500 Prayers for All Occasions

By David Clowes

To lead people in public prayer is one of life's privileges. At the same time it can be a challenge to try and keep the prayers fresh and relevant and avoid using the same old phrases. In 500 Prayers For All Occasions David Clowes provides a variety of prayers in this useful resource for those responsible for leading public prayer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: David C Cook
• Release date: Oct 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781434705792

Book preview

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Prayers of Preparation

Prayers of Praise

Prayers of Thanksgiving

Prayers of Confession

Prayers for All-Age Worship

Prayers of Intercession

Prayers of Commitment

Prayers of Dismissal

Alternative congregational responses

Index

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book of prayers began life as a spiritual exercise during a three-month sabbatical. I had intended it to be a resource for my own use in the leading of worship. However, I am grateful for the encouragement from my original proof-readers to seek to have them published and for their support throughout the whole exercise.

Writing this book of prayers has been a great joy and a truly spiritual experience. I discovered how much easier it is for me to pray when writing the words down. Leading people in prayer is an awesome task, but writing prayers for others to use is both an overwhelming and a humbling experience.

Thanks are especially due to Malcolm and Elizabeth Pittam, Sheila Smith and John Bisson for their reading and correction of the manuscript, to Chris Hampson for his encouragement and help with printing the manuscript, to my long-suffering congregations who first prayed these prayers with me, and to my wife, Angela, whose patience appears to be limitless.

David Clowes

INTRODUCTION

(or the part you don’t normally read!)

To lead a group of people in public prayer is one of life’s greatest privileges. Providing the people of God with the words and phrases with which to talk to their Maker is, however, both a serious and a challenging task. We may find ourselves slipping into time-worn phrases that lull the congregation into even deeper slumbers. However, it is just as easy to embarrass them by relying on the intimate language we normally use in our times of private prayer. Public prayer is not simply private prayer with a louder voice.

In writing this book of prayers I set myself some guidelines. First, I aimed for simplicity of language and for a direct style of writing. This has meant that I have attempted to write as I speak. I believe that this is important if the prayers are to be ‘prayed’ and not simply read out!

Second, I have tried to use as much non-church language as possible. This is important if the prayers are to be fresh and accessible to the widest possible group of people. The prayers are designed to be used in week-day meetings as well as in Sunday worship. It is vital that the language is neither too trendy nor obscure but truly inclusive in that everyone feels able to say a meaningful amen!

Third, I have deliberately restricted the choice of congregational responses. From the simple survey I conducted, I discovered that the main dread of most congregations is, surprisingly, not the length of the prayers but whether they will be able to remember the latest complicated response the preacher has in his or her ‘wisdom’ dreamed up! At the end of the book I have included a selection of alternative responses for those bold enough to use them!

Fourth, I have never used any book of prayers just as they were written and I do not expect this book will be used any differently. I have again, deliberately, given a larger number of prayers in some sets of intercessions than should really be used on any one occasion. This book is intended as a mine in which to dig not a building plan to be followed slavishly.

The prayers were originally planned for use in Sunday worship, but after sharing them with members of my church they felt they were to be seen as a valuable tool for use in a much wider context. They are a resource for those leading fellowship meetings or house groups. They contain a wealth of material for preachers, worship leaders or others to use as preparation for worship. They can be a source of ideas and prayers for use in school assemblies and Christian youth groups and youth fellowships.

Some of the prayers need to be used with care and a good deal of ‘space’ and silence. Some, you will find, are like word portraits in the first person. The people are then left space and silence to pray for those they know to be in that situation. Some of the prayers invite people to think of someone facing a particular experience. Again, space and silence in using these will be important.

There are eight categories of prayer. They offer a selection of prayers which are designed to prepare people for worship, lift them up in praise, provide an opportunity for thanksgiving and lead them into confession.

Prayers in the category of All-Age Worship are intended not simply for when a congregation gathers for its monthly extravaganza! They are also for those times when children and young

people are in worship, even if it is only for the first part of a service. With this in mind, I have attempted to gather praise, thanks and confession into a single prayer.

