Prayer for Others: God's Provision

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving and intercession inspired by the ways in which God cared for the Israelites while in the wilderness.

Prayer for Others

God,

like the Israelites in the wilderness,

we too have known Your love,

and experienced Your care and provision.

You invite us to extend that love to the world around us—

to care for others as deeply as we care for ourselves.

And so we bring the needs of our world before You now.

In Your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for the many who do not have enough:

  enough food to eat, or shelter to keep warm;

  enough employment, or money to pay their bills;

  enough medicine or medical care.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

We also pray for those who have more than enough,

  but who still struggle to find meaning and purpose in life;

  who indulge in dangerous or self-serving activities

      to dull their pain or loneliness.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

God, Your grace reaches out to all of us.

You call us to live as citizens of heaven,

working together with one heart and mind.

Strengthen us to live in a manner worthy

of the Good News we have received,

offering our lives in service of Your kingdom,

where the last are first, and the first are last,

and there is grace enough for all.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, Amen.

~ Christine Longhurst, re:Worship

Opening Prayer: Feed Us, Lord

Opening Prayer

(based on Psalm 145:15-16, Isaiah 55:1-3, John 6:35)

Lord,

the eyes of all look to You in hope;

and You give them what they need.

You open Your hand

and satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.

We, too, turn to You again, longing to be filled—

to eat of the Bread of Life,

to drink from Your life-giving streams,

to taste Your goodness and live.

May the time we spend together in Your presence

nourish our hearts and minds;

may it strengthen our relationship with You,

and renew our commitment to live in this world as Your faithful disciples.

For You alone are God,

the Source and Sustainer of life.

In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

~ Christine Longhurst, re:Worship

Prayer for Illumination: Psalm 99

Here is a prayer for illumination, a prayer traditionally spoken before the reading and preaching of the Word in worship. It was written by Amy Loving, and posted on The Worship Cloud.

Prayer of Illumination

(inspired by Exodus 13-16, Psalm 99)

Mighty God,

you spoke to your people in the pillar of cloud

as they walked together in the wilderness.

Speak to us through your Word today,

that we may hear you calling us

out of the wilderness places in our lives

and into new places you have promised to show us.

In the name of Christ, we pray.  Amen.

~ written by Amy Loving, and posted on The Worship Closet. http://worshipcloset.com/words-for-worship-18th-sunday-after-pentecost/

Call to Worship Litany: Psalm 145: 1-8

Here is a responsive call to worship based on Psalm 145:1-8. The repetitive response would make it easy to use in an intergenerational setting (where not everyone reads) or in a setting where worshippers don’t have access to print resources or PowerPoint.

Opening Litany

(based on Psalm 145: 1-8)

Come, let’s praise God together!

For God is great, and worthy of our praise!

Let’s tell stories of God’s power and majesty,

His mighty acts throughout history:

for God is great, and worthy of our praise!

Let’s remember the compassion He has shown toward us;

His mercy and unfailing love, generation after generation:

for God is great, and worthy of our praise!

Let’s pass these stories along to our children and grandchildren,

so that they, too, may come to know and love our God.

For God is great, and worthy of our praise!

Let’s worship God together!

Call to Worship: Jonah

Here’s a responsive call to worship (or possibly a closing commission and benediction?) from Joanna Harader’s Spacious Faith blog.

Responsive Call to Worship

(inspired by Jonah 3-4)

The word of God came to Jonah
The word of God comes to us:
Go
Despite your fears
Speak
the truth of God
Love
your neighbor and you enemy
Forgive
as you have been forgiven
Receive
grace upon grace
overflowing from the fullness of God.

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

Call to Worship, Prayer: Psalm 145: 3-7

Great is our God, and worthy of praise!

God’s goodness knows no limit;

God’s faithfulness toward us is boundless!

God, your majesty and glory surround us here.

We’ve come together to celebrate your presence,

and to offer songs of praise and worship.

We’ve come to rejoice in your mighty acts,

and to retell the story of your goodness

throughout history and in our own lives.

Move among us as we worship together;

may your Spirit guide and inspire our thoughts and actions

as we spend this time in your presence.

In the name of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Call to Worship: God is Gracious

Here is a call to worship from Rev. Daniel Commerford at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Georgia.  It was posted on the LiturgyLink website.

Call to Worship

(inspired by Joel 2: 13-15, Hosea 14:1,

Psalm 145:8, Zechariah 1:3)

Return to the Lord your God,

for God is gracious.

Confess to the Lord your God,

for God is merciful.

Repent to the Lord your God,

for God is slow to anger.

Praise the Lord your God,

for God abounds in steadfast love.

