Prayer for Grace for November 11, 2018

God, all too often our broken-ness breaks into the world, shattering your hopes.

As a result the world still fails to be that place where the wolf lies down with the lamb.

We still hurt and destroy on your holy mountain..

On this day of memory, we once again vow “Never Again”,

knowing that tomorrow there will still be plowshares turned into swords,

knowing that there will still be conflicts,

knowing that we still need to learn a new way.

For the ways we, as individuals, as communities, as nations have failed to be peacemakers,

forgive us God. In grace, make us gracious, able to work for hope and peace.

...time of silent prayer...

Jesus comes to us as the Prince of Peace. Jesus proclaims that the Kingdom of God is nigh. In Christ God reminds us of the power of love and forgiveness. We are forgiven and called to keep working for the Peaceable Kingdom.

The time is coming when we will learn war no more. Thanks be to God who gives us this promise. Amen.

For November 4, 2018 -- A service looking at the nature and source of Evil

CALL TO WORSHIP

God calls us to the table

where we eat together.

God calls us to the sanctuary

where we sing and pray and listen for God to speak

God calls us to live and serve

in a world where we strive to be who God has called us to be

God calls us to this time of worship, God calls us to greet each other as siblings in faith, sharing words and signs of Christ’s peace...

OPENING PRAYER

God of Love, you created the world and call it good.

And yet, from the beginning the world has known the existence of the not-good.

As we continually learn what it means to live as your people,

as we continually try to stand against that which is not-good

as we continually try to separate good from evil,

help us, clear our sight, strengthen our hearts and wills.

In this time of prayer, or song, of breaking bread, of worship,

show us the path to the good, because we are tired of the evidence of evil in the world.

And then send us back out,

to be agents of love in a world too familiar with fear and hate. Amen.

COMMISSIONING:

In the beginning of the story, God calls the world GOOD

In the beginning God calls humanity to care for the good world

We know that all is not well with the world, that not everything is good

Still we live and serve, doing our best to spread God’s love wherever we go

Fed in body and spirit, we go out to face what the world has in store for us,

trusting that in good or in evil we are not alone.

Go with God: made known as Parent, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We go, and we trust that in God’s time, all shall be well some day.

For a COnfirmation Sunday

CALL TO WORSHIP

As members of God’s family

we gather to pray, and sing, and celebrate God’s presence

As people of faith,

we come to be re-energized to live out our faith

As our worship begins we greet each other with Christ’s peace

PRAYER FOR AND ASSURANCE OF GRACE

God you call us to be the church

and sometimes we wonder what that means.

You call us to seek justice, resist evil, love and serve others,

and we try. Really we do. But sometimes...

Sometimes we fall short, sometimes we get it wrong.

For those times we don’t quite get it right, forgive us

...time of silent confession...

The God who calls us to love and serve,, the God who calls us to seek justice, knows us intimately. God sees our wins and our losses. Through Grace God forgives us when we get things wrong and gives us another chance to try again. We are forgiven and challenged to keep trying.

Thanks be to God! Amen.

COMMISSIONING:

We are called to be the church.

We go out to live our calling.

We are called to share our gifts in the service of the Kingdom

We go out to seek justice, to resist evil, to love and serve others

As we go, we trust that God goes with us

Leading, guiding, encouraging us all the way. Amen.