Worship Prayers June 16

 CENTERING PRAYER

 

God, you are the gardener of all creation. You planted this world with the seeds of your love and grow them with your faithfulness. We are your harvest; we find our meaning and sustenance in you. May our minds listen to you calling, may our hearts be attuned to your will, may our feet follow you in the world, through Jesus, the Word become flesh. Amen.

 

 

CALL TO WORSHIP

 

The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed,

which is the smallest of seeds on earth;

it grows up and becomes the greatest of shrubs,

and the birds of the air make nests in its shade.

Give thanks to God, whose promised reign is coming.

Thanks be to God!

 

 

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

 

Holy God, the parable of the mustard seed teaches us a little faith can produce great work in your kingdom. Yet, we are too timid to bear the fruit of your righteousness, for we walk by sight and not by faith. Forgive us, Lord; we do not uphold the poor or the oppressed. We do not advocate for the powerless or the voiceless. We do not sacrifice ourselves for the needs of our neighbors. Renew us with the love of Christ so we live no longer for ourselves, but for Christ who became the seed of your righteousness in us. (Silent Confession)

 

 

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH - Confession of 1967 – 9.07

 

In Jesus Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself. Jesus Christ is God with humankind. He is the eternal Son of the Father, who became human and lived among us to fulfill the work of reconciliation. He is present in the church by the power of the Holy Spirit to continue and complete his mission. This work of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is the foundation of all confessional statements about God, humans, and the world. Therefore, the church calls all people to be reconciled to God and to one another.

 

 

OFFERING

 

Invitation to the Offering

 

God provides us with all we need. It is our privilege to give back to God. In the spirit of reconciliation, let us return a portion of what God so freely gives us. Let us humbly bring our gifts to our Lord.

 

 

Prayer after Offering

 

Let us pray…Bless, O God, the gifts we bring this day, that they may be a sign of our commitment to your kingdom and a pledge of our love for you and your world. Multiply the work done by our time, treasures, and talents, that your presence and compassion may be known in all the earth. Amen.