Sunday prayers - Epiphany 3 - Third Sunday in Epiphany - 24 January

Approaching God

Welcome & announcements

Gathering Song & prelude

Hymn:

Confessional Prayer

Guide: Almighty and Holy Lord, today we joyfully seek to praise Your ways and cheerfully give of ourselves to Your Kingdom. In this holy place of peace and prayer, we humbly await for Your Presence.

People:  Eternal Father, even though Your Name is renowned throughout the universe and Your power is revered across the cosmos, we still foolishly sin and selfishly err.

Guide:  Loving God, forgive our inconsiderate and careless ways; pardon our mistakes and misdeeds. Have mercy upon us when we are tempted and succumb to evil. Hear us now as we silently confess our faults to You alone.

- SILENCE -

Guide: Immortal God, let Jesus become the desire of our hearts so that our decisions may honor Him. Without His grace, we are godless; without His sacrifice, our lives are squandered. In His Words, we now pray, saying: Our Father…THE LORD’S PRAYER (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel

Guide:  Christ is our Wonderful Counselor, Merciful Healer, and Prince of our Peace. He restores us to God’s favor and we are recovered for His ministry and mission. So let us rejoice and be glad, for on this day and at this time, all our sins are forgiven and we are reunited with God, both now and forever. In Christ’s Name, we pray. 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: O Lord, You are the foundation of our lives, so we pray to You for love and favor. Enter into our hearts and minds; come into our spirits and souls; heal us of all that harms us.

People:                        We have heard glorious things spoken of You, Holy God. Grant us Your goodness and grace. We acknowledge and adore Your power, Loving Lord; affirm our faith and accept our prayers.

Pastor:  Gracious Father, establish Your strength amongst our loved ones. Free them from fear and save them from sickness. Let Your healing ways overcome their weakness; let Your perfect peace vanquish their pain. Hear us now as we personally and sincerely pray.

Silent Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit

Pastor: We will rejoice in the greatness of the Lord; may His blessings restore our hopes and refresh our weary souls. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.             

(Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 87)

The Message: Part 1

Singing of “Jesus, Draw Me Close”

Prayer for Illumination:

Reader:             Holy Spirit, enable us to see the work of God in our lives. Through these sacred scriptures, open our hearts and minds to Christ’s teaching. Challenge us by the things He says; change us through the things that Jesus does.  In His Holy Name, we read and pray. Amen.

Scripture Readings

The Message & The Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory:

Dedication (in unison): Lord Jesus, we have followed Your way of love and we eagerly await Your blessing. You have showered us with spiritual gifts and helped us to find meaning, purpose and hope in our lives. Take these monetary gifts and bless them for the continuing work of Your ministry in this church, throughout this community, across our country and the entire world. In Your Name, we give and pray. Amen. 

Hymn:

Benediction (in unison):  May Christ clothe us with His compassion and love; may the Father free us from temptation and despair; and may the Holy Spirit keep us focused on the wisdom, words and ways of the One, Triune & Living God, now and forevermore. Amen.

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

A Hymn for Haiti

In Haiti, There is Anguish

ST. CHRISTOPHER  7.6.8.6.8.6.8.6 (“Beneath the Cross of Jesus”)

In Haiti, there is anguish that seems too much to bear;

A land so used to sorrow now knows even more despair.

From city streets, the cries of grief rise up to hills above;

In all the sorrow, pain and death, where are you, God of love?

A woman sifts through rubble, a man has lost his home,

A hungry, orphaned toddler sobs, for she is now alone.

Where are you, Lord, when thousands die—the rich, the poorest poor?

Were you the very first to cry for all that is no more?

O God, you love your children; you hear each lifted prayer!

May all who suffer in that land know you are present there.

In moments of compassion shown, in simple acts of grace,

May those in pain find healing balm, and know your love’s embrace.

Where are you in the anguish?   Lord, may we hear anew

That anywhere your world cries out, you’re there-- and suffering, too.

And may we see, in others’ pain, the cross we’re called to bear;

Send out your church in Jesus’ name to pray, to serve, to share.

Tune:  Frederick Charles Maker, 1881

Text:  Text: Copyright © 2010 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette.  All rights reserved.  Permission is given for use by those who support Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.

Carolyn visited Haiti on a mission trip when she was a Lebanon Valley College student.  Other hymns by Carolyn that might be helpful for churches responding to this disaster that are posted on the PDA web site include:

Who is My Neighbor, hymn inspired by the parable of the Good Samaritan

God We've Known Such Grief and Anger,

Carolyn Winfrey Gillette is the author of Songs of Grace:  New Hymns for God and Neighbor (Discipleship Resources/Upper Room Books, 2009) and Gifts of Love:  New Hymns for Today’s Worship (Geneva Press, 2000) and the co-pastor of Limestone Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware.

Sunday prayers for Epiphany 2 - Second Sunday in Epiphany - January 17

Approaching God

Welcome & announcements

Gathering Song & Prelude

First Hymn:

Prayers of Confession

Guide: All-powerful and Eternal Creator, in whose presence we gather, and into whose holiness we assemble; accept the praises we offer from our lips, and the prayers we make from our hearts.

People: Immortal God, who sustains us each day and whose compassion comes to us morning after morning, we dedicate this sacred time to worship and adore Your holy ways, to glorify and exalt Your wondrous deeds.

Guide: Gracious Father, we confess that we permit sin to sweep over our souls, which causes us to be separated from You. Forgive us for being self-centered and self-destructive; faithless and foolish, hard-hearted and dishonest at times. Challenge us to change our ways, and lead us back to Your love. Hear us now as we personally make our silent confessions to You alone.

