Opening Prayers/Prayers of Adoration on Holiness
Adapted from Ephesians 1:3-18
All glorious God, we give you thanks:
in your Son, Jesus Christ,
you have given us every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly realms.
You chose us, before the world was made,
to be your holy people, without fault in your sight.
You adopted us as your children in Christ.
You have set us free by his blood;
you have forgiven our sins.
You have made known to us your secret purpose,
to bring heaven and earth into unity in Christ.
You have given us your Holy Spirit,
the seal and pledge of our inheritance.
All praise and glory be yours, O God,
for the richness of your grace,
for the splendor of your gifts,
for the wonder of your love.
The Worship Sourcebook
Prayer – Cry, “Glory”
Transcendent Lord,
in the midst of ordinary days draw us to wonder
to fall on our knees and cry, “Glory!”
You are the Holy One, Above and Other.
May we tremble, knowing how deeply you know us and love us
The fierceness of a tsunami does not compare to your passion for us
and for the salvation of all things.
Shake away our apathy and distraction.
Shake the depths of our motives so the great stones of destruction are laid waste.
Shake us awake to your wild, thundering dance of true life.
Amen.
Cry, “Glory!” © 2011 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, www.revlisad.com
God of power, love and wisdom:
you’ve known us and loved us from before we even were,
and extended your grace to us before we knew your name. You save us from ourselves –
from our arrogance, rebellion and sin;
and from the powers of the world and devil
which seek to ensnare us.
And you save us for something, as well –
for a new life of holiness
and for a great purpose:
to guard your gospel by giving it away in truth.
For all of this: we thank you and praise you.
Because of this: we can trust you and depend on you.
Holy, Holy, Holy – Father, Son and Holy Spirit: three times holy:
We love you – though we struggle to fully comprehend You.
We follow you – though we don’t know where you might take us.
We praise you – though we see only glimpses of your glory and wonder.
We trust you – because You’re worthy of our belief, trust and faith.
(Prayers of Confession)
Yet, we admit there are times our love, obedience,
praise and trust leave much to be desired.
Too often our love’s only a passing feeling and not a lasting action;
we obey only when it’s convenient;
our praise is limited to when things are going well
and our trust is more in ourselves than in you.
Forgive us, as in the quiet we tell only you
what we’re too ashamed to say before anyone else. (silence… )