Confession: Serving Two Masters

Here’s a prayer of confession inspired by the teachings of Jesus.  It was written by Chip Hardwick.

Prayer of Confession

Lord Jesus Christ,

We call you Lord,

Yet it is too easy for us to worship other things.

Other activities, other relationships, other gods.

You tell us we cannot serve two masters,

Yet we spend more time focusing our energies elsewhere,

Diverting our time, our energy, our money, our attention away from you.

Forgive us, gracious Savior,

When our hearts are led astray

When we serve other gods and worship them.

We turn away from our distractions and sin.

Strengthen us to set our faces toward Jerusalem,

To take up our cross and follow you.

We pray this, counting on your grace.  Amen.

~ written by Chip Hardwick, on Thinking, Praying, Living. http://www.pcusa.org/blogs/faith/2012/3/30/prayer-confession-march-madness/

Opening Prayer: Take Up Our Cross

Here is an opening prayer of invocation inspired by Jesus’ invitation to “Take up your cross and follow me.” It was posted on The Minor Keys blog.

Call to Worship

(inspired by Matthew 10:38, 16:24; Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23, 14:27)

Loving God,

you call us to turn away from our own selfish interests,

to take up our cross, and to follow you.

To find our lives,

may we live them in service of your mission.

As we come before you this morning,

give us open hearts and open hands.

Make us eager to hear your voice

and seek your guidance.

Open our minds to your ever-present spirit

that is always moving within and around us

Open our spirits to your nudging

and open our lives to your love.

~ posted on The Minor Keys. http://theminorkeys.blogspot.ca/

Prayer: Defying Expectation

We are sinners…

            we are not only sinners
We are weak…

            we are not only weak
We fail…

            we are not always failures
We have destroyed…

            also we have loved

You, God, do not limit us

to the stories by which the world knows us

You see much more in us

than the labels we give ourselves

Give us courage to defy all expectations –

especially our own –

and in your love

become all of who we are.

~ written by Cheryl Lawrie and posted on [hold this space].  http://holdthisspace.org.au/

Prayer: God of the Impossible

God of the impossible,
We pray for justice, peace and reconciliation;
When the challenges seem too many,
Remind us of your resurrection power;
When the task seems overwhelming,
Remind us of the miracle of love;
And when apathy threatens us,
Remind us of your vision of a world made whole.
Help us to hope that the impossible can happen
And live as if it might do so today. Amen.

~ from Creation Sings Your Praise, edited by Annabel Shilson-Thomas, Canterbury Press, 2010. Posted on the Monthly Prayers page of the Christian Aid website. http://www.christianaid.org.uk/

Readers' Theatre: Romans 6: 1-11

Here’s a simple, two-voice setting of Romans 6: 1-11, the suggested Epistle reading for Proper 7 A.

 

Readers’ Theatre:

Romans 6:1-11

What shall we say, then? 

Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 

By no means!

We are those who have died to sin; 

how can we live in it any longer? 

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus

were baptized into his death? 

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that,

just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,

we too may live a new life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his,

we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 

For we know that our old self was crucified with him 

so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, 

that we should no longer be slaves to sin—

because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 

For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, 

he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 

The death he died, he died to sin once for all; 

but the life he lives, he lives to God.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin 

but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Prayer: Psalm 86

Here’s a prayer of devotion and commitment inspired by Psalm 86:2.  It was written by Bill & Kristi Gaultiere.

Devoted to You

(Inspired by Psalm 86:2)

Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you;

save your servant who trusts in you.  Psalm 86:2

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul:
Guard my life, O Lord, for I am devoted to you;
Guard my heart, O Father, for I love you with all my choices;
Guard my mind, O Jesus, for I fix my thoughts on following you;
Guard my body, O Spirit, for I give it to be your temple;
Guard my relationships, O Trinity, for I center my conversations on you.
Hear my prayer, O Lord.

