Collects and Prayers - November 29, 2009 - The First Sunday of Advent

Greeting
Leader: Lift up your heads, O mighty gates!
People: And be lifted up, O ancient doors!
Leader: Behold, the King of glory waits to enter in.
People: Come, Emmanuel, come.

Collect - Prayer for the Lighting of the Advent Candle
O God, rejoicing, we remember the promise of your Son.
As the light from the Advent candle, may the blessing of Christ come upon us,
brightening our way and guiding us by his truth.
May Christ our Savior bring life into the darkness of our world,
and to us, as we wait for his coming.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayers of the People
As we watch and wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us come away from the rush and hurry of our lives and offer prayers to God who comes to our aid. After each petition, please respond with “Come, Emmanuel, come.”

For the peace of a world broken by human desires, that Christ may come and dwell with us, healing all division and strife.
We pray, come, Emmanuel, come.

For the church throughout the world and all Christians everywhere. That their anticipation of the Christ child will renew their hope in the promised Kingdom of God.
We pray, come, Emmanuel, come.

For church leaders, for Al Gwynn, our bishop, for Greg Moore, our pastor, and all who tend the flocks of the faithful. May they be good and true servants of Christ, who calls them by name.
We pray, come, Emmanuel, come.

For those in need, for the sick and the suffering, for the hungry and the oppressed, for those who are left in the cold during this winter season.
We pray, come, Emmanuel, come.

For the poor in spirit, for those who spend much yet receive little comfort, for those who travel far yet cannot find solace.
We pray, come, Emmanuel, come.

O King of all the nations, only joy of every heart, keystone of the mighty arch who makes us one, come and save the creature you fashioned from clay. Glory to you forever and ever. Amen.

Collects and Prayers - November 22, 2009 - Christ the King Sunday

Greeting
Leader: Christ, the King of kings, commands all the heavens and earth.
All: Let His name be exalted!
Leader: Christ the King is the king of Saul, David, and Solomon, and all is in His dominion.
All: To Him alone we submit ourselves.
Leader: The King of the Ages is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
All: Let His glorious name be eternally praised!

Collect
Almighty God, who gave your son, Jesus Christ, a realm where all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; make us loyal followers of our living Lord, that we may always hear his word, follow his teachings, and live in his Spirit; and hasten the day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord; to your eternal glory. Amen.

Prayers of the People
Let us pray to our God through Jesus Christ, king of kings and ruler of the rulers of earth.

For the the church universal, for its leaders and for this holy gathering, and for the people of God in every place.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For the leaders of the nations and all in authority, and for mercy, justice, and peace among all peoples.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For good weather, abundant fruits of the earth, and peaceful times.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For our community and those who live in it, and for our families, companions, and all those we love.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For all those in danger and need: the hungry and the thirsty, strangers and the naked, the sick and those in prison.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For those who rest in Christ and for all the dead.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For our deliverance from all affliction, strife, and need.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of all peoples, nations, and languages, who is and who was and who is to come, hear the prayers we offer this day and enable us to serve you as faithful followers in your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Collects and Prayers - November 15, 2009

Greeting
Leader: Through baptism, we are welcomed into God’s gracious, forgiving heart.
People: Let us build a community of love and forgiveness where all will feel welcomed.
Leader: May the Lord find favor in your compassionate spirit.
People: We will open our hearts, hands, and minds to the fullness of Christ's love.

Collect
God of the outcast, the widow, the orphan, and the barren, who welcomes all to the house of God and the table of plenty, let us come now as gracious guests to offer our praise and thanksgiving and to fling our arms wide to embrace others by the example of Christ Jesus, your son. We ask this in your name, God in three persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You reign now and forever, a welcome guest in the hearts of all who profess your name. Amen.

Collects and Prayers - November 8, 2009

Greeting
Leader: The Lord gathers us in as one family of believers;
People: With love and compassion, let us welcome our neighbors.
Leader: Let us live into the hospitality of Christ.
People: Let us make in our hearts a dwelling for God.

Collect
God, Father of all, as we your children gather today under your majestic shelter of universal love, we are blessed to carry out your work; to reach out to family members, our neighbors, our friends, and our enemies; offering them a place in our family. Through your son, Jesus, who invites us into the waters of baptism and makes us all one, who lives and reigns in us through the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Collects and Prayers - November 1, 2009 - The Feast of All Saints

Greeting
Leader: The God of all time and eternity speaks to us through the stories of the saints.
People: Today we celebrate and give thanks for their lives.
Leader: Moses, Ruth, David, Saint Paul, Saint Peter and all holy men and women, both known and unknown.
People: Their heroic and faithful lives call us to deeper faith.
Leader: Let us go now into God's temple, surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses.
People: Let us follow the saints, today and all days!

Collect
Almighty and ever-lasting God, Lord of all ages and times. We thank you for all the saints - those recognized by the Church and those known only to a few, and to Him. We rejoice that they live in heaven with every tear wiped away. May all who have died in the friendship of the Lord know his mercy and lasting peace.

We now remember our saints who have died during the past year.

*{Names were read aloud here}*

We rejoice in the communion of saints, the dead, the living, and those yet to be born. We here on earth wait for that glorious day when mourning and crying and pain are no more, and all things will be made new. Grant us the faith to walk bravely in the footsteps of the saints, and to serve you wholeheartedly, just as those before us have done.

We ask this for your glory and renown, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.