cares on Consolation

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 8:33-34, Isaiah 55:6-7, Romans 8:38

Pastor: God of all mercy and consolation, come to the aid of Your people, turning us from our sin to live for You alone. Give us the power of Your Holy Spirit that, attentive to Your Word, we may c...

liturgy

Bringing God's Peace to All

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 1:17, Matthew 5:9, James 3:18, Amos 5:24, John 14:27 , Jeremiah 6:14 , Proverbs 3:17

Almighty God, we settle for false peace. We see no need to rock the boat, so we allow injustice to rule and reign. God, give us the conviction to take on the work of peace-making. Give us the courage,...

liturgy

Grace and Assurance from God

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 4:18-20 , Luke 10:33-37, John 13:34-35, John 8:10-11, Luke 15:20-24 , Matthew 9:9-13 , Galatians 6:2

Gracious God, we desire to follow when you call. We long to live according to the ways of Jesus, yet we find ourselves stumbling. Forgive us for the times we have ignored your call to follow you in th...

liturgy

Praise be to the God and Father

Author

Keywords

Scripture

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 , Psalm 103:13

Pastor: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, People: the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, Pastor: who comforts us in all our troubles, Pe...

liturgy

God's Love: Our True Guide

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 64:8, Micah 6:8, Matthew 22:37-39, Romans 12:2, Psalm 51:10

O Holy God, we come before you in humility, recognizing we have resorted to competition rather than compassion. We have doubted the depth of your love for us, and in turn have been unloving to our fam...

illustration

Receiving Mercy Instead of Wrath

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 50:15-21, Exodus 34:6-7, Lamentations 3:22-23 , Luke 15:20-24, Romans 8:1, Psalm 103:13-14

God does for you what Bill Tucker’s father did for him. Bill was sixteen years old when his dad suffered a health crisis and consequently had to leave his business. Even after Mr. Tucker regained his ...

liturgy

Reconciled to God Through Christ

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Hebrews 8:12, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Isaiah 61:10, Psalm 32:1-2, Micah 7:18-20

Pastor: Lord of all, the demands of Your righteousness are too hard for us to fulfill alone, People: so we use this excuse to ignore Your law. Pastor: You forgive our iniquity and remember our sin...

liturgy

Merciful God Hears Confession

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 103:8-13 , Micah 7:18-20, Hosea 14:1-4, Isaiah 55:7, Romans 8:1

Pastor: Almighty and merciful God has heard your confession. Hear and receive His words of forgiveness: "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not a...

liturgy

Hope Through Divine Light

Author

Keywords

Scripture

John 8:12, Psalm 27:1 , John 1:5, Isaiah 9:2, Matthew 5:14-16, Proverbs 3:5-6, Ephesians 5:8-9

All-gracious God, you promise that your light drowns out darkness, yet the darkness is so persistent. We cannot see in front of us, so we look to our own knowledge and ways. Forgive us for turning to ...

liturgy

Gracious God, you receive us in your gentle arms

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 61:1-3, 2 Kings 20:1-5, Exodus 15:25-26, Mark 5:25-34, Luke 4:18-19, Psalm 147:3

Gracious God, you receive us in your gentle arms. You anoint us with your healing presence. Help us to be mindful of your mercy, your deep compassion for the wounds of the world, and your willing pres...

illustration

In the Old Testament, the book of Psalms is called

Keywords

Scripture

Job 1:20–21, Lamentations 3:19–24, 1 Samuel 1:10–18 , Psalm 42:5 , 2 Corinthians 6:10 , Romans 5:3–5

In the Old Testament, the book of Psalms is called, in Hebrew, “The Praises.” And yet the single largest category of “praises” within it consists of laments! That is, people were bringing before God t...

liturgy

God of Our Salvation

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 55:6-7, Psalm 85:4, Psalm 4:6, Hosea 14:1-4, Romans 8:1

Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. People: Amen. Pastor: Seek the Lord while he may be found; People: call on him while he is near. ...

liturgy

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God

Author

Keywords

Scripture

John 3:16-17, Lamentations 3:22

Pastor: Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another. People: Gracious God, have mercy on us. In Your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things done and...

liturgy

God's Compassion and Our Calling

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 10:30-37, Matthew 25:35-40, Mark 6:34, 1 John 4:19-21, James 1:27 , Proverbs 19:17, Isaiah 58:6-7

Father God, you see us; you have compassion; and you care for your greatest creation – people. You have also called us to notice, to listen, and to love others. Yet in our selfishness, we have ignored...

liturgy

Trusting God's Goodness and Power

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Mark 9:23-24, Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 8:28, Matthew 17:20, Ephesians 1:18-19 , Isaiah 40:28-31

All-powerful God, overwhelmed by the sorrows and pains of the day, we are prone to doubting. We search for your goodness yet we cannot perceive it. We long for your greatness but we disbelieve it. H...