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul:
I offer my eyes to you, O Lord, to behold your beauty;
I offer my lips to you, O Father, to speak your praises;
I offer my ears to you, O Jesus, to listen to your words;
I offer my steps to you, O Spirit, to follow your movements;
I offer my life to you, O Trinity, to honor you alone.
Hear my prayer, O Lord.

~ written by Bill & Kristi Gaultiere, inspired by Psalm 86:2.  Posted on Soul Shepherding. http://www.soulshepherding.org/

Confession of Faith: Baptism of Jesus

Here’s an affirmation of faith inspired by the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River.  It was written by Bruce Prewer.

A Creed

(inspired by Mark 1:9-11, Matthew 3:13-17, Luke 3:21-23,

Galatians 3:27, Romans 6:3-6)

I believe in God

who speaks through the prophets

and lifts our gaze up to high and beautiful paths and peaks.

I believe in Christ Jesus,

free of corruption yet willingly numbered among the sinners,

baptised in the waters of the Jordan.

I believe in the Spirit

who rested on Jesus like a dove,

and who inspired him with such love

as the world has not seen before or since.

I believe that those who are baptised into Christ

shall share his Spirit, his mission

and his ultimate victory over sin and death.

I believe that there is no human ability that cannot be enlarged,

and no weakness that cannot be used by Christ to the praise of God.

I believe that this believing is a gift from God,

not to be used for self-gratification

but for the building up of the church

and for humble service the world

I believe in myself as a baptised child of God,

the recipient of a healing grace

which precedes and supersedes all my efforts to be true.

With the help of God,

I will attempt to live my belief all the days of my life,

and by his grace, dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Amen!

~ written by Bruce Prewer, and posted on Bruce Prewer’s Home page. http://www.bruceprewer.com/DocA/10BAPTIS.htm

Prayer to Follow Christ

O Lord Jesus,

gentle and humble of heart,

full of compassion and maker of peace,

you lived in poverty and suffered persecution for the cause of justice.

You chose the Cross as the path to glory to show us the way of salvation.

May we receive the word of the Gospel joyfully

and live by your example as heirs and citizens of your kingdom. Amen.

~ posted on the Catholic Forum website. http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/pray0483.htm

Reflection: Swords and Plowshares

Here’s a brief reflection inspired by Matthew 10:34 and Luke 12:51.  It was written by Katherine Hawker.

Swords and Plowshares

(inspired by Matthew 10: 34 and Luke 12: 51)

We bring swords

that you turn into plowshares.

We bring expectations of peace

and you meet us with swords.

God

help us.

~ written by Katherine Hawker. Posted on Liturgies Outside. http://liturgyoutside.net/

Pastoral Prayer: Easter

Here’s a beautiful Easter prayer from Sonya Dyer.

Easter

“…just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,

so we too might walk in newness of life.”  Romans 6:4

Risen, living Christ,

we embrace your gift of resurrection power.

We open our whole being to your invitation to

join you in moving from deadness into fullness of life.

We respond, "Yes!"

to your call to live.

Jesus, spirit, companion, friend,

you embrace the whole world with human/divine love and caring.

You ask each of us to show our love for you

by tending and feeding your world and its people.

Enable us to recognize the people and places

to whom we are being sent.

Enable us to offer love.

Open us to fresh expressions

of your loving of us,

so that we can be more whole and more accepting of ourselves

and out of that acceptance

move toward others with trusting hearts.

Turn us from mourning into dancing.

Loosen our sackcloth.

Gird us with gladness.

Christ spirit,

you go before us and call us into the future.

Encourage our community

as we form and re-form ourselves as your Body.

Just as the revelations of Easter

energized the first disciples,

so we would be energized to dream new visions

and be open to new risks

and to the unknown.

We join your embrace of the whole world

with our prayers.

~ written by Sonya Dyer, in Sonya Dyer’s Prayerbook, posted on the Seekers Church website. http://www.seekerschurch.org/