For March 27, 2011 -- 3rd Sunday of Lent, Year A

CALL TO WORSHIP/OPENING PRAYER
God of Living Water, you call us to come and drink.
And we have heard you.
All who are thirsty, come to the fountain.
We come to dip our souls in the stream of life, to drink deeply and satisfy our thirst.
God of Living Water, the spring that never fails,
may this time of worship refresh and revive us. May it energize us. May the drink we take today fill us so that we overflow with love, ready to share what we have found with all we meet.
We pray in the name of Jesus, who we know as the Living Water, and who taught his friends to pray by saying...

PRAYER FOR AND ASSURANCE OF GRACE

God of Living Water, you call us to come and drink.

So why do we sit here and complain that there is not enough water?

You call us to strike the rocks of our world and let your Living Water flow.

But we do not trust enough that the spring is there. We want to find the water on our own, using our own wisdom.

You call us to share the Water of Life with the world around us.

But we believe that the water is limited, not abundant and so we are tempted to save it for ourselves.

For all the times we turn away from your Water, for all the times we sully the Water by misusing it, for all the times we let others go thirsty instead of offering a drink,

Forgive us we pray.

...time of silent prayer...

The Water of Life flows with abundance to fill us with hope, to cleanse us of our guilt, to float us to a new life. Washed in the Living Water, we are forgiven and set free to live abundant life.

Thanks and praise to God. Amen.

COMMISSIONING:
God of Living Water, you called us to come and drink.
And we came. We drank. We were washed.
And now we prepare to return to the world.
Carrying with us the knowledge that the Spring of Life is always available to us.
May we be bearers of life-giving Water to all we meet.
Helping them to find ways to slake their thirsty souls, helping them to drink deeply.
Go with God. Float on the Stream of Life.
Amen.

For March 20, 2011 -- 2nd Sunday of Lent, Year A

CALL TO WORSHIP/OPENING PRAYER
Like Nicodemus, we come, sliding away from the world we know,
seeking to learn more about this man who comes from God.
He tells us the we need to be born from above, born anew,
and like Nicodemus we are unsure what this means.
As we pause now to pray, to sing, to listen,
may the God made known in Jesus speak to us. May our eyes and hearts be opened to see the possibilities of being reborn. May we allow the wind of the Spirit to blow through our lives.
And as our worship time closes,
may God send us back out into the world as a people of hope, of love, of life. May God send us out ready to testify to the glories God has done. So be it. Amen.
We pray in the name of Jesus, who taught his friends to pray by saying together...

COMMISSIONING:
The wind of the Spirit blows us where it will,
leaving us to trim the sails and enjoy the ride.
The wind of the Spirit blows us back out into the world,
the world where we, who have experienced new life, share the promise and hope of re-birth.
God loves the world so much that God wants the world to be saved.
We go out to share God's love with God's World.
And God goes with us. Always.
Thanks be to God!

For March 13, 2011 -- First Sunday of Lent Year A

PRAYER OF CONFESSION/ASSURANCE OF PARDON
God, you lay before us a road to travel in life,
but so often we are tempted to turn away from the Way.
You call us to be a people set apart, with a different vision for the world,
but the world around us tempts us to share its vision.
You challenge us to listen for your voice, to see with your eyes, to love as you love,
but sometimes these things are hard, and we are tempted to follow the easy path.
For all the times we have been swayed by the world, for all the times we have wandered from the path of wisdom,
forgive us, strengthen us, and bring us back to the life you would have us live.
...time of silent prayer...
God calls us to live in this world, temptations and choices and all. God calls us to follow God's path but God also knows that we will wander at times. And so, before we even know we need it, God offers forgiveness and grace. We are a forgiven people.
Thanks be to God! Amen.

COMMISSIONING:
Our time of worship comes to a close,
Our time of service continues.
Now we go out to be the people God has called us to be
people of love, people of justice, people of hope
Despite the many diversions along the road,
we will strive to avoid the temptations we find along the way.
Go now, be strong and courageous, know that God walks with you always
Thanks be to God, our strength and our guide. Amen.

Christ Candle Responses for Lent

LIGHTING THE CHRIST CANDLE
We light this Candle to light our way as we journey to Jerusalem, the cross, and the tomb.
May it's light strengthen us where the road is hard, embolden us when our hearts lose courage, and and bring hope as the road grows dark.