Uncategorized – Page 57 – katyandtheword

#reLentless #truth

Truth is my weapon of choice. When meeting with adversity and evil. When facing down the human machinations that we call politics, when dealing with the perniciousness of gossip, when hearing a criticism that burns my soul….I choose truth

Its a chancy weapon, because its a double edged sword, naming who I am in the situation even as it names others. It becomes confession. When you tell the truth you admit to yourself, and all others, that you are but human.

And I am all too human, horrible at remembering the names of my 40 some congregants who I have known for 6 plus years (and I am young), bad at details, fumbling at asking for help when I need it. I am small and frail. Spending a season admitting that I was, am and will be Ash is hard.

But even as I admit who I am, I also admit who God is.

“You are my God” “To you I cry all day long”

“Be gracious to me” and “Gladden the soul of your servant” for all that I lack, God has, and all that I wish for, God knows and all that I need, God is.

Other gods, do not dirty their hands with humanity. They may bargain or scheme with humans, using them or playing with them. But they do not broker humanity choosing to enflesh themselves through their only son.

I will bow down before the Lord my God, and glorify her Holy name, for God alone does wondrous things, stepping beside us in the daily, dirty, beautiful thing called life.

Only God does it all through truth, revealing to us who we truly are

Revealing to us who God truly is

Because you Lord, “have helped me and comforted me”

Praise Be to God

http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=355488475

#Relentless #oppress #Slatespeak

water, food, shelter, medical care, clothing, treating each other as human beings

the most basic and essential of prayers for all peoples

O how it hurts me that Christianity is used for a tool of oppression. In the grand pantheon of ways to be Christian, I figure you and God are working it out.

Unless you are using the Gospel to preach hate or oppress someone, because that right there people, is heresy. Heresy is using the Gospel for the opposite of its purpose.

Hate instead of love and Oppression instead of freedom are pretty much it.

But it hurts, because I benefit from oppression. I’m white and I have to deal with my whiteness. I’m cis-hetereo and I have to deal everyday with the fact that my so-called normalcy gives me an advantage.

And Jesus isn’t about the normal people. The more we normalize Christianity, the more we make it about power. In a slatespeak discussion a couple of weeks ago, my colleagues mused that Imperialism is when we are mistakenly convinced that God only talks to those in power.

Heresy, again I cry heresy.

I cry heresy to the core of my soul, but Christianity has been entrenched and tied to Power forever. Only Christ can save it. Only Christ can save us.

Because, we are the nation “trumpeting our righteousness”, even as we sin. We only fast “to quarrel and fight”

So this is the FAST that I choose

to loose the bonds of injustice–against the Trans, Muslim, Autistic, Lesbian & Gay, Deaf, Jewish, Sikh, Genderqueer, Blind, People of Color, Mentally Ill, Asexual, the poor and the children.

To undo the thongs of the yoke of the overworked, the under appreciated, the homeless, the victims of violence, the helpless, the depressed, the lonesome

To Let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke.

The way to do this is to share my bread with the hungry, to bring the homeless poor into my own house and cover the naked.

water, food, shelter, medical care, clothing, treating each other as human beings

the most basic and essential of prayers for all peoples

To somehow empower without enabling, to be gracious in an unjust world and to magnify those voices that society tries to erase, ignore or unnamed.

For then the light shall break forth like the daw, and healing shall spring up quickly.

Heal us, break us our from our own heresies, entrench us instead in love.

http://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Isaiah+58

#Days #relentless #slatespeak #Lent

What is the length of a day? Some days pound on me, relentless, some days never let me go.

http://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Deuteronomy+30

The length of days–heaven and earth are called to witness–will count. When we choose life our time counts even moreso.

Before I had children I would strive to be on time for everything. My parents were not the on time sort, and apparently I used to complain that I was the last child to be picked up from things.

Today I not only have to be late to things, but I have to miss commitments. Things I never would have done before children. But life is more complicated now I have a church, a husband, 3 children-one of whom is autistic-and myself.

WAIT! that meeting was today too? I had it in a different time stream in my mind and didn’t realize it was the same day.

Time no longer runs in straight lines for me, its seems to squiggle and intersect in weird ways. Its like running parallel world at the same time.

Thus obligations and time and everything flows differently.