The prayers of intercession are an attempt to create extempore prayer on the printed page. The prayers of commitment and dedication provide a fitting climax to worship at the feet of Christ.

I have used these prayers in a variety of settings and in a number of different ways. Some have been used with a guitar or flute playing gently in the background. On other occasions the use of visual aids through OHP or video projector has added greatly to their value. The use of music and/or visual aids can be of great assistance for those who struggle to fill times of ‘silent prayer’. You will find squared brackets [] appear in several prayers. This is simply a reminder to adapt them for your own setting, as ‘Sunday club’ may be more meaningful than ‘Sunday school’ for your

congregation.

I think it would be true to say that the prayers in this book have been born out of my twenty-five years of pastoral work as a Methodist minister. They contain echoes of the hurt and the anguish, the hopes and the fears, the brokenness and the joy of some remarkable people it has been my privilege to have known. I have always felt profoundly touched and humbled by the way others have allowed me to share something of their journey. I can only say thank you and trust that the echoes from these pages will bless them too.

Writing these prayers opened a new door for me into the presence of God. I truly believe that they are his gift to me and to you. My prayer now is that, through those who use them, many will also be brought nearer to the throne of grace.

Prayers of Preparation

1 OUT OF THE DARKNESS

Father, when we come to you,

it is like walking out of darkness and into the light.

There are so many things,

so many experiences,

that damage and spoil our lives each day.

There are so many things that prevent us

being the kind of people you meant us to be.

It would be so easy to come

simply to be held in your healing, re-creating love.

Father, by your Holy Spirit

enable us to be made whole

by focusing on you

and allowing your praise to be at the centre

of all we say and do today.

In the name of Christ,

the one who makes all things new. Amen.

2 WITH OUR EXCUSES

Father, we come with our emptiness

and our times of defeat.

We come with our excuses,

with our readiness to blame anyone but ourselves.

We come to you acknowledging

who and what we are.

We come to confess

that you are the one who can make us whole.

We come to you because we have nowhere else

and no one else to come to.

Father, we have come to praise you

for inviting us to come. Amen.

3 PREPARATION FOR EASTER

Lord, we bring our emptiness

to receive from your fullness,

our aloneness

to be changed by your presence

and our brokenness to be healed by your love.

We bring the darkness of our sorrow, pain and fear

to be transformed by the blazing light

of Christ’s resurrection

and our prison doors to be thrown wide open

by the wonder of the empty tomb.

We come in the name of Christ,

who promises life and hope and peace

to all who come to him. Amen.

4 NOTHING IS CERTAIN

Father, we come from a world

where nothing is certain and where nothing is easy.

We come to you with confidence,

to offer a little more of our lives to you.

We come knowing that you will ask nothing of us

that we cannot face,

nothing we cannot do,

nothing we cannot give,

so long as we rely on the presence

and power of the risen Christ.

Father, we ask that by your Holy Spirit

you will enable us to offer you worship

that is centred not on ourselves and our needs,

but on you and on you alone. Amen.

5 WE COME NOT BECAUSE WE MUST

Lord, we do not come to worship you

because we must,

but because we long to.

We do not come because we are worthy,

but to give you glory.

We do not come for our own benefit,

or to receive a blessing,

but because you are worthy of all our thanks and praise. Amen.

6 IN A WORLD OF CHANGE

Lord, we live in a world of change.

Every day is filled with uncertainty.

We are surrounded by the twists and turns of life

and we often feel we have little or no control

over things that happen to us.

Lord, we come to stand in your eternal presence.

We come to you to find ourselves,

to find our way,

to find hope.

We come to you because in Christ

you first came to us. Amen.

7 WE HAVE HEARD

Lord, we have heard of all that you have done

in and through the lives of your people –

down the centuries and across the world.

You have touched and changed people’s whole way of living;

you have made people new.

