Lent 6 Prayers of the People & Lament, Hosanna, Save me, Giving space for real sadness and deep lament for the pain that comes with living is a gift that God gives us so that we do not have to suffer lonely or unheard. When the children say “Hosanna” Save us, it is because our suffering deserves to be named. Imprecation prayer is a type of prayer that exists to name all of the injustices of the world and to call God forth to fix them.
Hosanna: A Dangerous Prayer (Anti Gun Violence)
Psalm 23 as a Lament or James 5:1-6
Revelation 21:1-6 or Mark 11:12-14
*Imprecation: Psalm 55 or Psalm 58
Breath Prayer
Inhale: Hosanna
Exhale: Save Us
Inhale: I hurt too much
Exhale: God, take my pain
Inhale: There is too much injustice
Exhale: I will not stand for it
Inhale: God hear my anger
Exhale: God let me be ok with being angry
Call to Worship:
Let us come to God who comforts us
God is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega
God is present, even when we feel abandoned
Sometimes, we feel alone in the pit, God
God be with us even when we yell at the empty air
Come, let us lament together today.
Call to Confession: God hears us, God can take our anger. Let us confess our laments today.
Prayer of Confession: God we confess that anger and lament do not fit well into polite society. Too often they are used by bullies and power brokers, instead of expressions of true injustice and pain. We confess that Christianity does not leave much room for lament at church, we like to shuffle it off to certain times and places. Even though we have a Jesus who called out hypocrites, squelched storms and condemned fig trees—not to mention our favorite flipping tables story. Help us to find healthy ways to express and support lament we pray—in the name of our fully human and sometimes grumpy Jesus. (Silent Prayer) Amen.
Prayer of Confession: God, I confess that some days I am so full of emotion, I do not know how to express it. I feel like I am shouting into the void, trying to fix all the things that are wrong with my community, the universe and me. And then I confess, I feel ashamed, because I think that all of this: my feelings, the lack of perfection, the feeling of aloneness are thing to feel guilty over. Remind me that we are supposed to be building a community where these things can be safely expressed and held, and help us to find support on these days we pray. (Silent Confession) Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Jesus cries when we are crying, and walks with us in our anger and hurt. Jesus loves us in all of our emotions, thus we know the comforting Good News In Jesus Christ we are Forgiven.
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God, sendyour Holy Spirit to tend to us, so that when we feel overwhelmed by emotions, we might remember that you are here to walk with us, to cry with us, to lament with us, and sometimes just to sit with us. Help us when we feel like we are in the pit of the despair, to find the connection and community we need, each and every time. Amen.
Taize: My Soul finds Rest in God Alone
Prayer Activity: Option 1: Cry with those who cry, take a rock and meditate over those prayers you are lamenting, drop the rock into a bowl of water
Option 2: Write Down all of your Prayers of Concern and add them to/make a new woven prayer cloth https://theresaecho.com/2012/09/20/interactive-way-to-pray-in-worship-part-ii/
*For information on imprecation see This Here Flesh by Cole Arther Riley’s chapter on Anger
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