For November 3, 2024 -- Proper26B

PRAYER FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE
God you challenge us to love our neighbour as ourselves,
and we do our best.
But sometimes we are tempted to ask what neighbour actually means,
does it mean those who are like us, or those who we know well, or those with shared values?
God you call us to love each other as you first loved us,
that is harder, that is more of a challenge.
Our faith stories are filled with migrants and refugees, people seeking a new place to live,
and we find that you love them, that they are to be treated as neighbours.
God of challenge, God of grace, help us to love all our neighbours, and remember what all means.
Even when they are not like us, even when their presence brings new ideas, new challenges, and new hopes.
...time of silence...
God who loves us calls us to love others. God who created us all and calls us good helps us see everyone as our neighbour. God who is gracious helps us learn better how to live as people of love
Thanks be to God. Amen.

Christ Candle Responses for leading into the Reign of Christ Sunday

Like a beacon leading us to the Promised Land, the light of God shines in the world.
May this candle flame remind us of God’s light, leading us into God’s Kingdom.
As followers of Jesus, the Light of the World, we centre ourselves for worship

 

For October 20, 2024 -- 22nd Sunday After Pentecost, Proper 24B

PRAYER FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE
(draws from Psalm 90 and the hymn O God Our Help in Ages Past)
God, you have been our refuge and dwelling place for uncounted generations.
You have been our help in the past, in you we find hope for the future.
Sometimes we sink into the bliss of your loving presence,
we dwell secure in the shadow of your throne and we rejoice.
Other times we feel alone, wondering where you have gone,
and we echo Jesus’ cry “Why have you forsaken me”
God when we feel alone and isolated,
remind us that you are there, satisfy us morning and evening with your steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad.
...time of silence...
The Risen Christ promises to be with us “to the end of the age” We are not alone. Whatever path our life may take we are not alone. God is indeed our help in ages past and our hope for the future.
Thanks be to God, our guard while troubles last and our eternal home. Amen.

COMMISSIONING:
As you go out to live and love and work this week remember:
We Are Not Alone.
In a world where so many feel isolated in their struggles let us share the Good News:
We Are Not Alone
In everything that life might throw at us, in life and death and life beyond death.
We Are Not Alone. Thanks be to God. Amen

 

PRAYER FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE

Holy Mystery who is Wholly Love, you created us as curious and inquisitive beings,
and so we try to understand everything, to have all our questions answered
Holy Mystery who is Wholly Love, you also call us to live with mystery and uncertainty.
So help us, we pray, to be at peace with the questions we can not answer.
As we live with the complexities of the world you have created and are creating,
grant us the ability to trust those who know more than we do,
the courage to keep seeking new answer, even if they may be uncomfortable,
and the wisdom to know that some things will remain a mystery, beyond our understanding.
God of Grace that overflows, of Love that fills us up,
help us live with respect in creation, keep us searching for the best way forward, keep us humble we pray.
And lead us forward into the next steps of the journey we share with the rest of your creation.
Amen

For September 8, Creation Time 1

PRAYER FOR AWARENESS
God who has created...
we give thanks for the world in which we live,
we celebrate the big and small miracles that surround us.
God who is creating...
keep us from the assumption that the work of creation is complete,
open our eyes to see the new things that are emerging around us.
God who is re-creating...
help us see the need for renewal and revitalization throughout creation,
keep us open to be renewed and changed ourselves.
God who calls creation good...
give us the wisdom, the strength, the courage to live with respect for all of creation.
Always. Amen.

Christ Candle for Creation Time

In the beginning God spoke into the chaos and said: “Let there be light”
And there was light.
We light this candle to remind us that the light called forth by God continues to shine in God’s Creation
As we watch it glow may we grow in wisdom and love.
As people of God we centre ourselves for worship

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