Worship

Your Holy Word ~ A Prayer before Preaching

/ The Pastor

It never ceases to amaze me that I get to preach God’s Word in this way each and every week. It also never ceases to amaze me that these fingers manage to pound out words through this keyboard, that when put together are something that proclaims Christ to people. And so my prayer each and every week (and day), as I approach God’s Word, is that I may be faithful with God’s Word and approach God’s Word with an open heart; one ready to receive.

May God be glorified in this sermon this morning and may the Holy Spirit do it’s thing in this place and wherever you are at. Let’s pray..

To approach Your holy Word faithfully
is to do so with fear and trembling;
not only because of how it convicts us of sin
but also because
of it’s awesome power through the Holy Spirit.
For Your Word kills and gives life.
It convicts and redeems.
It’s alive.
It’s does something.

And so may we approach Your Word here this morning with great expectation;
leaning on Your promises
and joyfully basking in Your faithfulness.
May we toss off all that would hinder our hearing of Your Word
and fix our eyes on
You.
May we receive this Word with all joy
but not just receive it,
but also put it into faithful action that proclaims Your glory.
May we embrace its transformative power
that gives courage in a fear-filled world.

All glory,
honor,
worship
and praise
be onto
You,
holy Father,
through Christ Jesus our Lord,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Awesome Creator ~ An Opening Prayer

/ The Pastor

As you prepare your hearts to worship our awesome God, this morning, humble yourselves as you ponder God’s creative beauty and power. Let’s pray…

Creator God,
in the beginning You created with a
word.
You said it and it came into being.
You breathed life into all living things.
You set the course of creation into motion
and
continue to reign over all as You are our very life that we breath.
And because You are King and Lord of all,
we gather to worship
You.
We gather as broken people in this hospital for sinners,
needing You to heal us.
We gather as a redeemed people;
thankful and grateful for the Life we have through Jesus.
We gather as one body, with one Lord,
to lift up our praises in a unified voice.

May we sing not from selfish motives
but from a jubilant heart.
And may we ever keep our eyes fixed on Your glory
as we long to gaze on Your holy face in Your temple
forever and ever.

All praise and worship be to
You,
Creator God,
through Christ Jesus our Lord,

Amen.

May God be glorified in your worship this morning and may the Spirit fill your hearts with joy.

The Pastor -|—

Pierce Our Souls ~ A Prayer before Preaching

/ The Pastor

A prayer in preparation for preaching but it also can be used in preparation to listen/read God’s Word. Let’s pray…

Awesome and most holy God,
words just don’t seem to be appropriate to describe your glory;
for to try to do so would be to cheapen it
and to make it something less than what it really is.

And so I speak to you from my heart this morning.
God, I love you.
I love Jesus.
I love the fact that through faith in Jesus You give salvation;
but not only do I love that
but
I am also eternally grateful.

But I hate the fact that I am a sinner.
I hate the fact that I stray from You,
and therefore I love the fact that
You gave us Your most holy Word
as a guide,
as THE source of life,
as a teacher,
as one that rebukes and corrects
and lifts up; training in righteousness.

And so I ask you, from the heart,
to speak to us here this morning.
Make us more holy; more like Your son, Jesus.
Convict us in areas of our lives that need changing.
Strengthen us in areas of our lives where we are faltering.
Encourage us in areas where we are needed to be strong for You.
Bring people to You who do not believe; saving them from eternal condemnation. And speak to Your children; sending them out to live as disciples.
May Your most holy Word be a sharp two-edged sword to pierce our very souls. It’s in Jesus holy name that I pray, Amen.

May God’s Word pierce your souls this morning; convicting you and raising you up. All praise be to God.

The Pastor -|—

From the Heart ~ An Opening Prayer

/ The Pastor

Join me in preparing your heart for worship. Let’s pray…

From within the depths of our hearts,
we worship You, oh God.
It is from our heart that we cry out to You.
It is from the heart that we raise our prayers to You.
It is from the heart that we offer our praise and thanks to you.
Oh God,
You are our salvation.
You are our life.
But it baffles me,
oh God,
that You would show mercy to sinners such as us.
For we are
disobedient,
obstinate
 and faithless.
We are lovers of this world;
lovers of our lives,
but You, oh God,
are the lover of our souls through Jesus Christ.