We have come to worship you, to be changed by you,

to become the people you always meant us to be.

Let it happen, Lord,

even though we are afraid of change

and resist any alteration of our way of life.

Challenge us and change us

and fill us with such an awareness of you and your presence

that nothing, not even our own hearts and lives,

can ever be the same again. Amen.

8 WE COME AS WE ARE

Father, we do not come to prove our own worth to you,

or to be accepted because of our good deeds,

or the greatness of our faith.

We come simply as we are:

small, sinful and weak.

We come trusting in your mercy

and daring to believe that you can and will accomplish

greater things in our lives than we can ask or think.

We come in the name of Christ

to worship you for your glory, power and love. Amen.

9 PREPARED BY CHRIST

Father, we come

with our hurts, our sorrows and our uncertainties.

We come to hold on to your promises

of healing and hope.

We come to be held by you

and to prepare for the coming of Christ

as Saviour to change the world and renew our lives.

We also come to allow Christ

to prepare us for his coming again as Lord

when we shall praise him

and laugh and sing and worship for ever. Amen.

10 COMING WITH HONESTY

Lord, we think we are so wise,

but your greatness is beyond our comprehension.

We think we are good,

but your holiness is beyond our reach.

We seek to be loving people,

but your love is beyond anything we can understand.

We come, as the humble and wise

of every generation have come, to worship you,

to acknowledge that you are

and always will be

beyond anything our tiny, finite minds can comprehend.

Fill us with your Spirit, accept our praise

and glorify your name in Christ our Lord. Amen.

11 WHAT WE BRING

Lord, we come with our lives,

our thoughts, our hopes and our fears.

We come with our plans, our dreams and our memories.

We come with our time, our gifts and our skills.

We come with our family, our friends and we come with ourselves.

We come to offer to you everything we have and are.

We come to glorify your holy name. Amen.

12 COMING TO WORSHIP

Lord, we come again to this place

where you are worshipped.

We come to gather up

all we have said and done and thought since last we met

and bring it as part of our offering of thanks and praise.

We have come to seek your truth,

to praise your glory

and to allow the light of your love

to drive the darkness out of our lives. Amen.

13 YOUR PRESENCE CHANGES THINGS

Lord, your presence lifts us,

your grace amazes us,

your power overwhelms us

and your love excites us.

No matter what we bring with us –

hurts, sorrows, self-satisfaction,

bitterness or joyful praise –

you always receive us as we are,

and transform what we bring

and fill us with gifts of your mercy. Amen.

14 THE GOOD NEWS

Lord, we have heard the good news

of the life, death and resurrection of your Son.

We have come now to experience its power,

to hear your call and to be sent out as disciples of Christ.

Lord, so fill our thoughts, our lives and our lips

with songs of praise

that others will long to bring glory to him. Amen.

15 CALLED BY YOUR LOVE

Lord, we come,

called by your love and led by our need,

challenged by Christ’s life

and aware of our weakness,

filled with hope in his death and resurrection,

longing to be filled with the power of the Spirit.

Lord, we come,

for Jesus invites us

and brings us home. Amen.

16 YOU OVERWHELM US

Lord, you overwhelm us.

Your might and majesty

are beyond anything we can imagine or create.

Your glory is so great it simply cannot be contained.

Not even the vast expanse of time and space

is sufficient to encompass your glory.

And yet – more wonderful still –

you are here and you have come

to receive our worship.

You have come to make your home

even in our poor lives.

We have come to receive

all that you are and all that you will give.

We have come in Jesus’ name. Amen.

17 THE LOVE OF JESUS

Lord, we come with Jesus

whose love, compassion and understanding

give us hope and assurance of your acceptance.

We come with our sin and our shame;

we come bringing the things that continually defeat us

and we come with the broken hopes and dreams

that still bring us down.

We come to you, we come as we are,

but we have come with Jesus

who is our friend, and we come to worship. Amen.

