Prayer and Worship for a Jubilee Week
Reconciliation, Repentance, Forgiveness, Freedom,
Faith, Call, Jubilation
For small-group worship or private devotion
Originally prepared for the churches of the Richmond District UMC, Virginia
by the Rev. Roger C. Dowdy, DFC,
Cross-Paths Ministries, Richmond, Virginia
Each day's resources provide guided prayer, Scripture resources, and suggested hymns. These resources may be used for individual, private devotion, in prayer groups, or in the context of corporate worship — Morning and Evening Prayer Services (see The United Methodist Hymnal, 1988, "Orders of Daily Praise and Prayer," pages 876-879).
As public worship, Morning and Evening Prayer Services are traditionally led by the lay ministry of the parish. These devotional liturgies do not generally include a homily (sermon) or the sacraments, although they may.
The designation UMH below refers to The United Methodist Hymnal, 1988.
A Life of Prayer
"Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray
as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs
too deep for words" (Romans 8:26, NRSV).
The personal, moment-by-moment experience of God in Jesus Christ is one of the pivotal faith dimensions of the Wesleyan heritage. John and Charles Wesley wrote of this experience in countless journal entries, sermons, hymns, and prayers. And John called the Methodists to "prayer without ceasing" — to a lifestyle of prayer. So it is appropriate to set aside regular and generous periods of time each day devoted to prayer that strengthens the Christian's relationship with God.
Once a person develops a lifestyle centered in prayer, faith and living take on a depth and quality unknown before. Faith and living then carry the richness of joy and peace, as well as the confidence to face the tremendous challenges of twenty-first century living. A lifestyle of prayer places the believer in a position to discern God's will for living in and toward the Kingdom.
"Many ways of praying are found in our United Methodist heritage. From the time of John Wesley we have encouraged both formal, written prayers and free, spontaneous prayers" (United Methodist Book of Worship, 1992, p. 445, "Ways of Praying").
As Christians seek to hear and know God, prayer and Scripture are central to faithful, vital holiness and devotion. In that seeking, there are times for intimate conversations with God and times for corporate and more structured prayers that address the vastness of the needs of the community and world parish.
The Scriptures, the Psalter (the prayer book and hymn book of the Bible), and the Hymnal are the central resources for the devotional life during these suggested "Seven Days of Prayer and Worship." Through reading and meditation on God's Word, praying the Psalms, and singing great songs of the Christian faith, the faithful draw near to the Holy and experience true means of grace.
The resources here are suggestions and a starting place for individuals and small groups who wish to enter into "Seven Days of Prayer and Worship" and beyond into a lifestyle of prayer in the Wesleyan tradition.
A Suggested Order for Morning or Evening Prayer and Praise
Gathering and Welcome (if for corporate worship)
Time of Centering
Music for reflection and stillness is appropriate, or a brief time of silence.
Call to Praise and Prayer
Candles may be lit, especially for an evening or vesper service.
Hymn
Any appropriate song of praise to God, especially for the morning or evening light.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
A collective prayer acknowledging God's mighty acts of grace, invoking the Holy Spirit's power, and/or specific thanks related to a call to Jubilee.
Scripture(s)
Followed by time for reflection and meditation on God's Word.
Song of Praise
A Psalm (sung or read) is most appropriate, or a hymn in response to the Scriptures.
Prayers of the People
Guided, Intercessory prayer, or Individual silent prayer;
Prayer centered on Jubilee issues in the community and world.
The Lord's Prayer
Silence, and Quiet Return to Daily Activity, or Sleep,
or
Blessing (if in corporate worship)
The Peace
Worshipers exchange signs of Christian grace and peace.
Day 1 — Reconciliation
God's Word: Matthew 5: 23-24; II Corinthians 5: 17-20
The Psalter: Psalm 37: 1-11; UMH, 772; alt. (Psalms 15, 113)
Hymn: "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing," UMH, No. 57
For Reflection:
Matthew 5: 23-24 recounts Jesus' teaching about judgment, wrongfulness, and reconciliation. When coming to God's altar, one should take pro-active, not re-active, steps to make things right between one's sisters and brothers. God's mission is the reconciliation of humankind — to God, to one another. Psalm 37 carries the refrain from Micah 6:8 that provides the question and answer to an eternal query: "What does the Lord require?"
"To do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God." Our desire for and labor toward reconciliation brings us closer to the God who is continually reconciling the world to himself through the power of the cross of Christ.
