Wisdom Calls:
Service Prayers for Trinity Sunday
First Sunday After Pentecost

Call to Worship

Leader:             Praise to God our Creator, source of our being and wellspring of life.

People:            Praise to God our liberator,

                        who sets us free and gives us hope.

                        Praise to God the Word, love made flesh to dwell among us.

                        Praise to Jesus the Christ, who feeds the hungry

                       and shows us the Way.

                        Praise to God the Spirit, fiery light and rushing wind.

                        Praise to the Holy Spirit, who inspires, challenges,

                        comforts, and sustains us.

                        Come let us worship the Earth-maker,

                        the Pain-bearer, and the Life-giver*—

All:                  Let us worship God!

Prayer of Invocation

                        O God our Sovereign,

                        how wonderful are the many ways we experience your presence! 

                        Help us to draw near to you, that we may receive

                        all that you have to offer us in this time and place. 

                        Open our ears so that we can hear wisdom’s call. 

                        Set our hearts ablaze with your healing fire. 

                        Nourish us with the gift of community. 

                        Empower us to follow and to serve you,

                        our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.  Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Leader:             Gracious God, the psalmist declares

                        that you have given human beings dominion 

                        over the works of your hands. 

                        All too often, though, we confuse this holy charge

                        with having ownership. 

                        We then treat your creation as a resource

                        to be used for our needs and our profit.                                  

                        We find ourselves reluctant to count the cost

                        of our failure to be your faithful stewards

                        until disaster strikes. 

                        And so we pray, show us another way, O God.

People:            Show us another way.

                        Holy God, your cry for wisdom and understanding

                        echoes in our homes, our workplaces, our schools,

                        our church committee meetings, our legislatures and our courts. 

                        We confess we don’t always want to hear that cry,

                        deciding instead to rely on familiar habits,

                        comfortable assumptions, and quick conclusions. 

                        We ask you to show us another way, O God.

                        Show us another way.

                        Merciful God, the apostle Paul proclaims

                        peace, hope, and grace are your gifts to us.                  

                        And yet there are times when

                        grief overwhelms us, anxiety holds us captive,

                        and suffering leaves us numb with despair. 

                        We wonder how, even if you are at work in our lives,

                        and we long for you to show us another way, O God.

                        Show us another way.

Silent Prayer

Assurance of Pardon

                        Friends, hear this great good news:

                        God continually shows us another way. 

                        God’s mercy is as wide as the ocean. 

                        God’s desire to forgive is as strong as the mighty wind. 

                        So let your hearts receive the outpouring of God’s love

                        through the Holy Spirit.

Invitation to Share

                        Sisters and brothers, the Spirit of truth is with us! 

                        Each week we take time to acknowledge the many ways

                        that God continues to bless us with good gifts. 

                        We then share what we have with joy and thanksgiving,

                        returning to God a portion of what God has given us.

Prayer of Dedication

                        We give thanks, O God, for all that you have given us. 

                        Pour out your blessing on these tithes and offerings,

                        that they might be a source of blessing

                        in our church, in our community, and in our world. 

                        Through this act of sharing,

                        may we counter fear with hope

                        and transform scarcity through generosity.                                    

                        We offer this prayer

                        in the name of the Creator, the Christ and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Benediction

                        May God our Creator who crowns each of us with glory and honor,

                        Christ Jesus who bears our pain and shows us the Way,

                        And the Holy Spirit who gives us light and life,

                        Go with you and fill you with strength, courage, hope, and love.

                        Thanks be to God!

*Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver are names for the Trinity taken from an adaptation of the Lord’s Prayer in A New Zealand Prayer Book , Anglican Church of  New Zealand, 1989.

Wisdom Calls: Service Prayers for Trinity Sunday was written by the Rev. Heather A. Moody of the Pilgrim Association of the Massachusetts Conference, who is currently in search of a call.

Copyright 2010 Local Church Ministries, Congregational Vitality and Discipleship Ministry Team, United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH  44115-1100.  Permission granted to reproduce or adapt this material for use in services of worship or church education.  All publishing rights reserved.