CTW: the table is set

A call to worship for communion Sunday.
Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church

One:            God calls us to a feast!
All:            The table is set,
and we will come from east and west,
from north and south to sit at Christ’s table.
One:            Compassion, love, and grace are poured out like fine wine.
All:            We come to share our stories and Your story,
to share our hope and our pain,
to share our wisdom and our laughter.
One:            The table is set, so come let us worship God together!

~~~

adaptation for a day reflecting on the Prodigal story from the perspective of the older brother, combined with 2 Corinthians 5.17:

One:            God calls us to a feast!
All:            The table is set,
and we will come from east and west,
from north and south to sit at Christ’s table.
One:            Compassion, love, and grace are poured out like fine wine.
All:             There’s music and dancing and joy,
for better is one day in God’s house
than thousands elsewhere.
One:           Will we come in?
All:             We will worship God together,
and God will draw us together as the body of Christ.

confession: lost and turn

A prayer of confession written while reflecting on the Prodigal story, from the younger son’s perspective.
Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church

One: God, it’s so easy…
All: so easy to hear the many voices
that are louder than yours.
One: God, it’s so easy…
All: so easy to forget who you created and called us to be,
to lose ourselves in the piles
of wants and worries, checklists and crises.
One: God, it’s so easy…
All: and yet so hard—to slow down, to listen,
to turn and repent and come to you.
Help us to take that risk, that leap of faith,
to turn and be healed.

confession: unfair

A prayer of confession written while reflecting on the Prodigal story from the perspective of the older son.
Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church

One: God, why isn’t life fair?
All: We confess that we follow rules expecting a reward,
hoping that if we just say, believe, or do the right thing,
you’ll love us, help us, save us.
One: But fairness does not seem to be your goal.
All: Help us to see beyond fairness to justice,
beyond rule-following to relationship with you,
beyond envy and resentment to love and wholeness.

confession: new?

A prayer of confession written to reflect on 2 Corinthians 5, in light of the Prodigal story.
Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church

One: God, we confess
All: that we sometimes like ourselves just the way we are.
We don’t always want to be made new,
and letting go of past hurt, past wrong, past pride
seems like more than we can handle.
One: God, we confess
All: that we cannot do it alone,
and that the work is too important
to be left undone any longer.
One: God, we confess
All: that we need you to come again into our lives,
to bring us close to you, to show us your love,
to remind us what it means to be your ambassadors.

confession: deserving

A prayer of confession written while reflecting on the Prodigal story, from the father’s perspective.
Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church

One: God, you call us to love,
even when love is undeserved.
All: Forgive us when our love is limited
to those we think worthy.
One: God, you call us to run toward those who have hurt us,
to work for reconciliation.
All: Forgive us when we cannot look past our hurt
and so miss out on wholeness.
One: God, you call us to put aside
our fear, our shame, our blame.
All: Forgive us when we are so focused on ourselves
that we do not offer compassion to others.