Prayer: Colossians 1: 1-14

Here’s a prayer of petition inspired by Colossians 1: 1-14.  It comes from the Ministry Matters website.

Prayer of Petition
(inspired by Colossians 1: 1-14)

Our hope is in you, Lord,
our hearts belong to heaven.
Our hope comes from the gospel,
the word of the truth
that you brought to us.
May it bear abundant fruit
in our lives.
Let the whole world
be filled with your hope!
As we grow in faith,
help us truly comprehend your grace, O God;
help us understand this amazing grace,
as we seek to lead lives worthy of you, O Lord.
In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

~ posted on the Worship Elements page of the Ministry Matters website. http://www.ministrymatters.com/

Confession: Loving Our Neighbours

Here’s a prayer of confession from the Baylor University website.

Prayer of Confession
(inspired by Luke 10: 25-37, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:30-31)

God,
we confess that we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
You embodied yourself in a human body.
You lived out your life among those who were sick—
physically, mentally, and spiritually.
You reached out to touch them,
spoke words to comfort them,
performed miracles to heal them.

Heal us we pray from the sin-sickness that grips us.
Heal us and help us to work for the healing and wholeness
of our neighbors as well.

Just speak the word of your peace, and we shall be healed.
Amen.

~ posted in What Would the Good Samaritan Do? on the Baylor University website. http://www.baylor.edu/christianethics/HealthStudyGuide6.pdf

Good Samaritan Prayer

Here’s a prayer inspired by Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37).

Prayer
(inspired by Luke 10:25-37)

Heavenly Father,
we know that You have made us for Yourself,
to love You and to love our neighbors.
Yet still we cannot help but live for ourselves,
and every day we justify ourselves by our own standards, not Yours.
But Lord, you have found us in the ditch,
and You have rescued us.
Now soften our hearts to Your will,
and make us to love others as You have loved us;
especially those who are most in need, whom we pass by every day.
In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

~ written by Ross Byrd, and posted on Christ Community Church blog. http://christcommunityvb.nextmeta.com/content.cfm?id=151&blog_id=2

Prayer of the People: The Good Samaritan

Here’s a prayer of intercession inspired by the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37).  It comes from the Baptist Union of Great Britain website.

Prayers of the People
(inspired by Luke 10: 25-37)

God of love, give us a deep love for you,
so that we can see the world as you see it,
feel the compassion you feel,
and be a people whose lives mediate your love to others.

So open our eyes that we might see what the Good Samaritan saw.
Grant us the insight to see the need in others,
the wisdom to know what to do, and the will to do it.

And so we pray for all those, who in many and various ways,
have been stripped, beaten and left for dead.

We pray for children who must grow up
in the most awful of circumstances,
especially for those starved of love, or food, or shelter or security.
May they receive the future you have planned for them.

We pray for those we might cross the road to avoid.
Who have been excluded socially because of their race,
their financial status, or their history.
May the dignity that is theirs be restored to them.

We pray for those whose need we would rather not face up to,
because it requires action of us,
those who suffer atrocities because of war, unjust trade rules,
or oppressive governments.
May the world receive a true picture of their suffering
and the factors that cause it, that justice may be done.

Open our eyes, that we might not cross the road from human need.
Give us a deep love for you,
that we might see your love at work in this world,
and that we might Go and do likewise.

~ posted on the Faith and Unity Department of the Baptist Union of Great Britain http://www.baptist.org.uk/prayers-of-intercession.html

Prayer of Confession: Good Samaritan

Here’s a prayer of confession inspired by Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan.  It was written by Maren C. Tirabassi.

Prayer of Confession
(inspired by Luke 10: 25-37)

O Holy God,
we come in confession for our lack of love.
We have neither loved ourselves nor our neighbors.
We have passed by suffering and misfortune
because of fear or busyness or preoccupation.
We have help prejudices against people
as deep as those against the Samaritans.
Heal our pains, amend our faults,
and guide us in ways of danger and compassion,
for we pray in the name of Jesus,
our most beloved neighbor,
 who cared for us even to the cross. Amen.

