Third Sunday of Lent

Genesis 13 OR 2Samuel 7:18-29

Psalm 38

John 7:40-52

Galatians 3:1-22 OR James 3:1-18

   

CALL TO WORSHIP [from GREATER ATTENTION: LERW, YEAR D]

The LORD has promised, saying: “Raise your eyes now,

and look to the north, the south, the east, and the west …”

        You are great, O LORD our God; for there is no one like you;

        there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard!

“For all the land that you see

I will give to you and to your offspring forever.

I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth.”

        Now, LORD God, as for the word that you have spoken,

        confirm it forever; do as you have promised! 

“If one can count the dust of the earth,

your offspring also can be counted.

Rise up, walk through the length and the breadth of the land,

for I will give it to you.”

        Thus your name will be magnified forever!

        For you are God, and your words are true!

Second Sunday of Lent

Ezekiel 47:1-12

Psalm 143

John 7:14-39

James 2:(14-17) 18-26 OR James 2:1-26 OR Galatians 2:1-14 (15-21)

    

                 

OPENING PRAYER [from GREATER ATTENTION: LERW, YEAR D]

O LORD our God, you are the One true source of Living Water, the One who has been revealed in Christ Jesus, crucified, risen, and glorified, the One who sends the Spirit to summon your church into life anew. Give us life, O God, for we thirst for you! Give us freedom, O Christ, for we are bound to you! Give us courage, O Spirit, for we would have you lead us into the deep, deep waters that flow from life unto life, from deep unto deep, from the heart of the very temple of God to the heart of those who believe in and love you. This we ask in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

First Sunday of Lent

Deuteronomy 10:12-22 OR Nehemiah 9:1-38
Psalm 6
John 7:1-13

Galatians 2:1-14 (15-21) OR Galatians 1:1-24 OR James 1:1-27 OR James 1:17-2:13


   

   

CALL TO WORSHIP [from GREATER ATTENTION: LERW, YEAR D]

You shall fear the LORD your God; him alone you shall worship.

To the LORD you shall hold fast, and by his name you shall swear.  

The LORD is our praise; he is our God, who has done

great and awesome things for us that our own eyes have seen.

Heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the LORD our God,

the earth with all that is in it!

The LORD, the great God, is God of gods and Lord of lords.

Mighty and awesome, he is not partial and he takes no bribe.

Circumcise your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer,

for what does the LORD your God require of you?

Only to fear the LORD, to walk in all his ways, to love him,

to serve him with all our heart and soul, and to keep

his commandments and decrees for our own well-being.

Why the creed(s) in public worship?

Twenty-five years after releasing A Soundtrack for the Close of the Age with a simple, unadorned statement of "The Apostles' Creed" as the first track — probably the least successful marketing strategy of all time (of course, that was not the intent) — I ran across this statement that, better than I have ever been able to put into words, explains why the Creed deserved (and deserves) such a prominent place:

"A declaration of personal trust and allegiance is in reality a high form of worship; to recite a creed is no barren and dry test of orthodoxy; it is a loving outburst of a loyal heart, and a claim to receive the blessing promised to members of Christ, children of God, and heirs of heaven. The well-instructed Christian will on no account part with creeds as portions of public worship." — Bishop Harvey Goodwin, The Foundations of the Creed, p. 11; quoted in A. J. Worlledge, Prayer: The Oxford Library of Practical Theology, 2nd ed. (London, New York, Bombay: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1902), p. 73

Transfiguration Sunday

Job 36:24-37:24

Psalm 11

Matthew 8:5-13 OR John 4:43-54

Jude (OR Hebrews 13:9-14, 17-25, if Transfiguration preempts Fifth OT)


   

OPENING PRAYER [from GREATER ATTENTION: LERW, YEAR D]

Almighty God, surrounded with golden splendor, you are awesome in your majesty! Who can look upon you in your radiance? You load the clouds with moisture and from your chamber come the whirlwind and the rain. They turn round and round by your guidance, and accomplish on the earth all that you command. You say, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and the showers serve as a sign to everyone, so that all whom you have made may know you are God. Whether for correction, or for your creation, or for love, you cause it to happen, thus providing for people everywhere and giving food from heaven in abundance. Therefore, we praise you, O God. We give you thanks, O Lord, even as we seek sanctuary in you, our refuge; even as we take shelter in your holy loving presence, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Beloved of God.

The Second Sunday of Christmas

Exodus 25:1-40

Psalm 73

Matthew 11: (1-11) 12-24 (25-30) OR Luke 7:18-35

Hebrews 8:1-13

PRAYER OF CONFESSION [From GREATER ATTENTION: LERW, YEAR D]

Our Holy and Gracious God, truly you are good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart. But we confess that we have harbored envy, pride, and bitterness in our hearts. We have seen how the wicked seem to prosper, at least for a time, yet we have often failed to see the slippery slopes on which you have placed them. Forgive us, O God, for our foolishness, for our ignorance and blindness, for desiring things that are contrary to your will, for being untrue to the circle of your children. For there is nothing on earth worth desiring above you, and we have no hope of heaven apart from you. Forgive us, O God, and lead us ever more deeply into your will, for it is good for us to be near you, and to have Christ Jesus, your Son, as our refuge.

Prayers of Confession (General)

Here are some classic, general prayers of confession from the deep history of the church. The versions that appear here have been slightly adapted, updated or "corporatized," as the case may be, by yours truly. I hope you find them worth adding to your files and using in worship, probably in Ordinary Time. Meanwhile, if you find this sort of thing helpful, please copy and share the link with others and let them know what wonderful resources are to be found at The Year D Project. With warm wished for a blessed New Year to one and all. — TMS

§

O God, you are faithful and just to forgive us our sins. 
Mercifully grant that we may be delivered from the bondage of sin, 
and that we may one day rejoice in perfect liberty 
in our very Fatherland, which is in heaven. Amen.

— Roman Breviary (adapted by TMS).

Almighty and merciful God,

the Fountain of all goodness,

who knows the thoughts of our hearts,

we confess that we have sinned against you,

and done evil in your sight.

Wash us, we pray, from the stains of our past sins,

and give us grace and power to put away all hurtful things;

that we, being delivered from the bondage of sin,

may bring forth worthy fruits of repentance.

O eternal Light, shine into our hearts.

O eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil.

O eternal Power, be Thou our support.

Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance.

Eternal Pity, have mercy upon us.

Grant that, with all our hearts, and minds, and strength,

we may evermore seek your face;

and, in your infinite mercy,

bring us at last into your holy presence.

Strengthen us in our weakness, so that,

following in the footsteps of your blessed Son,

we may obtain your mercy, 
and enter into your promised joy. Amen.

— Alcuin of Tours (adapted by TMS)

Forgive our sins, O Lord. 

Forgive us the sins of our youth and the sins of our old age, 

the sins of the mind, the soul, the spirit, and the body;

forgive our secret and our whispering sins, 

our presumptuous and our crying sins, 

the sins we have done to please ourselves, 

and the sins we have done to please others. 

Forgive us those sins which we know, 

and those sins which we neither know nor remember; 

forgive them, O Lord; 

in your great goodness, forgive them all. Amen. 

— Private Devotions, 1560 

(adapted for corporate confession by TMS)

The Complete Series