Worship the Lord your God.

Together, let us worship God!

~ written by Rev. Daniel Commerford, Bethany Presbyterian Church, Covington, GA.  Posted on LiturgyLink. https://www.liturgylink.net/

Call to Worship, Prayer: Psalm 145: 1-5

Here is a call to worship and opening prayer inspired by Psalm 145: 1-5.  It was written by Rev. Catherine Rolling, and posted on The United Church of Christ website.

Responsive Call to Worship

(inspired by Psalm 145: 1-5)

The Holy One is here in this community of faith: 

Great is our God and greatly to be praised!     

Let us bless the Holy Name forever and ever

Great is our God and greatly to be praised!     

Let us meditate on God’s wondrous works

Great is our God and greatly to be praised!

Let us bless and praise God’s name forever and ever    

Great is our God and greatly to be praised!                                        

Opening Prayer

Holy One, you have promised to be with us,

And long ago sent your Spirit to abide among us

and guide us to a future of goodness and hope. 

We come seeking your truth, your justice, your kindness.

O God, you are with us this morning.

Let us feel your presence and

welcome you into our lives.

Come and fill these desires of our hearts.

~ from Hold on to Faith: Service Prayers for the Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost, written by The Rev. Catherine Rolling.  Posted on the Worship Ways page of the United Church of Christ website. http://www.ucc.org/worship/worship-ways/

Call to Worship: Psalm 145: 1-5

Here’s a responsive call to worship inspired by Psalm 145: 1-5.  It was written by Joan Stott.

Responsive Call to Worship

(based on Psalm 145: 1-5)

The Lord our God overflows with loving kindness,
and is close to all who call on the Holy One’s name!
We praise and bless God’s holy name forever.

The Lord our Great God is glorious beyond
our imagination, yet God hears our cries for help!
We praise and bless God’s holy name forever.

The Lord our God is worthy to be honoured
by every generation, and by people of every age!
We come in worship and praise of God’s holy name. Amen.

~ written by Joan Stott, and posted on The Timeless Psalms. http://www.thetimelesspsalms.net/w_resources/pentecost24[32]c_2010.htm

Contemporary Songs: Psalm 145

If you’re looking for contemporary Praise & Worship song suggestions to use with Psalm 145 (the suggested psalm for  Proper 20A, Proper 13A, Proper 9A, Proper 12B, Proper 27C), 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 145: http://contemporarypsalms.blogspot.ca/2013/05/psalm-145.html

Call to Worship: Psalm 145: 1-5

Here’s a responsive call to worship based on Psalm 145: 1-5. It was written by Bruce Prewer.

Responsive Call to Worship

(inspired by Psalm 145: 1-5)

We are here

in the name of Jesus Christ,

to worship the God who gave us life and who sustains our every breath,

and to praise the Spirit who enlivens our hearts and enlightens our minds.

Great is our God and deserves our greatest praise,

God is awesome beyond all our imagining.

Each generation shall pass on the good news to the next,

and shall publicly celebrate God’s saving actions.

~ written by Bruce Prewer, and posted on Bruce Prewer’s Home Page. http://www.bruceprewer.com/DocC/C62sun32.htm

Prayer of Praise: Psalm 145

Here is a prayer of praise based closely on Psalm 145. It was written by Alan Burrow.

Prayer of Praise
(based on Psalm 145)

We extol you O God our King; 
we will bless your name for ever and ever, 
For you are great and greatly to be praised. 

One generation shall praise your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts. 
We will meditate on the glorious splendor of your Majesty,
and on your wondrous works. 
We shall speak of your goodness, and sing of your righteousness. 

For you are gracious and full of compassion,
slow to anger and great in mercy. 
You are good to all, and your tender mercies are over all your works. 

We shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and talk of your power. 
We shall make your mighty acts known to the sons of men,
and your glorious majesty of your kingdom. 

For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations. 
You open your hand and satisfied desire of every living thing. 
You preserve all those who love you,

but all the wicked You will destroy. 

We worship you now,

together with the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit,
who live and reign with you above,

world without end. 
Amen. 

~ written by Alan Burrow. Posted on FaithWorking. http://www.faithworking.com/

Labor Litany

Here’s a litany from the Interfaith Worker Justice website.

Labor Litany

God of all things, we thank you for work.

For in our work you call us to give you honor,

serve others and create a loving community.

God of grace and hospitality,

we thank you for the many immigrants

who come to work and live in our land.

May we serve them as they serve us.

May we welcome them,

for the Word tells us that as we entertain strangers we entertain God.

When we give drink to the thirsty or feed the hungry,

we serve Jesus our Savior.

