August 23, 2009
Prayers for Worship
by David von Schlichten
Leader: Lord, to whom can we go?
People: You have the words of eternal life.
Leader: We have come to believe that you are the Holy One of God.
People: In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Leader: we are committed to you, the Bread of Life.
Spirit, we pray in you, praising you for your sword that does not kill, but heals. Teach us to wear the whole armor of God, that we and our households may dedicate ourselves every day to serving the Lord, in whose name we pray. Amen.
LORD, although your face is against those who do evil, you still are eager to forgive us. We have sinned against you. We put on the armor of selfish self-reliance, not realizing that we are naked. We put on the armor of money, thinking that paper can protect us. We wield swords that kill, claiming that we do so in the name of God. When you put tough teachings on our plate, we whine and choose to starve. For the sake of the Eternal-Life Bread, forgive us. Clean us out and dress us in the armor. Amen.
The eyes of the LORD are upon us, and God’s ears are open to our cries. By the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, God forgives you and me of every single one of our sins. The Almighty dresses us in mercy, feeds us life. Alleluia!
Leader: Pray for me.
People: Holy Spirit, when the preacher speaks, may a message be given to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which we are all ambassadors in chains.
Leader: May we all hear and speak the good news boldly, as we must speak.
Almighty God, we praise you for the strength of the Church. We are in awe of apostles such as Bartholomew, geniuses such as Augustine, and martyrs such as Moses the Black. You have made us mighty with your mercy. We pray in the Spirit. (congregational response: Thank you for hearing us.).
Invincible Lord, you have given our nation many blessings. Care for the United States and people of all lands, including Barack Obama and every leader. Lead us to wear the armor and wield the weapons that are non-violent. We pray in the Spirit . . .
Lord who is invincible, we are relieved and delighted for vacation. Help us to care for those who are unable to go on vacation. Remind us when we are visiting another place that we are guests and should behave appropriately. Keep us safe in travel. Wherever we are, may we always make our rest time into Sabbath time. We pray in the Spirit . . .
God of all might, you have heard us and healed us, over and over. Bring healing to all in need now [Add names]. We pray in the Spirit . . .
(You may add other praises and petitions here...)
You have listened to us and will respond with wise compassion. We praise you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
We present this offering to you, rededicating ourselves to serving you.
Leader: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinity, has filled us up and dressed us up.
People: We wear the whole armor of God, ready to feed a hungry world the Bread of Life.
(from www.goodpreacher.com/blog/)