Prayers for Sunday March 11, 2001

Second Sunday in Lent

Invocation or Call to Worship (Based on Ps 27)

Leader: The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
People: When evil assails me, when folks call me names and my adversaries trick me and make me fall...
Leader: We know that God will shelter us when we are in trouble.
People: God will help us hold our heads up high when others try to tear us down and apart.
Leader: We believe that despite all things we will see the goodness of the LORD in even the worse moment of our lives.
People: So as we wait for God, let us be strong and joyful in our waiting.

Prayer of Confession

O God, it is scary when we look around and see those looking at us. When our little brother or sister looks up to us we just don't want to be a role model. We don't get paid for that, we don't want to do it. After all who wants to be followed around? So we must confess that we would like a pass on this role model task. Lord we confess we don't want to be a model, just a regular person with no one looking. But then Lord, how else can others see you? How else can others see you in action except in us? So we pray that we help others see you, see Jesus in our lives. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication

For every gift we have received, we give you thanks, including the gift of faith. For every gift we can give You, we give thanks. Not as we ought but as we are able, O God, we return. Grant faith and confidence in things both large and small, and open our hearts to what it means to be a Risen and Rising people. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

O Lord, since the early days of the church we have been trying to be like You and see You. We keep looking for You in the face of others. We keep seeing your image distorted by films and made vague by television. We keep changing Your image so others will like what they see. We make You into an easily enjoyed cosmic muffin or an easily understood cartoon strip.

But Lord, to really see You, to really imitate You seems beyond us. We just don't want to follow Your footsteps. It is way to hard. We don't want to be among the poor, to think about the dying, to think on our own death. That stuff is all too hard. We want an easy way, and easy model to follow.

Lord, help us to see beyond the hardship and see the glory. Help us see beyond the crucifixion and to the resurrections. Lord help us see the whole of Jesus life and make His life a part of our life. We pray for this with some trepidation and some hope. Amen.