Prayer for Grace for March 1 -- Bold Discipleship

 

God you challenge us to speak boldly, to share news of hope and promise.
And sometimes we do.
Other times speaking out feels unsafe, like we might rock the boat too much.
As we seek to be people of the Gospel, the Good New, the Evangelistic hope,
give us the courage to speak out, embolden us to share our understanding of your hope for the world.
...time of silence...
God knows our hopes and fears. God meet us where our anxieties still our tongues and quiet our voices. With Grace God calms our hearts and moves us to be Public, Intentional, and Explicit as we live as Bold Disciples in the world.
Thanks be to God, the source of our courage. Amen.

Prayer For Grace for February 22 -- Deep Spirituality

 

God, we admit that often we are tired
The world grinds us down, drains our energy, steals our hope.
We are promised that sinking into your presence will give us the courage, energy, and hope we need to face the world.
But we get busy, we convince ourselves that there is no time, we will take a quiet moment when things calm down.
And our exhaustion, our despair, our cynicism grows deeper.
Give us, we pray, the wisdom to trust,
Give us, we pray the discipline to pause, to step out of our busyness,
to be still and know you, our God.
God always invites us into relationship. God always invites us to pause and sink into God’s presence.
We may forget, we may say we don’t have time, but God is always there when we make a different choice.
We are always held in God’s loving embrace.
Thanks be to God. Amen.

Deep, Bold and Daring for LEnt 2026

 

CALL TO WORSHIP
We have come to the Season of Lent
A time for reflection, a time to consider who we are called to be.
As we journey to the heart of our faith story,
We listen for God’s voice calling us forward
God has called us to share ____________
Together we respond to God’s call
Let us worship together, sharing Christ’s peace with friend and neighbour.

OPENING PRAYER
Source of Life, God of life and death and life beyond death,
you have called us to this place and time, you invite us to walk the Lenten road.
Along the road to cross and tomb, death and life, you challenge us to be Deep, Bold, and Daring.
In this time of song and prayer and listening today open to us the blessings of ­_____________
And then let us carry that wisdom with us as we continue along the way.
We pray in the name of Jesus, who leads us down the road to the cross and what lies beyond.
Amen

COMMISSIONING
We leave this time of prayer and singing and listening.
We go to continue to walk the road to cross and tomb, death and life.
The road challenges us to explore how ­______ feeds our faith.
The road challenges us to open ourselves to God’s presence and wisdom.
As you walk the Lenten road remember that at no point along it are you alone.
God, who invites us on the journey is here every step of the way.
Thanks be to God: Parent, Child and Spirit One. Amen

For February 15 -- Love LAnguages

PRAYER FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE
God who is love, you pour your love into our world.
And you ask us to keep pouring it, spreading it wherever we go.
God who created a wildly diverse world,
you ask us to use our different ways of communicating to spread love in the world.
And yet, there are times,
times when we fail to speak so the other can understand,
times when we miss what is being said because the language is not what we would use.
God who speaks in many ways,
Open our ears and eyes, hearts and souls, that we can catch the message of love that is being shared.
...time of silence...
The music of love beautifies our world. The actions of love build up our world. The varied languages of love enrich our world. God gives us the wisdom and the grace to share love in many ways so that the world learns to love as God first loves us.
Thanks be to God. Amen.

For February 8, 2026 -- Looking at Isaiah 58

 

PRAYER FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE

God you call us to live in your way, to follow your path.

As people of faith we gather together, we sing the hymns, we say the prayers.

But still something seems missing...

somehow it feels like the rituals and traditions are not enough.

Through prophets ancient and modern you remind us that our actions are important,

that we have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

God who calls us into a new way of being, who invites us to be re-made in your image,

help us walk the path of wisdom,

help us keep our actions and our words united in love

help us live into the world of justice and abundant life for all.

With Grace God calls us back to the paths of wisdom and love. Through Grace God emboldens us to walk the walk and live into a renewed world.

Thanks be to God! Amen.

Christmas Prayer 2025

God of angels and shepherds, God who comes to join us as a wee baby,

it is Christmas time again and once again

we listen to the carols, we tell the story, we bask in the glow of candlelight.

This year, as we do every year,

we listen for angels proclaiming Good News for all people.

This year, as every year,

we seek to find the Promised One in our world

God of candles flickering in our midst,

the candle flames look so fragile, a mere puff of wind could put them out.

And yet they are strong enough to bring light in the longest night

and heat to the coldest season.

May these candles in our space tonight lead us to find what we need:

hope that drives away despair;

peace in a tumultuous violent world;

joy that lifts our hearts, blooming where we least expect it;

love that is active and alive in the world;

and the promise that we are not alone, that you share every part of our lives.

As the candle flames dance and flicker,

help us reflect their light into the world around us.

God who loves this world so deeply,

you know, as we do, that there is much pain around us this night.

Outside our doors the snow drifts high,

the thermometer plummets and the wind steals our heat.

Around the block and around the globe are

those who find joy distant and difficult this year;

those who have lost hope,

those for whom peace is just a word, not reality,

those who wonder if they are indeed loved, or even lovable.

As we celebrate the birth of the Promised One

we pray for all of your beloved children who are in pain

who are afraid,

who weep,

who grieve.

