Summer Chapel
July 9th
Order of Worship
Welcome to Summer Chapel – a guided experience to help you practice the presence of God through silence, reflection, and prayer.
Today we will follow three movements of prayer – thanksgiving, confession, and discernment taken from the book, Teach Us to Pray by Gordon T. Smith. All three movements are vital to experiencing the Kingdom of Jesus and seeing it unfold around us.
Please begin with Personal Prayer – Thanksgiving- described below. We will spend about 10 minutes in silence with this practice and then I will move us along to what’s next.
PERSONAL PRAYER – Thanksgiving
“Having kingdom eyes means that we can see and appreciate and give thanks for the ways God is at work…we practice thanksgiving and we turn from complaint.”
1 – Position – Settle into your chair. Take a few breaths. Rest. Be present. “Here I am, Lord”
2 – Invite – Pray this prayer of invitation a few times as a way to begin.
Spirit of God, where are you inviting me, calling me, to give thanks?
Give me kingdom eyes. Help me to see what you see.
Help me to see, in the midst of all that strikes me as wrong or not what I want,
the subtle and yet powerful ways that you are demonstrating your goodness.
3 – Listen. Be attentive to words/phrases/pictures/people that come to your mind as you sit with the prayer.
If you need another prompt, consider these questions – Where in your life do you see evidence of God’s love, peace, joy, and hope around you? Where is light spreading instead of darkness?
4 – Respond – Express your gratitude.
SCRIPTURE READING – Psalm 145:8-13
ALL: The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord is good to all: he has compassion on all he has made.
ALL: All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,
ALL: so that all people may know of your mighty acts, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.
ALL: The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Confession – “It is an act of alignment – in our own hearts and minds – with the reign of Christ; it is a way of saying, “Thy Kingdom come and may it begin with me.’” We practice confession as children who are secure in their Father’s love and in need of the Savior’s grace.
Guided Prayer of Confession
Where oh Spirit, are you calling me turn?
Where have I drifted from desiring your interests above my own?
Please do for me that which I cannot do for myself.
ALL: May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins,
and restore us in his image,
to the praise and glory of his name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
PRAYER OF DISCERNMENT
Through the freedom and humility that comes from thanksgiving and confession – we attend to the call of God – the inner witness of his Spirit that leads to peace and life.
Guided Prayer of Discernment
For this day, what is the good work (the better work) to which I am being called?
In what ways am I being invited to be a participant in what God is doing?
ALL: Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:4-5
CLOSING BLESSING
Leader: The Lord enrich you with his grace, and nourish you with his blessing; the Lord defend you in trouble and keep you from all evil; the Lord accept your prayers, and absolve you from your offenses, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Christ be with you. All: And also with you.
