Litany: Psalm 51 and Psalm 103

Here’s a responsive litany of confession and assurance, contrasting verses from Psalm 51 with verses from Psalm 103.  The congregation (or a second reader) is invited to read Psalm 51 (in bold print); the worship leader reads Psalm 103 (in regular print).

Litany of Confession

(Psalm 51 & Psalm 103)

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love.

Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.

            Our God is merciful and gracious,
            slow to get angry, and full of unfailing love.

Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.

For I recognize my shameful deeds—they haunt me day and night.

            God will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.

Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;

I have done what is evil in your sight.

You will be proved right in what you say,

and your judgment against me is just.

            God has not punished us for all our sins,

            nor does he deal with us as we deserve.

            For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

            so great is his love for those who fear him;

            as far as the east is from the west,

            so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

I was born a sinner—from the moment my mother conceived me.

            God is like a father to his children,

            tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

            For he understands how weak we are;

            he remembers that we are only dust.

You desire honesty from the heart;

teach me to be wise in my inmost being.

            For our days on earth are like grass;

            like wildflowers, we bloom and die.

            The wind blows, and we are gone—

            as though we had never been here.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and make me willing to obey you.

            For the love of the Lord remains forever

            with those who fear him.

            His salvation extends to the children’s children

            of those who are faithful to his covenant;

            those who obey his commandments.

The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit.

A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

            Our God is merciful and gracious.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

~ Christine Longhurst, re:Worship

Prayer: Opening the Windows

Here’s a prayer of confession from Terri on the RevGalBlogPals’ A Place for Prayer blog.

Prayer

O God, You who are always doing a new thing,

we confess that we sometimes close windows

against the fresh air of new ideas,

against the noise of other people’s worries,

against the winds of change.

God of every place and time,

we confess that we often draw the curtains

against people who are different,

against world news or community concerns.

Forgive us our insulation in our locked homes,

our shuttered churches,

the security systems on our hearts.

Open up our lives,

and let your Spirit blow through. Amen.

— posted by Teri on the RevGalBlogPals A Place for Prayer blog. http://revgalprayerpals.blogspot.ca/

Prayers of the People: Lent 5 B

Here’s a prayer of intercession for Lent written by Rick Morley, and posted on the Rick Morley blog.

Prayer of Intercession for Lent 5 B

(based on Psalm 51, John 12:20-33)

Have mercy on us, O God, according to your loving kindness;

in your great compassion, hear our prayers.

We pray for the whole church, all leaders and ministers,

and all the holy people of God.

Wash us through and through,
And cleanse us from our sin.

We pray for our nation, for all the nations of the earth,

and for all who govern and judge.

Purge us from our sin,
And we shall be pure.

We pray for those who hunger, those who thirst,

those who cry out for justice,

those who live under the threat of terror,

and those without a place to lay their head.

Make them hear of joy and gladness,
that those who are broken may rejoice.

We pray for those who are ill, those in pain,

those under stress, and those who are lonely.

Give them the joy of your saving help,
and sustain them with your bountiful Spirit.

In this season of Lent we pray for those who prepare for baptism,

and we pray that we all might be given the grace and strength

to repent and grow closer to you, O God.

Create in us clean hearts, O God,
and renew a right spirit within us.

We pray for those who have died, (especially _____ )

and who have entered into the land of eternal Light

and your abiding peace.

Cast them not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from them.

We especially pray for…

We pray for…

Lord Jesus,

you taught your disciples that unless a grain of wheat

falls into the earth and dies it remains just a single grain,

but if it dies it bears much fruit;

as we prepare our hearts to remember your death and resurrection,

grant us the strength and wisdom to serve and follow you,

this day and always. Amen.

~ written by Rick Morley, and posted on his Rick Morley blog. http://www.rickmorley.com/

Lenten Prayer: A prayer for new life

Here’s a prayer for Lent from Pamela C. Hawkins.  It comes from the Prayers and Creeds website.

Prayer for Lent

O God, who makes all things new,
new stars, new dust, new life;
take my heart,
every hardened edge and measured beat,
and create something new in me.

I need your newness, God,
the rough parts of me made smooth;
the stagnant, stirred;
the stuck, freed;
the unkind, forgiven.

And then, by the power of your Spirit,

I need to be turned toward Love again. Amen.

~ by Pamela C. Hawkins, in The Awkward Season: Prayers for Lent (Nashville, TN: Upper Room Books, 2009), 30. Posted on Prayer and Creeds, https://prayersandcreeds.wordpress.com/

Call to Worship: Jeremiah 31: 27-34

Here’s a call to worship inspired by Jeremiah 31: 27-34. It was written by Joanna Harader.

Call to Worship

(based on Jeremiah 31: 27-34)

Holy One, dwell within us.
Whisper in our ears;
Glimmer in our vision;
Write upon our hearts.
We wait
with open ears, open eyes, open hearts.
Amen

~ written by Joanna Harader, and posted on Spacious Faith.  http://spaciousfaith.com/2012/01/18/wednesday-worship-piece-isaiah/

Prayer of Confession: Walking with God

Here’s a prayer of confession from Rev. Mindi’s Rev-o-lution website.

Prayer of Confession

Almighty God,

You have set before us the path

but we have wandered on our own

to try to find our way.

Sometimes we are like toddlers

and we hear Your call and come back.

Other times, we are children testing boundaries,

ignoring Your call until fear finally makes us look back.

