Sunday prayers: 18th Sunday in Ordinary - 2 August

Approaching God

Announcements & A Word of Welcome

Gathering & Prelude

Hymn:

Confessional Prayer

Guide: Lord God of hosts and Sacred Creator of humankind, we gather in this precious place to honor and magnify Your Holy Name. Your will sustains our lives and Your words strengthen our souls. We humbly come before You to offer our service and praise.

People: Eternal God, we know that we are guilty of contending with Your counsel; we confess that we are sometimes rebellious and resentful, indifferent and insensitive, sinful and selfish. We make war against Your Kingdom with our pride, lust, and greed. We fight against Your faithfulness with our stubborn ways and foolish choices. Hear us now, Gracious Father, as we silently admit our mistakes.

- Silent Confessions -

Guide: Loving Lord, we seek forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ, our Savior. We look for mercy by the wounds He received and the pain He endured. Without His Cross, we have no communion with You. Without His Sacrifice, we have no salvation. We give these prayers in the precious Name of Jesus, the Lamb of God and Savior of our souls and in His words, we further pray, saying, “Our Father,…THE LORD’S PRAYER (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel

Guide: Many people watched for Jesus throughout His lifetime, in order to experience hope, faith, and love. We are the recipients of His blessings, for by His grace, we are forgiven and through His mercy, we are restored to God, both now and evermore. 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 Sovereign LORD, deal well with us for Your Name's sake; out of the goodness of Your love, deliver us. When we are poor in spirit and in much need of Your encouragement, heal the wounds of our hearts and grant us Your peace.

People: When our health is diminished and fear overtakes our minds, deliver us from being consumed by worry, stress, and exhaustion. When we buckle under pressure and lose strength in the midst of our troubles, help us to refocus our faith and look to You for healing.

Pastor: Heavenly Father, when others around us are in need of help, be their salvation. When our loved ones suffer illness or injury, insecurity or anxiety, grant them healing and wholeness, protection, and peace. Help us and all whom we pray for, O LORD our God. Save us from all that harms us in body, mind, heart and soul. Hear us now as we personally pray.

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

Pastor: With our prayers, we exalt the Lord. In the midst of His people, we will forever praise His holy grace. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

(Healing prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 109)

The Message: Part #1

Singing of ‘Jesus, Draw Me Close’

Prayer for Illumination:

Reader: Holy Spirit, encourage us with these Living words of Christ; call us as devoted disciples, seeking to discern today's message and the meaning of our Master's teaching. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Scripture Readings

The Message : Part #2 & The Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory

Dedication:

Lord Jesus, You speak to us in many ways - through music, to reach our hearts; through scripture, to feed our minds; through prayer, to heal our souls. In response, we offer You our gifts. Take these tithes and offerings and bless them to be used for the work of God's Kingdom in this church, community and throughout the world. In Your Holy Name, we give and pray. Amen.

Communion

Closing Hymn:

Benediction(unison): May Christ keep growing our beliefs each day; may the Father approve of our daily deeds; and may the Holy Spirit liberate our souls by encouraging us to worship the One, Triune and Living God, both now and always. Amen.

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

Sunday prayers - 15th Sunday in ordinary Time - July 12

Approaching God

Announcements & A Word of Welcome

Gathering Song & Prelude

Hymn:

Confessional Prayer

Guide: Lord of all our days and Sustainer of all our lives, come and fill our hearts with Your Spirit, taking root within our minds and souls. Plant seeds of faith within us that will blossom and grow into service, action, loyalty, and devotion to Your Kingdom.

People: Heavenly Creator, whose fruitful ways bring hope, healing, and wholeness to Your people, we acknowledge Your Sovereignty over all lives; we proclaim You as King of our community. We confess that we have allowed sin into our lives. We have damaged our spirits and other people with our selfish deeds and unkind words. Forgive us for our thoughtless and faithless ways. Hear us now as we pray.

- SILENCE -

Guide: Loving Lord, Your tender mercies are what we seek. Your favor and compassion, Your forgiveness and reassuring words are what we need in our lives. We ask for the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, for only He can save our souls and redeem us forever. In His words, we now pray, saying “Our Father…THE LORD’S PRAYER (debts/debtors).

Promise of the Gospel

Guide: Jesus came into our world at the right moment in history. God decreed that His Son would give His life as a ransom for our own, and as a sacrifice for the whole world. We benefit from Christ's obedience, therefore we rejoice and continue to be glad for His sake and glory, 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.

