Opening Prayers/Prayers of Adoration on Fathers
Lord our Lord – How majestic is Your name in all the earth.
The sun’s light is but a dim flicker
next to the brightness of Your glory.
Your care is far more intimate
than that of a mother sparrow hovering over her next.
Your faithfulness is even more consistent
than the rising of the sun and the passing of seasons.
Your blessings come in showers that refresh and renew us
more than the spring rains.
And You meet us wherever we are –
in a sanctuary, on a lawn,
walking a beach, working in a desk,
driving a van full of kids to a ball game,
and laying our head on the pillow a night.
For who You are and all You do on our behalf,
We thank and praise You this morning.
Thank You for love shown us by dads and moms.
Thank you for grandparents …for sisters and brothers …
for friends, and even for strangers,
who grace our lives with kindness and care.
(Prayer of Adoration)
Father God … our Abba:
You seek us with relentless love – coming after us in Your Son, Jesus.
When we are in the pits – You draws us up and out;
When we are broken – You fix us.
When we are lost – You find us.
When we are confused about who we are –
You call us by name and calls us Your own.
With hearts stilled and filled with Your love:
We bring our thanks and praise to You today.
(Prayer of Confession)
Yet – how often we forget who we are as Your children.
We live like we are not Yours but someone else’s;
Like we are not created in Your image,
redeemed by the blood of Your Son,
indwelt by Your very self in the Holy Spirit.
Forgive our wandering hearts, our lusty spirits,
Our self-centered attitudes and selfish actions.
In Your love and grace,
Hear now what our lips are ashamed to say aloud,
As we quietly confess our sins to You: (Silence)
(Prayer of Adoration)
Lord, our Lord – How excellent is your name in all the earth.
Because of who you are – we praise You.
Because of what you’ve done – we thank You.
You are a Father to the fatherless.
the Strength of the weak,
the Protector of the powerless,
and an Advocate for the disenfranchised …
just in all your ways and righteous in all your judgments.
While those all around us spin facts and lie to us,
You alone speak clear, unvarnished truth.
While the love of most comes with small print and strings attached,
Your love is gracious, unfettered and free.
(Prayer of Confession)
Yet – when we encounter the light of Your purity, truth and glory,
we ourselves are revealed for who we are,
our shadow-sides are unmasked,
our motives laid bare
and we must confront what we’d rather hide or hide from.
However, we know your grace is sufficient for even that,
and Your mercy is lavish beyond imagination.
So we humbly come to you confessing our errors, faults and sins –
all of which are first degree –
Amen.
(Assurance of Pardon)
The love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.
Nothing you do can make Him love you any less …
so free and gracious is His love;
And nothing you do can make Him love you any more …
so abundant and overwhelming is His love for you.
Because of His grace, mercy and love for us:
I declare to you
that by His grace active in your faith
in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior –
you are forgiven all your sins;
and you are free
to live life in the joy and fullness of the Spirit
now and always. AMEN!