And still other times we are full of youthful rebellion,

demanding to be cut loose and set free,

not knowing how much we still need

to seek Your wisdom and guidance.

But most of all, too often we think we are adults

and have figured it all our and know our own way,

only to stumble and stray so far. 

Remind us, parental God,

that we are always Your children,

that we are never fully grown up in Your sight,

that we always have much to learn.

Help us to seek You every day,

to acknowledge that we need Your wisdom and guidance,

and help us to return to the path and walk with You.

In the name of Christ,

who is our companion on this journey of faith, we pray. Amen.

~ written by Rev Mindi, and posted on Rev-o-lution. http://rev-o-lution.org/

Blessing: Psalm 51

Here’s a blessing inspired by Psalm 51. It comes from Jeff’s Blog.

Blessing

(inspired by Psalm 51)

May God create in you a clean heart,
a transformed heart,
a heart that knows and seeks and loves
the justice and mercy of the Lord.

May you accept the gift of salvation –
not your personal possession to be coveted,
but His work, accomplished in the destruction of Sin
on the cross of Jesus Christ.

And may you humble yourself before the Lord,
coming before Him with a broken spirit,
a contrite heart
receiving from His hand
great compassion
and unfailing love. 

~ posted on Jeff’s Blog. https://blog.wisch.org/category/benedictions-and-prayers/

Prayer near the end of Lent

Here’s a Lenten prayer from Rev. Mary Austin. It was posted on RevGalBlogPals.

 

Prayer as Lent winds down

 

Lent’s days are winding down, Merciful God,

and we are no closer to having contrite hearts.

Our small complains still loom large,

and we don’t hurry to show mercy, or rush to be kind.

 

The old habits of Fat Tuesday are still alluring,

and we resist the emptiness of the desert that reveals you –

the places where you make yourself known to us,

where you wait in the quiet for us to be ready, still feel alien.

 

Yet, Loving God, we come to you,

trying to lose our lives for the life you offer,

seeking the wisdom of our brother Jesus,

hoping to be blown open by the Spirit.

 

Bring us fully into your Lenten gifts, we pray,

and accept the Lenten gifts we offer to you.  Amen.

 

~ written by Rev. Mary Austin and posted on RevGalBlogPals. https://revgalblogpals.org/

Confession: 2 Kings 2, Psalm 51

Here’s a prayer of confession inspired by 2 Kings 2:1-15, and words of assurance inspired by Psalm 51. It was written by Joanna Harader, and posted on Spacious Faith.

Prayer of Confession/Words of Assurance

(inspired by 2 Kings 2, Psalm 51)

God of the blazing chariots, the whirling wind, the sacred silence,
Listen softly to the confessions of our hearts.

[silence]

Create clean hearts in us.
Renew right spirits within us.
Shelter us within your presence.
Sustain us by your Holy Spirit.
Restore to us the joy of our salvation.

Blazing, whirling, sacred God,
inhabit and transform our stories. Amen.

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

Prayer of Confession: Hardened Hearts

Here’s a prayer of confession for the 5^th Sunday in Lent, Year B. It was written by Rev. Terri Peterson and posted on LiturgyLink.

Confession: Hardened Hearts

(inspired by Jeremiah 31:31-34)

Covenant-making God,

you use every possible means to reach us,
breathing your Spirit in us,

calling us by name,
showing us symbols of your promise,

offering us a new way of life.

We confess that our hearts are hardened.
We choose certainty over faith,

anxiety over courage,

independence over compassion.
We turn our eyes from our neighbours in need,
and from stories of despair,

and from pleas for peace,
and from anything that might bring tears to our eyes,
for we prefer our own comfort.
We get caught up in our own needs and desires,
and forget you have made us to be your people, together.

Engrave your word on our hard hearts again, O God.
Then break them open for what breaks yours,
that your word might sink in and become a part of us,
so we might truly live

as if you are our God and we are your people.
We pray in the name of the One

whose love breaks all bounds,

Jesus the Christ. Amen. 

~ written by Rev. Terri Peterson and posted on LiturgyLink.

Confession: Psalm 51

Here’s a responsive prayer of confession inspired by Psalm 51. It was written by Ann Siddall, and posted on the Stillpoint Spirituality Centre website. Although it was intended as a prayer for the start of Lent, it would be suitable anytime Psalm 51 was being used.

Prayer of Confession

(inspired by Psalm 51)

On this first day of Lent

we pause,

look within

and examine our consciousness.

Have mercy on us, O God,

according to your steadfast love.

Where we have neglected prayer,

been apathetic in worship,

found reasons to avoid generosity,

or lacked compassion:

Have mercy on us, O God,

according to your steadfast love.

Where we have colluded

in the oppression of those

who become invisible in their suffering,

and ignored on the streets:

Have mercy on us, O God,

according to your steadfast love.

Where anxiety has eroded the gift of Your peace,

and where we have cared too much about what others think:

Have mercy on us, O God,

according to your steadfast love.

Words of Assurance

As Lent begins,

know that God understands how we struggle

to stay open and compassionate.

The invitation is not to focus on our inadequacies,

but on God’s gift of grace and love

which transforms our hearts and minds.

That gift is given to us again, here and now.

Be encouraged.

May the peace of God be with you

and also with you.

~ written by Ann Siddall, and posted on the website of the Stillpoint Spirituality Centre.  http://www.stillpointsa.org.au/