- Silent Confessions -

Guide: Merciful Lord, You have given us Jesus as the Way to forgiveness, the Truth of salvation, and the Life which leads us to restoration. In Him, through Him, and by Him, we are saved and renewed, pardoned and reunited to You forever. In His Name, we continue to pray saying: Our Father…THE LORD’S PRAYER (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel

Guide:  Jesus was with us on earth for only a short time, but during His life He managed to completely obey God. He became His Perfect Son and because of that, His sacrificial death was totally sufficient and perfectly holy to pay the complete price God demanded for our mistakes. So let us rejoice and be glad, for Jesus is our One, True and Living Savior, who sets us free from our sins and restores us to God 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

Choir Anthem

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor:             O Lord, when we are afraid or our faith is weak, help us to look to Your promises. You are our refuge and our shield; we place our hopes in Your word alone.

People:                        Cast out our doubts and fears. Help us to remain focused on Your power. Sustain us with Your almighty strength; do not let our hopes be dashed.

Pastor:             Uphold us by Your love and we shall be delivered; enable us to recognize Your healing ways. Keep our thoughts from being distracted by our fears. Help us to follow You in faith. Heal us and all our loved ones from all that harms us in body, mind, heart, and soul. Hear us now as we quietly and sincerely pray.

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

Pastor:             Lord, we remain in Your loving presence. We stand in awe of Your amazing love and healing power. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

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

The Message: Part 1

Singing of ‘Jesus Draw Me Close.’

Prayer for Illumination

Reader:             Holy Spirit, help us to lock on to the meaning of these scriptures. Guard us from treating these holy words lightly, and enable us to open our hearts and minds to all that Christ gives through His actions and words, both now and always. Amen.

Scripture Readings

The Message: Part 2  & The Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory

Dedication(unison):   Lord Jesus, according to Your gospel, we are saved if we hold firmly to Your sacred words. In a loving response, we bring to You our tithes and offerings, our resources and lives. Take them for the good of the gospel and the work of Your word in this church, community, and throughout the earth. In Your Holy Name, we give and pray. Amen.

Closing Hymn:

Benediction(unison): May Christ answer all the questions we have about life; may the Father keep us from falling and being hindered from completing His purpose in us; and may the Holy Sprit enable us to freely and gladly come into the everlasting presence of the One, Triune, and Living God, both now and always. Amen.

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

Sunday prayers - Epihany 1 - January 10

Approaching God

Welcome & announcements

Gathering Song & Prelude

Hymn:

Confessional Prayer

Guide: Perfect and Sacred God, Powerful and Almighty Creator, we gather in Your House of peace to praise Your Greatness and honor Your Holiness. Your works and mighty acts have blessed our people for generations. Your ways and special words have inspired our spirits across the centuries.

People:  Heavenly Father, we are unworthy of such blessings. You are righteous and we are sinful. You are upright and truthful; we are weak and deceitful. Our lives are imperfect because we allow pride, greed and anger to contaminate our souls.

Guide: Forgive us for being shallow and selfish, faithless and false, hurtful and unholy. Hear us now as we confess our sins to You alone.

- SILENCE -

Guide: Loving Lord, You smooth our rough ways and level out our unbalanced lives. You give us Jesus to make our paths straight and cleanse us of our sinful past. Without His mercy, we are lost forever. Without His grace, we are completely hopeless. We therefore thank You for Jesus, Your Holy Son, and our Eternal Savior, in whose Name, we make our confessions and continue to pray saying, Our Father…THE LORD’S PRAYER (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel

Guide:  Long ago, many disciples rejected Jesus because of what He said. The Christian life is never easy and we are expected to have higher and holier standards than the rest of the world. When we fail to live up to Christ’s teaching, we need to seek His forgiveness. When we confess our faults and sincerely ask for pardon, Jesus immediately forgives us. So let us rejoice and be glad for we have been shown great mercy and are restored to God’s favor and love. In Christ’s Name, we rejoice. 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:             Hear, O LORD, and answer us, for we are poor in spirit and in need of Your care. Guard our lives and protect us from illness, for we are devoted to You.

People:                        Have mercy upon us, O Lord, for we call to You this day for health and healing. Bring joy to Your servants, for to You alone, O Lord, we lift up our prayers and bear our souls.

Pastor:             You are compassionate and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to You. Hear our prayers, and please listen to our cries for help. Heal us and each of our loved from all that harms us in body, mind, heart and spirit.

Silent Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit

Pastor:             In the day of ours trouble we will call to You, for You will answer us. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.             (Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 86)

The Message: Part #1

Singing of ‘Jesus, Draw me Close’

Prayer for Illumination:

Reader:             Holy Spirit, encourage us through these sacred scriptures and open our hearts to receive God’s word. Astonish us with this teaching and enable us to take note of all that God fulfills in the life of Christ. In Jesus’ Name, we read and pray. Amen.

Scripture Readings

The Message Part #2 & The Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory:

Dedication (unison): Lord Jesus, You have given us faith, hope, and love and we can never repay You for the debts we owe. Through faith, we gather our offerings and tithes. With hope, we ask for Your blessing on these tokens. In love, we seek Your favor and ask for guidance to use these gifts for the preaching of the gospel, the sharing of the scriptures, and the praising of our God. In Your Name, we give and pray. Amen. 

Hymn:

Benediction (unison):  May Christ help us to live honorable lives which are worthy of His Name; may the Father keep us free from greed and unholy ways; and may the Holy Spirit fill us with compassion and love, both now and evermore. Amen.

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