Opening Prayer: Mark 4: 35-41

Here’s an opening prayer inspired by Mark 4:35-41, the account of how Jesus calmed the storm.  It comes from the Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren.

Opening Prayer

(inspired by Mark 4:35-41)

Mighty God, who speaks a word of peace to calm our troubled sea;
Caring God, who nudges us away from fear and toward faith;
Ever-present God, who fills us with awe
   but also raises many questions
      without easy answers;

Open our eyes to see you in our boat—today,
Strengthen our hearts for the challenges that lie ahead,
Open our ears this hour to hear the word you speak.

This we pray, In Jesus’ name. Amen

— posted on the Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren website.  http://rockhay.tripod.com/

Opening Prayer: Psalm 130

Here’s an opening prayer based on Psalm 130 from Rev. Nancy J.

Opening Prayer

(based on Psalm 130)

Holy God, Creator of Life,
you call us out of our dark places,

offering us the grace of new life.
When we see nothing but hopelessness,

you surprise us with the breath of your spirit.
Call us out of our complacency and routines,
set us free from our self-imposed bonds,
and fill us with your spirit of life, compassion, and peace,
In the name of Jesus, your anointed one, we pray. Amen.

~ written by Rev. Nancy J., and posted on her wonderings through life and other such nonsense. http://ruminari.wordpress.com/

Opening Prayer: Psalm 138

Opening Prayer

(based on Psalm 138)

Faithful God,

we come into Your presence with thanksgiving,

deeply grateful for the unfailing love and faithfulness

You have shown toward us, Your people.

When we call out to You, You answer.

When we are exhausted, You give us the strength to go on.

When we find ourselves in trouble,

You are there, standing beside us.

And so we come before You gratitude and praise,

offering You the worship of our hearts and lives.

Open our eyes to see and know You here among us;

open our ears to recognize Your voice.

And then send us out from here,

to live and work in the world as Your faithful disciples.

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

Amen.

~ Christine Longhurst, re:Worship

Pastoral Prayer: Christ the King

Here is an opening or pastoral prayer inspired by the scripture texts for Proper 29B (Christ the King or Reign of Christ Sunday). It was written by Thom Shuman and posted on Lectionary Liturgies.

 

Prayer

Almighty God:
from the beginning of time
to the end of eternity,
you have chosen 
to use your power and majesty
     to love us,
     to redeem us,
     to shape us as your people.
 
King of Kings 
and Lord of Lords:
you became weak
     so you could confront
     the strength of sin and death,
confounding their ridicule
with your resurrection.
 
Spirit of God,
resting upon us:
may your power enflame us
     with your peace;
may your peace touch us 
     with your grace;
may your grace fill us 
     with your hope;
may your hope lead us
into your Kingdom.
 
God in Community, Holy in One,
may your word be on our lips,
as we pray together as Jesus
has taught us, saying,
(The Lord’s Prayer) 

 

~ written by Thom M. Shuman and posted on Lectionary Liturgies. http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com/

Prayer: Pour Out the Fire of Love Upon Us

Here’s an opening prayer (prayer of invocation) from Rev. Karla Miller. It was posted on RevGalBlogPals. (See link below.)

Opening Prayer

O for a thousand tongues to sing sweet praise!

O rushing wild spirit of God
pour out the fire of love upon us!

Unfurl your language upon our lips,
Unlock our minds to embrace all possibility
Unleash our hearts so Your justice flows freely.

O for a thousand tongues to sing sweet praise!

O rushing wild spirit of God
pour out the fire of love upon us!

May your breeze bring health and wholeness,
May your breath heat our resolve,
May your Spirit storm the earth with mercy and grace

. 

O for a thousand tongues to sing sweet praise!

O rushing wild spirit of God
pour out the fire of love upon us!

Set us free from self-doubt,
Make us listeners as we seek awareness,
Shake us awake when we forget our privilege. 

O for a thousand tongues to sing sweet praise!

O rushing wild spirit of God
pour out the fire of love upon us!

Amen. Amen. Amen. 

~ written by Rev. Karla Miller, Minister of Community Life at Old North Church in Marblehead, MA. Posted on RevGalBlogPals. https://revgalblogpals.org/2018/05/19/saturday-prayer-speaking-in-tongues/

Prayer: Come, Spirit of God

Here’s a prayer of invocation and petition from the Third Space website.

Prayer for Justice

God the Holy Spirit,

You are the restless breath of love that sweeps through the world.

You move where you will, breaking down barriers,

Stirring hearts to change, making all things possible.

Inspire each one of us to hunger and thirst for justice!

Come, Spirit of God,

Sweep through our world bringing great change.