18 BECAUSE YOU HAVE CALLED US

Father, we come to you in confidence.

By your grace we have become your children;

conceived by your love,

born through faith in Christ.

We come to you to be reminded

all over again who we are,

to be challenged to serve,

to respond with confession

and to be ready to stand for your truth and your mercy.

We have come because you have called us,

because you have empowered us,

because you have loved us.

We have come to worship you in Christ who called us. Amen.

19 WITH EMPTY HANDS

Father, we come to you

with empty hands to receive from you.

We come with heavy hearts,

that you might carry our burden.

We come with our self-satisfaction,

that you might open our eyes to the needs of others.

We come with our self-centredness,

that you may deal with our deafness

to the cries of our neighbour.

We come with our hopes and our fears,

our joys and our sorrows.

We come as we are, longing to be made new.

We come in the name of Jesus,

because he first came to us. Amen.

20 SO MANY OBSTACLES

Lord, there are so many obstacles that we bring to worship:

the hurt and anger we feel within us,

the worries and concerns that fill our minds,

our awareness that life and our lives are being changed,

painful memories of the past

that still cause us anguish even now,

the uncertainty and bleakness of our tomorrows,

the emptiness, sorrow and doubt that fill our lives today.

We do not find it easy to keep Christ at the centre,

but open our eyes, Lord; we want to see Jesus. Amen.

21 FATHER, OUR FATHER

Father, our Father,

we have come to worship you

and to praise you for your glory.

Father, our Father,

we have come to thank you for making us your children.

Father, our Father,

we praise you for Christ our Saviour.

Father, our Father,

we worship you alone. Amen.

22 WE CALL YOU FRIEND

We call you friend,

but your glory should overwhelm us.

We name you Lord,

but we fail to recognise your sovereignty.

We sing your praises,

but do not reach the heights of heaven.

We think of you as Father,

but your kindness and love are beyond comparison.

We celebrate your truth and we acknowledge your glory

but our tiny, finite minds are hopelessly inadequate

to comprehend your power.

Saviour, Lord, Master and King,

we come with our imperfect lives and our impoverished praises.

Accept them in the name of Christ. Amen.

23 WE COME TO BE OPENED

Lord, whenever we come to this place,

we come to have our minds opened,

our hearts set on fire,

our lives made new and our hope reawakened.

We come in great expectation.

We come assuming that you will show us

your holiness that demands our best worship.

We come seeking a taste of your sovereignty and power.

We come longing that you will fill us

with the joy and a glimpse of your glory.

We come for you to take away the defeat from our lives.

We come because in Christ’s resurrection

you have called us to come. Amen.

24 WITHOUT PRETENCE

Lord, we come as we are.

We make no pretence.

We come acknowledging the weakness, poverty and emptiness of our lives.

We come confessing our failed attempts to change our lives

and our determination to be different,

which has come to nothing.

We come, asking that by your grace

we can be made strong

and that through your power

we can be made new.

We come in our weakness,

that in you we might be made strong

and that we might give you all the glory. Amen.

25 YOUR GREATNESS CALLS US

Lord, your greatness calls us to worship you,

your power calls us to adore you

and your love calls us to trust you.

Your creation gives us the challenge to praise you,

your Son gives us the reason to thank you,

and your Spirit gives us the strength to serve you.

Lord, take our words, our lives and our service

and use everything, everywhere, for your glory. Amen.

26 WE COME AS CHILDREN

Father, we come as your children, knowing you love us.

We come with no hope of proving our worth.

We come as those who through grace

you have already accepted to worship you,

our Saviour and Lord.

We come knowing our strengths and our weaknesses

to the one who holds all things by the power of his word.

We come to sing glory for the life, love and joy

of knowing Jesus the Saviour of all. Amen.

27 WE COME TO YOU

Lord, we come to you because

you are strength for us when our strength fails;

you are hope for us when our hope is gone;

you are love for us when we are cold and empty;

you are forgiveness for us when we go wrong;

you are peace for us when we are afraid;

you are beginning again when it feels like the end.

