Proper 11
Worship
Lectionary Worship Aids
Series VI, Cycle A
Object:
Words Of Assurance
There is no place where God cannot be with us. Wherever we go he will lead us and hold us fast. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Eternal Spirit, so high above us that we cannot comprehend you, and yet so deep within us that we cannot escape you, make yourself real to us now. In a shaken world we seek stability; in a noisy world we need inner peace; in a fearful world we want courage; and in a world of rising and falling empires we crave a vision of your eternal kingdom whose sun never sets.
Seek us out, every one, in the special circumstances and needs that each soul faces. Young and old we come, the merry-hearted and the bereaved, families together here and solitary souls lonely and far from home. Some of us are tempted to be proud of the world's prizes and some are crestfallen because of failure; some are strong in body and others are striving to keep the inward self renewed while the outward self perishes. O Sun of our help and strength, be to us like the sun indeed and shine into every window.
While you do comfort us, kindle also within us sincere penitence. Let some austere word of righteousness be spoken to our consciences today; save us from ignoble excuses, our cheap defenses, our unworthy self-deceits. Give us grace to be honest with ourselves, that we may rightly judge our dealing with the personality you have entrusted to us, with the friends and family that surround us, with the opportunities you have put before us, and with the stewardship committed to us.
With thankful and yet with burdened hearts we pray for your Church. Make it, we pray, a loyal servant of your cause. Grant unto all of us joined together in this fellowship, vision and dedication, wisdom, generosity, and devotion that we, a company of Christ's disciples, may exhibit his Spirit, further his work, and be faithful servants of his kingdom. Send us out strong in the Lord and in the power of his might; we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Benediction
Go out and be a blessing in your world. Return no one evil for evil. Weep with those who weep. Be happy with those who rejoice. Feed the hungry and clothe the poor. Seek justice for the oppressed; and the blessing of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will be yours. Amen.
There is no place where God cannot be with us. Wherever we go he will lead us and hold us fast. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Eternal Spirit, so high above us that we cannot comprehend you, and yet so deep within us that we cannot escape you, make yourself real to us now. In a shaken world we seek stability; in a noisy world we need inner peace; in a fearful world we want courage; and in a world of rising and falling empires we crave a vision of your eternal kingdom whose sun never sets.
Seek us out, every one, in the special circumstances and needs that each soul faces. Young and old we come, the merry-hearted and the bereaved, families together here and solitary souls lonely and far from home. Some of us are tempted to be proud of the world's prizes and some are crestfallen because of failure; some are strong in body and others are striving to keep the inward self renewed while the outward self perishes. O Sun of our help and strength, be to us like the sun indeed and shine into every window.
While you do comfort us, kindle also within us sincere penitence. Let some austere word of righteousness be spoken to our consciences today; save us from ignoble excuses, our cheap defenses, our unworthy self-deceits. Give us grace to be honest with ourselves, that we may rightly judge our dealing with the personality you have entrusted to us, with the friends and family that surround us, with the opportunities you have put before us, and with the stewardship committed to us.
With thankful and yet with burdened hearts we pray for your Church. Make it, we pray, a loyal servant of your cause. Grant unto all of us joined together in this fellowship, vision and dedication, wisdom, generosity, and devotion that we, a company of Christ's disciples, may exhibit his Spirit, further his work, and be faithful servants of his kingdom. Send us out strong in the Lord and in the power of his might; we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Benediction
Go out and be a blessing in your world. Return no one evil for evil. Weep with those who weep. Be happy with those who rejoice. Feed the hungry and clothe the poor. Seek justice for the oppressed; and the blessing of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will be yours. Amen.
