We trust and affirm that each of us is created in the image of God.
We believe God’s Grace to be immeasurable, and God’s will for us always Goodwill.
We believe that Jesus, the beloved Son of God, lived to forgive,
to heal the broken hearted, and proclaim God’s love to the world.
Jesus took our shame and regret, and bearing them upon his own back, he carried them to the cross, where he surrendered his own precious life.
We believe he did this to set our spirits free.
We believe that Jesus did not die in vain and his death was not the end of anything.
God is better than that!
True to his promise, on this the FIRST day of the Week, God raised Jesus from the dead! YES! We believe it!
We believe in the Holy Spirit, God’s gift of presence. We trust the Holy Spirit to guide us as we endeavor to live the commandment to love each other as Christ loved us.
We believe the Holy Spirit moves us ever onward toward Christian perfection.
Thanks be to God! Amen!
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
God of Grace and Glory as we bow our heads in prayer together, we are made aware of our oneness. We are all different, colorful and various individuals united as one body in Christ. In prayer we begin to comprehend our connection with you. Your desire was to be tangible to us, to be in touch with us, in the person of Jesus. We confess that we often forget to be amazed by your graciousness, and the wonder of your creative ways. Let our prayerful efforts erase doubts and fears. Fill us with complete confidence in the peace you promise to all those who muster faith in every circumstance. May we be your grateful servants in our moments of triumph, and your trusting children in moments of failure. All this we pray in the name of our savior, redeemer and Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
OFFERING INVITATION
The word award is both a noun and a verb. One is awarded an award after careful consideration. The key to the definition lies in “after careful consideration.” The word reward is also both a noun and a verb. A person is rewarded with a reward because they have been regarded well by the rewarder or they are being compensated for providing a service. Just reward means about the same thing as just deserts (this is the more correct spelling it comes from the Latin deservire =meaning deserve). If one gets what one deserves, in the realm of human thinking, then the reward or the desert is just. In the realm of God, grace has been awarded to all of humankind. What we do with that award — how we respond to God’s generously awarded GRACE speaks volumes about our worthiness to receive it. (You may need to read this a few times.)
UNISON OFFERTORY PRAYER
Wondrous and Eternal God, pour out your blessing upon the gifts we bring. We offer them with full and grateful hearts, trusting that you will guide us in our use of them. Proclaiming our belief that all things are possible with you, we offer ourselves in service, seeking always, in the name of the Christ, to do your work and will. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment