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CTW: wildly mysterious world

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One: In the beginning you, oh God created everything.
All: You filled the ocean with life. Made the squirming things of the ground. Gave birds wings to soar.
One: You made orbiting planets, expansive atmospheres, and bright burning stars.
All: And yet, you took the time to create us too.
One: Entrusting us with the care of this wildly mysterious world.
All: O Lord, our God, how majestic is your name throughout creation!

confession: new songs are hard

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O God, you call us to sing your song anew, yet we confess that sometimes we don’t feel much like singing. Sometimes we just want to sing of the past. Other times we ignore the witness of your people singing out through the ages. Forgive us when we trap your good news in our preferred language, when we insist that your grace must be known through our approved tunes, when we limit your story to the good old days. Forgive us when our lips are sealed in protest or in fear. Forgive us when we keep our voices low and our feet firmly planted, refusing to join you in the song and dance of holy life. Open our lips, O God, that we may proclaim your praise. Amen.

 

Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, the Presbyterian Church of Palatine, IL

confession: suffering, endurance, character, hope

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One: God, you pour out love and offer us peace, and yet we have trouble with grace.

We boast in our suffering, our busyness, our frustration, as if these earn us your favor.

All: We forget that you have already brought us near to you through Christ,

we forget that you make yourself known through your Spirit,

we ignore your outstretched hand inviting us to life with you.

One: We long for endurance, character, and hope, but we glorify our suffering and end up with idolatry of ourselves.

All: Forgive us, Holy One, and pour yourself into our hearts again this day,

that we may give glory to you in all we say and all we do.

~silence~

Amen.

 

Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, the Presbyterian Church of Palatine, IL.

CTW: God’s Spirit Calls

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One: God’s Spirit calls–come! hear! live!

All: In every place and every time, the wisdom of God rings out.

One: Before the beginning, the Spirit danced.

All: Before we understand, God loves.

One: Daily, like a friend, like a colleague, like a child, God whirls into our lives to say: Come. Hear. Live.

All: Let us join the dance.

 

Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, the Presbyterian Church of Palatine, IL.

prayers for Trinity Sunday

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Prayer of Invocation (Unison)

Sovereign God, we look at the things You have made, the works of Your hands, and we stop to consider them with awe. From the intricate immensity of the universe to the specific singularity of a flower, Your works astonish us. Who are we mortals that You pay attention to us? We wonder at your love for us and rejoice in your presence, praying in the name of the Creator, the Christ and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Call to Confession

The book of Proverbs tells us that from the beginning of time, since before the creation of the Earth, there has been wisdom. Wisdom cries out to all people. But we do not always listen. We do not always care to listen. We do not want to know wisdom’s way. Let us bring our confessions to God together.

Prayer of Confession (Unison)

Great Wisdom-Maker, You arranged the world in beauty and brought humankind to life upon it. You want what is best for us. You provide us with guides and examples. You even came to be among us in Jesus Christ. We confess that we do not always pay attention. We admit that we do not always listen. We own up to taking the shortcuts and the easy ways because sometimes we cannot handle the truth. Forgive us, we pray, for the things we can acknowledge and especially for the things we try to hide from ourselves and You.
Silent Prayers of Confession

Words of Assurance (Responsive)

Minister: Beloved Children of God, the Maker of all Beauty, Goodness and Wisdom offers forgiveness to each and every one of us.
ALL: Amazed and relieved, we breathe in the Spirit of Forgiveness.
Minister: God is ever and always healing us, renewing us and preparing us for deeper understanding through the Holy Spirit. This is the good news that brings new life.
ALL:  We thank God for it. 
Submitted by Rev. Martha K. Spong, Sabbatical Pastor, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055