For September 1, 2024. Proper 17B

OPENING PRAYER
God you invite us into your presence.
You call us to climb the hill, to sing and listen and pray as we celebrate Your presence.
God, in a world where we spend so much time working hard,
you invite us to pause, to take a break so we can sing and listen and pray as we sit in Your presence
As we sing and listen and pray this day,
refresh and renew us, prepare us to go out an continue to do the work of love.
We pray in the name of Jesus, who reminds us that we are loved, who calls us to rest in You, and who encourages us to pray saying...

PRAYER FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE
God sometimes we have trouble feeling worthy.
We know the mistakes we make. We know the times we have missed the mark.
We may use lofty words and share great hopes,
but to be honest our actions don’t always measure up to those words.
God of Grace, in those moments when we feel unworthy of being in Your presence,
on those days when we are just too aware of how we fail to be who we could be,
when our words and actions just don’t match...
forgive us, renew us, remind us that we are loved.
God is gracious, loving and forgiving. When we stumble or miss the mark God offer us forgiveness and a re-start. When we are sure that we are unworthy God looks at us and calls us beloved children, worthy just as we are, without one plea. This is Good News!
Thanks be to God! Amen