Index
of 4th Quarter
Call to Worship (Based
on Ps 119)
Leader: Come, O people of God, and hear the Lord's Word!
Leader: Come, and give praise to the Righteous One, whose judgments
and promises are true!
People: Open our hearts and minds, O God, that we might understand
Your word, and understanding it, might obey You.
Prayer of Confession
Righteous God, once more we come confessing our sin. We have
been seduced by the call of other gods, especially the gods of success and
prosperity. We give in to the promises of security and popularity put forth
by the always present ads on television and in magazines and newspapers and
even on the side of buses. But their promises are hollow, and make us empty.
We want to join Zacchaeus in his tree to catch a glimpse of the Lord of grace.
Help us to come down and accept Christ's invitation to a new way of life,
a life of giving, not acquiring, a life that flows from the forgiveness freely
offered by Christ, our Savior. This we ask in his holy name. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication
Gracious and loving God, You have freely given us salvation
and many opportunities to serve You by serving our neighbors. This offering
of money represents in a small way our commitment to Your Son. May it help
equip our church to serve our community and our world in ways that are uplifting
and meaningful. Amen
Pastoral Prayer
Dear and righteous God, we have come to Your house of prayer
at Your call. Praising Your name, we have sought Your guidance and the presence
of Your Spirit, for without You, we are unable to live righteous or gracious
lives. We thank You for Your word. At times Your word judges our many thoughts,
words, and deeds that fall so short of Your righteousness. At the same time,
this judgment moves us to Your forgiveness. For in Your word we meet the one
who is Your living Word, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to forgive and
free us.
Help us to live as free people and declare this to others by
word and deed. We have many concerns for ourselves, our families, and our
church and community. We pray for the sick, the lonely, and the rejected.
May they find their needs met in the Christ the transformer. Be with those
who are poor, yet live side by side with the well off and luxury loving. Help
us to work for a more righteous and equitable society. Be with those who are
victims of war or the calamities of nature. May the news of their plight,
move us beyond merely shaking our heads and instead move us to respond through
the caring agencies of our church and community. Give guidance to our rulers,
and all elected and appointed officials, that our nation, and our world, might
seek Your ways of justice. All this we pray in the name of the one who came
to seek out and to save the lost, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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