~ written by Maren C. Tirabassi in Touch Holiness. Posted on the Bazaar United Methodist Church website. http://www.bazaarumc.com/bulletins/bulletin090621.html

Hymn: The Good Samaritan

Here’s John Newton’s re-telling of the story of the Good Samaritan in poetic form.  The hymn was published in Olney Hymns, 1779.

The Good Samaritan
(based on Luke 10: 25-37)

How kind the good Samaritan
To him who fell among the thieves!
Thus Jesus pities fallen man,
And heals the wounds the soul receives.

O! I remember well the day,
When sorely wounded, nearly slain;
Like that poor man I bleeding lay,
And groaned for help, but groaned in vain.

Men saw me in this helpless case,
And passed without compassion by;
Each neighbor turned away his face,
Unmoved by my mournful cry.

But he whose name had been my scorn,
As Jews Samaritans despise
Came, when he saw me thus forlorn,
With love and pity in his eyes.

Gently he raised me from the ground,
Pressed me to lean upon his arm;
And into every gaping wound
He poured his own all-healing balm.

Unto his church my steps he led,
The house prepared for sinners lost;
Gave charge I should be clothed and fed;
And took upon him all the cost.

Thus saved from death, from want secured,
I wait till he again shall come,
When I shall be completely cured
And take me to his heav'nly home.

There through eternal boundless days,
When nature's wheel no longer rolls,
How shall I love, adore, and praise,
This good Samaritan to souls!

~ John Newton, Olney Hymns 1779

If you want to try singing this with your congregation, here are a few possible tunes:
CANONBURY (“Lord, speak to me that I may speak”)
MARYTON (“O Master, let me walk with Thee”)
O WALY, WALY (“Though I may speak with bravest fire”)
LAMB OF GOD (“Your only Son, no sin to hide” Twila Paris)

Interactive Prayer: Good Samaritan

If you’re working with the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37) and are looking for interactive prayer suggestions, here are suggestions from two different websites::

Interactive Prayer Stations on Good Samaritan & Love
by Theresa E Cho

Creative Prayer: Good Samaritan 

Prayer: Loving Others

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving, confession and petition from the Baylor University website.

Prayer

Loving and merciful One,
we thank you for the community in which you have placed us,
for the brothers and sisters with whom we walk this pilgrim journey.

Yet, we confess that we fail to love as you love.
We push aside those whom we believe are the least in your Kingdom.
We fail to see your Kingdom in parables
because we fail to see your Kingdom in each other.
Form in us a new vision of community
in which there is neither East nor West, neither South nor North.
We pray for the sake of your Kingdom
that both is and is not yet. Amen.

~ posted in Hearing the Parables with the Early Church on the Baylor University website. http://www.baylor.edu/christianethics/parablesstudyguide2.pdf

Prayer of Confession: Amos 7

Here’s a prayer of confession based on Amos 7: 7-17.  It comes from the Ministry Matters website.

Confession
(inspired by Amos 7: 7-17)

You stand beside a wall
with a plumb line in your hand, Lord—
the wall that I have built.
What once was a straight, strong wall of protection,
a sanctuary against all that might harm me,
is now revealed as a bowed, bulging,
weak wall of separation
that I have used to conceal myself
within a dark prison of my own making.
I know that your perfect judgment
finds me wanting.
Free me, Lord;
I am my own worst enemy.
Level my feeble fortress,
and rebuild me in the strength of your love
and your forgiveness.
Lead me from my darkness
into your light. Amen.

~ posted on the Worship Elements page of the Ministry Matters website.
http://www.ministrymatters.com/


The Good Samaritan: A Re-Telling

Here’s a contemporary telling of the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).  You may want to change the names of the locations to suit your geographical setting.

The Good Samaritan
(based on Jesus’ parable in Luke 10:25-37)

Now on the way from Morden to Winnipeg
a young mother was assaulted
by poverty, by fear, by depression,
by her husband’s unfaithfulness.

