Prayers and Calls to Worship by Charles E. Hughes, Pastor, Bowen & Plymouth Charge of The United Methodist Church, Bowen, Illinois.
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ckhughes@adams.net
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PRAYERS FOR THE OPENING OF WORSHIP
God of the resurrection, raise us to new life in Christ Jesus, Our Lord. As we worship you this day, breathe new life into our minds that we may experience you; Breathe new life into our hearts that we may be encouraged to go from this place to live for you; And breathe new life into our bodies that we may become holy examples of your presence in our world. Amen (Based on John 17)
Those who worship you are to worship you in Spirit and in Truth. Allow your Holy Spirit to envelop us gathered here in your name. Show us the eternal Truth that is your sanctifying Word. Unify us that in our praise of you we know your presence among us. Raise us from the death of sin and compromise with the world to the new life which is the promise of your faithfulness. In the name of the Christ. Amen
(Based on John 17)
You prayed, O Christ of God, that we would be in this world but not of this world. We come from the world to worship you in this sanctuary of peace. We will go from this sanctuary to live for you in this world that others may know and experience your grace. As we lift our hearts to you in praise, fill them with the power of your love. Mold them to your perfect will that we, your people, might give you perfect praise. Amen (Based on John 17)
We confess that you are the only true God. We confess that you sent Jesus who is the Christ to reveal your love, salvation and eternal life to those who believe your Word. Almighty Father, we believe. As we worship you this day, allow your Holy Spirit to search out those places of unbelief in us that we might praise you in Spirit and Truth. Make us perfect in praise as you are perfect in love. Amen (Based on John 17)
You prayed, O Christ of God, that we would be one as you and the Father are one. Make us to be of one will in our gathering that your Spirit might indwell our praise and raise us from the divisions that are sin. Make us holy in heart, word and deed that our worship of you sanctify us in your Word. Amen (Based on John 17)
Unify us in your sanctifying Word that we might know the Truth that frees us for perfect praise. O God, fulfill in us the prayer of the Christ that we might be one in you and with each other. Grant to us a fresh Pentecost that gathered together in the mind of Christ we might with one accord be raised to eternal life and perfected in worship of you. Amen (Based on John 17 and Acts 2)
Creator God, we have been presented to you as a gift by your beloved Son. We are given to you that your Word might live in us as witness to the Truth that sets us free for obedient service. We come to worship you as a congregation called from the world to live holy lives. Sanctify our thoughts as we praise you that we might surrender ourselves to your joy. Perfect us in worship that we might rejoice to experience your presence in our gathering. Amen. (Based on John 17)
You, O God, are our joy. We come rejoicing to praise you for all the mighty acts of redemption you are accomplishing in and through us. We worship you with joy for you are the one who raises from the death that comes from sin to the righteousness of eternal life. Surround us, O God of love, with your Spirit that our prayers may come to you perfumed in holiness. Harmonize our music with that of the angelic choirs around your throne that our songs rise in hope. Open to us your sanctifying Word that we learn obedience to the Truth that frees us for service. Amen (Based on John 17)
You sent your Son into the world. He sanctified himself to become the perfect sacrifice for our sins. We, who have tasted the redemption offered to us through the Truth that he revealed, come to worship you. Sanctify us, O God, that our praise of you be holy, our love of you be perfect and our witness of you lead others to come and know your redemption and join us in rejoicing in you forevermore. Amen (Based on John 17)
Peace of God, war against the sin that that keeps us from your perfect will. You have overcome the world by the testimony of love and your faithfulness to the cross. Protect us from the evil one who would transform the harmony of our fellowship to a cacophony of hatred. We come from the troubles of the world in which we live to experience the hope you give. As we praise you today remind us of the hope of eternal life we have in the Truth that frees us from guilt. Overcome the doubt that keeps us from seeing your redeeming work that, as we worship you, we be filled with the vision of your grace. Amen. (Based on John 16:33 through 17:26)
Before he was arrested Jesus Christ prayed to you on our behalf, O Righteous Father. Answer that prayer in us as we worship you this day. Sanctify us through your Truth. Give us strength to live in this world but not be compromised to this world that we might be faithful witnesses to your transforming power. Make your Word flame in our hearts so we might kindle a revival of holiness that will unify our congregation in ministry. Fill our gathering with your joy that is our strength. Amen (Based on John 17)
We come to you, O God, because we have heard and believed the Christ who reveals your love and salvation to us. Some of us have come with wounds and doubts. Some of us come with hurt and pains. Some of us come with broken dreams and shattered lives. You have called us to this time and place that in our worship of you, O righteous Creator, you might begin the redemptive work of healing us. As we praise you, O God of Light, bind up our wounds, remove our doubts, ease our hurt and transform our pain, give us a vision of your will to replace our broken dreams and sanctify our shattered lives that the evil that we have known might be baptized in the victory of the resurrection. Amen (Based on John 17)
Jesus called you Father and taught us to address you in our prayers as our heavenly Father. We, your children, are gathered here because Jesus revealed you to us as the perfect Parent. We know you through the Christ. You are the true God, Creator of all that is, seen and unseen. You are worthy of our praise and adoration for what you have done, are doing and will do. We worship you today, O loving God, in obedience to your eternal Word. Sanctify our lives and our congregation that we might be perfected in praise and worship you in the liberty of those who are freed from the power and death of sin. Amen
(Based on John 17)
There is nowhere where you are not, O eternal God. Make us gathered here aware of your presence that we might be transformed by your presence, sanctified by your Truth and raised to eternal life by your love. Open our eyes to see your glory. Open our hearts to receive your grace. Open our hands to give and to serve others. Open our ears to hear and do your Word. Make this time of worship a time of preparation that we might know you and go from this place to show you by our faithful lives to the world.
Amen (Based on John 17)
Make us to be of one mind and in one accord as we worship you this day. Tune our hearts that the melody of your love may be experienced in the harmony of our fellowship. Make us to be a symphony of praise whose eternal theme is your mighty acts of redemption. When we go from this place to serve in the world, allow the echoes of this day to become the rhythm which strengthens us in the joy of your abiding song and the promise of eternal life in which all our tunes are gathered into the eternal hymn celebrated around your throne. Amen (Based on John 17)
As you revealed your love through Jesus who is the Christ, so reveal to us your eternal victory in our worship of you, O God. Reveal your will for us in our prayers. Reveal the joy which defeats the despair of sin in our music. Reveal your Word to us in sermon and testimony. Reveal your vision for us in the offering. And, O God who overcomes, reveal your presence in us as we live in our world in the benediction. Amen (Based on John 17)