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

Encountering God

Choir Anthem

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Let us proclaim the mighty acts of God and fully praise Him with our hearts.

People: We pray for healing, O LORD and ask that You bless us for being faithful. Come to our aid when we cry to You; show favor to us because we are Your people.

Pastor: Let us enjoy the sacred presence of God; may He touch our hearts and free us from our fears. May we share His blessings amongst us and also be gracious to all our loved ones. Hear us now, Living God, as we silently bring our prayers for healing to You alone.

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

Pastor: The LORD, our God is the One who can save us. May we give thanks to Him and glory in His blessings. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.

(Healing prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 106)

The Message Part #1

Singing of ‘Jesus, Draw Me Close’

Prayer for Illumination:

Reader: Holy Spirit, may the great power of God fall upon us, so that we may confidently testify to Christ's resurrection and the good news of His grace, through the scripture lessons we read today. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.

Scripture Readings

The Message Part 2 & the Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory

Dedication(unison): Lord Jesus, You speak to our spirits and give us the words of life. In response and with thankful hearts, we gather these tithes and tokens before You. We pray that You will bless them for the continuing work of God's Kingdom, both in this place and throughout the world. In Your Sacred Name, we give and pray. Amen.

Closing Hymn:

Benediction: Make Christ help us to make every effort to spread peace throughout the world; may the Father guide us in paths which lead to unity and love; and may the Holy Spirit enhance our lives so that we may fully serve the One, Triune and Living God, both now and always. Amen.

Doxology Praise God, from whom all blessings flow & Postlude

Sunday prayers - 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 5

Approaching God

Announcements & A Word of Welcome

Gathering Song & Prelude

Hymn:

Confessional Prayer

Guide: Loving God of all creation, Giver of all good, we seek Your divine presence in this sanctuary and hope to experience Your sacred power. You are the Lord of all Wisdom and Provider of all blessings; we humbly approach Your throne of grace, looking for meaning and purpose to be given to our lives.

People: Everlasting God and Ruler of all the nations, we know that we are sinful and proud, selfish and vain, rebellious and foolish. We come before You to confess our faults and to make peace with Your Holy Spirit. In You we find refuge for our weary souls and comfort for our restless spirits. You alone have the power to forgive our fallen ways. Hear us now as we sincerely confess our sins to You.

- SILENCE -

Guide: Heavenly Lord, You have restored us to Your favor through the noble sacrifice of Your Son Jesus Christ. We cling to Him as our Savior and we look to Him for Your loving mercy. We give these prayers Christ’s Holy Name and in His perfect words, we now pray, saying “Our Father,…THE LORD’S PRAYER (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel

Guide: Jesus was hated by the world because He confronted evil. Today, He confronts the sins in our lives and challenges us to become more like Him. Through His blood, our souls are cleansed of our sinful past, so let us rejoice and be glad, for our Risen Savior Jesus has triumphed over death and sin 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.

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

Encountering God

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor: We will give thanks to the LORD and call on His Name; we will make known his glorious deeds. We will praise and sing to the One, True and Living God, whose wonderful acts sustain our people.

People: Let us seek the Lord and rejoice in His goodness; let us approach Him with confidence and faith. May we look to the Lord for strength; may He compassionately answer our prayers.

Pastor: As we remember the wonders He has done, let us ask Him for healing and mercy. May our God bring healing to our hearts, peace to our minds, strength to our spirits and wholeness to our souls and to all for whom we now pray.

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

Pastor: He is the LORD our God and His blessings are all around us. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

(Healing prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 105)

Anthem

The Message: Part #1

Singing of ‘Jesus, Draw Me Close’

Prayer for Illumination:

Reader: Holy Spirit, may we all become one in heart and mind through the power of these sacred scriptures. May we share the teaching of Christ and receive the preaching of His word. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Scripture Readings

The Message: Part #2 & The Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory

Dedication: Lord Jesus, we have voiced our praises to God and listened to Your scriptural message. You have challenged our lives and changed our ideas. In response, we offer You our tithes and tokens, praying that You will bless them for the life, work and ministry of this church and Your mission throughout the entire world. In Your Name, we give and pray. Amen.

Communion

Closing Hymn:

Benediction: May we serve Christ each day of our lives; may we please the Father with our thoughts and deeds; and may we seek the approval and joy of the Holy Spirit, both now and forever. Amen.

Doxology Praise God, from whom all blessings flow & Postlude