She was left abandoned, her children fatherless,
Her privacy bartered in exchange for a welfare cheque.

Too weary to go on, she lay, waiting for help.

Some good church people came by and said,
“Get up and get going,
God loves you so you  shouldn’t worry.”

Some nice community people remained aloof and whispered,
“Don’t play with her children.
She’s on welfare, you know.”

Then a neighbour from up the street came in,
a neighbour with a history that others whispered about,
an outcast who had no husband
and who’s children named no father.

She didn’t give advice and so in a subtle way, condemn.
She said, instead, “Come and have coffee with me,”
and “Let’s go shopping today”
and “Show me how you made that casserole.”

In doing so she helped to bind the wounds,
and restore faith and self-esteem,
until the young mother was able to be on her way again. 

~ written by Ruth Johnston.  Posted in the From Our Churches archive on the Mennonite Church Canada Resource Centre website.  http://resources.mennonitechurch.ca/FileDownload/12974/The_Good_Samaritan.pdf

Prayer: Luke 10: 25-37

Here’s a prayer inspired by the parable of the Good Samaritan.  It was written by Katherine Hawker.

Prayer
(inspired by Luke 10: 25-37)

he walks by
preoccupied
frightened
we walk by
he lies helpless
dazed
overwhelmed
we lie helpless

dear god,
may they find each other.
dear god,
may we find each other.

~ written by Katherine Hawker (2004), and posted on Liturgy Outside. http://liturgyoutside.net/

Blessing: Colossians 1: 9-12

Here’s a simple blessing or benediction inspired by Colossians 1: 9-12.

Benediction
(based on Colossians 1:9-12)

May God give you the gift of spiritual insight and understanding,
so that you may see things from His point of view,
and so that your lives may bring credit to God’s name,
and joy to His heart.

May your lives bear the fruit of God’s Spirit,
as you continue to grow in your knowledge and understanding of God.

And may God give you the strength you need
to be able to pass through any experience and endure it with joy,
all the while giving thanks to God
who has enabled you to share 
in the inheritance that belongs to God’s holy people.

Confession: Whenever We Forget

Here’s a prayer of confession from John Birch’s Faith and Worship website.

Prayer of Confession

Whenever self obscures the needs of others,
forgive us.
Whenever we forget who is our neighbor,
forgive us.
Whenever we pass by on the other side,
forgive us.
Whenever we forget to say ‘Well done!’
forgive us.
Whenever we forget to simply give thanks,
forgive us.
Whenever we forget the path that we tread,
forgive us.

For all those times we bring a tear to your eye,
bring us back into your forgiving arms
and teach us once again, your way.
Amen

~ written by John Birch, and posted on Faith and Worship. http://www.faithandworship.com/

Confession: Lord, Have Mercy

Here’s a prayer of confession from David Beswick’s Worship and Preaching website.

Prayer of Confession

We have failed to love you with all our heart
and to be good stewards of your creation:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. 

We have failed to take up the cross of discipleship
and to be good stewards of your gospel:
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. 

We have failed to be faithful members of your church
and to be good stewards of your spiritual gifts:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Declaration of Forgiveness

God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners,
Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Confident in his free gift of forgiveness,
I declare to you Christ's word of grace:
Your sins are forgiven.
Thanks be to God.

~ posted on David Beswick’s Worship and Preaching website. http://www.beswick.info/rclresources/15C95OS.htm

Confession: Sift Our Thoughts

Here’s a prayer of confession from Bruce Prewer.

Confession & Assurance

We come to God, not to justify ourselves but to repent and trust the saving grace of Christ Jesus.
Let us pray.

Look upon us, loving Saviour, sift our thoughts
and assess our feelings.

Deal firmly with those things that have inhibited our love
and diverted our energies.

Loving God, whatever you see
as self-righteous, censure,
as twisted, straighten,
as heartless, soften,
as fruitless, prune,
as infected, cleanse.

Flood your relentless Spirit through our whole being,
sweeping away guilt and its lethargy,
and by the saving grace of Christ Jesus,
heal the hidden springs of our personality.

