Prayer of Confession
Caring God, in our anxiousness, we cling tightly to familiar people. Afraid to extend our hand, we bind up our gifts, fearing we won’t have enough for ourselves. Loving Jesus, lacking trust in you we clutch our possessions as if they are the meaning of life. Our hesitancy to share stops the flow of your compassion. Holy God, loosen our closed hands and tight hearts that we may offer the gifts we have, to touch the bruised world. Let your compassion flow through us.
Continue in silent prayer...
Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Through Christ, God was pleased to reconcile all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of the cross. God has rescued us from the power of darkness, and in Christ we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.
Gloria Patri
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!
Selah.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
A Thanksgiving psalm: Fountain of mercy, God of love!
Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness; come into His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God. It is He that made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations!
Fountain Of Mercies, God Of Love
Fountain of mercy, God of love,
Whose gifts all creatures share,
The rolling seasons as they move
Proclaim Thy constant care.
When in the bosom of the earth
The sower hid the grain,
Thy goodness marked its secret birth,
And sent the early rain.
The spring’s sweet influence, Lord, was Thine,
The seasons knew Thy call;
Thou mad’st the summer sun to shine,
The summer dews to fall.
The gifts of mercy from above
Matured the swelling grain;
And now the harvest crowns Thy love,
And plenty fills this plain.
O ne’er may our forgetful hearts
O’erlook Thy bounteous care,
But what our Father’s hand imparts
Still own in praise and prayer.
To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
The God Whom we adore,
Be glory, as it was, is now,
And shall be evermore!
Selah.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness; come into His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God. It is He that made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations!
Fountain Of Mercies, God Of Love
Fountain of mercy, God of love,
Whose gifts all creatures share,
The rolling seasons as they move
Proclaim Thy constant care.
When in the bosom of the earth
The sower hid the grain,
Thy goodness marked its secret birth,
And sent the early rain.
The spring’s sweet influence, Lord, was Thine,
The seasons knew Thy call;
Thou mad’st the summer sun to shine,
The summer dews to fall.
The gifts of mercy from above
Matured the swelling grain;
And now the harvest crowns Thy love,
And plenty fills this plain.
O ne’er may our forgetful hearts
O’erlook Thy bounteous care,
But what our Father’s hand imparts
Still own in praise and prayer.
To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
The God Whom we adore,
Be glory, as it was, is now,
And shall be evermore!
Selah.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
A prayer for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Prayer of Confession
God of consuming fire, treat us not as stubble through the folly of our misdeeds. We are misled by arrogance as we boast of our goodness. We look with disdain on those less fortunate, and ignore the poverty of our own souls. Claiming to be among the mighty, we favor those gifted with similar strengths. As individuals and as a nation, we test your patience. Yet in Christ you love us still. Forgive our pride…
God of consuming fire, treat us not as stubble through the folly of our misdeeds. We are misled by arrogance as we boast of our goodness. We look with disdain on those less fortunate, and ignore the poverty of our own souls. Claiming to be among the mighty, we favor those gifted with similar strengths. As individuals and as a nation, we test your patience. Yet in Christ you love us still. Forgive our pride…
Continue in silent prayer...
Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Assurance of Pardon
The proof of God’s amazing love is this: While we were sinners Christ died for us. Because we have faith in Him, we dare to approach God with confidence. In Christ’s name we are forgiven!
Gloria Patri
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!
Selah.