Prayers of the People/Intercession for Reformation Sunday
Jesus,
You name us Beloved, Blessed
Son, Daughter
Sibling, Heir
Help us remember
You name us Child of the King
Redeemed, Forgiven
Saved by grace through faith
Help us remember
You name us Light, Salt,
Hope, Grace
A Priesthood of Believers
Help us remember
You name us
Nothing can change what You have said
We place our trust in You alone
We honor You
We glorify your Holy Name
The congregation is invited to offer their own praise and thanksgiving
Help us live lives
Worthy of the name you died to give us
Help us live lives
Worthy of our word and truth
Help us live lives
Worthy of the prayer you have given us
Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer
Liturgy for Reformation Sunday © 2022 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, www.revlisad.com
Eternal and merciful God, we bless and praise you for all your goodness and especially for the mercies we commemorate this day. Praise be to you that you sent your only-begotten Son into the world to be the propitiation for our sins and gave us your word to make your salvation known to all nations.
We praise you today that when the church was in darkness and need of reformation, you rekindled the light of your word through your servant Martin Luther, who taught our ancestors the gospel of salvation.
We praise you that you have preserved that heritage and saved us from persecution and error. We thank you for defending our churches and schools from the assaults of Satan and for giving strength and success to your word, always providing faithful shepherds to feed your sheep with your word.
We sincerely repent, confessing our sin, ingratitude, indifference, and unbelief. We do not deserve that you continue to feed us with your word. But we ask that you, Lord, will deal with us, not after our sins, but according to your infinite compassion.
Do not let the gates of hell prevail against your Church. Preserve us from human traditions, doctrines of men, and those subversive errors which lead us onto false paths.
Grant to those in authority peace and good government. Let truth, justice, and liberty live in our land, so that without restraint or any barrier we may continue to enjoy the blessings of your word.
Preserve for us and our children the saving gospel and the right use of the sacraments until you return. Send us blameless teachers, capable ministers of the New Testament, and faithful stewards of your mysteries. Give them wisdom and boldness to proclaim your salvation.
Let us never misuse the gospel to give ourselves false peace in a dead faith.
Keep us in the light of your truth and let us walk as children of light. Let us be a city on a hill to shine for all until Christ comes again. Increase our faith and numbers. Restore those who are deceived by error and let your word be known among all nations of the earth.
Clothe us with your power so that we may fight a good fight and keep the faith, until we obtain the crown of righteousness laid up for us in heaven, for your son’s sake. Amen.
Adapted from Lutheran Liturgy and Agenda (1921)
Lord God, Heavenly Father, who after years of darkness delivered us from error and the tyranny of human ordinances, we thank you for those faithful witnesses through whom you restored the gospel of Christ to us and maintained it for us until today. Thank you for the knowledge of your Holy Scriptures so that we can know salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, our only mediator. We praise you that we have the freedom to worship you in spirit and truth. Defend your church so that we may continue to enjoy your word and sacraments. Seek the lost and those who have strayed from you. Turn our hearts from error and falsehood and keep us in your grace and truth, so that we do not misuse our precious liberty to our harm or shame your Church by hypocrisy.
We ask that you direct and strengthen us by your Holy Spirit to live out our confession of the gospel to the world around us, so that by the witness of our lives and our constant faith, even unto death, we would glorify your holy name and in the end obtain everlasting life by your grace. Now to you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be all glory forever. Amen.