We count our days, but God is the true reckoner, and God’s way of counting is not in pure math or numbers. Its in experiences and hope, its in the life-giving moments.If I have three children, then God has all children. If time flows different with different children for me, then time takes on meaning beyond seconds and minutes and days. Time has become an out of body experience. But time has also become more meaningful than trying to do all the things or trying to count up my life by counting. Because nobody has time for that. Time has to count with the goodness and fullness of days.

Because, God is timeless, its hard to conceptualize A Being beyond time…

A Being who just Is, for whom Was and Will Be are intrinsic.

Time counts differently for God

Time counts differently for God’s people.

Hold Fast to God, but how do I do that? My concept of holding on is to calculate the time I spend in prayer or measure the good deeds that are done. I’m too human, I can only love by keeping track. As evidenced in this 30sec clip http://thirtysecondsorless.net/author/kstenta/

God loves me, without needing to keep track.

How do I let go of the relentlessness of time? How do I enter the time of Lent?

#ash #psalm51 #relentless #lent #slatespeak

The best of ministry is open and adaptable, because Life is #Relentless

I have been feeling the #relentless-ness of life this season. The relentlessness of the news cycle, telling me over and over how broken we are…

The Jewish Community Center daycares receiving bombthreats

The 7 Trans women who have been murdered

The queer couples who married quickly, just in case

The travelers who are being detained and kept from their families

The need for young transpeople to go to the bathroom safely

The international relationships that are in peril

The Jewish cemeteries being desecrated

The Dakota Pipeline camps being cleared out

http://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Psalm+51

Ministry, is about life, which means that there is seldom a “normal week” in the church. The best of ministry is open and adaptable, because Life is Relentless. The basement pipe leaks, then a member is ill and dies, then the governing body is borrowing your building for a meeting, then your board member steps down. This is church, its imperfect, because its alive. Its real, because it reflects real life, its about the imperfections and love in the midst of the daily-ness.

Relentless, means “unmerciful” and “heartless” and “unforgiving” Life is indeed relentless.

Lent, then is the season of the opposite.

Its the season of “have mercy on me O God” the season of God’s “steadfast love” the season of “abundant mercy.” Its the season of pause and reflection. Its the wait and see, its the celebration of the journey.

And I am aching for this season. The restoration of Joy, because only God can provide Joy in this time of weary sin. Only God can sustain a spirit of willingness.

Good thing you like broken spirits, God, cause thats what I got. Brokenness and Hope.

Lent & Relentlessness

Easter/Resurrection Links of Prayer

Invitation to be Raised by Rev. Dr. Barb Hedges-Goettl

Feel free to use/edit. Credit to the original author (i.e. based on prayer/prayers written by Rev Dr. Barb Hedges-Goettl) appreciated.

Luke 24:1-12 and Psalm 118: 17, 21-24 or Psalm 118:20

Call to Worship/Opening Prayer

Option A: Gospel

Bring us to your place of resurrection, Lord.

Perplex us. Terrify us. Make us remember.

Send us out to tell the good news.

Bring us back to see for ourselves.

Amaze us by what has happened, and by what continues to happen.

Make us your resurrection people.

Option B: Gospel

We are perplexed when Christ Jesus is not in the tomb.When confronted by your messengers, we are moved to worship.They tell us we are looking for the living among the dead and testify to who Jesus is and what he has promised.Confront us. Speak to us. Fulfill your promises to us.Embolden us to carry Easter news to the world:Christ is risen! ALL: Christ is risen indeed!

Option C: Psalm

I shall not die, but I shall live

I shall recount the deeds of the Lord.

I thank you that you have answered me and become my salvation.

The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

This is the Lord’s doing

It is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day that the Lord has made.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Prayer of Confession

God, many times we do not pay attention to the tales of what you do. We think they are idle nonsense, full of wishful thinking and overactive imaginings. We are afraid to believe them. We don’t want to be ridiculed or disappointed. When we do not see you, we think that you are missing-in-action. We expect death and tombs, not resurrection and new life. Often we do not remember what you have promised or what you have done. We think that you acted in other times and place, not our own, or we want to be in charge of how and when and why you are act. Forgive us, Lord, and help our unbelief.

Easter Litany

(Possibly for Communion)

One; On this Easter morning,

Many: on this day of resurrection,

ALL: O Lord, raise us up.

One: As Jesus rose up from the grave.

Many: and Peter rose up to go and see

ALL: O Lord, raise us up.

One: Raise us up to the surface

Many: where we can breathe.

