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Hymns
Hymn GTG #297, “In Christ Called to Baptize”
Hymn GTG #383, “Standing on the Promises”
Hymn GTG #313, “Lord, Make Us More Holy”
Call to Worship (based on John 14:18; Acts 1:11)
Leader: Great is the mystery of faith:
People: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again!
Leader: He will not leave us as orphans, but will return to us.
People: We may not understand, but we believe.
Leader: Look not, then, to heaven, but to the world he loves and calls us to serve.
People: This is how we will worship the Lord!
Call to Confession (based on Acts 1:1-2)
Leader: While he was on earth, Jesus’ instructions were clear: to love God with all that we are and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Yet again and again, we fall short of this Great Commission. With faith in God’s promise of redemption and resurrection, let us confess these sins together.
Prayer of Confession (based on Acts 1:6-7)
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: Resurrected One, we confess that we are impatient. In a world of instant messaging, instant meals, and instant gratification, we want you to return NOW. We want your kindom to come NOW. We want to understand NOW. We want to fast-forward through the hard part to begin enjoying what comes next. But we know that it is not ours to know the times and seasons that you have set by your own authority. Instead, O Lord, grant us humility and patience, as well as the conviction to live out your gospel as we await your return. In your mercy, hear our prayers…
(Silent prayers of personal confession)
Declaration of Forgiveness (based on Acts 1:3)
Leader: Friends, hear the Good News: we know that Christ lives. And if God can conquer death itself, God’s mercy can conquer our sin. In Jesus Christ, we are all forgiven!
People: Thanks be to God!
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