And so I appeal to You to send Your Spirit to those who do not know you;
to soften the hearts of those who would hold grudges,
and to embolden those who would hold back from serving you.
Receive our praise,
hear our prayers,
speak to us through Your holy Word.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.

May your worship this morning be authentic and from the heart for God is worthy of nothing less.

The Pastor -|—

Opening Prayer ~ Performing for God

/ The Pastor

A prayer in preparation for worship. The part in bold type are the words of Charles Spurgeon. May God be praised and glorified in your worship this morning.

The Pastor -|—

“Hallowed be Thy Name.”
Oh that all the earth would ever reverence it.
As for ourselves,
enable us by Thy grace to use it with awe and trembling;
and may a consideration of the glorious character
which is intended by Thy gracious name,
ever lay us in the very dust before Thee,
and yet
lift us up with holy joy and with an unwavering confidence.
We come before Thee this morning
through Christ Jesus our Lord
to express our entire confidence in You.
We come before you in humble submission
to express our obedience to You.
We come before you in joy to express our thanks to You
for the life we have in Jesus.
So receive our worship
as our holy performance for You;
may you be pleased
and may we be filled with Your Spirit.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.

Loving God and Neighbors ~ A Prayer

/ The Pastor

The following prayer is in preparation to preach the Word of the Lord from Mark 12:28-34. This is the account of a Scribe asking Jesus what is the greatest Law; which loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength AND loving your neighbor as yourself.

So may God speak to Your heart this morning and send you out to serve Him through loving your neighbor out of your love for Him.

Holy Father,
we would not know love outside of You
for You are love.
We would not know how to truly love our neighbor outside of You
for You are love.

Many who do not know You, love others
but not in the way that brings You glory.
And so I ask that those here gathered,
who do not know You,
may come to know You in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And in knowing You,
love others with a love that only comes from You.

May You fill hearts,
so much so,
that we are driven to learn and live You holy Law;
obeying You and thus
showing love to our neighbor.
May our obedience bring You glory
and may our love of our neighbors point them to You.
I pray this through Christ Jesus our Lord,
who loved us all the way through the cross and through the grave,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

In preparation to worship ~ Agape Love

/ The Pastor

Loving God,
Your love is what gives life
breath,
meaning and
hope.
Your love came to this world in Jesus Christ.

Through faith in Jesus,
Your love saves sinners from eternal condemnation.
And Your love is what binds together Your Church in
mission and
ministry
in this world.

And so we gather as Your beloved children
to praise Your holy name
for Your awesome Agape love.
May love show forth in our worship
and
may love lead us to serve our neighbors.
Receive our praise and feed us with Your Word.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

A Life a Worship ~ A Blessing

/ The Pastor

As many of you are finishing your corporate worship services to continue your life of worship; receive this blessing as you enter the mission field around you:

May your love for God burst forth through your words and deeds.
May forgiveness be the rule for your life.
May grace abound in all that you do.
May patience be extended to all.
And may evil never get a foothold in your heart;
separating you from others.
And now may the peace that surpasses all understanding,
guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus our Lord,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

You Need Nothing ~ An Offering Prayer

/ The Pastor

To suggest that You need anything,
Oh God,
is to suggest that You are not sovereign
and thus not self-sufficient.
To think that You need our meager gifts is to think You are impotent without us. May we never think thus.

Rather, may these gifts be an extension of our faith;
our response to Your amazing grace;
for we give not because the church needs these gifts
but rather
we need to give as an outlet to show our love for You.

So bless and multiply these gifts as You see fit that You may be glorified in this unholy world.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Mighty God ~ An Opening Prayer

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Mighty God, holy Father,
Your power and majesty go beyond all human understanding
and comprehension.
Your grace breaks through the hardest of hearts.
Your peace puts at ease the most anxious of souls.

Mighty God,
may the truth of Your power be revealed to us through Your Word
and may our faith grab hold of Your majesty and never let go.
May we continue to go deeper in You
and may the Gospel continue to give us hope.

And so we fall at Your feet in worship to praise Your holy name
and to be built up into a holy people sent out into an unholy world.
May we never be found lacking
and may we never be drawn to the lords of this world
whose promises are shallow.

All praise and honor and glory and worship be to You,
Mighty God,
through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.

The Pastor -|—