Prayers for October 14, 2001

Proper 23, 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Call to Worship (Based on Psalm 66)

Leader: Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of God's name!
People: All the earth worships You; they sing praises to Your name.
Leader: Come and see what God has done: God is awesome in deeds among us.
People: Bless the Lord our God; let the sound of God's praises be heard in all creation.

Prayer of Confession

God of compassion, in our times of need, we call to You, and You answer our prayers. You heal us from our infirmities, and You bind up our wounds. But so often we take Your kindness for granted. Your mercies come to us with such frequency that at times we forget to thank You for Your goodness to us. Faithful Lord, forgive our lack of gratitude. Transform us, so that we might offer our thanks to You for all the blessings we enjoy from Your hand. We pray this in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication

Eternal God, You give and give, and we take and take. Yet rarely do the words "Thank You" come to mind much less to our lips. As we pause now in this time of worship, receive our offering as a sign of our gratitude for Your endless love. With our time, with our talents, and with our treasure, show us how we can express our thanksgiving to You each and every day. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

Heavenly Father, with our prayers, so often we cry out to You for help. We call to You when trouble strikes those who are dear to us, and we summon Your aid when turmoil disrupts our own lives. But when You respond to our pleas and deliver us from our woes, rarely do we pause and thank You as we should.

So, this day we offer our prayers of thanksgiving for the many times that You have brought healing to our lives. We express our gratitude for all the times You have drawn near to us and given us hope in the midst of troubled situations. With grateful hearts, we remember in our prayers all the times You showed us the way when we were perplexed and lost. Merciful God, do not allow us to confine our thanksgiving to infrequent, rare occasions. Rather teach us to express our thanks to You at all times through what we say and through what we do. We ask You to fill our lives with thanks. We pray for this in the joYous name of Christ our Lord. Amen.