Prayers for Worship
Pentecost 2
June 14, 2009

Prayers for Worship
by David von Schlichten

Call to Worship

Leader: God makes us into a noble cedar, a vast shrub;
People: Father, Son and Holy Spirit brings low the high tree, makes high the low tree.
Leader: The Lord reassures us that the kingdom is at hand and is growing.
People: The Church’s work seems seed-small, but God is making it great and big-branched.
Leader: We worship the Trinity with hope,
People: thankful for the water, fertilizer, and sun we today receive.

Prayer of Invocation

New Creation-Paraclete, you have given us another opportunity to gather and worship the Trinity. Farm us, so that we may live according to the new creation that is our present reality. In the name of the Teacher we pray. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Fecundity, you have cultivated us despite our unworthiness. You work hard to grow the kingdom, but we take the glory for ourselves. We are impatient with your farming. We persist in regarding each other in a human point of view. We act as if we live in the old creation, as if nothing is new. We disregard the small and humble as worthless. We have let our hope dry up. The birds come to live in your shrub, and we shoo them away.

By the rehydrating love of Christ, forgive us. Revive us. Make our hope green again. Amen.

Words of Assurance

Leader: Alleluia! Christ washes away every sin you and I have committed. There is a new creation.
People: We are forgiven. See, everything has become new! Alleluia!

Prayer of Inspiration

Holy-culturist, explain the Word to us so we bear fruit.

Prayers of the People

Cedar-strong Adonai, you continue to grow the kingdom. We praise you for the Church, including translators and evangelists such as Onesimos Nesib. We exalt you for great leaders such as the Cappadocians and wise teachers such as Macrina. Teach us patience and trust in you as we do the work of the baptized. Large-branched God, (congregational response: accomplish your flourishing.).

Shrub-great Lord, you have filled our nation with good things. Bless President Obama and leaders everywhere. Bring peace to Irag, Afghanistan, Sudan, and here it home. Teach us not to regard one another from a human point of view but instead according to the new creation. Large-branched God, . . .

Sequoia-tall Elohim, we praise you for the flag and all the noble ideals it represents. We glorify you for the freedoms we enjoy. Teach us to honor the flag by wanting to do more around the world to conquer injustice with love. Large-branched God, . . .

Bruised-reed Yahweh, over and over you have lifted up the sick and disremembered. Help us to do the same. Bring your healing to those we mention now in our hearts or aloud [Add names.] Large-branched God, . . .

(You may add other praises and petitions here...)

These prayers we lay in a basket before you, trusting you will use them to help feed the world. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Offertory Prayer

Leader: Through presenting these fruits, we give thanks to you, O LORD.
People: Through this offering, we sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Benediction

Leader: By the Father, Son and Spirit everything old has passed away.
People: Believe it or not, everything is new!
Leader: We do Kingdom Work, not giving up,
People: confident that Christ is cultivating the Kingdom.

(from www.goodpreacher.com/blog/)