Prayer for Healing: On Eagles' Wings

Here’s a closing prayer or a prayer for healing from Terri.  It was posted on the RevGalBlogPals website.

Prayer for Healing

God of life

God of hope

God of all

Lift us

on your love

like eagle's wings

Sustain us

Guide us

Heal us

Then send us

forth into

the world

That we

may love

as you love.

Amen.

~ written by Terri, and posted on RevGalBlogPals. http://revgalblogpals.blogspot.ca/

Pastoral Prayer: Epiphany

Here is a prayer of thanksgiving and intercession from Richard J. Fairchild’s Kir-shalom website.

Prayer for Others

Eternal God,

you are the maker of us all, and we are your creation,

people formed in your image, as individuals, as community;

formed and fed and furnished with understanding of who you are

and of who and whose we are.

We worship you today in recognition of your calling,

of your communicating,

of your caring to invite us to share in your creative and healing work. 

We are here because we have heard you speak in us and through others. 

Help us, dear Lord, to ever respond to you

and your invitation to your grace...

Lord hear our prayer...

God of all our moments, of our days and our nights,

you speak and you act in the world around us,

not only to call all people to you,

but also to direct and guide us in the way of healing and wholeness. 

Awaken us Lord, to hear what you would say to us. 

Help us to open our ears, our eyes, and our hearts to your presence.

Help us to know when it is your voice we are hearing

and it when it is our prejudices and desires to which we are paying heed....

Lord hear our prayer...

Lord, we pray that your church may rise up with renewed commitment

in answer to your call,

that your people may be instruments of your grace and love....

Lord hear our prayer....

We pray for those who consider themselves inadequate

and dismiss or avoid your calling in their lives. 

Give them a new vision,

a vision in which you are their strength and their hope...

Lord hear our prayer....

We pray for those who, in answering your call,

must leave the known for the unknown,

the oasis for the desert, the comfortable for the uncertain.

Grant them courage and steadfast faith...

Lord hear our prayer....

We pray too, today, O Lord, for those in want and need –

for those of us and of the larger community who suffer in body or in soul. 

We remember before you…[various intercessions]

Lord, hear our pray.....

Loving Father, bless us all with an abundant faith,

a fruitful ministry, a joyful life. 

Bless us and all those who gather together to continue the work of Jesus,

who came to heal, save, and deliver us all,

and who taught us to pray as one family, saying...

Our Father....

~ written by Rev. Richard J. Fairchild, and posted on Kir-shalom. http://www.spirit-net.ca/sermons/b-or02sm.php

Call to Worship: Come, Follow Me

Here’s a responsive call to worship inspired by Jesus’ call to his disciples. It was written by Joanna Harader, and posted on her Spacious Faith website.

Call to Worship

(based on Mark 1:17, Mark 2:14, Matthew 4:19,

Luke 5:27-28, John 1:43-45)

Jesus comes along side us and calls us by name:
“[your name], follow me.”

A simple call. A hard call.
Because following requires leaving.
And we look around to see who else Jesus could be talking to.
And we look around to see the trappings of the life we know.

It’s hard to leave our nets and walk away from the lake.
But we have come this far,
to this place,

where we can listen and be transformed.

~ written by Joanna Harader and posted on Spacious Faith. https://spaciousfaith.com/

Call to Worship: Psalm 103

Here’s a simple call to worship adapted from Psalm 103: 1-5.

Call to Worship

(based on Psalm 103: 1-5)

Come!

Come praise the eternal God!

Let all that is within us—

body, emotions, mind, and will—

praise God’s holy name!

Despite our failures, He forgives and releases us.

More than any doctor, He heals our diseases.

When we are famished and weak,

He fills us with good and beautiful things,

satisfying our needs, and restoring our strength.

So come!

Come, praise the eternal God!

Sing songs from a grateful heart,

and remember all that He has done for us.

Prayer of Thanksgiving: Eagles' Wings

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving inspired by Isaiah 40:27-31.  It was written by Mark D. Roberts, and posted on The High Calling.

On Eagles’ Wings

(inspired by Isaiah 40: 27-31)

O Lord, you have indeed carried me on your wings.

By your mercy, you have delivered me from sin and death.

You have set me free from their bondage.

Once I was a slave, but now I am free to be your servant.

Thank you, Lord.

Even as I seek to live faithfully as a child of the new covenant,

help me to live each day by grace.

