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Hymns
Hymn GTG #314, “Longing for Light, We Wait in Darkness”
Hymn GTG #301, “Let Us Build a House”
Hymn GTG #301, “Let Us Build a House”
Hymn GTG #769, “For Everyone Born”
Call to Worship (based on John 14:2, 18)
Leader: Our Father’s house has room to spare,
People: Room for all beloved children who have been turned away everywhere else.
Leader: No one is an orphan in the house of God.
People: All are welcome as family of the heart.
Leader: This is a home for the lost and the lonely.
People: This is not our house, but God’s house!
Call to Confession (based on John 14:1)
Leader: Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in Christ, and confess your sins in sure and certain hope of the new life that he promises.
Prayer of Confession (based on John 14:2-3)
You are invited to speak a word or short phrase that describes a personal or collective sin of which you repent and seek forgiveness. When the gathered community is finished sharing, we pray together:
People: God of belonging, we confess that when we hear your Holy Word, we often apply it selfishly in our minds. We believe that there is room in our Father’s house for us, but not our neighbor. That Christ will prepare a place for us, but not our opponents. That Christ will return for us, but not our enemies. We learn about divine grace without limits, but we imagine it as a finite resource. Forgive us, O Lord. Break our minds free from their self-imposed shackles, and grant us the courage to welcome others as you welcome all. In your mercy, hear our prayers…
(Silent prayers of personal confession)
Declaration of Forgiveness (based on John 14:17)
Leader: The Spirit of Truth, whom you know and who lives with you, has given us this assurance: in the name of Jesus Christ, we are all forgiven!
People: Thanks be to God!
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