Two Prayer Services

Prayer Service I

Adoration

Call to Worship

This service will follow the prayer format of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. At times you will be asked to pray silently; at other times we will invite you to share your prayers with the congregation. There are microphones for you to use during the open prayer time. We invite you now to prepare your hearts for a time of prayer and worship as we sing “Forever.”

Song: “Forever” Chris Tomlin

Option: “Great is Thy Faithfulness” LUYH 348, PH 276, PsH 556, SWM 194, TH 32, WR 72, GtG 39

God’s Greeting

We Greet One Another

Spoken introduction to adoration theme

Song: “You Are Holy” Reuben Morgan

Option: “Holy God, We Praise Your Name” LUYH 540, PH 460, PsH 504, TH 103, WR 138

Scripture: 1 Chronicles 16: 8–11

Song: “Here I Am to Worship” LUYH 567

Option: “Uyai mose / Come, All You People” LUYH 496, PFAS 66B, GtG 388

Scripture: Psalm 145

Song: “Here I Am to Worship” LUYH 567 (refrain only)

Option: “Uyai mose / Come, All You People” LUYH 496, PFAS 66B, GtG 388

Spoken introduction to prayer time

Prayer

Lord, we praise you for being the God revealed to us in Scripture. We read in your Word that you are gracious and compassionate, trustworthy in all you promise, righteous in all your ways, and faithful in all you do (Psalm 145). Hear us as we praise you by your many names. . . .

Congregation is invited to share prayers of adoration centered around the names of God.

Lord, we praise you for being a holy God who is also merciful and mighty. Hear us as we continue in worship, singing “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

Song: “Holy, Holy, Holy” Peter King, Reuben Morgan

Option: “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty” LUYH 538, PH 138, PsH 249, SWM 28, TH 100, WR 136, GtG 1

Confession

Scripture Reading: Isaiah’s response to God’s holiness, Isaiah 6:1–5

Litany from Psalm 51:1–14

Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.

Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry.

I know how bad I’ve been; my sins are staring me down.

You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil.

You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair.

I’ve been out of step with you for a long time, in the wrong since before I was born.

What you’re after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean, scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.

Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing.

Don’t look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health.

God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.

Don’t throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me.

Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails!

Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home.

Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God, and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways

(Ps. 51:1–14, The Message).

Please hear our prayers, O Lord, as we silently acknowledge our sins and failures before you.

Silent prayer

We desire to be your servants

and to follow you in all that we do, say, see, or think.

Come, draw us nearer to you.

Song: “Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer” Margaret Becker and Keith Getty

Thanksgiving

Assurance of Pardon

“The faithful and the faithless both suffer the

uncertainties and insecurities of this life,

but the child of God can depend always

on the love of his Father.

It is for this reason there is

light even in the midst of darkness,

incomprehensible joy in the midst of sorrow,

and we can find a measure of happiness

and well-being regardless of the circumstances around us.”

—Leslie F. Brandt, “Psalm 32.” Psalms Now, Concordia Publishing, 2004, p. 10.

Please join us in a time of prayer and thanksgiving to God. I will introduce a theme for thanksgiving: creation, nation and community, work and school, our church, the riches of our lives, and salvation.

Prayer

God of all, we come before you today with praise in our hearts and thanksgiving on our lips.

We thank you for creation and the wonders of this world, especially . . .

We thank you for the blessings we see in our nation and our communities. . . .

We thank you for the gift of work and school. . . .

We thank you for the blessings of our church family. . . .

We thank you for the daily blessings in our lives. . . .

We thank you for the gift of salvation through your Son, our Savior and our Redeemer. . . .

We do have many reasons to give thanks and praise to our God.

Song: “Ten Thousand Reasons (Bless the Lord)” LUYH 559

For all these things, we thank you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And so, in gratitude for all your gifts,

we offer you ourselves and all that we have.

Amen.

In joy, we offer our gifts now to God.

Offering

Supplication

Song: “Our Father in Heaven” LUYH 914

Scripture Readings: Philippians 4:6, Matthew 7:7–8, 1 John 5:14–15

Prayer: Believing this, we come before God with our prayers of petition.

God, we pray for our world. . . .

We pray for our nation. . . .

We pray for our city and community. . . .

We pray for our church. . . .

Closing Prayer

“David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,

“Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.

Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.

Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.

In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name” (1 Chronicles 29:10–13).

Song: “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow” LUYH 965, GtG 606 (a cappella)

Prayer Service II

Adoration

Call to Worship

The Lord who calls us to worship today is the same Jesus who refused the temptation to worship the evil one. Rather than receive the glorious kingdoms of this world, he endured the shame of the cross, and today is Lord of lords and King of kings. Today we join with believers of all ages to say,

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:12).

Song: “Come, People of the Risen King” Keith & Kristyn Getty, Stuart Townend

Option: “Alleluia, for the Lord God Almighty Reigns” SNC 39

Greetings

Song: “Open the Eyes of My Heart” LUYH 537, WR 656, GtG 452

We do desire to see Jesus high and lifted up, so we are going to enter a time of prayer to we praise his name.

