Prayers for Sunday May 27, 2001

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Invocation or Call to Worship (Based on Ps 97)

Leader: The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice!
People: The Lord loves those who hate evil. God guards the lives of those who trust in Him. God rescues us from the hands of evil.
Leader: God's light shines upon us! God's joy fills our hearts as we walk in God's ways.
People: Rejoice in the Lord! Give thanks to God's holy name!

Prayer of Confession

Creator Lord, You call us to live together as one people. But we confess that we are quick to divide. We allow petty disagreements to multiply. Yet as we allow ourselves to become separated from one another, we subtract from the power of Your gospel. As others look at us, our lack of unity makes our message less than credible. Add Your Spirit to our every day world, so that the world may see the sum total of the Good News You have for all creation. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication

For fellowship and friendship, for community and companionship, for togetherness and teamwork, we give you thanks, O Lord. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

O Lord, sometimes it is hard to pray. We are so afraid and worried we just can't get the words out, we can't find time to bow our heads, we can't find time to turn to You. O Lord, help us to turn to you, to find those moments of closeness, that unity that can bring us peace. O Lord, in the midst of our anguish help us find some closeness with You, some unity with You.

O Lord our King, on this Memorial Day weekend, we give thanks for all the soldiers and sailors, for all the servicemen and servicewomen, who have served this nation. We offer praise for the way that they have bound themselves together in unity of purpose across the years to stand in opposition to tyranny and oppression throughout the world. May we learn from their example, and may we honor their sacrifices this day.

Eternal God, rally us together, so that we may stand strong against the fierce opposition that seeks our downfall. Lead us to lift up our brothers and sisters who have fallen. Remind us that we are all allies in Your service. Despite our varied heritages and our differing views, forge us together as Your one people. In the name of Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.