Thank you, Holy Friend, for answering our prayers
before we get round to asking them,
and for doing much more than we ask or think.
Through your Son and our Saviour;
Amen

Words of Assurance

In Christ Jesus we are a radically renewed community.
Thanks be to God!
Old things are done away with, all things become new.
Thanks be to God!
We are agents of grace and reconciliation.
Thanks be to God!
With every step or stumble, Christ will be with us.
Thanks be to God!

~ written by Bruce Prewer, and posted on Bruce Prewer’s Home Page. http://www.bruceprewer.com/

Confession: You are Still Speaking

Here’s a prayer of confession from the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways website.

Confession

In the lives of neighbors who suffer brokenness and pain:
We confess you are still speaking!

In the struggle of the poor whose rights are not honored:
We confess you are still speaking!

In a world crying out for wisdom, love and mercy:
We confess you are still speaking!

In a world calling for the blessing of truth:
We confess you are still speaking!  Bless us to hear!

Let us confess together:
We confess that in our lives we often hide behind
our work and play, schools and jobs, fun and fashion. 
We let ourselves get so busy
that we forget the cause of the poor and the suffering.
We confess we allow the powers of this world
to seduce us into selfishness
and silence our witness.                                 
Teach us to champion the cause for justice for all,
strengthen us to love our neighbor
and speak truth no matter the penalty.  Amen.

Assurance of God’s Love

The Word of God assures us
that we are able to love through the Spirit of Christ. 
Let us go from this place with authority,
knowing that God’s Word gives us strength
to love our neighbors near and far
and power to speak up for those who are broken.  
Thanks to the Word of God! 

~ from Empowered to Love and Speak Truth, written by LT Leticia Rouser, a chaplain in the United States Navy. Posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways website. http://www.ucc.org/worship/worship-ways/

Closing Prayer: Colossians 1: 9-11

Gracious God,
as your beloved children,
we pray that you would give us spiritual insight and understanding,
so that we would know your will in all things,
and so that the way we live would honour and please you,
and bear fruit in the lives of those around us.

We pray that you would strengthen us with your glorious power,
so that we would have the patience and endurance we need
to live with joy and integrity,
always giving thanks for the mercy and love you have shown us
in Jesus Christ our Saviour.

To you be glory, now and forever.  Amen.

Readers' Theatre: Colossians 1: 1-14

Here’s a readers’ theatre setting of Colossians 1: 1-14.  It is set for two voices.

Readers’ Theatre: Colossians 1: 1-14

One:     This letter is from Paul,
chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus,

Two:     and from Timothy, his brother in Christ.

One:     We are writing to God’s holy people in the city of Colossae,
who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ.

Two:     May God our Father give you grace and peace.

One;     We always pray for you,
and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus
and your love for all of God’s people, 
which comes from your confident hope
of what God has reserved for you in heaven.

Two:     You have had this expectation
ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.

One:     This same Good News that came to you
is going out all over the world.
It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives,

Two:     just as it changed your lives
from the day you first heard and understood the truth
about God’s wonderful grace.

One:     You learned about the Good News from Epaphras,
our beloved co-worker.

Two:     He is Christ’s faithful servant,
and he is helping us on your behalf.

One:     He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you.

Two:     So we have not stopped praying for you
since we first heard about you.
We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will

One:     and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 

Two:     Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord,
and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit.

One:     All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

Two:     We also pray that you will be strengthened
with all his glorious power
so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.

One:     May you be filled with joy,
always thanking the Father.
He has enabled you to share in the inheritance
that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 

Two:     For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness
            and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,
who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

Prayer: Producing Fruit

“Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord,
and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit.” Colossians 1:10


Lord, we would grow with you
and bring forth fruit
that is pleasing to you
fed by your living water
giving sustenance to others
Lord, we would grow with you 

~ contemporary Welsh prayer posted on A Place for Prayer. http://revgalprayerpals.blogspot.ca/

Confession: Proper 10 C

Here’s an act of confession inspired by the suggested scripture readings for Proper 10 C – especially Luke 10: 25-37 and Colossians 1: 1-14. It was written by Thom Shuman.