Prayer
We thank you, loving and forgiving God, for first loving us. We stand amazed at the lavishness of your love toward us when we least deserve to be loved. Give us holy boldness and courage to set things right with those who have done us wrong. Mighty God, grant us your Spirit's power as we come to the aid of those who have been wronged, so that in forgiving and setting right the wrongs we may understand more clearly what it means to be your Kingdom people this day — in our homes, our neighborhoods, our school, and our work places. We pray these things in the name of the one who gave his life that we might be reconciled to you, even Jesus Christ. Amen and Amen.
"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up
to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him." (Isaiah 30:18, NRSV)
Day 2 — Repentance
God's Word: II Peter 3: 8-9
The Psalter: Psalm 24 (response 2), UMH, page 755;
alt. (Psalm 1)
Hymn: "What Wondrous Love Is This," UMH, No. 292
or
read or sing from the hymns of Charles Wesley
"Where Shall My Wondering Soul Begin," UMH, No.342, may be sung to the tune of No. 287 or 579
"Sinners, Turn: Why Will You Die," UMH, No.346,
may be sung to the tune of No. 399
For Reflection:
From Peter's second letter we are reminded that God's patience with his children is immeasurable and that God desires that no one perishes, but that all would come to repentance. What a wondrous claim! It is such a wondrous claim that Charles Wesley in his hymn admonishes and asks: "Sinners, turn: why will you die?" With the knowledge of such grace, why should we not turn to God? Acts 26:20 (NRSV) reminds the faithful, however, that repentance is the first of three faith movements: "Repent and turn to God and do deeds consistent with repentance." In the recognition of sin, we turn and trust in God; and in the turning, we live a new life "consistent with repentance." We live according to Christ's model: bringing good news to the poor, release to those in bondage, establishing freedom from oppression.
"For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust
shall be your strength." (Isaiah 30:15, NRSV)
Prayer:
Lord God, we turn to you in our sinfulness and confess our failure to live lives according to the example of Christ, your Son. In repentance, help us to turn away from sin and apathy and turn our faces toward the light of Christ. That walking in that light, those we encounter in need and darkness might experience your compassion and mercy through us. Holy One, we offer our praise and thanksgiving for your unlimited grace and love. Amen.
Day 3 — Forgiveness
God's Word: Acts 13: 38-39
The Psalter: Psalm 130, UMH, page 848;
alt. (Psalm 85)
Hymn: "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling,"UMH, No. 384;
Hymn text by Charles Wesley
For Reflection:
Forgiveness, pardon, redemption, grace . . . many names for the mighty love of God for his children. God's greatest act toward humankind is the boundless love that God extends to his creation. We, in turn, should offer unconditional love and forgiveness to others. Charles Wesley's hymn prayer "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" directs us how to pray and grow in God's love: First, allow God and God's love to dwell in us; second, pray that God's Spirit will strengthen and guide and free our love; third, praise God for God's "unbounded" grace; fourth, pray for God to lead us toward forgiveness and perfect love in this time and the age to come.
"All the prophets testify about him that everyone
who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins
through his name." (Acts 10:43, NRSV)
Prayer:
Holy and merciful God, we bow our hearts in your presence in the quietness of this hour. Draw near to us and hear our confessions. (Each person prays in silence.)
In your great love, O God, pardon our sins and restore a right spirit in our hearts. Guide us to love you with our whole being, so that our actions toward others might magnify you and that all may come to know grace upon grace as promised in your Word. Amen.
Day 4 — Freedom
God's Word: II Corinthians 3: 17; I Peter 2:16
The Psalter: Psalm 103:1-18, UMH, page 824;
alt. (Psalm 121, Psalm 23)
Hymn: "Make Me a Captive, Lord," UMH, No. 421;
Alt. ("Spirit of Faith, Come Down," UMH, No. 332)
For Reflection:
"Spirit of faith, come down on me, for where thou art is liberty; Thy presence looses all my bands, and melts the fetters from my hands, consumes like flax the cords of sin, and burns up all my foes within." — Charles Wesley (Short Hymns on Select Passages of the Holy Scriptures, 1762)
It is the freedom from within that Wesley proclaims in his hymn — freedom that comes from dwelling in the Spirit, allowing Christ to dwell in us. This is what makes the believer free. George Matheson wrote the hymn "Make Me a Captive, Lord"; and in it, he prays that freedom comes from being held captive in the Lord, allowing believers the strength to cast away all other attachments that hold us captive to ourselves and to possessions. Many people find it difficult to believe that dying to self is to gain complete freedom for living. As Christians, we believe in God's reign of justice, so we will always strive to free the oppressed. It is ultimately the inner freedom of faith in God's loving providence that we desire for others and ourselves.
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (II Corinthians 3:17, NRSV)
Prayer:
Mighty God, you surround us with your love in creation. Enter into our lives anew in this hour of prayer, that captured by your love we might know your forgiveness and be set free on the world. And in that freedom, sustained by your Spirit, may we set others free from the chains and injustices that hold back
the coming of your Kingdom. Amen.