We come to worship you because you are worthy. Amen.

28 OUT OF THE DARKNESS

Lord, we come out of our darkness and into your light.

We come out of our emptiness to enter your fullness.

We come out of our hopelessness to find your joy.

We come out of our confusion to seek your peace.

We come far from home because we know we have been found.

We come at your invitation to praise you as Lord. Amen.

29 INTO YOUR PRESENCE

Father, coming into your presence

is like stepping out of deep darkness into the blinding sun.

You overwhelm us by your glory, your power and your majesty.

We cannot hope to comprehend the wonder of your glory.

But we have come to be warmed by your grace,

transformed by your mercy,

set free by your love

and to worship you in the power of the Spirit. Amen.

30 IN THE NAME OF JESUS

Father, we come to you in the name of Jesus.

We come trusting that you will accept us and our worship.

We come in the assurance of the love

he demonstrated in his death on the cross.

Keep convincing us of your love,

soften our hard hearts and bring us to the foot of his cross,

that we might be prepared to carry the cross for his glory. Amen.

31 WE COME TO CONFESS

Father, we come to you

not because we are good enough to come,

or because we have anything of our own to give you.

We come to confess that everything, everywhere,

belongs to you, including ourselves.

We come, not simply because it is our duty to come,

but because we long to offer you our worship.

We come with joy and thankfulness

because Jesus has opened the way into your presence.

We come to crown him as King of our lives

and to praise him as Lord of all. Amen.

32 EASTER DAY

Lord, we come with all our doubts and fears

to be touched with the truth of resurrection.

We come with all our sorrows and pain

to be held with the hope of your resurrection.

We come with our disappointments and failures

to be strengthened by your resurrection.

We come as we are.

We come for we must.

We come to celebrate your resurrection. Amen.

33 WE COME

Lord, we come from a world full of so many things

to tempt us and lead us away from you;

from a world full of despair and anguish and pain.

We come with our own concerns and doubts and fears.

We come hurting, tired with the struggle and strain of just living.

We come feeling lost and uncertain and just as we are.

We come because you called us.

We come because we must.

We come to give you worship, and honour and praise.

We come to make confession and to be made whole.

We come because you came and go on coming,

our living Saviour and Lord. Amen.

34 BECAUSE YOU HAVE MADE US

Lord, we come because you have made us.

We come because in Christ we have been made new.

We come because you have given us life.

We come because through the risen Christ

we have received new life.

We come as your sons and daughters,

to be filled with the Spirit,

to hear your promise of eternal life,

to worship and be sent out for your glory. Amen.

35 WE COME BECAUSE YOU ARE WORTHY

Lord, we have come to praise you

because you are worthy.

We have come to give you thanks

because you renew our hope.

We have come to worship you

because you walk with us

everywhere and every day of our lives. Amen.

36 WE COME BECAUSE WE HAVE HEARD YOU

Lord, we come because we have heard you calling.

We have heard you in the noise and the rush of life,

in the responsibility of home and work,

in our times of strength

and in our moments of weakness.

We have heard you in our doubts and uncertainties.

We have heard you and known we are unworthy,

but still we have come.

We have come because you have called

and we are accepted.

We have come to praise you for your call. Amen.

37 YOU DESERVE PRAISE

Heaven and earth are full of your glory,

almighty, eternal, most holy God.

You deserve the praise of every creature;

you are worthy of worship and honour and love.

Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, Renewer,

perfect in wisdom and might,

you reign supreme beyond time and space,

in beauty, and splendour, and light.

We adore you, our God,

we praise your great name,

we offer you our worship through Jesus Christ,

who because of his life, death and resurrection

is the centre, the cause and the object of our praise. Amen.

38 THE POWER OF THE LIVING CHRIST

Lord, we have come to worship you.

We come in the power of the living Christ.

We come to you for our wounds to be healed

and our sins forgiven.

