Sunday prayers - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 25 October

Approaching God

Announcements & A Word of Welcome

Gathering Song & Prelude

Hymn:

Confessional Prayer

Guide: Lord of the universe and Creator of life, we gather before You as people called from the comfort of our homes to this peaceful place of praise and prayer.

People: Almighty God, whose ways are beyond our imagining, and whose power is beyond our calculating, we humbly approach You, dedicating our spirits and offering our lives to You alone.

Guide:  Gracious Father, we know that we stagger and stumble throughout life; we make many mistakes; we follow faithless ways; and satisfy our selfish desires. Instead of rendering decisions worthy of Your Name, we are motivated by ambition, avarice, self-glory and greed. Hear us now, as we silently confess our sins to You.

- Silent Confessions -

Guide: Merciful Majesty, forgive our foolish deeds and fallen ways. Restore us to Your salvation through the blood of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Grant us pardon and grace, blessing and favor through Your Son's Holy and everlasting sacrifice. In His Holy words, we humbly pray, saying, "Our Father…THE LORD’S PRAYER (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel

Guide:  The Lord heals us of our past mistakes on this sacred Sabbath day. We have come to Him sincerely, seeking forgiveness and wholeness, mercy and salvation. Let us rejoice and be glad, for Jesus Christ has delivered us from death, saved us from sin, and returned us to the love of God forever. Amen. (John 7: 23)

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.

Minute for Mission

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

Encountering God

Choir Anthem

2^nd Minute for Mission

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor: O Lord, do good to your servants, and we will live. We will cherish and obey Your words of life. Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see the wonderful gifts of Your healing power.

People:            Sometimes, O Lord, our hearts are consumed with concerns; our thoughts are filled with fear. Remove from us the burden of our worries; carry and support us through our trials and tribulations.

Pastor: May we meditate on the mercy of the Lord and silently ask Him to heal us and all our loved one from all that harms us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually..

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

Pastor:  The words and promises of the Lord are our delight and blessing. He hears our prayers and restores our hopes. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.

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

Singing of ‘Jesus, Draw Me Close’

Prayer of Illumination

Reader:             Holy Spirit, in the midst of our fears, grant us faith. As we read and hear these sacred scriptures, strengthen our hearts, and enable us to apply Christ's teaching in our daily lives. In His Holy name, we pray. Amen.

Scripture Readings

The Message  & The Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory

Dedication(unison):

Lord Jesus, reveal to us the purposes that You have planned for our personal lives. Take these gifts and bless them for the common good of our church and community. Receive our time, talents, and money and let them be used and enhanced for the ministries and missions that You would have our church accomplish and fulfill. In Your Sacred Name, we give and pray. Amen.

Closing Hymn:

Benediction(unison):  May we praise the Lord Jesus each and every day of our lives; may we constantly sing to the Father of His love and blessings; and may the Holy Spirit unite our hearts as one people, one church, and one community of faithful servants to the One, Triune, and Living God, both now and forevermore.  Amen.

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

Sunday prayers - 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 18

Approaching God

Announcements & A Word of Welcome

Gathering Song & Prelude

Hymn:

Confessional Prayer

Guide: Eternal King, whose words are joyful and whose ways are just, we proclaim You as the Lord of our hearts and the God of our lives. Majestic Father, who sits in judgment of all the earth and whose mercy is given to all, we humbly approach You with our prayers and petitions, our confessions and cares.

People:  Immortal God, You are source of all strength and wisdom. You see all things and know our lives completely. We cannot keep our sins hidden from You. We cannot conceal our selfish acts or faithless ways.

Guide: Almighty Lord, as we turn to You seeking forgiveness and understanding, compassion and grace, we sincerely regret the disappointments we have caused and the mistakes we have made.  Hear us now as we silently confess our faults to You alone.

- Silent Confessions -

Guide: Everlasting God, You have won the battle over evil and death by sacrificing Your Son for our sins. He alone can forgive our fallen ways and restore us to Your favor. Without Him, we are eternally lost. With Him, we are redeemed forever. In Christ’s Spirit, we are made one with You and through His Holy Words, we further pray, saying, "Our Father…THE LORD’S PRAYER (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel

Guide:  In the past, we were required to perform religious rites and make sacred sacrifices in order to temporarily restore us to God's good will. Those imperfect rituals and ineffective ways were replaced by the supreme Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. So let us rejoice and be glad, for our Savior is triumphant and we are completely forgiven. 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

Choir Anthem

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor: Let us focus upon the Lord with all of our hearts; let us not be distracted by our fears. Let us also be confident in the promises of God; His word abides within our souls.

