighty Lord, without You, we are a people of no significance, a church without meaning, a community with no purpose. You created us in Your Perfect image, fillings our hearts with eternal notions and the hope of everlasting life.

Guide: Gracious Lord, at times we have forsaken Your paths and followed our limited understanding. We have exalted our intellect and replaced Your ways with our ideas. We have stripped Your Holy Word of meaning, and have rebelled against Your sacred scriptures. We have falsified our faith and denied our dependence upon You.
People: Heavenly Father, we have made selfish choices and shameful decisions. We have damaged our souls with pride and anger, stubbornness and greed. Forgive our faults and cleanse us of our careless ways. Hear us now as we personally confess our sins to You.

- SILENCE -

Guide: Merciful Lord, reclaim our rebellious lives and restore us to Your Son’s salvation. Rekindle our faith in Jesus, renewing our hearts and minds, so that we may gratefully, thankfully and cheerfully serve You forever.
People: For we make our confession in the mighty and powerful Name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, and through His own words, we continue to pray, saying, “Our Father,…”

Promise of the Gospel:

Guide: Jesus gathers us to Himself, filling us with His grace and love. He takes the broken pieces of our sinful lives, to heals us of all our past and personal sins. Let us rejoice and be truly thankful, for Jesus is our Savior, both now and forevermore. 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.

Children’s Sermon

Anthem

Encountering God
Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor: The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love.
People: The plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations.
Pastor: O Living God, who formed the hearts, minds and bodies of us all, consider our present troubles and provide for our personal needs.
People: Your eyes are constantly on us; You know our worries and fears. We place our lives into Your hands and put our hope in Your unfailing love.
Pastor: You are our help and shield, O Lord. We wait for Your mercy and ask that You heal us, including our families and friends, of all that hurts, harms and hinders us.
People: For we trust in Your Holy Name and we humbly ask that You hear our heartfelt petitions and personal prayers.

Silent Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit

Pastor: May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
.
(Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 33)

Sing: Jesus Draw Me Close

Prayer for Illumination :
Reader : Holy Spirit, descend upon us and open our hearts to God’s message. Grant us understanding of these scriptures, and give us opportunities to apply these sacred words in our daily lives. For the sake of our Savior and in Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Scripture Readings, Sermon & the Apostles’ Creed
Serving God
Offering & Offertory

Dedication : Lord Jesus, through Your death, You made a new covenant with the world. We freely give our lives to You in service of Your Everlasting Kingdom. Take the tithes and gifts that we offer, blessing them for the ministries and missions that You would have our church undertake, support and fulfill to the glory of God, and the preaching of His Word. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Hymn :

Benediction: May Christ deliver us from all evil and enable us to do His will; may the Father spare us from temptation and reclaim us as His own; and may the Holy Spirit continue to guide, counsel and comfort us, as we worship and glorify the One, triune and Living God, both now and forevermore. Amen.

Doxology & Postlude

Sunday prayers; Nov 18, 2007

Approaching God

Welcome & announcements
Prelude & Gathering

Call of Acclamation ( based on Psalm 119:156,159 &160))

Leader: O Lord, Your compassion is wonderful; sustain us with Your merciful grace.
People: We love Your holy words and sacred ways, O Lord; refresh us with Your abiding love.
Leader: All Your promises are true; all your righteous laws are eternal, therefore we will worship and glorify Your Holy Name. Amen.

Hymn:

Confessional Prayer

Guide: Almighty Father, who knows the hidden secrets of our hearts, and to whom our innermost thoughts are revealed; we come before You as humble servants, seeking to please You with our worship and honor You with our praise.
People: Gracious Lord, You have given us commandments and laws, guidance and grace to live our lives cheerfully, abundantly and faithfully. However, we have sinfully chosen to yield to temptation and crush Your godly counsel with our selfish ways.
Guide: Merciful God, forgive our foolish deeds and faithless decisions. Pardon our indifference to Your commands. Liberate us from those longings and desires which damage our souls through greed, pride, defiance and despair.
People: Loving Father, restrain us from blemishing our lives with wickedness and corruption, bitterness and fear, anger and temptation. Hear us now as we personally confess our individual sins to You.

- SILENCE -

Guide: Heavenly Lord, we place our lives into Your Son’s keeping. We seek Christ’s grace and ask that He will intercede on our behalf, by cleansing our souls and restoring us to Your Favor.
People: For we ask this in Jesus’ Name and through His own prayer, we seek Your blessing, saying, “Our Father, etc.”(Isaiah 23v12)

Promise of the Gospel:

Guide: Jesus satisfies our souls with His love and grace. When we confess our sins to Him, He gathers us to His heart and assures that our lives will not be wasted by sin, nor overcome by temptation. He is our One True and Living Savior, so let us rejoice and give glory to His Name. Amen. (John 6v12)

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.

Children’s Sermon

Anthem
Encountering God
Minute for Mission? - Guatemala

Prayers for Health and Healing


Pastor: Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven by the Lord, and whose fears are divinely diminished.
People: Blessed are those people who love the Lord and in whose spirits there is faith and hope.
Pastor: Let everyone pray to You, O Lord and find the answers to our questions; let us reach out and touch You for help, health, and healing.
People: You are our refuge and salvation, Lord; protect us from trouble and grant us deliverance.
Pastor: Instruct and enable our loved ones to follow Your ways. Counsel and watch over them. Heal them of all that harms them in body, mind and spirit.
People: May Your unfailing love surround and uplift them, for we entrust them into Your Hands. Hear us now as we quietly pray.