Prayer

Lord, we praise you for being the God revealed to us in Scripture. . . .

We praise you for being the Creator God. . . .

We praise you for sending your Son to be our Savior and teacher. . . .

We praise you for sending your Spirit to be with us. . . .

Song: “Our Father” Brooke Ligertwood, Jonas Myrin, Scott Ligertwood

Option: “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven” LUYH 571, PFAS 103F, GtG 620

Confession

Song with Responsive Reading: “God, Be Merciful to Me” LUYH 623

Spoken Introduction

At the end of each spoken prayer you are invited to respond to the phrase “In your mercy” with “Forgive us, Lord.” Between the prayers we will sing a stanza of “God, Be Merciful to Me.” So when I pray “In your mercy,” you respond “Forgive us, Lord.”

Spoken (spoken parts may be accompanied by quiet music)

God, we come before you acknowledging our unworthiness.

We have sinned by what we have done and by what we have failed to do.

In your mercy,

forgive us, Lord.

Sing stanza 1

God, be merciful to me; on your grace I rest my plea.

My transgressions I confess; grief and guilt my soul oppress.

Wash me, make me pure within; cleanse, O cleanse me from my sin.

Spoken

God, we come before you asking for your cleansing grace

so that we may be right with you and be led by your Spirit.

In your mercy,

forgive us, Lord.

Sing stanza 2

Gracious God, my heart renew; make my spirit right and true.

In your presence let me stay; by your Spirit show the way.

Your salvation’s joy impart; steadfast make my willing heart.

Spoken

God, forgive us for when we haven’t been willing,

for when the risks of following you seemed too high and we denied you.

In your mercy,

forgive us, Lord.

Sing stanza 3

So shall sinners be restored and return to you, their Lord;

Savior, all my guilt remove, and my tongue shall sing your love;

Touch my silent lips, O Lord, and my mouth shall praise accord.

Spoken

God, forgive us for the times when fear keeps us from witnessing to your truth,

or when we think our witnessing or our good works somehow pays for our shortcomings.

Help us to see that it is only through your grace that we are saved and not through our works.

In your mercy,

forgive us, Lord.

Sing stanza 4

Not the formal sacrifice has acceptance in your eyes;

Broken hearts are in your sight more than sacrificial rite;

Contrite spirit, pleading cries, you, O God, will not despise.

Spoken

So we come to you, God, with a contrite spirit,

knowing that it is only when we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior

and live lives that are patterned after him that we will experience salvation.

As your redeemed people we will experience a new heaven and earth

where we will prosper in your grace and where all that is broken will be repaired.

Till the time when all will be perfect we pray for your continued patience.

In your mercy,

forgive us, Lord.

Sing stanza 5

Prosper Zion in your grace and her broken walls replace:

Then our righteous sacrifice shall delight your holy eyes;

Free-will offerings, gladly made, on your altar shall be laid.

Spoken

In the light of the cross our sin is exposed, and your grace is revealed.

Merciful God, forgive us in your love

so that we may joyfully tell of your awesome deeds.

In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

—Song text from Psalter, 1912, alt., P.D., and can be sung to REDHEAD 76.

Assurance of Pardon: 1 John 1:5–9

Song: “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)” LUYH 693

Thanksgiving

Prayer

God of all, we come before you today with praise in our hearts and thanksgiving on our lips.

We thank you for the daily blessings we see in our lives. . . .

We thank you for the gift of fellowship. . . .

We thank you for the leaders you’ve provided in our church. . . .

We thank you for the blessings we see in our church ministries. . . .

(Additional prayers of thanksgiving as appropriate)

We pray all these things in the strong name of Jesus Christ.

May your name be blessed above all.

Amen.

Song: “Blessed Be Your Name” LUYH 343

Offering

Supplication

Scripture: Jesus prays for all believers, John 17:20–26

Prayer

God, we pray for our church family. . . .

We pray for our council members and other leaders. . . .

We pray for Pastor (name). . . .

We pray for our ministries, for those who lead them, and for those we serve. . . .

(Additional prayers of supplication as appropriate)

We pray that you will use your glorious riches to make us strong.

May your Holy Spirit give us your power deep down inside us.

Then Christ will live in our hearts because we believe in him.

And we pray that our love will have deep roots and a strong foundation.

May we have power together with all the Lord’s holy people to understand Christ’s love.

May we know how wide and long and high and deep it is.

And may we know his love, even though it can’t be known completely.

Then we will be filled with everything you have for us.

For you, God, are able to do far more than we could ever ask for or imagine.

For we do everything by your power that is working in us.

We therefore give you glory in the church and in Christ Jesus,

through all time and forever and ever. Amen.

—Ephesians 3:16–21, adapted from NIRV

Blessing

Song: “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow” LUYH 965, GtG 606