Prayers For Lent

The following prayers, written in a contemporary style, draw on images from Scripture. Use these and the commentary provided for each prayer as a guide to the writing of prayers for worship. Note how each prayer is tailored to a specific liturgical function.

Opening Prayers or Prayers of Invocation Journey with us, O holy God, as we begin (or continue) our way to the cross. Sharpen our focus that our attention may center more on you than ourselves. Lead us through the shadows of darkness and prepare our hearts that we might be a people of prayer, ready to receive and respond to your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. In his name we pray. Amen. Commentary: The reference for this prayer originates in Mark 11:15–17. Here Jesus cleanses the temple, restoring it for its proper use. Likewise, this prayer at the beginning of worship seeks to prepare us both for the service and season of Lent. All-knowing and all-caring God, we gather this day drained by another week. We are like a parched desert, empty and in need of replenishment. Visit us with your presence, saturate us with your Spirit, and bathe us in the streams of living water that our lives might acknowledge and worship you to the praise and honor of Jesus Christ. Amen! Commentary: Too often our worship begins where people are not. This prayer seeks to address the emptiness that is legion in so many worshipers on a Sunday. The imagery is drawn from John 7:37–38 while echoes of John 4:13–14 can also be heard. Prayer of Confession O God, our great shepherd, you tenderly gather us as lambs, carrying us with your all-embracing love. Yet, like sheep, we wander from you: following our own ways, ignoring your voice, distrusting your provisions. Forgive our stubborn rebellion, our hardened hearts, our lack of trust. Refresh us once again by your quiet waters of mercy and restore our souls by your redeeming love. Guide our paths that we might follow you more closely … [opportunity for silent confession] … Through Jesus Christ, our good shepherd, we pray. Amen! RESPONSE Commentary: An appropriate response that could be sung here before the words of assurance is, "Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days." The first two stanzas in particular encourage both the act of confession and the assurance that Christ has conquered sin and provides the means for our forgiveness. WORDS OF ASSURANCE Leader: (reads 1 Peter 2:25) People: (read John 10:11, 9) All: (read 1 Peter 2:24) Commentary: Psalm 23 is the model for this prayer. All too frequently this popular psalm seems the exclusive domain of the terminally ill and funerals. This prayer seeks to liberate the dynamic message for everyday living. The words of assurance continue the same image of Jesus as the good shepherd. This further illustrates the beauty of how the Old and New Testaments can interact and reinforce common themes for worship. Prayer of Illumination Lord God, we approach your Scriptures with reverence and gratitude that you have preserved for us your lifegiving revelation. Be present with us through your Holy Spirit and lift high the cross so that Christ's amazing love might be proclaimed in the reading and doing of your inspired Word. In Jesus' powerful name. Amen! Commentary: This prayer unites the motifs of the refrain from the popular hymn, "Lift High the Cross" with James 1:22. The theme could be expanded by linking it with the imagery of 2 Timothy 3:16–17. The crucial dimension this prayer seeks to underscore is that Scripture is best understood and most faithfully proclaimed when it is lived out by each worshiper throughout the week. Offertory Prayers Mighty God and Father, you overwhelm us with your great mercy. At the time of our greatest need you surprised us with your wondrous love. Jesus offered his life for us to remove our dreadful curse. As you draw us into this renewing relationship of love, may we respond with gratitude as we offer the substance of our souls to continue the ministry of Christ. For his name and glory we pray and present our gifts. Amen! Commentary: The familiar Lenten hymn, "What Wondrous Love," is foundational to this prayer. The reinforcing themes of Romans 5:6, 8 integrate to encourage our response to God's generous self-giving in Christ. Lord God, may we never allow our offering of gifts to become a source of pride or boasting. Fix our gaze upon Calvary and correct our motivation. Christ's amazing and divine love demands that we hold back nothing, offering our souls and our lives. Faithfully we seek to continually present our sacrifice of praise in what we give and how we live. To the glory and honor of Christ. Amen! Commentary: The stirring words of "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" are woven together with Hebrews 13:15 to invite our participation in the ministry of giving. Pastoral Prayer Gracious God and heavenly Father, we praise and honor your great and powerful name. Your name is above every name for you alone are Lord and God. Our hearts are alive with worship as we hallow and bless you. Receive the silent expressions of our praise … Lord, you hear our prayer (refrain spoken by the entire congregation after each section) Ever faithful God, you have called us to belong to you. Come then with the fullness of your kingdom and let your will be done in us even as it is done in heaven. Lengthen our souls that we might live more by faith than fear as we prepare to live in your unfolding kingdom. Enlarge our trust as we speak to you in silence…. Lord, you hear our prayer Abundant Lord, you have supplied our daily provisions that we might work, eat, and clothe ourselves. Yet we are painfully aware of others, even within our own community, who lack these basic resources. May we never take our blessings for granted and foolishly believe they are the result of only our own labors. Grant us compassionate hearts that we might act on behalf of Christ and assist those in need. Create this same loving concern for those who are ill, shut in, or facing the darkness of loss and grief. Listen to the petitions of our heart, O gracious God …. Lord, you hear our prayer Merciful God, we acknowledge that often our tongues speak faster than we are able to think. Frequently we wish we could retract and erase hastily spoken words. Even this past week our tempers have worn thin with those whom we love. Forgive our slowness to apologize and grant us courage in participating in your ministry of reconciliation. May we not proudly wait for the other person to act but humbly seek to make those first awkward steps. Remove the resistance that lingers in these cold and broken relationships …. Lord, you hear our prayer Holy God, we are grateful for your protection amidst the temptations and evil of our day. Be our strength and shield and increase our awareness to always be alert. Guard us from foolish activities and attitudes and increase our ability to confront our personal weaknesses. Disarm the powers of darkness and slash the tentacles of anger and hatred that are at war within and around us. We pray especially for those who seek to be your peacemakers in places of conflict and turmoil. From our own wounded hearts listen to our cries for peace and security …. Lord, you hear our prayer Eternal Lord and God, may our hearts not despair, even amidst seemingly hopeless odds. Etch deeply into our memories that you are a mighty God of power and compassion. Direct our paths that we might grow in your kingdom of power and glory both now and forever …. Lord, you hear our prayer Commentary: The early disciples of Jesus asked him how to pray (Luke 11:1). Christ responded by offering what we usually call the Lord's Prayer (Matt. 6:9–15). This prayer models once again how Scripture offers us a format for praying. Each petition focuses on a separate theme. Obviously there is great flexibility and opportunity for tailoring this to individual settings. A further feature of this prayer is the congregational refrain, Lord, you hear our prayer. Many litanies use a different version inviting the worshiper to state: Lord, hear our prayer. However, that approach conveys more of an attitude of begging than confidence. Since Jesus introduces this prayer with the encouraging statement, "This is how you should pray" (Matt. 6:9a, niv), it is appropriate to acknowledge that truth with this response. Lord God, giver of eternal life and hope, we praise you for your goodness and mercy. Moved by our brokenness and rebellion, you sent your Son, Jesus the Messiah, to restore us to peace with you, ourselves, and others. We are grateful for Christ and his obedience to face the cross and suffer on our behalf. Startle us, for we are often slow in spirit, that your passion was not just to forgive us and have us continue on our own ways. Rather, it is your consuming desire for us to follow you and enjoy your friendship whether we are in good times or bad. Christ, your Son and our Savior, sounds the call when he shakes our souls with the reminder: "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23, nrsv). Lord, these are difficult words for us amid our maze of activities and responsibilities. Yet, Jesus calls us not as tourists to visit a religious display but as pilgrims to follow in his way. Plant within us a growing awareness of what it means to be your servants and representatives in our contemporary world. Grant us wisdom and courage to discover what following you means as we study at school, work at the office and factory, play at home, spend in the marketplace, participate in the community, and grow in Christ in the church. Sharpen our focus to realize that every dimension of life is your concern and needs to be placed before Christ for transformation. Remold our hearts that we might be servants to others in need. Whether these people be family, friends, or strangers, may our lives reflect the love of Christ. May we never use our wealth and influence as a means of reducing our actual participation in the pain and problems of others. The spectrum of service is vast and no one or any single church can do all. But help us to see what we can do, guided and encouraged by your Holy Spirit. Sanctify our motivation, that our service is inspired by gratitude and not guilt. May we never be ashamed of speaking or acting on the good name of Jesus Christ but willingly do what his love commands. Hear us and help us Lord, as we pause in silence to receive your direction for our lives or offer other petitions to you ….Through the cross of Christ our Savior and Lord, we pray. Amen! Commentary: The difficult words of Jesus' call to discipleship in Luke 9:23 form the inspiration and basic image of this prayer. An important element of this is while it challenges the congregation to action in Christ, the motivation is not one of guilt but gratitude. Frequently, pastors and worship leaders resort to guilt to manipulate the people of God to action. This is a contradiction of the gospel and an insult to God.