Call to Reconciliation

Are you in love with God?
Do you show it in your words, your thoughts, your actions?

Are you in love with your neighbor?
Do they know this by your presence, your grace, your friendship? 

Or are you so obsessed with your self,
that you have no time, no room, no pity for others, or for God?

Let us confess the limits we place on our love,
so we might be filled with God's limitless mercy.

Unison Prayer of Confession

They may not be beaten down or lying by the road,
but there are people we pass by, Watching God.

Some are family and friends
we take so much for granted
we cannot see how we have stripped
them of our love and compassion.

Others are neighbors:
who have been left half-dead by crushing work;
who have fallen into the hands of despair;
who have been abandoned by all those
who walked on by them.

Many are strangers, people we don't know,
but quickly judge:
they are weak,
or poor,
or the enemy
or because they remind us of who
we once were, or could become.

Rescue us from the power of our sins,
Righteous One of all generations.
Pour out your justice on us,
rather than your judgement,
that we would be moved with pity,
and spurred to action;
that we would hear of the hope that is ours,
and share it with our sisters and brothers;
that we would shower mercy on all we meet,
even as we have received forgiveness for our sins
through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Silent Prayers may be offered

Assurance of Pardon

Children of the Most High:
you are forgiven and brought into the kingdom.
Be filled with spiritual wisdom,
lead lives worthy of your inheritance,
bear fruit in all you say and do and think.
God has rescued us and redeemed us from our sins,
setting aside judgment to shower us with mercy.
We will go and do likewise.  
Thanks be to God. Amen.

~ written by Thom Shuman, and posted on Lectionary Liturgies. http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.ca/

Contemporary Songs: Psalm 25

If you’re looking for contemporary Praise & Worship song suggestions to use with Psalm 25 (the suggested psalm for Proper 21A, Lent 1B, Proper 10C, Advent 1C), you can find a list at my Contemporary Psalms blog. http://contemporarypsalms.blogspot.ca/  The blog is not finished (and likely never will be, since I keep coming across new songs!), but it’s a start.


Prayer: Your Word

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving and commitment from John Birch’s Faith and Worship website.

Prayer
(inspired by Isaiah 55: 10-13
and other passages)

You call us to love those
whom you would love,
and give us the words to say.

You call us to bring wholeness
to lives that are broken,
and give us the words to say.

You call us to bring comfort
to those who are grieving,
and give us the words to say.

You call us to bring good news
to those who are seeking,
and give us the words to say.

Your word, living water
in desert sands.

Your word, blossoming
in parched earth.

Your word, bearing fruit
wherever it is sown.
Amen

~ written by John Birch, and posted on Faith and Worship. http://www.faithandworship.com/

Readers' Theatre: Who is My Neighbor?

Here’s a readers’ theatre setting of Luke 10: 25-37, where Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan.  It is set for three voices.

Readers’ Theatre: Luke 10: 25-37

One:     One day an expert in religious law decided to test Jesus.
He stood up and asked him this question:

Two:     Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?

Three:   What does the law of Moses say?
How do you read it?”

Two:     It says,
‘You must love the Lord your God
with all your heart, all your soul,
all your strength, and all your mind.’
It also says,
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Three:   That’s exactly right!
            Do this and you will live!

One:     But the man, wanting to justify his actions,
asked another question:

Two:     But who is my neighbor?

One:     Jesus answered his question by telling him a story.

Three:   A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho,
and he was attacked by bandits.
They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up,
and left him half dead beside the road.

By chance a priest came along.
But when he saw the man lying there,
he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 

A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there,
but he also passed by on the other side.

Then a despised Samaritan came along,
and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 
Going over to him,
the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine
and bandaged them.
Then he put the man on his own donkey
and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 
The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, 
telling him, ‘Take care of this man.
If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

Now which of these three would you say
was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?

Two:     The one who showed him mercy.

Three:   Yes.  Now you go and do the same.