May I continue to ride on your wings

as you guide and empower me to serve you in every aspect of my life.

All praise be to you, gracious Lord,

because you carry me on your wings.

 Alleluia! Amen.

~ Mark D. Roberts, on The High Calling. http://www.thehighcalling.org/reflection/%E2%80%9C-eagles%E2%80%99-wings%E2%80%9D#.UcNjJDvVCSo

Prayer of Confession: All is not right within us

Loving God,

we take this time today to come before you,

but as we do, we are aware that all is not right within us.

We neglect your word,

we fail to meditate on your law,

we forget to speak with you,

we make plans without turning to you,

we do things that we know are wrong.

We did not put you first in our lives.

Forgive how we have failed to love you

with all our heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength.

Loving God,

our relationships with each other are not all that they can be or should be.

There is hurt and injury between ourselves and others.

There are walls of anger and hatred between us and our neighbors.

Forgive us for how we deny our part in this

and for how we blame others for the brokenness around us.

Forgive how we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

Gracious God,

we believe that you offer to us and our world a whole and good life.

For all that we have done to deny this life to each other and to ourselves,

we ask your forgiveness and your mercy.

Words of Assurance

(based on Psalm 103: 11-14)

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

as you choose again this day to love God and to love one another

know that God has forgiven you that which is past

and offers to you a new and full life.

Praise be to the name of God, now forever. Amen.

Hear the good news concerning the love and forgiveness of God:

“As far as the east is from the west,

so far does God remove our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.”

~ from the website of the Tuckahoe Presbyterian Church , Richmond, VA http://www.tuckahoepres.org/

Prayer: Psalm 103

Here’s a prayer inspired by Psalm 103.  It was written by Chris Altrock.

Sunrise, Sunset, Sin

My soul praises you, Lord.

You are to us whom you were to Moses–

compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love.

Your love is so generous

it seems to stretch from my back porch to the full moon.

If we stand on one side of the globe,

you exile our failures to the opposite side.

They can no more catch us

than the sunrise can catch the sunset.

My soul praises you Lord.

~ written by Chris Altrock, and posted on True North. http://chrisaltrock.com/2012/12/prayer-from-psalm-103/

Contemporary Songs: Psalm 103

If you’re looking for contemporary Praise & Worship song suggestions to use with Psalm 103 (the suggested psalm for  Proper 19A, Proper 16C, Epiphany 8B), you can find a list at my Contemporary Psalms blog. http://contemporarypsalms.blogspot.ca/  The blog is not finished (and likely never will be, since I keep coming across new songs!), but it’s a start.

Follow this link to Psalm 103: http://contemporarypsalms.blogspot.ca/2013/05/psalm-103.html

Confession: Psalm 103

Here’s a prayer of confession inspired by Psalm 103. It was written by David Alexander.

Prayer of Confession

(based on Psalm 103)

Holy and Merciful God,
We confess to you our forgetfulness.
We confront today our waywardness.
We accept Lord that we are sinful.
To turn to our past is to recall both your great acts of love and kindness…
as well as many moments and situations where we know we failed you.
Even still… your love remains.

And so in humility and brokenness we pray
We ask you to forgive.
We ask Lord that you would heal.
Buy us back, Lord, redeem us from our slavery to ourselves and our own way.
Crown us again with your acceptance and care.
Satisfy the real thirst of our soul.

Renew us with the strength that only you can give.
Reveal yourself to us again as a God of grace…
Rich in mercy, patient with our wandering.

As far as the rising sun is from the setting sun,
remove our sin from us.

Our lives are dust.
Our existence is temporary.
Our breathe, a gift from you.

Today, Lord, and together, Lord, we declare…
our affection, our adoration and our praise for you.
In the holy and loving name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

~ written by David Alexander, and posted on David’s Bucket. http://davidsbucket.com/psalm103/

Call to Worship: Psalm 103

Come, bless the Lord with me!

For the Lord is like a father to his children

compassionate and merciful,

filled with endless love.

He forgives our sins,

and heals the sickness inside us;

he surrounds us with love and mercy

and fills our lives with good things!

Let’s worship God together!

Call to Worship: Psalm 103

Praise the Lord!

With all our hearts, we will praise God’s holy name!

Praise the Lord!

Never forget the good things God has done for us.

Praise the Lord, all the earth—

everyone, everywhere!

We too will praise the Lord!