One; Raise us up to the mountain

Many: where you can be seen and heard.

ALL: O Lord, raise us up.

One: Raise us up from the tomb

Many: renouncing the old life in favor of the new.

One: Raise us up in mutiny against the powers of evil

Many: resisting hate and injustice.

One: Raise us up in rebellion against all that would separate and divide

Many: Straighten us up in the face of overwhelming threats

ALL O Lord, raise us up.

One: Raise us up from death.

Many: Raise us up with your burgeoning life.

One: Raise us up with your effervescent Spirit.

Many: As your resurrection people

ALL: O Lord, raise us up.

More Narrative Lectionary Lenten Themed Prayers

Crucifixion/Good Friday Links of Prayer Lenten Resource

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Invitation to by Rev. Rev Lee Ann Higgins

Feel free to use/edit. Credit to the original author (i.e. based on prayer/prayers written by Rev Lee Ann Higgins) appreciated.

Luke 23:32-47 and Psalm 31:5-13 ro Palm 31:5a

Call to Worship

(Based on KJV – Psalm 31:1, 5-13)

Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the Lord.

I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;

And has not shut me up into the hand of my enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.

Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.

For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.

I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.

For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.

But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God.

My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. Amen.

Opening Prayer:

Loving Father,

We come today, not only to worship and praise you,

But also to remember Your Son, Jesus Christ,

Who gave up his life for us.

Be present with us here today as we remember

This sad day and why it had to happen.

Help us to see the joy within the tragedy,

A life so willingly given, …

For me … for us … Amen!

Prayer of Confession

Forgiving Father,

On that Friday, oh so long ago,

Your Son asked you to forgive his killers,

Because “they know not what they do.”

As we stand here in our humanness

Not always knowing what we do,

We cannot possible understand the

Great love you had for those people, and

We do not understand the great love you have for us.

You allowed your Son to be put to death

In a cruel fashion, yet, we know it was because of

Your unceasing love for us.

Just like those soldiers, we have sinned

And fall short of your glory.

We aren’t always aware of where we fall short,

But we don’t mean to disappoint you.

You are our perfect God who wants nothing

But the love of Your children.

Through Your Son’s death we are assured of your love

And we ask for your unconditional forgiveness.

Lead us to your way. Guide us in our path.

Forgive us, we pray. AMEN!

Assurance of Pardon

(from Chalice Worship)

Our redeemer God, we bless you for meeting us in Jesus Christ,

Who for our salvation humbled himself to die for us.

We bless you for all the burdens Christ has borne,

For all the tears he has wept,

For all the pains he has suffered,

For every word of comfort he spoke on the cross,

For every conflict with the power of darkness,

And for his eternal victory over the terrors of death.

Lead us through the valley of the shadow of death,

That we may fear no evil, for you are eternally with us;

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Communion & Communion Prayer

On the night He was betrayed, Jesus met with His disciples in the upper room and they ate a meal together. This began the tradition of the Lord’s Supper that we now observe every Sunday.

Paul wrote about Communion in 1 Corinthians 11:26. He said, “whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”.

The meal that Jesus ate with His disciples on the night He was betrayed is known as the Passover meal.

When Passover was 1^st observed, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. God sent Moses to confront Pharaoh, and to bring God’s people out of slavery.
Part of the way God “convinced” Pharaoh to release the Israelites, was through the 10 plagues.

The last of those plagues was the death of the firstborn of every household that did not have the blood of a spotless lamb painted on its doorposts.

The people of Israel were commanded to slaughter an innocent spotless lamb, paint its blood on their doorposts
- And eat the meal that would now be known as the “Passover”, because God told His people,
- That when He saw the blood of the lamb on their homes, He would pass over their homes, and death would not visit their families.
They were to eat the Passover meal dressed to leave the next day – BECAUSE on the next day they would leave the land of their slavery and enter into freedom.

Let us Pray:

Gracious and loving Heavenly Father. A lamb died on that first Passover so that the people of Israel would live. Our lamb (Jesus Christ) died so that we might live.

A lamb died so that the people of Israel would be freed from the fear of enslavement. Our Lamb (Jesus, the Lamb of God) died so that we might be freed from the slavery of our fear of death.

Thank you dear Lord, that, in communion, we receive the message of freedom from the grave.

Thank you that this message is not received only at Easter. Thank you that we receive this message every time we gather around this Table as believers.

