Wednesday, April 2, 2008

For April 27, 2008 -- Easter 6, Camping Sunday

CALL TO WORSHIP
We gather as the people of God
We gather to sing, to pray, to worship
Sometimes in a church, sometimes by the lakeshore, sometimes around a fire pit,
We gather in God’s presence, we gather to grow in faith, hope, and love.
Come, now is the time to worship.

OPENING PRAYER
God, as the morning sun breaks over the horizon,
we pause to give thanks for the gifts of life.
As the we come to the table for breakfast,
we give thanks for food and friends.
As we go through our days of work, and play, and learning,
we remember that you are with us always.
And as we watch the sun sink over the lake,
we pause to say thanks for a day well spent.
God, in this hour together, fill us with hope for life.
May this time together remind us that we are your people, that we are people of love. May this hour empower us to spread that love to all we meet.
At home, at camp, wherever we are,
there is your love. Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER (spoken VU p.916, bottom)

Offering Prayer
God who gives us so much, we offer back what we have and are. May these gifts be tools of love. Amen.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION/ASSURANCE OF PARDON
God, you call us to be people of love,
and we confess that at time we find this difficult.
You call us to be stewards of creation,
and we confess that we often feel distanced from the natural world.
You call us to pass on our hope and faith to our children,
and we confess that we run out of time and energy to do that.
…time of silent prayer…
God calls and equips us to do all these things. God gives us friends and mentors to help us in our efforts. God forgives our slips and gives us another chance.
We are forgiven people. Hallelujah! Amen.

COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION
We have been given a new commandment
We go out seeking to love one another as we are loved.
The commandment is a challenge and a blessing.
To love and to be loved, it is a part of how we are able to live together.
We go out knowing that we do not try this alone.
We are able to live out God’s love because God is with us on every step of life’s path.
Go with the love of God, go with the power of the Risen Christ, go with the support of the Holy Spirit. Amen

2 comments:

  1. Excellent resources. Our denomination had an agenda in their material...here the agenda is directed where it needs to be...God. Thanks for the help.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Most welcome, glad it is helpful

    ReplyDelete