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Delighting in the Lord

Description

Here are worship resources based on Psalm 1.

Scripture

Psalm 1

Prayers

Prayer of Praise

You, loving God, are the ground of our being and the river of life;
you both steady our roots and draw them to seek the living waters.
You are like the sunlight enticing us taller
and like the breeze rustling our leaves.
You are with us through hard seasons of summer heat,
and in the nights when winter’s frost ice the landscape
your love warms and sustains us.
You are everything to us.
O let our gratitude be great,
let our praise be plentiful,
let our worship be wonder-full!
Through Christ Jesus your ever-living Son.

Amen!

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

Prayer of Confession

Merciful God,
creator of all that is, seen and unseen,
our delight is in your word
and we have a deep sense of your presence
when we allow it to fill our lives night and day.

For the times when we listen to the advice
of those who rebel against you,
Lord have mercy.

For those times when we can be found with those who scorn,
Christ have mercy.
We experience your blessings
like a tree that is planted beside a never-failing stream
For those times when we do not bear the fruits of your abundance,
Lord have mercy.

Merciful God, 
renew us by your nurture and blessing,
so that we may prosper in your ways.
Watch over us,
so that the ways of the wicked pass from us. Amen.

~ written by Jeff Shrowder, and posted on The Billabong website.
http://thebillabong.info/
If you use it in worship, please acknowledge as follows: © Jeff Shrowder 2000.

Prayer of Confession

Happy are those who turn away from the counsel of the wicked.
But oh, that counsel can be so seductive –
it draws us in, holds us fast, distracts our priorities,
obstructs our capacity to love.

But we seek no obstructions, we reject wicked counsel.
We embrace God’s embrace.
For whatever ways we don’t, we confess.
In whichever ways we sin, we repent.
Hear our prayers, O God, as, before you, we seek wholeness.

Silence

God of mercy, grace, reconciliation and goodness:
We are sorry for so much—
for words we cannot bear to say
for memories we cannot bear to relive
for thoughts we cannot bear to admit.

But you know our hearts.
Relieve us of our burdens,
Bind our hearts not to the unbearable but rather, to you
so that, in all ways, we may live in the joy of your salvation
and the delight of your loving embrace.

Silence

Assurance of Pardon

Happy are we, holy people, when we walk in the ways of our God.
Happy are we, beloved ones, as we receive God’s forgiveness.

Happy are we, God’s own,
because we are made whole, through Jesus Christ.

Amen.

~ written by Rev. Kaji R. Spellman. Posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways website.
http://www.ucc.org/worship/worship-ways/

Spoken Resources

Contemporary Call to Worship

Our world offers many wide avenues
and beautiful boulevards to walk;
Our God invites us to walk the road of service and sacrifice.
Our society suggests we put down our roots
in the shallow soil of pleasure and greed.
Our God seeks to plant us on the banks of hope,
watered by the rivers of joy and grace.
Our culture promotes achievement, success,
climbing to the top, ringing the bell.
Our God tells us if we want to be first
we need to go to the end of the line.

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

Blessings of the Blessed

In the name of the God of abundant life, I dare to bless you!
Amen!

That in the seasons of plenty you will thrive and grow.
That in the seasons of drought you will consolidate your strength.
I bless you!
Amen!

That you will delight in the warm sun of God shining upon you.
That you will delight in the cold rain of God falling on you.
I bless you!
Amen!

That you will blossom to the glory of God
and make the world a more fragrant place.
I bless you!
Amen!

That you will give shelter to those who seek refuge from storm or fierce heat.
That you may never forget whose tree you really are and whose life you share.
I bless you!
Amen!

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

Songs

Traditional Hymn: Come, We That Love the Lord

Worship Together #50

Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
Join in a song with sweet accord,
And thus surround the throne,
And thus surround the throne.

We're marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful Zion;
We're marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.

Let those refuse to sing
Who never knew our God;
But children of the heavenly King,
But children of the heavenly King
May speak their joys abroad,
May speak their joys abroad.

The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the heav'nly fields,
Before we reach the heav'nly fields
Or walk the golden streets,
Or walk the golden streets.

Then let our songs abound,
And ev'ry tear be dry;
We're marching through Immanuel's ground,
We're marching through Immanuel's ground
To fairer worlds on high,
To fairer worlds on high.

~ Isaac Watts

Contemporary Hymn: Blessed, Each One Who Does Not Walk

Blessed, each one who does not walk
where th’ungodly hold their talk,
stand in wait where sinners meet,
sit where cynics take their seat;
Lord, your law their joy they find,
day and night it shapes their mind.

Come, each true believer see
as a firmly-planted tree,
flowing waters, crystal clear,
make it fruitful year by year:
green, unfading, are its leaves;
boundless grace all good achieves.

Evildoers are not so;
chaff that flies when breeze blow
in God's judgment cannot thrive,
with his flock will not survive:
God knows all his children's path;
paths of evil end in wrath.

~ Christopher Idle.  Words copyright © 1999 The Jubilate Group (admin. Hope Publishing Company). If you use this song in worship, be sure to report it on your CCLI license.

Tune suggestions:
DIX (“For the beauty of the earth”)

Contemporary Song: Your Love is Beautiful

You surrounded me with songs of praise
You have brought me to this place
Where Your love and grace
Move within my life
Now Your message is my light

Your love is beautiful
Your love is beautiful
It's the reason why I sing

All around the world
Let the praise begin
All around the world
Let the praise begin

I am planted here by the waters
And I'm living for the King
I have found my peace
In the house of God
This is where I'm meant to be

~ Reuben Morgan, Nigel Hendroff, Raymond Badham, Steve McphersonAuthor. Copyright © 2001 Hillsong Publishing (Admin in US & Canada at EMICMGPublishing.com). CCLI Song #3375583.  If you use this song in worship, be sure to report it on your CCLI license.

Listen to it here: http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=1802167

Images

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Notes

This worship resource was created/compiled by Christine Longhurst. You are welcome to use it free of charge, and where appropriate, please note the source. If you are printing any of the resources for distribution, please print the source as well. The content of the worship resource does not necessarily represent the views of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, which oversees the Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies. For more worship resources by Christine Longhurst, see http://www.re-worship.blogspot.ca or http://www.faithmatters.ca.

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