Sunday Worship Prayers - Epiphany 1A - First in Epiphany - January 09

Approaching God

Announcements & A Word of Welcome
Gathering Song & Prelude

First Hymn:

Prayers of Adoration and Confession

Guide:             Immortal God, Your power is infinite and Your Sovereignty is everlasting. By Your will, life is sustained and the universe is made complete. We humbly come before You to worship Your ways, to be guided by Your words, and to be spiritually equipped to do Your work in the world.
People:                        Gracious Father, we know that we still disappoint You on a daily basis. We say the wrong words, do the wrong deeds, and think the wrong thoughts. We are easily misguided by our pride and arrogance; we are deluded by our self-created ideas and opinions about You. Forgive us for following our own understanding instead of Your scriptures. Pardon us for travelling on spiritual paths that lead to dead ends and delusions. Hear us now as we confess our sins to You alone.
- Silent Confessions -

Guide:                         Loving Lord, we seek forgiveness through the power of Your Son Jesus Christ. His total sacrifice, in obedience to Your will, has obtained for us the fruits of salvation and the blessings of restoration. Through Christ alone, we have absolution of all our past mistakes. In His words, we continue to pray, saying: “Our Father, Who art in heaven...THE LORD'S PRAYER” (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel:

Guide:                         Jesus wants to honor God through our faithful service in His Kingdom. By Christ’s death on the Cross, we are reclaimed as the heirs of Heaven. Only by His authority, are we reborn into God’s Kingdom. Let rejoice and praise Him 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


Anthem

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor:             We seek the Lord’s favor and yearn for His goodness. He has the power to help and to restore us. May He strengthen our spirits and heal our hurts.

People:            We come to God’s sacred house to experience His blessing and be favored with His presence. We trust in His wonderful words and abide in His loving grace.

Pastor:             Heavenly Father, hear our prayers and bless us with Your mercy. Heal us from all that harms us; be near to our loved ones and help them to recover from the illnesses and issues in their lives. Hear us now as we pray.

Silent Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit

Pastor:             May we find assurance in God’s promises and hope in His gracious love. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Singing of “Jesus Draw Me Close.” (Choir leads this)

Prayer of Illumination: 

Reader:            Holy Spirit, we have gathered in this cherished place to be encouraged by God’s sacred words and given guidance from Christ’s teaching. Open our hearts and minds to receive the holy lessons of faith that You would bless us with today. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Scripture Readings

Sermon & The Apostles' Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory

Dedication (unison):              Lord Jesus, today we bring to You our tithes and gifts. We pray that You will receive and bless this money for the work of Your Church, both here at Erin and in the wider community. Thank You for the resources and salvation that You give to us. We offer our faith and lives to You alone. Amen. 
Closing Hymn:

Benediction (unison): May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ always guide our decisions; may the love of God inspire us to share our faith with those we meet this day; and may the fellowship of the Holy Spirit strengthen our commitment, dedication, and service to the One, Triune and Living God forever. Amen.  

Doxology May God's Blessing & 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

Sunday Prayers - Epiphany - January 3

Approaching God

Welcome & announcements

Gathering Song & Prelude

Hymn:

Confessional Prayer

Guide: Everlasting God, to whom this world is just a footstool and the whole universe is a tapestry of Your making, we seek to serve You with our singing and hope to please You with our praises.

People: Almighty Lord, Your power cannot be equaled and Your ways are never thwarted; we humbly approach You as Your people, opening our hearts to Your unending love and focusing our minds upon Your gracious will.

Guide:  Merciful Father, we know our own weaknesses and past mistakes. We acknowledge our faithless ways and inconsistent devotion. We have trampled on the feelings of friends and loved ones with thoughtless words, harmful deeds, and selfish sins. Forgive us now as we humbly and sincerely confess our faults to You alone.

- SILENCE -

Guide: Gracious God, only Jesus can enrich our lives with the fountain of forgiveness that we need to cleanse our lives. Only Your Precious and Holy Son can restore us to Your Favor and reclaim our souls for Your Kingdom. In His Holy Name, we make these prayers, saying, Our Father…THE LORD’S PRAYER (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel

Guide:  Christ speaks to us personally through His teaching and by God’s Holy Word. He calls us to repentance and seeks to save our souls by sacrificing Himself for us. Therefore, if we freely confess our sins and sincerely depend upon Him to rescue us from God’s wrath and rejection, we will be completely forgiven and eternally saved. 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, show favor to Your people and restore our health through Your holy power. Forgive our fears and delete our doubts; strengthen our bodies and heal our minds.

People:                        Restore us again, O God our Savior, and place Your peace within our hearts. Show Your unfailing love to our families and friends, O Lord; grant them salvation from illness and anxiety.

Pastor: May Your love rekindle our hopes; may Your faithfulness to us restore our health. May Your righteousness speed our recovery and Your peace promote well being in our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls. Hear us now as we silently pray.

Silent Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit

Pastor: The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our lives will experience healing and strength. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

(Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 85)

Singing of ‘Jesus, Draw Me Close’

Prayer for Illumination:

Reader:           Holy Spirit, enable us to recognize and accept that salvation is found in no one else but Jesus, for there is no other name under heaven given to us by which we must be saved. May today’s scriptures enhance our lives and advance this precious teaching. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Scripture Readings

Sermon  & The Apostles’ Creed

Offering & Offertory

Dedication (unison): Lord Jesus, we do not fully understand all that happens in this world but we know that Your Spirit continues to motivate many people to do good, help the poor, and support the weak. May our gifts be blessed and used to advance Your ministry, life, and work throughout this church, this community, and across the world. In Your Sacred Name, we give and pray. Amen. 

Communion

Hymn:

Benediction (unison):  May Christ’s light illuminate our hearts each day; may the Father’s love protect us from evil every day; and may the Holy Spirit daily guide and bless us to become effective servants of the One, Triune and Living God, both now and evermore. Amen.

Doxology         Praise God, from whom all blessings flow & Postlude

Sunday prayers - Epiphany 1 - Jan 11

Approaching God

Welcome and Announcements

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. 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. In His name and words, we pray together, 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. 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)

Baptisms

Minute for Mission: Discipleship

Encountering God

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor: Hear, O LORD, and answer us, for we are poor in spirit and need 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, O LORD; 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)

Anthem

Message: Introduction

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

Message : Homily & 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 that 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 decent lives which are worthy of His Name; may the Father keep us free from greed and unholy ways; and may the Holy Spirit rid of us envy and jealousy, both now and evermore. Amen.

Doxology & Postlude