Day 5 — Faith
God's Word: Romans 1: 16-17; Hebrews 11
The Psalter: Psalm 84, UMH, page 804;
alt. (Psalm 77:1-2,11-20)
Hymn: "Give Me the Faith Which Can Remove" UMH, No. 650
(hymn text by Charles Wesley)
For Reflection:
"The one who is righteous will live by faith." (Romans 1:17, NRSV)
Paul is unequivocal that to live a life in Christ, in right relationship to God, is to live a life that is faith-full. Living in life's uncertainties of the twenty-first century calls for a deepening of faith, for a belief in God where answers cannot be seen. Jesus, in Mark 11: 20-24, teaches the disciples the power of faith and the depth of belief that is required of God's children.
Prayer:
O steadfast Lord and Savior, help us to know you more deeply, see you more clearly, follow you more nearly that your faith-fullness might fill our cup of hope and cause us to risk becoming your "change-agents." We pray that your Holy Spirit will kindle new fires of faith for the work of the Kingdom that lies before us. Amen.
"Now therefore revere the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness;
put away the gods that your ancestors served . . . and serve the Lord.
Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve . . .
but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:14-15, NRSV)
Day 6 — Call, Listening and Waiting Upon the Holy
God's Word: Luke 3: 21-22
The Psalter: Psalm 138, UMH, page 853
Hymn: "Canticle of Prayer," UMH, No. 406;
alt. ("Seek Ye First," UMH, No. 405)
For Reflection:
Seeking the call of God for our individual lives and God's call for our faith communities is an ever-evolving journey. Waiting and listening are required for the journey. Luke's account of Jesus' baptism briefly and quietly shows us Jesus' own pattern for listening and waiting upon the Holy: "and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying . . ." (John 3:21). Perhaps Jesus was seeking God's will for his days of ministry ahead. If so, God answered in an affirmation of God's claim on his own Son's life, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased" (John 3:22. NRSV). Part of our task, as followers of Christ, is to be still and to listen for God. Stillness and waiting are difficult spiritual disciplines to observe in these fast-paced days of the twenty-first century. But God promises answers to those who seek in truth and sincerity.
"If one gives answer before hearing, it is folly and shame." (Proverbs 18:13, NRSV)
Prayer:
In the stillness of this moment, O Lord, we wait and listen for your voice. Speak to our hearts in a whisper, in a trumpet call, in the beauty of creation, in the touch of a friend, or through the needs of those around us. May your Holy Spirit calm our anxiousness and keep us centered always in living according to your will for our lives. Amen.
Day 7 — Jubilation
God's Word: Philippians 4: 4-7; Luke 1: 46-55, Magnificat
The Psalter: Psalm 100, UMH, page 821;
alt. (Psalm 33, with Response 2, UMH, page 767)
Hymn: "Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart," UMH, No. 160;
alt. ("Tell Out, My Soul," UMH, No. 200)
For Reflection:
The song of Jubilee is a song of rejoicing. The biblical faith story is full of accounts of great rejoicing: from the Exodus Song of Miriam and Moses to Hannah's song of praise in I Samuel, then echoed in Mary's lyrical hymn recorded in Luke's Gospel. To rejoice is to revel in holy abandon before the Lord for all of God's goodness and mercy. It is to live life as a dance, with "grace-full" steps choreographed by the Creator God. Paul reminds the believer in the Philippians' letter that it is through prayer and supplication offered in thanksgiving to God that one comes full circle to true rejoicing and a holy peace — God's own holy peace that guards our minds and hearts.
"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
At the works of your hands I sing for joy" (Psalm 92:1-14, NRSV)
Prayer:
O God of joy and rejoicing, we offer our prayers of thanksgiving this day (night), and we celebrate the wonders of your creation and the generosity of your love and mercy toward us. We join with the great company of the faithful with you in glory and here around us in singing: "Glory to God in the highest, Alleluia! Amen." May the pattern of our life's dance be acceptable and in accordance with your will. And may we never fail to offer our hand to others who would join the holy dance of life in your name. In the name of the Lord of the Dance, Jesus the Christ, we pray. Amen.
Bibliography
The United Methodist Hymnal, United Methodist Publishing House, Nashville, TN, 1988
The United Methodist Book of Worship, United Methodist Publishing House, Nashville, TN, 1992
The Works of John Wesley, Vol. 7 — A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodist, Hildebrandt & Beckerlegge, Abingdon, Nashville, TN, 1983
Lost in Wonder, S. T. Kimbrough, Jr., The Upper Room, Nashville, TN, 1987
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