Confirmation Sunday and Baccalaureate Sunday, May 20, 2007
Offered by John W. Vest, Associate Pastor

Gracious God of our whole lives,
we give you thanks this morning
for gifts of love and grace
that span the entirety of our experience.

We thank you for the wonders of creation
and this beautiful world you have entrusted to our care.

We thank you for new life
and for loving families,
remembering those families that long for children
and those children that long for families.

May you bind us all in your love.

We celebrate lives that have come to an end
and rejoice in the hope of eternal life
we have in Christ Jesus.

Lord, be with those who are sick and dying
and those who care for them
and stand by them in love.

Help them to feel your presence in their lives,
and may they experience the comfort
that only you can bring.

We give you thanks, O God,
for all the transitions in our lives.

Especially today we are thankful
for schools and for graduates,
for those who struggle and those who excel.

Today we celebrate with joy our graduates
and give you thanks for the patient work
you have accomplished in their lives.

Bless them, Lord, as they move on to their next endeavors;
may they always remember your love for them
and the strength you give to live this life.

And this morning, God, we thank you for faithful youth
who boldly proclaim their faith in you,
standing before this congregation
to answer your call in their hearts.

Gracious God, continue to bless them with your grace,
and as this congregation is born anew
by their entrance into this fold,
may your church be strengthened by their presence,
that we may proclaim with boldness,
in word and in deed,
the good news of Jesus Christ.

Even now, we who are gathered here this morning
join our voices together in prayer,
following our teacher and friend
in these simple but life-changing words: Our Father . . .

Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church