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Call to Worship (based on Psalm 9)

L: The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
P: And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
L: Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion. Declare his deeds among the peoples.
P: For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
L: Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you.

 

Call to Worship:
by Frank Schaefer

L: We gather today to give tribute to our Creator
P: We praise our God who is able to calm the storms
L: God is our Refuge and our Strength
P: With God on our side, we need not fear the enemy
L: Come, let us worship God!

 

Prayer of Confession:

Holy God, merciful and mighty Father, we lose our way so easily. It doesn’t happen all at once. We do not turn our backs on you in an instant; not all at once. We turn a fraction of a degree at a time; and over time our backs are toward you; and we are indeed lost in a thicket of motives and a wilderness of sins. Our faith teaches us that your grace is not like our trespass. Little by little we have turned away, but in our Lord Jesus Christ you confront us all at once with our sin and our salvation. We lift up our eyes to you this morning. We confess our sins to you; forgive us our trespasses. Help us find our way. This we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

 

Prayer For God's Protection and Provision (Gospel Lesson)

Almighty God and Father,
     In our shared humanity, our hearts fear more than ever before in this world filled with anxiety, strife, and uncertainty.
     For those who doubt and fear that evil is greater than good we pray for the grace to take the side of your divine Providence. May we always believe that it does all well, and disposes all things for the best.
     And for all of us we pray for wisdom and justice, for courage and hope. May we know that, even if everything is taken from us, your divine Providence means that You will never take Yourself from us, so long as we do not will it.
     Enlighten our minds, encourage our hearts, and enliven our souls that we might know your presence, grow in love, and bring new hope to our world.    AMEN.

 

Prayer of Trust in God's Salvation (by St. Augustine of Hippo) --Epistle

My God, let me know and love you, so that I may find my happiness in you. Since I cannot fully achieve this on earth, help me to improve daily until I may do so to the full. Enable me to know you ever more on earth, so that I may know you perfectly in heaven. Enable me to love you ever more on earth, so that I may love you perfectly in heaven. In that way my joy may be great on earth, and perfect with you in heaven.

O God of truth, grant me the happiness of heaven so that my joy may be full in accord with your promise. In the meantime let my mind dwell on that happiness, my tongue speak of it, my heart pine for it, my mouth pronounce it, my soul hunger for it, my flesh thirst for it, and my entire being desire it until I enter through death in the joy of my Lord forever. Amen.

 

A Prayer for Service and Restoring Justice (2 Samuel lesson)

O Lord, open my eyes that I may see the needs of others;
open my ears that I may hear their cries;
open my heart so that they need not be without succor;
let me not be afraid to defend the week because of the anger of the strong,
nor afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich.
Show me where love and hope and faith are needed,
and use me to bring them to those places.
And so open my eyes and my ears
that I may this coming day be able to do some work of peace for thee. Amen.

 

Closing Prayer:
Prayer for God's (ancient Gaelic Prayer--see original below)

   Tend Thou to us whether asleep or awake,
   Keep us beneath Thine own glorious mantle;

    Thou Shield of protection, guard us for ever.
    Be Thou to us a hard triumphant glove
    To shield us securely from wicked hell,
    From the fiends, and from the quick rapids,
    And from the lurid smoke of the abyss.

    Be my soul in the trust of the High King,
    May Michael the powerful guard my soul.
    Amen.

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ACHANAIDH COMHNADH (ancient Gaelic Prayer--see translation above)
    Iomain fein sinn do chleidh's do chaimir,
    Seun sinn fo do bhrot riomhach reidh;
    A Sgeith dhidinn, dion ri 'r mairionn.
    Bi-sa do chlaidheamh cruaidh, cosgarra,
    Chon sinne dhion a irinn arrais,
    Bho fhigeirich is bho fheadaine frinne fuara,
    'S bho dheathach ruadh an aigeil.
   M' anam an urrachd an Ard Righ,
    Micheil murrach an comhdhail m' anama