Prayers for Sunday May 13, 2001

The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Invocation or Call to Worship

Leader: Worship the God of Eve, Sarah, and Rebekah.
People: Let us worship the God of Naomi, Ruth, and Deborah.
Leader: Worship the God of Mary, Martha, and Priscilla.
People: Let us worship the God of our mothers!

Prayer of Confession

God of wonder, You command us to love one another, just as You have loved us. Yet we fail to do so. We rationalize why other people are not deserving of our love. We evaluate others according to our own standards. We form opinions based on skin color and clothing. We make judgments based on hairstyles and occupations. And if those other people fail to measure up to our approval, we toss them aside.

Eternal Lord, forgive our sin. Keep us from judging other people. Instead, inspire us to gracious acceptance. Let your acceptance of us inspire us to accept others. We ask this in the name of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication

Creator God, You have made us to serve You. Guide us at all times to use everything that we have, and everything that we are, for Your glory. Through our words and through our deeds, may Your name be glorified in the entire world. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

Heavenly Lord, like a mother You have given us life and have nurtured us from our earliest days. You have held us close by Your side, and You have taught us what is right and good. You have bathed us with the water of baptism. You have filled our stomachs with the sacred bread and cup. Through the Scriptures, You have told us the stories that we need to hear, the stories that have formed us into the people that we have become.

Holy God, like a mother You have heard our cries at night, and you have wiped away our tears by day. You have listened to us pour out our hearts, and You have spoken to us the words of compassion that surpass all understanding. You have embraced us in Your arms, and Your kisses of love are showered upon us each and every day. Help us to learn from Your love, so that in turn, we may live according the loving example that You have given us. We ask these things in the name of Christ. Amen.