Call to Worship (Based on Romans 8:18-24)

Leader: In this life we come face to face with suffering and evil each day.

People: But the day is coming when we will see God’s glory!

Leader: The time is coming when all creation will share in that new day.

People: But the waiting is so hard. We, and the world around us, groan in our hearts until that day arrives.

Leader: Do not lose heart! Hope in God!

People: Even though we cannot fully see what it is we hope for, with patience we wait for God.

Prayer of Confession

Creator God, You have planted the seeds of life within each of us. Through baptism, You pour your sacred water upon us, and You empower those seeds to begin to grow. By shining the light of Your Word upon us, You nourish those seeds and enable them to flourish. But we often neglect that spiritual garden that resides within us. We allow the weeds of sin to spread. We permit vines of evil to entrap us, choking our desire to follow in Your ways. Forgive us for the ways that we have failed to tend to our souls. Root out from us all that is unclean, and lead us into the way of life everlasting. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

Eternal God, in the beginning You created the Garden of Eden, and You commissioned Adam and Eve with the task of caring for the trees and plants that grew there. But they failed to fulfill that charge. By allowing sin to creep its way into the midst of the garden, they brought destruction not only upon themselves, but also upon the world around them. Just as one dandelion soon transforms a field into a sea of yellow, so also that first appearance of sin has now spread and multiplied throughout all the world.

Just as weeds arise in places not of our choosing, and just as they pop up without any effort on our part, we realize that in the same way sin is constantly looking for ways to establish a foothold in our lives. Even when we do not intend for sin to enter our lives, even when we do not encourage sin to be a part of our daily existence, it looks for ways to blend in. And so we pray that You would root out the sin that grows within us and around us. Plant in us a desire to reject sin and to follow in Your ways. Take the buds of faith that we possess, and bring them to glorious flower, as we await that day when You will bring sin to an end, and You will welcome us into Your everlasting kingdom.

Prayer of Dedication

Bountiful God, in our hands an acorn is nothing more than a small nut. But in Your hands an acorn becomes a magnificent oak. Receive these gifts that we bring. In our hands they can do so little. But in Your hands we know they will accomplish so very much. Amen