People:                        We will faithfully praise the Lord as He reveals His strength and power to us. We will declare the great deeds of the Lord; His presence strengthens our spirits.

Pastor:  May we rejoice in the renewal of our health and the blessings of His healing. May the Lord show compassion on our loved ones and those for whom we pray; may He heal us of all that harms us in body, mind, heart, and soul.

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

Pastor:  We will delight in the loving deeds of God and the power of His Holy Word. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

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

The Message: Part #1

Singing of ‘Jesus, Draw Me Close’

Reader:             Holy Spirit, enlighten our minds with these sacred words and enliven our souls with Christ's teaching. May we be carried by His strength and flourish under His care. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.

Scripture Readings

The Message: Part #2 & The Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory

Dedication(unison):

Lord Jesus, Your words have touched our hearts and we respond with our offering. Take these tithes and gifts as tokens of our respect, loyalty, and dedication to You. Bless them for the continuing labor of love and meaningful ministries that You would have our church undertake, accomplish, and fulfill, to the glory of God. Amen. 

Closing Hymn:

Benediction:  May we rejoice in the glory of Christ forevermore; may we be embraced by the Father's goodness and love; and may the Spirit keep us joyfully faithful in our service to the One, Triune, and Living God, both now and forevermore.  Amen.

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

Sunday Prayers - 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 11

Approaching God

Welcome & Announcements

Gathering Song & Prelude

Hymn:

Confessional Prayer

Guide: Powerful Protector and Almighty Lord, Maker of Mystery and Sustainer of Life, we come before You as servants seeking Your wisdom and as children cherishing Your love.

People: Faithful Father and Gracious God, we yield to Your authority and yearn for Your holiness; we freely submit to Your will and faithfully surrender to Your Word.

Guide:  Everlasting Majesty and Glorious Lord, You have the power to shake the foundations of our lives and shatter the falsehoods of our choices. You have the right to scrutinize our life styles and to reject our compulsive desires. We are guilty of greed and full of faithless ways. We need to challenged and changed, confronted and forgiven, examined and expiated of all our sins. Hear us now as we painfully and personally confess to You alone.

- SILENCE -

Guide: Loving Father, without Jesus we would not know the joy of salvation. Without Christ’s sacrifice, we would not have any future and everlasting hope. We acknowledge that we are sinners and that He is the Divine Savior of our souls. In the Name of Jesus, we make these confessions and through His holy words we continue to pray, saying, “Our Father...” THE LORD’S PRAYER (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel:

Guide:  Jesus is the Bread of Life, which means that He is the Only One who can sustain our spirits and nourish our souls. He has the authority to forgive our sins and the divine right to restore our souls. Let us celebrate and be glad, for Christ has come into our lives and we are fully forgiven of all our sinful and selfish ways, 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)

Anthem

Encountering God

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor: We give thanks to You, O God, for You are near and we glorify Your wonderful deeds. We pray that this sacred moment will become an appointed time of holiness and healing. When we experience fear and confusion, anxiety and worry, You steady our hearts and bring peace to our minds.

People:            Heavenly Father, wherever we are, You are with us. Whatever we face, You support us. Examine our hearts and minds, our bodies and souls; heal us of all that harms us.

Pastor: Pour out the blessing of Your healing power upon us and all our loved ones. Restore to health and strength all those for whom we now silently pray.

Silent Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit

Pastor: Let us declare the goodness of the Lord forever. May we sing and celebrate His wonderful ways. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

(Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 75)

The Message: Part #1

Prayer for Illumination:

Reader :            Holy Spirit, come among us and enable us to hear Jesus speak through these sacred scriptures. May His teaching and actions challenge our ways. May we cherish His words by applying them to our daily lives. In the Precious Name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Scripture Readings

The Message: Part #2 & The Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory:

Dedication (unison) : Lord Jesus, we cannot foresee what You will do with our tithes and offerings, yet we freely and confidently give them to You. Bless these sacred gifts by using them to finance, aid, and support the many ministries and missions that You want us to support through the lives, money, and resources of our congregation. In Your Holy Name, we give and pray. Amen.

Hymn:

Benediction (unison):  May we submit to Christ’s compassion and share His love throughout our lives; may we fully serve and obey our Father in Heaven each and every day; and may the Holy Spirit establish faithful hearts and devoted souls within all of us as we serve the One, Triune God, both now and always. Amen.

Doxology         Praise God, from whom all blessings flow & Postlude