St Andrew Worship September 26, 2021
Dial- 669 900 9128 Meeting Times
Meeting ID 831 688 4211 Sunday at 10:15 Worship
Password 9850
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Welcome and Announcements
Opening Prayer
Lord God Almighty, we praise you for who you are and what you have done. You are the healer, bring healing in this place. You are our righteousness, bring transformation in this place. You are the provider, increase our trust in you. You are the God who is with us, let us enter your presence. You are the Lord of Hosts, bring victory in our struggles. You are the God of Peace, bring comfort in our chaos. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.
Hymn 465 What a Friend We Have in Jesus
What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit; O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer! Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer!
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer! Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In his arms he’ll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there.
Prayer of Confession
Eternal God, in whom we live and move and have our being, whose face is hidden from us by our sins, and whose mercy we forget in the blindness of our hearts: cleanse us from all our offenses, and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires, that with reverent and humble hearts we may draw near to you, confessing our faults, confiding in your grace, and finding in you our refuge and strength; through Jesus Christ your Son. Time for silent reflection.
Assurance of Grace
Hear these word from Isaiah, “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44:22)
We are redeemed, loved, and freed through Jesus Christ!
Anthem /Special Music Don Adkins performing on the Organ and Piano
Prayers of the People Lord Listen to Your Children Praying
Hymn 794 O Savior, in This Quiet Place
O Savior, in this quiet place, where anyone may kneel, I also come to ask for grace, believing you can heal.
If pain of body, stress of mind, destroys my inward peace, in prayer for others may I find the secret of release.
If self upon its sickness feeds and turns my life to gall, let me not brood upon my needs, but simply tell you all.
You never said “You ask too much” to any troubled soul. I long to feel your healing touch; will you not make me whole?
But if the thing I most desire is not your way for me, may faith, when tested in the fire, prove its integrity.
Of all my prayers, may this be chief: till faith is fully grown, Lord, disbelieve my unbelief, and claim me as your own.
Prayer for Illumination
Calm us now, O Lord, into a quietness that heals and listens. Open wounded hearts to the balm of your Word. Speak to us in clear tones so that we might feel our spirits leap for joy and skip with hope as your resurrection witnesses. Amen.
First Lesson Psalm 63:1-8
1 O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6 when I think of you on my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
Second Lesson James 5:13-20
13 Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14 Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.
19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, 20 you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
Sermon “Prayer” Rev. Anne McAnelly
Affirmation (Song of Faith of the United Church of Canada (2006)
We sing of God the Spirit,
who from the beginning has swept over the face of creation,
animating all energy and matter
and moving in the human heart.
We sing of God the Spirit,
faithful and untamable,
who is creatively and redemptively active in the world.
The Spirit challenges us to celebrate the holy
not only in what is familiar,
but also in that which seems foreign.
We sing of the Spirit,
who speaks our prayers of deepest longing
and enfolds our concerns and confessions,
transforming us and the world.
We offer worship
as an outpouring of gratitude and awe
and a practice of opening ourselves
to God’s still, small voice of comfort,
to God’s rushing whirlwind of challenge.
Through word, music, art, and sacrament,
in community and in solitude,
God changes our lives, our relationships, and our world.
Offering
Doxology
Offering Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, thank you that you have plans for me that are for my good and your glory. You said, “Give, and it will be given to you; for in the same measure as you give, it will be given to you again.” We give to you today as a response to your goodness to us. We ask that you receive our offerings and continue to supply all our needs. May your peace be in our hearts, your grace be in our words, your love be in our hands and your joy be in our souls. In your mighty name, Amen.
Hymn 468 In My Life
In my life, Lord, be glorified; be glorified. In my life, Lord, be glorified today.
In our song, Lord, be glorified; be glorified. In our song, Lord, be glorified today.
In your church, Lord, be glorified; be glorified. In your church, Lord, be glorified today.
In your world, Lord, be glorified; be glorified. In your world, Lord, be glorified today.
Benediction
