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Click Here for Printable PDF Download for April 9th Call to Worship
God is love. Those who abide in love, abide in God. And God abides in them. Dear ones, on this night, Jesus, the Lamb of God, gave himself into the hands of those who would slay him. On this night, Christ gathered with his disciples in the upper room. On this night, Christ took a towel and washed the disciples’ feet, giving us an example that we should do to others as he has done for us. On this night, Christ our God gave us this holy feast, that we who eat this bread and drink this cup may here proclaim his holy sacrifice and be partakers of his resurrection, and at the last day may live with him in heaven. Scripture Reading John 13:1-7, 12-16. 34-35 Prayer of Confession Holy God, Whose covenant with us is never broken, we confess that we fail to fulfill your will. Though you have bound yourself to us, we will not bind ourselves to you. In Jesus Christ you serve us freely, but we refuse your love and withhold ourselves from others. We do not love you fully or love one another as you command. In your mercy, forgive us and cleanse us. Lead us once again to your Table, and unite us with Christ, the bread of life, and the vine from which we grow in grace. Amen. Response Take, O take me as I am. Summon out what I shall be. Set your seal upon my heart and live in me. (repeat) Declaration of Forgiveness The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. I declare to you, in the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. May the God of mercy, who forgives all your sins, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. The Sacrament of Holy Communion According to Scripture, our Lord Jesus, on the night of his arrest, took bread, and after he had blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat. This is my body broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood, poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Drink, all you, of it. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you remember my death until I come again.” Prayer of Thanksgiving and the Lord’s Prayer Holy God, we praise you for creating the whole world, for your promises to your people Israel, and for Jesus Christ, in whom your fullness dwells. Born of Mary, he shares our life. Eating with sinners, he welcomes us. Guiding his children, he leads us. Visiting the sick, he heals us. Dying on the cross, he saves us. Risen from the dead, he gives us new life. With thanksgiving, we take this bread and this cup and proclaim the death and resurrection of our Lord. Gracious God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, that this meal may be for us a communion of the body and blood of our Lord. Make us one with Christ, and with all who share this feast. Unite us in faith, encourage us with hope, inspire us to love, that we may be your faithful disciples until we feast at your table in glory. Hear now, O loving God, the concerns of our hearts…(insert the names and circumstances which are of concern to you) We offer our prayers for the sick, for the dying, for all caregivers, for families who are separated due to the nature of the Coronavirus, for all who find themselves suddenly unemployed, for those who face financial hardship, for all who continue to labor at their own peril, for all support services, for all those moved to give of themselves, their time and their resources, for ourselves, as we are scattered about this community, yet drawn together as one Church, by your grace. We pray now, with the confidence of the children of God, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. The bread of heaven, given for you. Amen. The cup of salvation, shed for you. Amen. These are the gifts of God for the people of God. Distribution of the elements. Prayer After Communion God of grace, your Son, Jesus Christ, left us this holy meal of bread and wine, in which we share his body and blood. Comments are closed.
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PastorCinda Harkless Archives
November 2023
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