Thank you for the message that: DEATH HAS BEEN CONQUERED! AMEN!

Offering Prayer/Prayer of Dedication

Heavenly Father,

We give back but a portion of ourselves,

Wishing we could give so much more.

You have made many things out of nothing;

You fed thousands with a basket of bread and fish,

You made wine from mere water,

And You made Saul into Paul.

We have faith that you will magnify these morals.

Allow us to see Your perfect vision,

And to continue your work on Earth.

Gird us up to share with the world; that You sent YOUR Son as

THE ultimate offering and sacrifice.

That by accepting this truth, all would be forgiven

And spend eternity in your presence.

AMEN.

A Link to a Good Friday Liturgy of the Nails http://wp.me/p2rhxZ-25W

More Narrative Lectionary Lenten Themed Prayers

Zacchaeus: Links of Prayer, Narrative Lectionary for Lent

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Invitation to Your House by Katy Stenta

Feel free to use/edit. Credit to the original author (i.e. based on prayer/prayers written by Rev Katy Stenta) appreciated.

Luke 18:31-19:10 and Psalm 84:1-4, 10-12 or Psalm 84:10

Call to Worship

Happy is your dwelling place, Oh Lord, Happy are those who live in your house.

Lord Jesus have mercy! My soul longs and faints for the courts of the Lord. I need to see Jesus.

You are the Lord Jesus, sees us, loves us, calls us by name. Meeting us wherever we are whether it is on the road, by a well or up a tree.

Even the sparrow finds a home, for God seeks out and saves the lost. So I will praise God today, for my heart and my flesh sing for joy of the living God.

Prayer of Confession: Lord we confess that we hush the crying out for mercy. It is our job to build a kin(g)dom with the ignored one, the incomplete, imperfect one, the no-doubt-annoying-one. The fussy child who can’t sit still, the family that can never get to church on time, the elder who has a lot of trouble hearing, the one in pain, the one alone, the one who for whatever reason cannot see Jesus today. In a time where still people are ignored, erased or shunted to the side, in an age of constant chatter, still so many need to try out to be heard. Lord Jesus have mercy, forgive our sins, and show us how to see and welcome Jesus today, so that we can fully participate in God’s kin(g)dom with God’s people. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon Hear the Good news: ‘Today salvation has come to this house, for through Jesus, you too are a child of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’ Let us proclaim the truth to one another In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen.

Communion Prayer: Lord God, you do so much more than see us. You see us, love us and call us each into being, by calling us by name. Since the beginning of time, you have called us to you. And when we don’t come to you, for whatever reason, you come to us instead.

God you translated yourself into human, so that we might hear aright the truth of love in a language that we can comprehend. You gave us your son in a stable, who defined ministry and love and gave himself over to death to defeat sin. Then that son rose again from the dead, showing that nothing can separate us from God.

Then you sent an advocate, so that we might practice tasting and seeing your kin(g)dom here on earth. Send your Holy Spirit now, upon these elements, that we have a foretaste of the feast of Love, so that we can experience communion with you and one another. Nourish us with this bread and this cup, so we go forth in your name doing your work here and in the world. Teach us to be your people we pray. Amen

Offering Prayer/Prayer of Dedication

Lord, let us go forth as saved Zacchaeuses, sharing our homes with Christ Jesus, sharing half of our wealth to the poor and repaying all those whom we have done wrong. For truly, if we do this, we know that the world will be changed. Bless us as we go into the world so your will may be truly done we pray. Amen.

Prayer Station by Shea Zellweger

Psalm 84:1-4, 10-12

1 How lovely is the place where you live,
O Lord who rules over all!
2 I desperately want to be
in the courts of the Lord’s temple.
My heart and my entire being shout for joy
to the living God.
3 Even the birds find a home there,
and the swallow builds a nest,
where she can protect her young
near your altars, O Lord who rules over all,
my king and my God.
4 How blessed are those who live in your temple
and praise you continually! (Selah)
10 Certainly spending just one day in your temple courts is better
than spending a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather stand at the entrance to the temple of my God
than live in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is our sovereign protector.
The Lord bestows favor and honor;
he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity.
12 O Lord who rules over all,
how blessed are those who trust in you!

Guide:

Read the psalm once, and ponder it for a moment.

Select a twig (or several twigs, if you like).

Read the psalm a second time, this time paying special attention to verse 3.

