Prayer Service for an Inmate group

Prayer service for inmate population
Rev. Dr. Paschal Baute
Note: when your mentoring of your therapeutic community
in corrections has reached a certain growth point you will know
when they are ready for a Responsory prayer service like this one.

Gospel song: Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve seen. (Gospel CD by Mahalia Jackson)

Leader followed by R = Response of Chorus (commnnity Response).

Praise the Lord R. Praise the Lord.
Why? R. He has brought us out of Egypt.
What was Egypt? R. Slavery of our people
What kind of slavery? R. Fleshpots and sin
What else? R. Drugs and self-seeking.
Anything else? R. Running and hiding
Running from whom? R. Running from the Love of the Lord.
What do you say now? R. Praise the Lord.
Why? R. Because he has brought us out of Egypt.
Praise the Lord. R. Praise the Lord, Alleluia.
(Pause, repeating silently, several times to oneself.)

So now we are in the desert. R. We are in the desert..
What is the desert? R. Facing myself..
Why is that a Desert? R. Hard work.
Why is it hard work? R. Who likes to do that?
Come again? R. Cause I don’t want to do this.
So the question is. . . R. What is the question?
Have you passed over? R. Have I passed over?
Have you been washed? R. Have I been washed?
You still know how to hedge. R. I still know now to hedge.
Have you been Washed. . .R. Yes?
By the blood of the Lamb? R. Not all. Not all of me.
Why not? R. We are still hankering.
Still hankering for the fleshpots? R. Yes, still too much.
Hankering for What? R. Pleasures of the Past.
Who is still hankering? R. I am still hankering.
Lord have mercy. R. Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy on us sinners. R. Lord have nercy on us sinners
(Pause) .
How will you stop? R. I will be washed.
When? R. Every day
How? R. By the Word.
How? R. By the Word. Through the Word.
How, again? R. By the Blood of the Lamb
Praise the Lord. R. Praise the Lord.
(Short silence for prayer of the heart)
Praise the Lord. R. Praise the Lord.
Are you a justifier? R. I am still a justifier.
What kind of justifier? R. I am a Champion Justifier.
Wht is that? R. I can justify doing anything.
Anything? R. Everything.
What else? R. I can justify doing nothing.
Now the questions is. . .R. What is the question?
Are you hedging again? R. I am also a champion hedger.
Lord have mercy. R. Lord have mercy.
(Silent pause, prayer of the heart)
Who have you hurt? R. Me. #1, over an over again.
Who else? R. Others.
How many others? R. Too many others.
Anyone special? R. Those who love me.
Lord have mercy. R. Lord have mercy.
When will you stop? R. NOW.
How will you stop? R. With God’s Help.
How will you pray? R. As if everything depended on God.
How will you work? R. As if everything depended on me.
Are both true? R. Both are true.
Say it again: R. I will pray as if everything depended on God.
What else? R. I will work as if everything depended on me.
What are you ready for? R. To give up the hankering.
What else are you ready for? R. To give up the justifying.
Praise the lord. R. Praise the Lord.
Alleluia R. Alleluia.

Gospel song: Come on Children, Let’s Sing ( Mahalia Jackson CD)

End: Silent prayer of the heart.
This may be copied and used without permission
Paschal Baute