God of justice,

you call us to treat the laborers in the vineyard fairly.

Your prophets decry the oppression of the workers.

Your people traveled forty years

to escape the oppressive work of the Egyptians.

Merciful and forgiving God,

when we establish just and living wages,

when we create safe and healthy working conditions,

when we provide harassment-free working places,

we are setting free the oppressed.

We are creating justice.

We are doing God’s work.

Thanks be to God that in our work we can be faithful

and that working with others makes us faithful to our God and Savior.

Amen.

~ adapted from Interfaith Worker Justice, “Labor Litany,” www.iwj.org/pdf/presb_materials.pdf  Posted on Acts of Faith.  http://actsoffaith.org/resources/downloads/Year_A/09%20Immigration_final.pdf

Confessional Prayer for Peace

Here’s a litany of confession from Katherine Hawker’s Liturgy Outside website.

Confessional Litany

(inspired by the parables of Jesus)

As sabers rattle in lands both close and distant

we confess that we are in pain,

fear has taken root in the souls of our being.

Even as we turn to the parables ,

familiar stories that we thought we loved,

we find troubling stories offering ever more questions .

Lord have mercy,

Lord have mercy,

have mercy upon us.

We are loathe to take account of the many ways

in which we unwittingly profit

from the machinery of war and greed.

Still we read the parables of Jesus

which fly in the face of social convention

offending those who dare to listen.

Christ have mercy,

Christ have mercy,

have mercy upon us.

Believing that we are insignificant,

and at the same time fearful that we might become so,

we are timid to use our voices to speak truth to a world of war.

Now the parables of Jesus offer a new vision;

now the servants dine and the masters serve,

now the last becomes and the first becomes last.

Lord have mercy,

Lord have mercy,

have mercy upon us.

Hear the good news of the Story

that no sheep is unworthy of rescue,

no coin too small to be missed.

Hear the good news

that love is stronger than hate

and that this power is alive within you

now and forever.

Amen.

~ based upon Jesus’ parables. Copyright Katherine Hawker, 2002. Posted on her website, Liturgy Outside the Box. http://liturgyoutside.net/

Call to Worship: First and Last

Here’s a contemporary call to worship written by Katherine Hawker.

Call to Worship

(inspired by Matthew 20:16, Mark 9:30-37)

The first shall be last.

We come to worship as we are.

The last shall be first.

We come with confidence.

The first shall be last.

We come with questions.

The last shall be first.

We come burdened by failure.

The first shall be last.

We come celebrating success.

The last shall be first.

We come fearful of the future.

The first shall be last

and the last shall be first

and a little child shall lead them.

~ written by Katherine Hawker, and posted on the Liturgy Outside website. http://liturgyoutside.net/

Prayer of Invocation: Matthew 20:1-16

Here’s a prayer of invocation based on Matthew 20:1-16, one of the suggested scripture readings for September 18, 2011 (Proper 20A).

          Call all the laborers, O God,

          Call your laborers who woke early,

          Call your laborers who came late,

          Call your laborers who feel wronged,

          Call your laborers who feel overlooked,

          Call your laborers who can't feed their children with this wage,

          Call your laborers who know they are working in your fields,             

          Call your laborers who use their wage to increase your love,

          Call all your laborers, O God,

          Tell us to roll up our sleeves

          For we know that we have work to do.

          Let us find you in the work we share here and now,

          in Christ's presence we pray.                                       Amen.

— posted on the United Church of Christ webpage.

Benediction: The Upside-Down Kingdom

Here is a commission and benediction based on two of the scripture readings for September 18, 2011 (Proper 20A).

Commission & Benediction

(based on Exodus 16:2-15, Matthew 20:1-16)

Go out from here

as workers in God’s upside-down kingdom,

where the last are first and the first are last,

where needs are met in miraculous ways,

and there is grace enough for all!

And may the blessing of God,

the love of Jesus Christ,

and the presence of the Holy Spirit

surround you and sustain you in the coming days. 

Amen.

Prayers of the People: September 18, 2011

Here’s a prayer of intercession for September 18, 2011 (Proper 20A).  I’ve based it on the suggested scripture passages for that day, including Exodus 16:2-15 (where God sends manna and quail to feed the Israelites in the wilderness); Philippians 1:21-30 (where Paul encourages the new believers to live as citizens of God’s heavenly kingdom); and Matthew 20:1-16 (where Jesus tells the parable of the labourers in the vineyard).  Feel free to revise this prayer to suit your needs.

For another prayer of intercession based on these passages, see Prayers of the People: Proper 20A.  