We come to you because you are worthy.

We come to you because we have nowhere

and no one else to go to.

Lord, we come in the name of the one who said,

‘I am the resurrection and the life.’

Lord, we have come to worship you. Amen.

39 THE ONE WHO IS ALWAYS THERE

Lord, you are always there for us,

always calling us to share your peace and joy.

You are always there calling us

to worship and to celebrate your glory.

You are always there meeting us,

holding us, challenging and sharing our lives.

You are there when we need you

and when we turn our backs on you.

Even when we least expect it,

Lord, you are there, always there.

We have come because you are with us. Amen.

40 YOU ARE THE WAY

Lord, we come for guidance for our journey,

your word for our minds

and the power of the Spirit to give us life.

We have come to you, Lord,

because you are the way, the truth and the life. Amen.

41 CHOSEN FOR SERVICE

Father, we come

because you have chosen us for service,

you have called us by your grace,

and you have set us free from all that held us,

and you have made us whole

and enabled us to know you.

We have come to praise and to thank you

in Jesus’ name. Amen.

42 WE COME AS WE ARE

Lord, we come as we are,

that we may be changed by your grace.

We come with our emptiness,

that we may be filled.

We come with darkness,

seeking your light.

We come with our weakness,

to receive your strength.

We come with our brokenness,

that you may make us whole, Lord.

We come as we are,

that we may be changed by your grace.

We come with our lives,

to be filled with your power.

We come with our worship,

to praise you for ever.

We come with our words and our prayers,

which we offer for your glory.

Lord, we come as we are,

that we may be changed by your grace. Amen.

43 COMING TO WORSHIP

Father, we come to give you honour and praise

and worship and thanksgiving.

We come in the name of our Saviour and Lord.

We come as those who have been set free,

and as those who have already experienced

the joy of your presence

and the wonder of your love.

We come to receive your power and your grace

to take what you give and to ask for more.

We come to be filled with the Spirit

that we may go out in your service

and live for your praise and your glory. Amen.

44 COMING WITH DOUBTS AND FEARS

Lord, we come with our doubts and our fears,

with our hurts and our pain.

We come feeling helpless, inadequate and insecure.

We come with our sin and with our selfishness.

We come feeling lost, anxious and alone.

Lord, come and be strength, hope, peace, joy and love for us,

and by your Spirit enable us to worship you as you deserve. Amen.

45 THE ONE WITH THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE

Lord, we come to you

because you have the words of eternal life.

We come to you

because you have the word of hope.

We come to you

because you are the word of love that we need to hear.

We come to you

to give you thanks and praise and worship.

Lord, we have come;

fill us with the Holy Spirit.

For Christ’s sake. Amen.

46 WE HAVE BEEN CALLED

Lord, we have come because you have called us.

We have come because you have made us your people.

We have come because we belong to you.

We have come to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice.

We have come to give you thanks and praise.

We have come because you have called us. Amen.

47 WE COME AS WE ARE

Lord, we come as we are,

to become what you meant us to be.

We come as we are,

broken, afraid and full of disappointment,

to be made whole and to be set free.

We come as we are,

with all our plans and our dreams,

our joys and our sorrows,

to be touched by your grace and held in your love.

We come as we are;

there is no other way we can come.

We come as we are to praise you,

the one who is worthy

and the one who is Lord. Amen.

48 COMING TO THE SOURCE OF LIFE

Lord, you are the source of all life, hope and truth.

You are the source of all that is good and right and of value.

You are the source of peace, new life and love,

and we have come to worship you. Amen.

49 IN THE NAME OF JESUS

We come in the name of Jesus

and confident of your love and mercy.

We come in the name of Jesus,

who gives us courage, hope and joy.

We come in the name of Jesus,

who taught us to call you ‘our Father’

and promised that the Spirit would come.

We come in the name of Jesus,

the one who calls us to worship

and sends us to serve in his name.

We come in the name of Jesus,

the one who first came to us. Amen.

