Children in Worship
Call to Presence
Jesus,
We are thirsty today. Our mouths are dry, our lips chapped- as we anticipate receiving your living water. We are hungry today. Our stomachs rumble and our eyes are big as we take in the table before us. You have prepared a feast for us and, grateful, we have come to share in it.
Amen
Prayer of Confession
Holy God,
Sometimes we make mistakes. We’ve done things we weren’t supposed to do. We haven’t done things we were supposed to do. We haven’t always been good at loving everyone and we haven’t always been good at serving you. We apologize for our mistakes and ask for your forgiveness.
Words of Assurance
Great God,
The weight of our mistakes can add up and weigh heavy on our shoulders, but you lift it off. You allow us to try again. No matter how many mistakes we’ve made, you will always love us and forgive us. Thank you, God. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
When we worship with the children, we pass out prayer cards where each person is invited to spend a few minutes writing or drawing what amazed them about God this week, what they are thankful for this week, what they are sorry for this week, and what they need God’s help with this week. Afterwards, these cards are collected and lifted up to God in prayer.
Wow, God. You are so amazing. We notice you in so many ways, most of all in the things that stop us in our tracks, things to which we can only say, “Wow.” We lift these awesome things in silence to you now.
Thanks you, God. We are so blessed and we are thankful for each and every one of our blessings. We’re thankful for the small things- like the smell of flowers and our friend’s smile- and the big things- like love and second chances. We lift these blessings to you now in grateful silence.
Sorry, God. We try really hard to do the right thing, but we’re not perfect. We make mistakes. We do things we shouldn’t and we don’t do things we should. We lift to you all of our mistakes and ask your forgiveness in silence now.
We know that you have already forgiven us as that you are here now, wrapping us in your love.
Help us, God. Still, some things are not right. People are hurting. People are sad. People do not have things that they should have. We lift to you the painful things we know, the places and people who need your help in silence now.
God, we ask for your love and your power to help us change the wrongs of the world and heal the hurts. We commit ourselves even more fully today to be your disciple and truly follow you, as we discern and grow and love.
Amen.
Anything Too Wonderful 