a community creating for the relentless return of Sunday
O Lord, you work righteousness for all in need
and uphold the cause of all who are oppressed.
Trusting in your holy ways and mighty works,
we lift up this world before your compassion and mercy.
We pray for all who suffer under anger and accusation,
who cannot see a way out of the pit their sin has dug.
Lord of compassion and mercy:
Show all people your kindness.
We pray for those who long for justice,
for the healing of long-ago hurts,
for a fair chance in life.
Lord of compassion and mercy:
Show all people your kindness.
We pray for those who seek the blessings of a spiritual community,
but who have been turned away, ridiculed, or ignored.
Lord of compassion and mercy:
Show all people your kindness.
We pray for those who have become our enemies,
from whom we are estranged,
or whom we simply cannot understand.
Lord of compassion and mercy:
Show all people your kindness.
We pray for your beloved children who are sick or suffering,
whose bodies or minds are broken,
who call out for your tender care.
Lord of compassion and mercy:
Show all people your kindness.
We pray for those who face the end of life,
who grieve the loss of loved ones,
or who have simply lost hope for the future.
Lord of compassion and mercy:
Show all people your kindness.
O Lord, we pray for your people in all the world,
calling upon your mercy in Jesus’ name,
and we pray with him as we say together:
The Lord’s Prayer
Submitted by Rev. Nathan Williams, Echo Hill Presbyterian Church, Cedar Rapids, IA
We have been claimed by the God who calls us children.
We, the redeemed, have been called by name.
As with the Israelites, God promises to pass with us through the water.
We will not fear, for God is with us!
The rivers shall not overwhelm us for God is our guide and our protector.
Through God’s saving grace, the waters that tested us
are now the waters that wash us and nourish us.
Great is the Fount of Every Blessing,
ever flowing, ever redeeming, ever claiming us as God’s children.
Come, let us worship the God who washes us in grace.
Below is a hymn that I recently composed that was inspired by the words of Isaiah 43:1-7, the Old Testament lectionary text for Baptism of the Lord Sunday (Year C) – January 10th, 2016.
It is dedicated to my dear friend, Rev. Joseph Taber, Pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Lowell, North Carolina on the event of his 29th birthday.
It is sung to the tune, ENGELBERG, (10.10.10.4) which is commonly used to sing the hymn “We Know That Christ is Raised.”
Submitted by Rev. Stephen M Fearing, Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, NY. Permission is given for congregational use–please do not remove copyright information.
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Good and gracious God,
we thank you for your presence among us,
that you would bring us the eternal Word made flesh,
that you would call us your beloved children,
that you would send your light into the darkness.
To you we ascribe all thanks and praise,
for you alone are our hope and our salvation.
Through the power of your speech,
you brought all creation into order;
all things have come into being through you;
not one single thing is exempt from your creation.
With all creation, with people in every time and place,
we join the everlasting chorus:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest.
We remember how, on that holy night,
Mary and Joseph could find no place to stay,
so they found a manger and made their bed with the animals of the stable.
Through these marginalized people seeking refuge,
you made your presence known to the world.
We remember how the shepherds and the wisemen gathered
to worship the child who would redeem all of creation.
Their gifts were brought to pay homage to the true King.
We give you thanks for the gifts of this Table,
which are given to us to proclaim your holy and majestic name.
We remember how this child grew up,
growing in wisdom and in years,
embodying your goodness in word and deed,
healing people, comforting people, loving stranger and friend.
We remember how he gathered his friends on the night he was betrayed,
how he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying:
“take, eat, do this in remembrance of me.”
Likewise, he took the cup and, pouring it, said:
“this is the cup of salvation, shed in my blood, for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
For as long as we eat this bread and drink this cup,
we proclaim the resurrection of our living savior until he comes again.
As we wait, watch, and wonder with the wisemen and the shepherds,
we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
We give thanks for your gifts of grace and goodness in this season of Christmas.
May this meal of remembrance transform us into your servants,
going out into the world to proclaim your resurrection
and to welcome all to partake in your reign of peace, love, and harmony.
As we prepare to live as your disciples,
hear us as we pray as you taught us to pray, saying:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
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