50 COMING WITH BURDENS

Lord, we have come with our burdens

and with the things that weigh us down.

We have come with our brokenness and the hurts within our lives.

We have come with our doubts, our questions and our fears.

We come with our loss and our need to be made whole.

We come feeling locked up and locked in.

We come to be set free

to become living examples of what the Spirit can do. Amen.

51 COMING TO LISTEN

Lord, we have come to listen to you

and to share with you all that is on our hearts and minds.

We have come to praise you

and to give you thanks.

We have come because you are worthy

and because of our need.

We have come because you are here

and because you have promised

to go with us when we leave.

Fill us with your love and empower us with your Spirit

that we may worship you in Christ. Amen.

52 THE SOURCE OF ALL GOODNESS

Lord, you are the source of all that is good, right and true.

Without you nothing will ever really make sense.

Without you there will always be an emptiness

and a sense of incompleteness to life.

We come to you to find meaning and purpose in life.

We come to you so that in finding you

we may find ourselves;

so that in knowing you

we may know ourselves

and in opening our lives to you

we may have the peace and joy that only you can give.

We have come to worship you

because you are worthy of all our praise. Amen.

53 BECAUSE YOU ARE LORD

Father, we come to you in the certain knowledge

that the door is always open

and you will already be coming to meet us.

We come in the midst of our joys and sorrows,

with our victories and our defeats.

We come knowing we shall be accepted.

We come because you are the Lord. Amen.

54 BECAUSE YOU ARE LIGHT

Lord, we come to you

because of the light, hope and joy you have brought us.

We come to you

because of the peace, love and forgiveness

with which you have flooded our lives.

We come to you

because of your light in our darkness,

your strength in our weakness

and your courage when life is hard.

We come to you

because in Christ you first came to us and for us.

In Christ you still come to make us whole.

In Christ we bring our thanks and praise. Amen.

55 YOUR NAME IS LOVE

Lord, we come to you

whose name and nature is love.

We come to reach out to you

who in Christ have already searched for us and found us.

We come with our darkness

to walk in his light.

We come with our sorrow

to be filled with his joy.

We come with our shame

to receive his forgiveness

and we come with our failure and weakness

to be strengthened by him.

We come to worship the one

who has loved us to the uttermost.

We come to love the one who first loved us. Amen.

56 VOICES RAISED IN PRAISE

Lord, we come to lift up our voices in praise,

our hearts for healing and our lives for wholeness.

We come to celebrate your glory,

to declare your worth,

and to receive your Holy Spirit

so that our lives may bear fruit for your praise.

We come from the darkness to be filled with your light.

We come as we are

that we might go in the power of the Spirit. Amen.

57 WITH ANTICIPATION

Father, we come with a great sense of anticipation;

we come expecting to meet you here.

We come, and we know that you will not disappoint us.

We come seeking your face,

longing to give you praise and glory.

We have come that we might be made strong in Christ

and be renewed by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

58 WE ARE ACCEPTED

Lord, we come knowing that you will accept us,

not because we deserve it or because we are worthy,

but because of your extravagant love.

We come to confess who and what we are

and what we are not.

We come to confess your glory.

We come because you call us

and because you love us.

We come because you are the Lord, and we are your people.

We come in Jesus’ name. Amen.

59 YOU ARE OUR HOPE

Lord, we come to you

because in you we find our hope, our joy, our peace

and the strength to begin again.

We come to you, Lord,

because in Christ you first came to us.

We come to give you thanks and praise

as we give you our hearts and lives.

May Christ be lifted up

so that people everywhere may know his love and power. Amen.

60 YOU HAVE CALLED US

Lord, we have come

because you have called us.

We have come

because you are worthy.

We have come

because you have called us to yourself.

We have come

because you set us free.

We come in the name of Jesus

who is our reason for hope, joy and praise.

Lord, fill us with your Spirit

that we may give you thanks and praise in Jesus’ name. Amen.

61 WE