Calling on God , livre ebook

Turner Publishing Company - Deborah Sokolove , Peter Bankson

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278 pages

English

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Fresh, inclusive, creation-conscious prayers to nourish your soul—and the soul of your worship community.

"We are called to name the extravagant wildness of God, the overflowing abundance of creation, and the deep aching need of a broken world in new words and images that speak to contemporary concerns.... [These prayers] are an invitation to pray boldly."
—from the Introduction

This special prayerbook is for today's Christians who find comfort in the rhythm of the traditional lectionary but long to connect with God in ways that are satisfying to the modern heart and mind. Founded on creativity, inclusivity and sharing, it encourages us to remember the divine elements of the natural world around us as we express our hopes and fears for others and ourselves. Inspiring words help us give thanks for human inventions and lament the evils of poverty, violence and oppression of all kinds while remaining mindful of God’s promises of healing for a broken world.

Following the annual procession of the seasons with prayers that are appropriate for personal devotion as well as for use in leading worship, these new ways to call on God will feed your soul and inspire you to find your own fresh language for thanksgiving, praise, intercession and petition, whether in your community or personal spiritual life.

Introduction vii

Year A
Advent 3
Christmastide 12
The Epiphany of Christ 16
Ordinary Time: The Sundays after Epiphany 18
Lent 38
The Resurrection of Christ: Easter Sunday 50
The Great Fifty Days: The Easter Season 52
Pentecost 64
Ordinary Time: The Sundays after Pentecost 66
The Reign of Christ 121

Year B
Advent 127
Christmastide 136
The Epiphany of Christ 140
Ordinary Time: The Sundays after Epiphany 143
Lent 164
The Resurrection of Christ: Easter Sunday 177
The Great Fifty Days: The Easter Season 180
Pentecost 192
Ordinary Time: The Sundays after Pentecost 194
The Reign of Christ 248

Year C
Advent 253
Christmastide 262
The Epiphany of Christ 267
Ordinary Time: The Sundays after Epiphany 270
Lent 290
The Resurrection of Christ: Easter Sunday 302
The Great Fifty Days: The Easter Season 304
Pentecost 316
Ordinary Time: The Sundays after Pentecost 319
The Reign of Christ 376

Acknowledgments 379

About the Lectionary 381

Resources 384

Sujets

Prayerbooks

Philosophie et théologie

Religion

Christian

Informations

Publié par	Turner Publishing Company
Date de parution	10 septembre 2014
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781594735806
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0950€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Praise for Calling on God
Offers beautiful, fresh language for Christians of all denominations, sure to deepen the reader s understanding of God and broaden the idea of community. These prayers can enrich our worship, transforming our hearts and-ultimately-strengthening our world.
- Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope , vicar, Washington National Cathedral
A powerful, prayerful, extremely useful worship aid [for] progressive congregations of many denominations and small base communities alike.... Browse the table of contents when you need just the right prayer for many occasions.
- Diann L. Neu , cofounder and codirector of the Women s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER); coeditor, New Feminist Christianity: Many Voices, Many Views
Beautifully written, these prayers reflect the integrity of a remarkable worshiping community and come as an inspiring gift to all those who gather weekly to shape and sustain themselves as God s faithful people.
- Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson , general secretary emeritus, Reformed Church in America
In plain but powerful words, [this book] says exactly just what we all would want to say to God.
- Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton , Episcopal Diocese of Maryland
Simply and beautifully conveys the rich tradition of communal prayer that is but one of the many gifts of Seekers Church to the broader Christian community. Rooted in scripture and reflecting that community s concern for peace, social justice, and environmental stewardship, it is sure to enrich the devotional life of both individuals and faith communities.
- William Dietrich , spiritual director; former executive director, Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation
Stirring.... A delightful, creative gift of nurture and inspiration for faith communities and personal meditation.
- Rev. Jann Aldredge-Clanton, PhD , author, She Lives! Sophia Wisdom Works in the World and Inclusive Hymns for Liberating Christian s
[A] rich collection.... Bring[s] human need before God in a poignant and compassionate way. Growing out of the life of one church, this book will bless many.
- Ruth Duck, ThD , professor of worship, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
When our way becomes tangled, we search for words. When we are silenced, whether by delight or defeat, worry or wonder, words give shape to our longing. These prayers give us the right words to remember who we are, who God is, and the nature of the journey we are on together. Beautiful words, sacred words, they open us to the Divine and one another. They help us reconnect with what matters most.
- Kayla McClurg , author, Passage by Passage: A Gospel Journey ; facilitator, inward/outward
A rich treasury of biblically provoked invocations, thanksgivings and prayers of the people. [Readers] will find their imagination and vocabulary for giving thanks to God richly expanded by using these prayers, and all will find an invitation to congregational intercession that is at once comprehensive and concretely real.
- Rev. Taylor W. Burton-Edwards , director of worship resources, the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church