liturgy

Gratitude for God's Great Mercy

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 6:36, Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 18:23-35, Micah 7:18-19, Psalm 51:1-2, Titus 3:4-5, Zechariah 7:9

Gracious God, you have given us great mercy through Jesus, yet we have withheld mercy from others. Our hearts have been hardened by the world and our sin. Would you soften our hearts? And give us a de...

illustration

Kindness and the Character of God

Author

Christopher H. J. Wright

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 34:6–7, Genesis 39:21, Micah 6:8, Titus 3:4–5, Luke 6:35–36, Psalm 136:1

In the Old Testament, God is often praised for his kindness. There is a beautiful word in Hebrew— hesed —which is so rich in meaning that it gets translated in many ways. Very often it is translat...

liturgy

God of love you are our only strength

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Deuteronomy 33:27, Isaiah 40:29-31, Ruth 2:12, Matthew 11:28-30, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Psalm 91:1-4

God of love you are our only strength, our only refuge, our only hope. Amid all the voices of fear in this world we turn to you for your grace. Speak to us and bring us safely under your wing. We pray...

liturgy

God of love, we give thanks for the mystery

Author

Keywords

God of love, we give thanks for the mystery of this meal, in which, even in our sin, you offer us love and grace. Therefore we are bold to confess our sin to you with one another. Merciful God,...

illustration

Negotiating with God

Author

Max Lucado

Keywords

Scripture

Job 1:20-21, Daniel 3:17-18, Habakkuk 3:17-18, Luke 22:42, Psalm 34:18-19 , John 6:66-69

A few days ago I met with a young couple. Their toddler was injured in a car accident. When I visited them in the hospital, the child was on life support. As we stood outside the ICU and spoke, I saw,...

Quote

Author

Ann Voskamp

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 6:5-6, Lamentations 3:31-33 , Hosea 11:8-9, John 11:32-35 , Matthew 26:36-39, Psalm 34:18

Who knows why God allows heartbreak, but the answer must be important enough because God allows His heart to break too.

illustration

Recognizing Her Own

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 49:15, John 10:14, Luke 12:6-7, Psalm 139:1-3, 2 Timothy 2:19, Isaiah 43:1, Matthew 10:29-31, Psalm 91:4, Deuteronomy 32:11, Job 39:1-2, Luke 15:4-6

The guillemot, a small Arctic seabird, nests in dense colonies on the rocky cliffs of the North Atlantic and Arctic. Thousands of these birds gather in tight spaces, with hundreds of females laying th...

liturgy

God's Power for World Healing

Keywords

Scripture

Acts 1:8, Matthew 5:14-16, Galatians 6:9, Isaiah 61:1-3, James 1:27, Romans 8:26-27, Nehemiah 2:17-18

Almighty God, the brokenness of this world is so vast that we doubt what we can do. Forgive us for giving up and leaving brokenness alone. Help us remember and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to ...

liturgy

We join with all of creation to shout

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 4:18-19, Ezekiel 36:26-27, Hosea 6:1-2, Luke 4:18-19, 1 Peter 1:3-4, Psalm 30:2-5

Prayer of Confession Pastor: We join with all of creation to shout the praise of Almighty God, and to sing for joy at His loving faithfulness. Yet we must confess to God and one another that we have ...

liturgy

God is my light and my salvation

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 27:, John 8:12, Philippians 4:6-7 , Matthew 6:25-34 , Isaiah 60:19-20 , Exodus 14:13-14, Psalm 27:1-3

Leader: God is my light and my salvation; of whom should I be afraid? All: Though violence rise all around me I will not be drawn into fear. One thing I asked of God, that will I seek af...

liturgy

Adapted from James 4:8, 10

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

James 4:8, Proverbs 3:34, Matthew 11:28-30, 1 John 1:9, Psalm 51:17

Leader: Come near to God and he will come near to you. People: Wash your hands and purify your hearts. Leader: Grieve your sins and you will be forgiven. People: Humble yourselves befo...

liturgy

Called to Be God's Light

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 5:14-16 , 1 John 4:18-19 , Acts 4:29-31 , Romans 12:9-11 , 2 Corinthians 3:12, Esther 4:14, James 2:14-17

Gracious God, you have called us to be light in a dark world, and we have remained hidden. Thinking of ourselves first, we have withheld courage and compassion. Merciful God, hear our confessions and ...

illustration

A Love that Will Not Let Me Go

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 29:15–30, Job 1:2, 19:25, Isaiah 54:4–10 , John 21:15–19, Romans 8:35–39, Psalm 34:18

George Matheson was just entering the bewildering teenage years when doctors informed him he was going blind. Undeterred, he pressed on with his education and graduated from the University of Glasgow ...

liturgy

Embracing God's Persistent Love

Author