If you are the first person to use this prayer station, use your twigs to begin constructing a nest. If you are not first, continue building the nest which has already been started. As you do so, consider the boundless hospitality of God, which offers space to all who live.

Read the psalm a third time as a song of joy.

More Narrative Lectionary Lenten Themed Prayers

Triumphal Entry/Palm Sunday: Narrative Lectionary Lenten Links of Prayer

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Invitation Build the Kin(g)dom to Rev. Jeanne Gay

Feel free to use/edit. Credit to the original author (i.e. based on prayer/prayers written by Rev. Jeanne Gay) appreciated.

Luke 19:29-44 and Psalm 118: 1-2, 19-29

Call to Worship/Opening Prayer

Two voices & Bold for Congregation

“As you enter the village you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.”

We come following directions that we don’t always understand.

We come to welcome the Messiah.

As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road.

We come as part of a parade, along with the rest of the motley crew.

We come to celebrate the Messiah.

The days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and they will hem you in on every side.

We come to be with Jesus in Jerusalem, all week long.

We come to walk with the Messiah.

Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!

We come trusting that the end of this week will bring resurrection!

We come to worship the Messiah!

Call to Confession

O Lord our God, we love the part about the parade. What fun that would have been, throwing palm branches and cloaks on the road to ease your way! But the reality is that our lives often don’t welcome you so well. Let us confess together …\

Prayer of Confession

We’d like to be the ones tossing the palm branches ahead of you to make ease your way, Jesus, but it feels like often we’re tossing obstacles instead: spiteful speech, angry actions, bitter thoughts. We’d like to think of ourselves as loving and peaceful, but too often we’re people who do not recognize the things that make for peace.

Help us join the parade, O Lord, even those of us who have been sitting like stones alongside the road. Help us be open to loving, eager to bring peace, excited to spread your joy.

Assurance of Pardon

O give thanks to the LORD, for God is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever!
Let Israel say, “God’s steadfast love endures forever.”

The Lord’s steadfast love endures forever.
Thanks be to God, we are forgiven!

Communion Prayer

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right for us to give thanks and praise.

We give thanks to you and for you, O God,
you who opened the gates of creation,
treating us all to mountains and streams, flowers and fishes,
relatives and rhinoceroses, lilacs and loved ones.
You called us to sing your praises,
but too often we were like stubborn stones on the side of the road,
held captive by our worship of Sin and Death.

You sent prophets to beseech us to return to you,
but we preferred to follow our own inclinations
and satisfy the desires that the world told us were important.

And so you sent Jesus, your beloved son, to be one of us,
birthed into humanity in a corner stall,
paraded into town on a donkey.
You sent Jesus to teach us about the ways that lead to peace:
about the joy of loving our neighbor,
about the blessings of following you.

And so with those who cry hosanna
and those who cry mercy,
we sing our praises to you.

Option 1

Holy, holy, holy, Lord
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of thy glory.
Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest,
hosanna in the highest.

Option 2

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name
in earth and sky and sea.

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

We give you thanks for Jesus’ birth and life
and for his undeserved gift of ever-lasting love.
We thank you that he defeated Sin and Death on our behalf,
so that we can live with the assurance that our sins are forgiven,
and with sure hope in the life eternal.

We would turn our hearts to you, O Lord,
rejoicing in the good times, the bad times—
all the times of our lives—
as we come to you with our thanks and praise.

Dying, you destroyed our death;
rising, you restored our life.
Lord Jesus, come in glory.

Gracious God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, we pray,
that we may come to this Table with open hearts,
eager to receive your gifts of bread and cup—
the bread of heaven, the cup of salvation—
for our nourishment in your glory.

May we experience the gifts of this Table
as a foretaste of the heavenly banquet,
where all of your children—
praise singers and late-comers,
the overlooked, the underserved,
the too proud and the too humble—
where all your children
will join in crying Hosanna to you,
our God and our King.

Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor are yours, almighty God,
now and forever.

Amen.

Offering Prayer/Prayer of Dedication

You are the Great Giver, O Lord, and—created in your image—
we give with joy to you and to your church.
We give knowing that our gifts will not be as stones rejected
but cornerstones of your kingdom (kin-dom) on earth.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

More Narrative Lectionary Lenten Themed Prayers

Rich Man and Lazarus: Lenten Links of Prayer for Narrative Lectionary

Invitation to by Rev. Tracy Spencer-Brown

Feel free to use/edit. Credit to the original author (i.e. based on prayer/prayers written by Rev Tracy Spencer-Brown) appreciated.

