Call to Worship (Based on Psalm 119:105-112)

Leader: God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

People: Accept our praises, O Lord, and teach us Your ways.

Leader: Wrongdoers may try to lead us astray, but we will not be deceived, because we cling to You.

People: God’s Word is the way that leads to life.

Prayer of Confession

God of power and might, in Jesus Christ You came into the world to free us from sin and death. You have broken the chains of evil, and You have shown us the pathway that leads to life. But instead of journeying forward to that new life, oftentimes we prefer to remain in our old ways. We confess that we are slaves to so many temptations. We admit that we have grown comfortable with our sins. We acknowledge that at times we even lose our desire to live a different kind of life. Holy Lord, forgive the sins in which we so passionately persist. Liberate us from their bondage, and lead us to the freedom that we find through Your Spirit. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

Speak to us, O God, for we are listening. Whisper your truth into our ears, and write Your commandments on our hearts. Help us to take hold of the truth, and empower us to taste the sweetness of following in Your ways. With every breath we take, may Your Spirit enter into us and fill us. With all of our senses, with all of our being, may we be ready to accept Your Word and to follow in the way of Your leading.

Release us, O Savior, from the grips of our sin. Free us from the passions and impulses that cause us to go astray. Rescue us from the evils that seek to destroy us. Deliver us from the sentence of death, and restore us as new people as Your children, born by the gift of Your Spirit. In those hours when we go astray, call out to us. And with Your gentle but firm hand, take hold of us and lead us back to where we belong. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication

Creator God, when it comes to our money, there are so many voices that try to tell us how to use it. Help us always to remember that what we have is a gift from You, entrusted to us to be used in faithful ways. Receive our gifts now as a sign of our commitment to listen for Your voice and to respond in the ways that we are able. Amen.