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Year A

prayers of the people: come to us

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Word of God, come to us as you came to Lazarus.

Come to the caves of our lives –
caves we have created,
and caves we have sought;
Caves to which we have been sent,
caves in which we now reside.

Come to the caves of our world –
caves of containment,
and caves of protection;
Caves of solace and anxiety,
caves that quickly become tombs.

Word of God, come to us as you came to Lazarus.

Call us back to life –
life created by you,
and life sustained by you;
Life in relationship with you,
life in service to others.

Call us back to life –
life that is hope in despair,
and peace in unsettled times.
Life that is joy in sorrow,
love beyond understanding.

Word of God, come to us as you came to Lazarus.

Unbind us and set us free –
liberate shackles of sadness,
and burdens too heavy to bear.
Release us from fear that inhibits
deliver us in your grace.

Unbind us and set us free –
call us to community,
and fuel us for connection.
Show us your way,
inspire us to walk with you.

Through the renewing power of your Spirit,
and grounded in the words you teach us to pray….

submitted by Katherine Kussmaul, Saint Giles Presbyterian Church, Raleigh, North Carolina

Confession: looking for mercy

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O Lord our Shepherd, maker of heaven and earth,
we lift up our eyes to the hills,
looking for your mercy and forgiveness.
You watch over us night and day,
and yet our feet go astray;
we slip, stumble, and fall into sin.

We confess that we do not watch for your guidance,
trust in your protection,
or offer your comfort to others.
Forgive us.
We need you to save us from the evil we bring on ourselves.
We need you to guide us as we go out into the world
and come back into your presence.

Restore us, we pray in Jesus’ name,
for he promises your mercy from this time forth and forevermore. Amen.

 

Submitted by Rev. Nathan Williams, Covenant Presbyterian Church, West Des Moines, IA

POP: creative grace

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O Lord, you are our shepherd;

we shall not be in want.

Your creative grace is visible in lush green pastures

and revealed in still, clear waters.

Your restoring resurrecting Spirit revives our souls and our communities,

and you guide us in ways of righteousness for the sake of your earth.

We pray for the earth you create and love:

for people, families, nations, and species that dwell in the valley of the shadow of death;

for all who fear the evils of pollution, violence, depredation, and illness;

for those whose suffering is on our hearts this morning, and for those whom we will never meet.

Shepherding God, be with your people;

with your rod and your staff, restore us and lead us.

Spread your table of abundance before those who hunger and thirst;

set us free from enmity and division.

Anoint us with your calling to reconciliation,

and let the cup of our life overflow

with justice and life for all your creation.

Let your goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our life,

and make this earth your home forever,

in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Submitted by Rev. Nathan Williams, Covenant Presbyterian Church, West Des Moines, IA

Communion: reality was thirsty

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Our souls long to give you thanks and praise, O God,
just as the deer longs to quench its thirst in springs of water.
When reality itself was thirsty for you, Living God,
you poured out the living water of your presence;
through day and night, you called creation into being.
We join our souls, hearts, and minds
with the multitude of your creation
singing praise and thanksgiving for your good works.
We put our trust in you,
and we give thanks to you, our help and our God.

From the depth of your compassion to the depth of our sin,
you sent your Beloved, Jesus the Christ,
to show your faithfulness every day,
to sing your song of joy every night,
to teach us your ways, O God of our life.
When it appeared that your strength forgot him
and our enemy Death claimed the victory,
you were yet present
and made the grave itself a spring of living water.
We put our trust in you,
and we give thanks to you, our help and our God.

In your righteousness, O God,
pour out your strength upon us again.
As we gather around this meal of bread and cup,
draw us near to you
and lift us up with the lightness of your Breath in us.
Send forth your Spirit of light and truth to lead us,
and bring us to the place you dwell in all people and places.
Then let us worship in joy and gladness,
in spirit and truth,
in song and service,
with all your people in every time and place.
We put our trust in you,
and we give thanks to you, our help and our God.

We pray through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
who prays with us as we say together:
The Lord’s Prayer

 

Submitted by Rev. Nathan Williams, Covenant Presbyterian Church, West Des Moines, IA

confession: if you had been here…

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One: Loving Lord, how often we face tragic news we cannot understand. Our hearts may echo Martha and Mary at Lazarus’s tomb, who said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

All: Lord, if you had been here, our hearts would not be heavy.

One: Lord, if you had been here, these people would not be hungry.

All: Lord, if you had been here, our climate would not be on the brink.

One: We each bring our own situation in silence, when we say, “Lord if you had been here…” (moment of silence) Lord, have mercy on us.

All: Forgive us when we forget your presence and deny love’s work.

One: In prayer, show us you are with us in the deepest sense, and that you weep with all who mourn.

All: Remind us how tragedy and injustice break your heart, and help us see you nearby, wherever people go hungry or your creation is threatened.

One: Grant us faith to trust you are truly here, with us, bringing new life we can now only imagine.

All: Give us hope, that looking towards your resurrection, we might discover and share glimpses of that new life already coming among us, in your name, Amen. (silent prayer)

 

Assurance of Grace

One: Friends, hear the good news: Seen or unseen, God is with us. Bidden or unbidden, Christ is present.

All: May we live assured of what we cannot see, trusting in the power who makes all things new. Thanks be to God!

Sung response: What a Friend We Have In Jesus, verse 1

 

Submitted by Laura Cunningham, Western Presbyterian Church, Washington, DC