Worship Prayers Jan. 7

 CENTERING PRAYER

 

Sovereign God, come to us now in silent, holy power. Still our distracted minds, our bruised hearts, our longing bodies. Then speak the power of Jesus’ name in such a way that we might hear it, in such a way that we might bear it into the world – as a people who seek not to preserve what we know but to make palpable who you are – for we move and pray by the gift of your breath within us. Amen.

 

 

CALL TO WORSHIP (From Psalm 25)

 

To you, O LORD, we lift up our souls.

O God, in you we trust. Do not let us be put to shame.

Teach us your paths and make known to us your ways.

Lead us in truth, for you are the God of our salvation.

All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,

for those who keep God’s covenant and decrees.

We come to worship our God in spirit and truth.

 

 

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

 

Holy One, we dare to call you Lord, but we yield only fragments of our lives. You had nowhere to lay your head; we surround ourselves with comfort. We expect to serve you with what remains after we indulge our desires. Forgive our greed, our lack of trust, and our desire to pick the times and places we will respond to our call. In your abundant mercy teach us what it means to follow, even at the cost of our lives. (Silent Confession)

 

 

 

Invitation to the Offering

 

Friends, we worship the One who stands at the beginning and at the end of history – the God for whom all time is now. Let us gladly offer who we are and what we hold in service to God as we receive our tithes, offerings, and gifts.

 

Prayer after Offering

 

Let us pray. Holy God, use these gifts, shape our desires, and move our hearts until hunger is no more. We pray this in the name of your Son who emptied himself in love for the world, in love for you, in love for me. Amen.