Luke 16:19-31 and Psalm 41:1-3 or Psalm 41:1

Call to Worship

You call us to you, O God, that we may worship together.

You call us away from our preoccupations and preconceptions,

That we might hear the words of life;

Words that call us to reflect, to repent, and to be replenished.

May we hear your Word to us as we worship.

Prayer of Confession

Compassionate God, we confess that we are a people that ignore that which is around us. We are so focused on what we have to do and who we have to see, that we pass by those who are suffering. We choose to turn away. We ignore those begging for what they need to live. We neglect those who are in need of healing. We disregard our sisters and brothers who are oppressed by systems of our own creation.

Forgive us our willful ignorance, O God. Break through the walls that we have erected to keep us safe and secure. Open our eyes to those who are in pain. Open our ears to their cries of injustice. Compel us to change the systems that imprison so many, so that all your children might live in freedom. In the name of Jesus, we pray…

Assurance of Pardon

Our God, who is faithful and just, sees us as we are in all our sinfulness. Our God, who is full of grace and glory, forgives us our sin and restores us. Our God, who breathed breath into us, gives us new life through our Lord Jesus Christ.

In gratitude and thanksgiving, we give thanks to God. Amen.

Communion Prayer

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

We give you praise, O God, for all that is comes from you. Creation flowed through your mighty hand, singing your power and praise to the universe. Through it, you provided all that we could need or want. For all those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, its beauty proclaims your glory and gives us a glimpse of your eternal love for us. Throughout the ages, you have continued to provide for us, sending mothers and fathers of the faith to lead us. Even when we strayed from your way, you sent your prophets to call us to account and to call us back to you. In your time, you sent your Son, Jesus, that we might be healed and made whole, and reconciled to you forever.

Therefore we join our voices with the voices of the prophets and the apostles, and all the angels of heaven who forever sing to the glory of your name:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory, hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed are you, O God, and blessed is your Son, Jesus Christ. You sent Jesus, taking on our human nature, to live among us in truth and grace. In his life – as he share our joys and sorrows, healed and taught, worked miracles and reconciled sinners, – he showed forth your love and grace. Through his death and resurrection, he proclaimed victory over death, and reconciled us to you for eternity. Remembering all that you have done, we take from your creation this bread and this wine, and joyfully offer these gifts to you:

We praise you, we bless you, we give thanks to you, and we pray to you, Lord our God.

Send your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these your gifts of bread and wine, that the bread we break and the cup we bless, may be the communion of the body and the blood of Christ. Send us out into the world in the power of the Spirit, that we may live for others as Christ lived for us. By your Spirit, draw us together into the one body of Christ, the church, to be a witness to your work in the world. Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours, Almighty God, now and forever. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication

Gracious God, you have created all that is for our provision, that we might have all we need and more. You have entrusted us with the responsibilities of caring for your creation and each other.

Bless these gifts, that through your grace, there might be enough for all. Bless our lives, that we might be your servants in this time and place, reaching out to those who are suffering, so that your love might be known.

In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

More Narrative Lectionary Lenten Themed Prayers

Prayer Station by Rev. Shea Zellweger

Psalm 41:1-3

How blessed is the one who treats the poor properly!
When trouble comes, the Lord delivers them.
2 May the Lord protect them and save their life!
May they be blessed in the land!
Do not turn them over to his enemies!
3 The Lord supports them on their sickbed;
you completely heal them from their illness.

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Guide:

Read the psalm once, and ponder it for a moment.

Pick up a coin and consider its value.

Read the psalm a second time, this time paying special attention to verse 1.

Select a piece of literature on how to aid the poor, either through Kiva or Heifer. Place your coin upright in the sand as a commitment not just to read the information contained therein, but to take action concerning what you read.

Read the psalm a third time as a prayer of offering.

Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Lost Son: Narrative Lectionary Lenten Links of Prayer

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Invitation to be Found by Mike Williams

Feel free to use/edit. Credit to the original author (i.e. based on prayer/prayers written by Rev Mike Williams) appreciated.

Luke 15:1-32 and Psalm 119:167-176 or Psalm 119:176

Call to Worship (based on Psalm 119:157-176)

The sum of God’s word is truth. The righteous ordinances of our God endure forever.