May the bounty of your goodness be shared more justly,

So all may share in the rich blessings of your creation.

And, for us, bring transformation in our praying and living,

So that we may act justly, love mercy,

And walk humbly with you all the days of our lives. 

Amen.

~ posted on the Third Space website. http://third-space.org.uk/blog

Prayer: You Call Us

Here’s a prayer of petition written by Rev. Bob Gibson.

Prayer

(inspired by Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, Luke 5:1-11)

You call us,

Wanderer of seashores and sidewalks,

inviting us to sail out of our smug harbors

into the uncharted waters of faith

to wander off from our predictable paths to follow You

into the unpredictable footsteps of the kingdom;

to leave the comfort of our homes and accompany

You into the uncomfortable neighborhoods we usually avoid.

As we wait,

in our simple, sometimes crazy,

constantly uncertain lives,

speak to us, Spirit of Grace:

of that hope which is our anchor;

of that peace which is our rock;

of that grace which is our refuge.

~ from a worship order prepared by Rev. Bob Gibson for the London Conference of the United Church of Canada.  http://www.londonconference.ca/

Advent Prayer: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Here’s a responsive opening prayer or prayer of invocation for Advent from Joanna Harader’s Spacious Faith website.

Prayer of Invocation for Advent

O come, O come, Emmanuel–
God with us.
Come into our brokenness;
Come into our joy.
come into our captivity;
Come into our freedom.
Come into our fear;
Come into our compassion.
Our souls have had their fill.
Have mercy upon us, O God,
And come, O come, Emmanuel. 

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

Opening Prayer: Matthew 13:1-9

Here’s a possible opening prayer based on Matthew 13:1-9, the parable of the Sower and the Seed. Feel free to revise it to suit your context.

Opening Prayer

(based on Matthew 13:1-9)

O God,

We gather together in Your presence with expectation,

hungry for an encounter with You,

eager to hear Your Word.

Open our eyes and ears to the presence of Your Holy Spirit.

May the seeds of Your Word scattered among us this morning

fall on fertile soil.

May they take root in our hearts and lives,

and produce an abundant harvest

of good words and deeds.

We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ,

our teacher and our Lord.

Amen.

~ Christine Longhurst, re:Worship

Prayer for Racial Harmony

Here’s a prayer of commitment from the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council.

 

A Prayer for Racial Harmony

God,

You are the source of human dignity,

and it is in your image that we are created.

Pour out on us the spirit of love and compassion.

Enable us to reverence each person,

to reach out to anyone in need,

to value and appreciate those who differ from us,

to share the resources of our nation,

to receive the gifts offered to us

by people from other cultures.

Grant that we may always promote

the justice and acceptance

that ensures lasting peace and racial harmony.

Help us to remember that we are one world and one family.

Amen.

~ from the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council. Posted on the Social Justice Resource Center website.  https://socialjusticeresourcecenter.org/prayers/racism/

Opening Prayer: Drawing Near

Here’s an opening prayer from Dot Woods and the Lighting Beacons website.

Opening Prayer

We gather to meet with God
Father, Son and Holy Spirit

To be aware of your presence in our day
For you, Lord, are here now;

your Spirit dwells within us

To bring you our worship
And offer you our praise

To be conscious that you walk beside us
And we do not make the journey alone

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, draw near to us
As we draw near to you
Amen

~ written by Dot Woods, in “Sunday Mid-day Prayer,” posted on Lighting Beacons. http://lighting-beacons-liturgy.com/

Call to Worship: Beliefs and Doubts

Here’s a call to worship from Tim Graves’s LiturgyBits site. 

Call to Worship

We gather as people on a journey.

We believe & we have doubts,
we do good & we sin.
We are imperfect humans,
and still beloved by God.

Love and grace. Hope and faith.
These are the essence of the one we call God.
We seek forgiveness & grace from
the One and from those we’ve harmed.

Assured of that grace,
we are ready to grow again.
We yearn for a new way,
a new perspective,
and a clear path.

Though we are full of trust
and full of doubt, we are here.

Speak to us, God!

Continue creating us!
Inspire our hearts.
Enlighten our minds.
Guide our actions. Amen.            

~ written by Tim Graves and posted on LiturgyBits. https://liturgybits.wordpress.com

Prayer for the Start of Lent

God of revelation, 
unveil your Kingdom in our midst. 
Show us who we truly are in you: 
expose the illusions that distort our vision, 
deliver us from temptations that contort our living, 
open our eyes in this time of trial – 
that resistance may be the secret of our joy 
and our joy a sign of your shalom. Amen.

 

~ posted on the Monthly Prayers page of the Christian Aid website. http://www.christianaid.org.uk/