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.
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