We rejoice in God’s word like those who find great spoil

We come together today to praise God and to find the peace granted to those who love God’s law.

We hope for the Lord’s salvation and love the Lord’s decrees.

In this time of worship let our supplication come before our Lord, who gives understanding from God’s word.

Let our lips pour forth praise and let us sing of God’s promise.

Let us live to praise our God and let God’s ordinances help us in our worship.

For we have gone astray like lost sheep, but the Lord has sought us out, and sent us God’s Son so that we might once more remember God’s commandments.

Prayer of Invocation

Holy Father of prodigal children everywhere, as we come into your presence today, we praise you for the assurance of your love. We thank you for gift of your Son who comes to us with stories of redemption and forgiveness. In this time of worship, pour out your Spirit upon us, that we may hear the promise of your grace. Fill us with compassion for your world. Help us to celebrate with those who come to life by finding you. Amen

Call to Confession

No matter how familiar we are with them, the stories of Jesus continually catch us off guard. Whether we think of ourselves as righteous, dutiful children, or as sheep who have gone astray, Christ reminds us of our continuous need for him. Let us now acknowledge our shortcomings, and remind ourselves of God’s grace, by praying together the prayer of confession…

Prayer of Confession

Great Shepherd, we come to you today recognizing that, like lost sheep, we have gone astray. You have given us your word and called us to live by your commandments. Yet, seeking greener pastures, we have squandered the riches you have given us and lived lives focused on ourselves. We have also failed to see the needs of others and refused to offer forgiveness to those who have wronged us. Remind us, O God, of the gift of your Son. Empower us with your grace, and call us to rejoice as sheep who have been returned to your fold. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Sisters and brothers, the promise of Gospel is that we have a shepherd who will never stop looking for us. Christ comes to us and brings us home once more, leading us into the presence of the God who loves us. Jesus assures us that grace is real. Indeed, he tells us “there is joy in the presence of God over one sinner who repents.” Know that you are forgiven and be at peace.

Passing of the Peace

The father of the prodigal son called everyone together to celebrate the return of the child he thought he had lost. In the same way, let us celebrate together the forgiveness we have received through the passing of the peace.

Communion Prayer:

Gracious God, like lost sheep we wander far from your love. We chase after things that do not satisfy and end up far from where you would have us be. We find ourselves spiritually dying from hunger. In your mercy, O God, you have not abandoned us to our own wills. Although we are not worthy to stand before you, you have sent your Son, the good shepherd, to pursue us and call us back to the fold. In this moment we ask you to pour out your Holy Spirit on these elements. Make this sacrament a foretaste of your heavenly kingdom where there is bread enough to spare. You are always with us and have given us everything. Let us now celebrate with you and all the angels of heaven as repentant sinners who once were lost, but now are found. This we ask, trusting in your precious name, Amen.

Offering Prayer/Prayer of Dedication

Generous and giving God, you have reminded us of your prodigal love. You have bestowed upon us blessings beyond measure. We praise you for your kindness and for the chance to return a portion of that back into your service. Take what we have given and let it be a symbol of the compassion that you have for your world. Use it to fill those who have little, and guide those who are lost. Pour out your Holy Spirit on these tithes and offerings, so that your grace might be known throughout the world. Amen.

Prayer Station by Rev. Shea Zellweger

Psalm 119:167-176

167 I keep your rules;
I love them greatly.
168 I keep your precepts and rules,
for you are aware of everything I do.
169 Listen to my cry for help, O Lord!
Give me insight by your word!
170 Listen to my appeal for mercy!
Deliver me, as you promised.
171 May praise flow freely from my lips,
for you teach me your statutes.
172 May my tongue sing about your instructions,
for all your commands are just.
173 May your hand help me,
for I choose to obey your precepts.
174 I long for your deliverance, O Lord;
I find delight in your law.
175 May I live and praise you!
May your regulations help me!
176 I have wandered off like a lost sheep.
Come looking for your servant,
for I do not forget your commands.

Guide:

Read the psalm once, and ponder it for a moment.

Place a cup in the sand.

Read the psalm a second time, this time paying special attention to verse 171.

Pour water from the pitcher into the cup as you say (aloud or silently) “May praise flow freely from my lips.” Just as freely flowing water quickly fills the cup, so freely flowing praise can quickly fill our lives.

Read the psalm a third time as a song of praise.

More Narrative Lectionary Lenten Themed Prayers