Silent Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit

Pastor: Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, people of God; celebrate and fill your hearts with faith, hope and love! In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
(Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 32)


Prayer for Illumination :

Reader : Holy Spirit, pour out the blessings and shower us with God’s promises through His Holy Word. Enable us to receive Christ’s teachings through all that we see and hear. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
(Acts 2:33)

Scripture Readings, Sermon & The Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory

Dedication : Lord Jesus, through Your entire life, You always gave thanks to God. By Your Loving example, we gather together our tokens of gratitude from our own resources, seeking to honor God with our tithes and gifts. May they enhance Your ministry among us. Take these gifts and bless them for the life, work and mission of our church. In Your Holy Name, we give and pray. Amen.
( 1 Cor 11v24)

Hymn :

Benediction: May Christ grant us unity with Him forevermore; may the Father continue to strengthen our faith each day; and may the Holy Spirit deliver us from pride and teach us to revere God, both now and always. Amen. ( Romans 11v20)

Sunday Prayers - 11 Nov 2007

Approaching God

Welcome & Announcements

Prelude & Gathering

Call to worship ( based on Psalm 119:145,149 &151)
Pastor: Loving Lord, we call to You from our hearts; answer us with Your blessing and help us to obey Your decrees.
People: Hear our praises, in accordance with Your love. Preserve our souls, O LORD, according to Your laws.
Pastor: For You are dear to us, O LORD. We hold Your promises to be true, therefore we will praise and glorify Your Name. Amen.

Hymn:

Confessional Prayer
Guide: Lord God of Hosts, whose power maintains life throughout this Universe and whose will is absolute; we come before You as disciples of Christ, children of Your grace, and humble servants in Your Kingdom.
People: Everlasting God, who judges the nations and holds them eternally accountable for their actions; who watches over the earth and scrutinizes every person’s deeds, we humbly approach You, seeking forgiveness for our failures and mercy for our mistakes.

Guide: Loving Father, You have a predetermined plan for each of our lives and a sacred path that we should follow. You can remove chaos and trouble, tragedy and grief from our midst. You can also heal the damage that sin inflicts upon our minds and spirits, hearts and souls.
People: Gracious Lord, hear us now as we silently, personally and sincerely confess our faults to You alone. Have mercy upon us as we admit the mistakes that we have made, and the sins that we have selfishly committed which dishonor You and diminish our Christian faith.

- SILENCE -

Guide: Heavenly Father, restore our lives to Your favor and replenish our faith in Your Son. Allow us the blessing of Christ’s forgiveness and renew our souls through the eternal blessings and riches of His grace.
People: For we make these prayers in Jesus’ Name and with His own words, we unite our souls, saying, “Our Father, etc.”(Isaiah 23v11)

Promise of the Gospel:

Guide: When we sincerely confess our faults to God, Jesus takes our sins and nails them to His Cross. He then acknowledges our repentance to God and enables our spirits to be reconciled with our Father in Heaven. Christ distributes His grace to all who believe in Him, giving us as much as we need to be perfectly restored to God’s favor and Kingdom. So let us heartily rejoice and truly give thanks, for Jesus, our Savior, is the Lord of all ourlives. Amen. (John 6v11)

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.

Children’s Sermon

Minute for Mission

Anthem

Encountering God
Prayers for Health and Healing
Pastor: In You, O LORD, we have taken refuge; keep us free from despair; deliver us in Your righteousness.
People: Turn Your ear to us, Living God, come quickly to our rescue; be our rock of refuge, a strong power to heal us.

Pastor: Since You are our rock and our strength, for the sake of Your Name we ask that You heal and be gracious to us.
People: Loving Father, free our families and friends from the sicknesses, injuries and worries that harm them, for You are also their refuge and salvation.

Pastor: Into Your hands we commit our prayers, lives, and spirits. Redeem us, O LORD, for You are the God of hope and truth.
People: We will be glad and rejoice in Your love, O God, for You see our afflictions and know the anguish of our souls. Hear us now as we silently pray.

Silent Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit

Leader: May we be strong and take heart, for we hope in the power of the LORD. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
(Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 31)

Singing of “Jesus, Draw me Close.”

Prayer for Illumination :
Reader : Holy Spirit, resurrect our faith through the life of Christ. Open up our hearts and minds to these sacred pages and let them perfectly witness to the wonders, work and words of our Savior’s ministry and mission. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen. (Acts 2:32)

Scripture Readings, Sermon & Apostles’ Creed – Time of Silence for Veteran’s Day


Serving God Offering & Offertory

Dedication : Lord Jesus, for centuries our churches and congregations have received many blessings from You. You have kept us in communion with God and passed on Your Gospel message throughout the ages until it has reached our present generation. Take these tithes and gifts, promises and annual pledges of faith. Bless them for the praising of God’s deeds, the preaching of Your Word, and the building up of Your Church on earth. In Your Precious Name, we gratefully pray. Amen.

Hymn :

Benediction: May Christ speak to us and unify our lives to His holy ministry; may the Father continue to grow our spirits with His love and grace; and may the Holy Spirit anoint us in faith and appoint us to the service of God’s Kingdom, both now and always. Amen. ( Romans 11v19)

Postlude