Through your grace and love may they know that they are not alone,

lead them to find sparks of hope, peace and joy,

remind them that they are indeed Beloved.

God of dreams, keep us dreaming.

Keep the promises and dreams and hopes of Christmas

with us all the year round.

Plant dreams in our souls,

dreams that bring hope,

dreams of peace and justice,

dreams that bring us joy,

dreams of love that drives the world forward.

We share all our prayers, our hopes, our dreams,

our cries for help and comfort, our worries and fears,

in the name of Jesus, Christ the Lord,

whose birth we celebrate with angels and shepherds and millions of others.

Amen.

David's Christmas Story

Hey David! Wake UP!!!
David rolled over and let out a big yawn. As he sat up he looked around the field. Everything looked perfectly normal, like nothing special had happened last night. Had it all been a dream?

As he walked around the field, encouraging the sheep to move to a new section of grass, David thought about last night...the angels, the baby, the singing....he glanced over toward Bethlehem and shook his head...it was just so hard to believe...maybe it had just been a wonderful dream.

It started as a perfectly normal night. The flock was gathered together for a restful evening. It was David’s turn to stay awake, to make sure nothing happened, and all the others settled in for a sleep. David’s turn would come later.

As the evening drew on something kept David looking toward the town, It looked just like it always did but for some reason David was sure there was something special happening over there. Maybe it was just all that extra traffic for the census. So many people! David was glad to be out here in the field where things were quiet.

Suddenly there was this bright light all around. For a moment David thought the nearby bushes were on fire but then he realized the light was coming from the sky. He let out a yell and the rest of the shepherds woke up and jumped to their feet, sure that something was attacking the sheep. Then they saw the light and all fell on their faces. As David’s eyes adjusted to the light he could see a shape in it, an angel right there in front of, well above, him. David was frozen where he stood, afraid to move a muscle.

Then the voice came. It wasn’t like any voice David had ever heard before. “Don’t be afraid,” the angel said, “I bring you really good news, good news that is for everybody.” David looked right at the angel, wanting to hear more. “This very night a baby has been born,” the angel continued, “a baby who will be the Messiah, the Promised One of God.”

Now David was curious, excited, and afraid all at once. The elders had been talking about the Promised One for his whole life. They had said this was the one who would come and make Israel great again, bringing peace to everyone. The always reminded David that he had been named after the great King from long ago, and that a new king was coming who would be just as great. David wanted to hear more. How could he see this baby?

The angle was still talking: “Here is how you can know you found the right baby. He will be wrapped in strips of cloth and will be lying in a manger.” David was confused. A manger? Not the fanciest house in town? But then he remembered that the great King David had once been a mere shepherd boy and God chose him for a king. This new baby must be the same.

Suddenly the sky got even brighter. It seemed like dozens more angels appeared. The sky itself seemed to be singing about Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all! The music rang out, echoing off the hills. David’s heart raced. He wanted to join the song!

Then just as suddenly as it began, the song stopped. The light went out like someone had blown out a lamp and the field was dark and quiet again.

The other shepherds were talking excitedly among themselves, then one said to David: “We are going to the town to see if we can find this baby. You are the youngest, you stay here and watch the flock. Don’t lose any of them!” Then they all ran off, leaving David and the sheep alone in the field.

Watching them run down the hill David thought how unfair it was. He wanted to go too. He looked around and suddenly heard a voice telling him to go. The sheep would be fine, just go. David paused for a moment and then he ran after the rest.

When he got to the town David wondered where to go but somehow he just knew. Something or someone led him to a small house. As he got closer he could hear a baby crying, he could hear the other shepherds talking, telling the story of what had happened. This must be the right place.

David quietly snuck in along the side of the room, He didn’t want the others to see him and yell at him for leaving the flock alone. From where he was hiding he could see the manger, the baby nestled in his mother’s arms, everything. The other shepherds stayed for a few minutes then headed back to the field. As they left David could hear them singing and shouting and telling everyone the met what had happened. David knew he should leave too, if the others got back to the field before him he would be in trouble. But he couldn’t leave. He wanted more time to look at the baby.

While he sat and watched the baby started to cry. The mother held him close and started to sing. It was a song about God making everything right, about the hungry being fed, about people in power being pushed out of their fancy chairs and poor people lifted up, about God remembering God’s promises. The song made David feel hopeful, like everything would be alright. Suddenly the woman looked straight at him. She smiled at him and said, “It’s alright, come over here and take a better look.”.

David went over and looked at the baby. As he looked into that tiny face the song the angels sang started to ring in his ears again. He felt so happy.

David remembered the flock out in the field. He had to get back. So he said good bye to the baby, and to the baby’s parents and ran all the way back. He got there just before the other shepherds. They would never even know he had left. When they got back it was David’s turn to sleep for a while before dawn.

As he lay down in the grass David kept thinking of everything that had happened. As he drifted off to sleep he saw the angels. He saw the baby. He heard the angel song. He heard the song the mother had sung to calm the baby. As he slept he dreamed of all the wonderful things God must be planning to do through this baby. It was a wonderful night, a wonderful dream. David was happy.

Many years later David would be in Jerusalem and see a teacher come to town riding on a donkey. That day David would remember that very special night with the angels and the baby. But that is a story for another time.