1/21/18

Call to Worship:

God has rescued us from the domain of darkness, and has transferred us to the kingdom of His Beloved Son. 
We look to Him, our salvation.
In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
We look to Him, our righteousness.
He is the image of the invisible God, and all things were created through Him and for Him.
We look to Him, our creator.
He is before all things, and in Him all things are held together.
We look to Him, our sustenance.
He is the head of the church, and all fullness dwells in Him.
We look to Him, our unity.
Therefore, as we have received Christ, let us walk in Him. He has reconciled all things to
Himself, making peace through the blood of the cross.
We look to Him, our peace. Amen.

Prayer of Confession:

Our Father, we sin against you and retreat in unbelief. We would rather be in charge of
ourselves than yield to your Spirit.
Have mercy on us. Remind us that we are yours.
We sin against each other and lash out in anger. We would rather exercise power than
surrender our wills.
Have mercy on us. Remind us that we are yours.
We sin against our bodies and dwell in shame. We would rather atone for ourselves than be
offended by your forgiveness.
Have mercy on us. Remind us that we are yours.
We confess that we often do the very things we know we shouldn’t. Our addictions and
patterns hurt our families, neighbors and ourselves.
Have mercy on us. Remind us that we no longer slaves to sin.
Move us beyond ourselves. Beyond our routines, beyond our frustrations, beyond our endless efforts to satisfy ourselves.
Thanks be to God, who delivers us through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Move us beyond ourselves and into your likeness, and newness, and oneness.
Thanks be to God, who delivers us through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Open our eyes to the redeeming work of Christ. You are establishing a new world where sex,
money, and power benefit relationships instead of taking advantage of them.
Thanks be to God, who delivers us through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Teach us to look to the one who emptied himself unto death for the sake of His oneness with
the world. 

In the name of this crucified Christ we pray, Amen.