The God who invites us into His presence in worship is the God who acknowledges us as we are, but who also compels us to become more than and better than we are currently, however and whoever we are. But He does not make a great demand and then leave us on our own; He walks with us on our life’s journey. We gather in praise of this God, who will never leave us or forsake us. Therefore let us, with the confidence that He can and will improve us, worship the God of ever-new beginnings!
Pastoral Prayer
Lord God, a great saint of the Church once declared that our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee. We confess to Thee how often and how deeply our hearts become very restless. Circumstances come along which discombobulate us, situations arise which render us like ships at sea without power or rudder or anchor, and we ourselves disrupt our own existence by foolish actions and decisions. Be with us in the storm and stress of life, O God, and teach us that no matter how great are the difficulties we face, Thy power and grace are much greater still. Enable us to trust in Thee, especially when we are inclined to try to sort out all of our adversities solely by ourselves, supposing that is the wise and proper thing to do. Help us always to remember Thee, O Thou who alone art the Ultimate Sorter of All Things.
We acknowledge before Thee the ways in which we have failed to do Thy will, either because we did not want to do it or because we did not know what it was. In confessing our sins and faults, we also ask Thee to inspire us to learn from them and to do our best not to repeat them. Keep us from stubborn pride, which refuses to admit mistakes, and thus guarantees that we are certain to repeat them. We ask Thee to enable us to forgive the sins which others commit against us, particularly if it is our nature to maintain a storehouse of grievances, and therefore we make forgiveness that much more difficult.
For most of us, life is relatively easy, at least compared to those whose lives are unending tragedies. Therefore we pray for such people, asking for Thy loving kindness to infuse their being, so that even in the midst of great hardship, they may sense Thy presence, and be given hope and comfort by it. And as we pray for Thine assistance for those in need, we ask Thee to make us Thine agents in meeting those needs, so that we may become part of the divine plan for the healing of tortured souls. All these things we pray in Jesus’ name, now joining together as he taught his disciples, saying, Our Father….