Prayer of Intercession

(Ex. 16:2-15; Phil. 1:21-30; Matt. 20:1-16)

God,

like the Israelites in the wilderness,

we too have known Your love,

and experienced Your care and provision.

You call us to extend Your love to the world around us—

to care for others as deeply as we care for ourselves.

And so we bring the needs of our world before You now.

In Your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for those who do not have what they need in order to survive;

  those without enough food to eat, or shelter to keep them warm;

  those without employment, or enough money to pay their bills;

  those without access to medical care, or medicine to keep them healthy.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for those who have more than enough to meet their needs,

  but who continue to feel empty inside;

  who struggle to find meaning and purpose in life,

  who turn to alcohol, drugs, or other destructive behaviours

  to try and hide the pain,

  who entertain thoughts of suicide.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for those who are struggling physically,

  who are battling life-threatening disease or injury,

  who are living with chronic pain,

  who are coping with Alzheimers,

  or facing death.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of the first and the last,

and all those in between,

Your grace reaches out to all of us—

life-long believers or newcomers alike.

You call us to live as citizens of heaven,

to work together with one mind and one purpose,

to reach out in love to those in need.

Strengthen us so that we might live in a manner worthy

of the Good News we have received,

offering our lives to the building up of Your upside-down kingdom,

where the last are first, and the first are last,

and there is grace enough for all.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, Amen.

Prayers of the People: Proper 20A

Here is a possible prayer of intercession for September 18, 2011 written by Rev. Richard J. Fairchild, and posted on the Kir-Shalom website.  

For another prayer of intercession based on the scripture for this Sunday, see Prayers of the People: September 18, 2011.

Prayer of Intercession

(based on Matthew 20:1-16)

Lord, so often we see others as more fortunate than ourselves,

as getting more for what they do,

as more beloved. 

Teach us in your time, O God,

how your love is much more than just fair.

Teach  us how it is a special caring for each and every one of us,

tailored just for our own size and shape,

no matter what riches others may have,

or how many prizes, or how full of fame.  

O Lord, your love comes first

and is so much better than all that and completely unearned. 

We thank you for that,

we thank you for  providing for us,

we thank you for calling us to labour in your vineyard,

we thank you for the bread from heaven that feeds us today

and for the promise of how you will spread your table for us in the

promised land and forever provide bread without price and wine without cost... 

Lord, hear our prayer.

Thank you, gracious God,

for always giving us much, much more than we can earn or ever deserve. 

Contrasted with our often calculated way of doing business with one another,

your love towards us seems reckless, extravagant, and unbelievable gracious.  

Forgive us when we consider all of this our right rather than as your gift....

Forgive us too for when we have resented the love you show towards others

who have not served you as long as us—

for when we have been angry because you have brought joy to others

whom we think greater sinners than we—

for when we have measured our worth rather than rejoiced in your mercy. 

Lord hear our prayer....

Father, you call us to work in your vineyard—

to reach out to others in your name

and bring your  healing word, your gentle touch, your embracing love to them.

Help us to be good workers—

ones that seek the lost in the market places and village squares;

ones who are unafraid to see in a stranger the image of Christ,

and in a sinner a brother or sister for whom he died and rose again. 

Empower us as individuals and as a church to be the kind of ambassadors

who know and do your will, 

so that in meeting us people meet you.  

Lord hear our prayer....

Lord, hear our prayers for our family and our friends,

for our church, our community, and our world. 

We pray for...

Lord, hear our prayer....

All these things we pray in the name of Christ Jesus,

the joy of heaven to earth come down;

he who is our life and our hope, our daily bread,

and our rock and our refuge.   Amen.

— Copyright Rev. Richard J. Fairchild 2005, and posted on the Kir-Shalom website. Visit that site for other worship and sermon resources for Proper 20A.

Opening Prayer: Psalm 145: 1-8

Here’s an opening prayer based on Psalm 145:1-8, one of the alternate scripture texts for September 18, 2011 (Proper 20A).  Feel free to adapt it as you see fit.

Prayer of Invocation

(based on Psalm 145: 1-8)

Sovereign Lord,

who is there like You in heaven or on the earth?

There is no one that even comes close.

You alone are worthy of our praise.

And so we have come to worship You—

to praise Your name,

to proclaim Your power and glory,

to re-tell the stories of Your goodness,

to sing of Your righteousness,

to remember Your mercy and compassionate love—

to once again affirm that You are our God,

and that we are Your people.

Through the power of Your Holy Spirit

and the intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ,

open our eyes to Your presence among us.

Open our hearts and minds to hear Your voice,

to recognize Your call,

and to faithfully follow where You lead.

To You alone, Sovereign Lord,

belongs all glory and honour and praise,

now and to the end of time. Amen.