Opening Prayer From deep within us we know of a loving presence. All around us we see glory, beauty, life and light. We have no words for what we experience so we cry out, "God!". In this moment of worship may that loving presence grow deeper, may our awareness of the divine presence around us grow more intense. May we, gathered in this place, learn to pay more attention to God, who loves us at all times and in all places. God, of love and life, in this moment of prayer be more and more in us that we might live more and more in you. Amen. Prayer for the Offering Gracious God, You call us to let go of the things we cling to and step out in faith, trusting in Your love and provision. Give us courage to step out boldly, to plant our small seeds generously, and without fear. Use our gifts to accomplish more than we could possibly imagine, so that, through us, Your kingdom might come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen Pastoral Prayer (inspired by John 11: 1-45) O Lord, we hear you calling, but we are bound in the grave-cloths of earthly expectations. We believe in you, but we listen to the world’s call and think we cannot follow. We must study for the right degree, apply for the right job, buy the right house and furnish it just so; we must, we must, we must. All that seems true until the day something terrible happens. All that seems true until we lose someone we love. All that seems true until we love someone we can’t be with. All that seems true until the body we relied on to carry us from one place to another, fulfilling the expectations, falls ill or stops working the way we think it always will. Hear our prayers, O Lord, for we are in pain. We are ill. We are dying. Unbind us from expectations. Give us strength to live through disappointments. Grant us courage to overcome obstacles. Fill us with your presence and make us living carriers of your love to others who need it. Hear our prayers, O Lord, for those we have named. (We speak those names.) Hear our prayers, O Lord, for those we have not named, the stories we cannot tell and the woes we do not even know. (We pray in silence.) Hear our prayers, O Lord, for the wider world, for the people who hunger, for the people who have live with war and violence on a daily basis, in ways unthinkable to us in this quiet town. Hear our prayers, O Lord, for ourselves. (We pray again in silence.) Unbind us. Call us out of the caves in which we dwell. Help us to roll away the stones for each other. Bring us to new life, we pray in the name of Jesus, the Ever Living. Amen. Benediction God will be with us wherever we go. At work or play, at home or on vacation, we know God will be with us wherever we go. Whether we’re happy or sad, on our own, or with our friends, we know God will be with us wherever we go. So let’s go with joy, because God goes with us! SPECIAL MUSIC: “I am the Resurrection” |
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June 2022
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