Opening Litany: Psalm 103

Here’s a simple opening litany/prayer inspired by Psalm 103.  It comes from the Oratio Contemplativa website.

Opening Litany

(inspired by Psalm 103)

King of all the earth,

Creator of the universe,

Holy Triune God,

From everlasting to everlasting, you are Lord.

You are merciful and gracious, O Lord,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

You forgive all our iniquities

and heal all our diseases;

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

You redeem our lives from the pit

and crown us with steadfast love and mercy;

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

You satisfy us with good

and renew our youth like the eagles;

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

This is our God, the Holy One.

Come before him with thanksgiving

and offer him the sacrifice of praise.

~ excerpted from a longer congregational prayer posted on Oratio Contemplativa. http://oratiocontemplativa.wordpress.com/tag/jeremiah-14-10/

Calls to Worship: Psalm 103: 1-8

With all my heart, I praise the Lord!

With all that I am, I praise God’s holy name!

I will never forget how kind God has been.

He forgives our sins, heals us when we are sick,
and protects us from death.

His kindness and love are a crown on our heads.
Each day that we live he provides for our needs
and gives us the strength of a young eagle.

For all who are mistreated, the Lord brings justice.
He taught his Law to Moses,

and showed all Israel what he could do.

The Lord is merciful!
He is kind and patient,
and his love never fails.

~ based on Psalm 103: 1-8, Contemporary English Version.

Call to Worship: Psalm 103: 1

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

All that is within me,

bless God’s holy name!

Prayer: Psalm 103

Here’s a prayer of confession and thanksgiving inspired by Psalm 103. It comes from the Lutheran World Relief website.

A Prayer based upon Psalm 103

Lord of steadfast love and mercy,
Through your Word, you have set promises before your people.
Promises for good and not for evil,
Promises for care and not for harm,
Promises fulfilled through life and death,
Promises realized through sorrow and joy.

You have washed us clean, and guided us in righteousness.
Eternal is your Word and life-altering your love.

Still, we have strayed all too often and trusted too little.
Our words have been cold, and our hearts closed off.
In emptiness we have trusted and falseness we have acted.

Yet you have washed us clean, and guided us in righteousness.
Eternal is your Word and life-altering your love.

In these seasons of giving and thanksgiving,

remind us of that love which knows no bounds.

Guide us in your desire for justice and forgiveness.

And teach us to give, even as you are giving.

In the name of your Son Jesus Christ, we pray.
Amen

~ from Lutheran World Relief.  Posted on Seasonings for the Synod. http://seasoningsforthesynod.blogspot.ca/2010/11/prayer-based-upon-psalm-103.html

Litany: Psalm 103

Here’s a responsive litany based on verses from Psalm 103. 

A Psalm of God’s Love

(from Psalm 103)

Bless Yahweh, my soul!

Bless God's holy name, all that is in me!

Bless Yahweh, my soul;

And remember all God's kindnesses:

In forgiving all your offenses,

In curing all your diseases,

In redeeming your life from the pit,

In crowning you with love and tenderness,

In filling your years with prosperity,

In renewing your youth like an eagle's.

Yahweh, who does what is right,

is always on the side of the oppressed.

Yahweh is tender and compassionate,

Slow to anger and most loving.

Yahweh never treats us wrongfully,

Never punishes us as our sins deserve.

As tenderly as a parent treats children,

So Yahweh treats those who fear God.

Yahweh knows what we are made

Yahweh remembers we are dust,

A human lasts no longer than grass,

Lives no longer than a wildflower.

Yet Yahweh's love for those who fear God,

Lasts from all eternity and forever,

Like God's goodness to their children's children,

As long as they keep the covenant.

Bless Yahweh, all angels,

Heroes attentive to God's Word.

Bless Yahweh, all nations,

Servants to perform God's will.

Bless Yahweh, all creatures

In every part of the world.

Bless Yahweh, 0 my soul.

All that is in me bless God's Holy Name.

~ from Thanksgiving Service of Commitment, posted on the Bread for the World website.

http://www.bread.org/

Responsive Call to Worship: Psalm 103: 1-5

Bless the Lord, my soul.

With all my being I bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, my soul,

and forget none of his benefits.

He pardons all my wrongdoing

and heals all my ills.

He rescues me from death's pit

and crowns me with love and compassion.

He satisfies me with all good in the prime of life,

and my youth is renewed like an eagle's.

Bless the Lord, my soul.

With all my being I bless his holy name.