Faith & Worship

The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) offers a three-year cycle with four readings for every Sunday in the Church Year.

These readings are:
A Lesson from the Hebrew Scriptures (or Acts during the Season of Easter)
A Psalm
A Lesson from the Epistles or Acts
A Lesson from the Gospels

The following prayers follow a traditional form using the pattern of ACT (Adoration, Confession and Thanksgiving).

There is also an opening prayer which can be used at the beginning of a service.

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Proper 12 (17th Sunday in Ordinary Time)


Sunday between July 24 and July 30 inclusive

Hosea 1:2-10; Psalm 85; Colossians 2:6-15,(16-19);Luke 11:1-13
 

OPENING PRAYER

The blessing of Father, Spirit, Son
Holy Trinity, Three in One,
be in our meeting
and our greeting,
in the worship we share
and the words of our prayer.
The blessing of Father, Spirit, Son
Holy Trinity, Three in One,
be in our living
and our breathing,
that through our hearts and our words
your truth may be heard.

ADORATION

We do not follow idols
or earthly philosophies,
nor place our hopes
in creeds devised by human minds.
Though we are small
when measured in universal terms,
and often powerless
when faced with difficulties or fear,
our hope is not found
within sand upon the shore
but in the solid ground of faith.
For we are children of a living God.
In Him alone do we put our trust.
In Him alone do we place our hope.
To Him alone do we give our lives
to be used for His glory.


CONFESSION

Gracious God,
whose love is greater
than the wickedness of this world,
forgive our wrongdoing.
Remind us of your love
and our indifference,
remind us of your peace
and our impatience,
remind us of your touch
and our brokenness,
remind us of your kingdom,
and our homelessness.
Gracious God,
whose love is greater
than the wickedness of this world,
draw us into your arms
and set our feet once more on solid ground.

THANKSGIVING

In your kingdom
there are no haves or have-nots,
no privileged or paupers,
no in-crowd or outsiders,
no rich or exploited.
In your kingdom
all are equal in value and worth,
all are loved as only you can love,
blessed as only you can bless.
May we live that life
if only now in part,
a foretaste of that which is to come,
through the love of Christ
whose guiding footsteps lead us
and whose Cross impels us to follow.

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