Corporate Worship Prayers - February 2021

Sunday Evening 2/1/21

Father, we praise you and thank you for the joy it is to be your people and to gather here to lift up the good name of Jesus Christ. We are a people who've walked into this room carrying what seems like the weight of this world on our backs. Some of us are worn out because we've taken on too much, some of us are worried we haven't done enough. Some of us live in fear of what we don't know, while others live in fear still because of what they do know. We're staring down the business end of uncertainty and an endless stream of letdowns, and we're simply not sure how to move forward. In some instances, we've put our hopes in things other than Christ. In others, we've simply failed to trust you when you say we are yours and that you will take care of us. For the places of our lives where we've misplaced our hopes or failed to trust you, Father forgive us. And, Spirit, we pray that you would continue to work in our lives so that our hearts may bend towards the goodness of Christ and the assurance we have in and through his work. As we gather around this table, let us clear our hearts of what we're carrying and put our full faith, hope, and trust in Christ. It's in his wonderful name that we gather, and in his name we pray. Amen.

2/14/21

Father, we praise you and thank you for the kindness and mercy you've shown us over and over, even in our worst moments. We are grateful for the blessing it is to be your people and to praise you, both gathered and scattered. You and you alone uphold us and give us breath and life. We are living in a confusing and frustrating world and at times, it seems like things are just teetering on the brink - as though each day is filled with the possibility that something may go colossally wrong at any moment. And in the height of our uncertainty about the world around us, we're called to trust and quite simply, we don't. Instead we sit and stew, we borrow trouble and allow worry and doubt to slowly chip away at the confidence we have in the promises you made ages ago that still are heralded in your word. Promises we know are still good for today and tomorrow. Father, forgive our doubt of your faithfulness to us and in your promises. And, Spirit, in the moments when we feel the tug of worry at our sleeve, instead of indulging it, may we seek instead to cling to the hope we have in Christ, and rest in the assurance that you've given us eternal life; that we will never perish; and no one will snatch us out of your hand. Let it be the refrain of our hearts that we are not our own, but belong to you. It's in his wonderful name that we gather, and in his name we pray. Amen.

2/21/21

Gracious Lord, as we come before you today, we ask that you would hear us. Hear our prayer as a church and hear the silent cries from deep within our hearts, for some of us have come here today with burdens too great to even speak. Lord, you design and ordain the next snowflake that falls. You orchestrate the movement of the falling leaf with the wind that you breathe into being. You unveil the sun to thaw the earth and warm our faces. And yet Lord, knowing all of your power and care for us, we question your goodness and plans. We sing songs to you and proclaim you as our God and then reach for that forbidden fruit, convinced that you are holding out on us. We say you are our treasure with our mouths and then spend our days stockpiling our earthly goods, convinced that your daily bread won’t suffice. Lord, forgive our divided hearts. Spirit, reveal those places in our hearts that we have held back from full surrender and trust. Forgive us for foolishly believing that we can see all you see and know all that you know. And Father, even as we tug and try to pull away from your guidance, in your mercy, lead us in the way of righteousness to the foot of the cross as you gently remind us of who we are. That we belong to you as beloved and forgiven children. Amen.

2/28/21

Father, we are grateful for the gift it is to gather in your name as part of your church, a church that is precious and blood bought. And it should be the joy of our hearts to gather together as your people to sing and celebrate the goodness of the gospel. Yet, often times, the world, through sheer brute force, hits us with every conceivable message but the good news of Christ. And amidst the noise of our everyday lives, we lose the very message we've gathered here today to celebrate. And the truth is there are so many other messages we are more than willing to pick up and trumpet than the one you've given us. Messages we will even flat out humiliate ourselves in the name of. Messages that, when placed against grandeur of eternity, we have been given in Christ are irrelevant or even absurd, but we will somehow gladly carry their banner. Father, forgive us. Forgive us our neglect of heralding the good news of Christ to a broken world around us. Forgive us for lacking zeal for sharing the message of Christ. And, Spirit, we pray you give us the clarity to reject the inane messages this world offers us and, instead, give us the voices and the words necessary to herald the gospel of Christ to a world that so desperately needs to hear it. It's in the wonderful name of Christ that we have gathered, and in his name we pray, Amen.