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Contents
Introduction
Year A
Advent
Christmastide
The Epiphany of Christ
Ordinary Time: The Sundays after Epiphany
Lent
The Resurrection of Christ: Easter Sunday
The Great Fifty Days: The Easter Season
Pentecost
Ordinary Time: The Sundays after Pentecost
The Reign of Christ
Year B
Advent
Christmastide
The Epiphany of Christ
Ordinary Time: The Sundays after Epiphany
Lent
The Resurrection of Christ: Easter Sunday
The Great Fifty Days: The Easter Season
Pentecost
Ordinary Time: The Sundays after Pentecost
The Reign of Christ
Year C
Advent
Christmastide
The Epiphany of Christ
Ordinary Time: The Sundays after Epiphany
Lent
The Resurrection of Christ: Easter Sunday
The Great Fifty Days: The Easter Season
Pentecost
Ordinary Time: The Sundays after Pentecost
The Reign of Christ
Acknowledgments
About the Lectionary
Resources
About the Authors
Copyright
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Introduction
P rayer is at the heart of spiritual life. Prayer can be formal and public, or deeply personal, as simple as thank you or help me, the immediate cry of the heart to the One who is infinitely beyond us yet as close as our breathing. Silence may also be a form of prayer, in which listening for God s leading is understood as more important than telling God about our needs, desires, and fears. The biblical psalms, composed by the Israelite people largely as prayers addressed to God, speak of anguish and of celebration, of delight in the created universe and of the desire to conquer enemies.
The prayers in this collection were originally written for the public worship of Seekers Church, a small, progressive congregation called to creative liturgical expression, inclusive language, and shared leadership. This shared leadership extends to the writing of texts for congregational prayer, which are created anew for each season of the liturgical year. We have collected these prayers because they are written afresh each week and have never been published elsewhere. The other parts of the service, which are used for an entire season, are available on the Seekers Church website ( www.seekerschurch.org/worship/liturgies ).
The members of Seekers Church have a strong commitment to the church as chosen family, sharing our lives deeply as we try to live out Christ s command to love one another. Although we meet often in smaller groupings, the center of our life together is Sunday worship, which begins with a gathering time for welcoming guests and making announcements, and ends with lively conversation over coffee for at least an hour after the benediction. In between, we sing and pray in silence and aloud, sharing laughter and tears, using a liturgy that grows out of our life in Christ and is grounded in the liturgical traditions of the Church Universal.
Everyone who prays sometimes struggles for words. This is especially true for those whose understanding of the Divine is both grounded in the biblical tradition and open to new ways to speak to and about God. Whether sitting in silence in a favorite chair, saying grace at the family table, or leading worship for a large congregation, people of faith often fall into habitual patterns of prayer. While the familiar formulas of prayers learned by heart are often a comfort to the soul, at other times we are called to name the extravagant wildness of God, the overflowing abundance of creation, and the deep aching need of a broken world in new words and images that speak to contemporary concerns.
The prayers in this volume fall into this second category. They are an invitation to pray boldly, to speak to God directly, giving thanks for everything from whales and microbes to mobile phones and supermarkets, and asking God to heal all the many instances of brokenness that we see around us. In addition to the texts that are repeated over several weeks, each Sunday the person leading worship composes an opening prayer and a set of bidding prayers, inviting the prayers of the people. Each of us has a unique style, but schooled by our collective writing discipline we strive to make our bidding prayers poetic, evocative, and connected both to Scripture and to everyday life. In this book we offer some of those prayers, drawn from those Peter and Deborah have composed for leading worship in our beloved church. (Since they were composed over many years, and the liturgical seasons do not always line up with the meteorological seasons, do not be surprised if in some of them the references to the natural world may be celebrating the coming of spring, while the following week may be bemoaning an unnaturally long winter.) We hope that as you use them as inspiration for your own prayers, whether in community or for your private devotions, you will adapt them to your particular situation and adjust the imagery to fit with the world outside your windows.

Advent

First Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44
Opening Prayer
Just and merciful Light of the world,
you call us to be your people,
to come into your holy presence
that we may learn your ways
and walk in the paths of peace.
You show us your goodness in every sunrise,
opening our eyes to a world washed clean,
inviting us to delight in fat sparrows feasting on suet,
and to laugh at black squirrels racing up tree trunks
and dogs leaping through drifts of brown, fallen leaves.
As we yearn for the days of your promised coming,
hold us in the warm embrace of your holy Body,
and teach us how to live not only for our own pleasure,
but for the healing of the world. Amen.
Thanksgiving and Praise
Just and merciful Creator of life and love,
every moment is a gift from you,
a glimpse of the peace and plenty for