Christ the King Sunday - Year C

Call to Worship
Blessed be the Lord God
who looks with kindness on us.
We are the inheritors of the promises
made long ago to our ancestors.
Blessed be the Lord God
who gathers us here in this place.
From across the street,
from halfway around the world,
God brings us home to the heart of grace.
Blessed be the Lord God
who has remembered us.
Scoffers and singers,
watchers and wigglers,
we are those redeemed by God.

Prayer of the Day
Gathering God:
when we have only
a few pennies of hope
in our pockets,
you multiply us
into a blessing.
When the world whispers
seductively to us,
you tell us
of your joy for us.
When everyone has forgotten
even who we are,
you shout out our name
with delight: "My Beloved!"

Dawn from on high:
when we would divide people
by class, by race, by age,
you cast your lot
with the outcasts of society.
When we get lost
from the muddled directions
the world gives us,
you lead us down
that path called Peace.

Spirit of wisdom:
when we grow impatient
with all the trivial matters of life,
you surround us with serenity.
When the world puts us on
the route to sin,
you transfer us
to the streets of the kingdom.

God in Community, Holy in One,
we trust you will remember us,
even as we pray as Jesus teaches,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
We know that we have not lived as God hopes. But however fragmented we become, God longs to hold us together in grace and peace. Let us come with our prayers of confession and need to the One who prepares the way for our words.

Unison Prayer of Confession
In these moments, Remembering God,
we bring to you all the ways we have not
lived as your people:
we stand by watching
while those in need struggle to survive;
we cast our lots with those
who worship power and success;
we offer insults rather than words of grace
to those who care for us;
we scoff at your words
which call us to a different lifestyle.

Forgive us, God of Mercy, for not knowing what we do to you, to others, to ourselves. Speak to us through Jesus Christ, our King and our Savior, who bears words filled with your tender mercy and gracious hope.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
This is the good news: God remembers! Not our sins, not our foolish lives, not our rebellion. God remembers us - and redeems us!
God prepares the way for us - the way to grace, to hope, to new life. Joyfully, we
offer our thanks to God. Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the peace of God be with you.
And also with you.
People of God, lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the One whose has favored us with grace.
God's beloved children, sing of your hopes and dreams.
We bless the One who remembers us and redeems us to new life.

Joyfully, we lift our songs
of praise to you, O God.
>From the fragments of chaos,
you created all things.
Those that are visible to us
in the leaves drifting to the ground,
in the children playing hopscotch,
in the moon shimmering at night -
and those that we cannot see,
but gift our lives beyond measure:
grace, which heals our longing;
hope, which fills our emptiness;
love, which embraces our loneliness.
All were shaped and blessed for us,
but we chose to cast our lots
with sin and death,
believing their powers to be greater
that your hopes and dreams for us.
The prophets came to speak
about the One from on high
who yearned for us to come home,
but we grew impatient with their words
and mocked their faithfulness.
Finally, you sent Jesus
to gather your scattered children together
and to bring us back to your heart.

Therefore, we join our voices
with rulers and reprobates,
with the fruitful and the foolish
of every time and place,
who forever sing of your joy:

Sanctus

Holy are you, God who remembers us,
and blessed is Jesus Christ,
Dawn from on high and creative Word.
Creation's true Light,
he rescues us from the darkness of death;
speaker of promises
to our grandparents in the faith,
on the cross
he kept the vows made to them;
the first-born of all creation,
he was born again
from the grave,
so we could all be with you
in eternity's kingdom.

As we reflect on his life, his ministry, his love,
we remember all that he has done for us,
that mysterious story we call faith:

Memorial Acclamation

As we come to this Table of peace,
pour out your Spirit of life upon us,
and upon the gifts
of the Bread of life
and the Cup of salvation.
You nourish with grace,
so we may go wherever
the broken and lost live,
that we might feed them.
You fill us with hope,
that we would have no more fear,
but would boldly reach out
and gather up all
whom the world has cast aside.

And when time has come to an end,
and all creation has been reconciled to you,
we will gather around the feast in heaven,
singing our joy and praise to you,
God in Community, Holy in One.
Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 28 - C

Call to Worship
This day! This day we will give thanks to God,
who cradles us in the waters of baptism.
This day! This day we will trust in the One
who has saved us, who strengthens us.
This day! This day we dance to the fountain of life,
drinking deeply of salvation's goodness.
This day! This day we praise our God for every blessing;
telling everyon of God's amazing grace
in our lives and in our world.
This day! This day we sing God's praises;
testifying to all creation of our God.
This day! This day our songs are filled with joy,
for God is with us,
this day and in all the days to come!

Prayer of the Day
Creating God:
you grasp chaos
and shake it into
new heavens brimming with light,
new earth teeming with life.
You delight in your children so much
that before we finish our sentences,
you have heard our hearts;
before we whisper our dreams,
you fill our needs.

Word of God,
you shape our lips
and loosen our tongues
that we might witness
to your kingdom
where enemies take naps together;
where meat-eaters become vegetarians.

Spirit of Wisdom:
open us,
that we might trust
without fear;
fill us,
that we might discern
our call to faithfulness;
teach us,
that we would make known
our thanks to the farthest
shores of the universe.

God in Community, Holy in One,
hear us , this day and every day
as we pray as Jesus has taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
God does not take our sins and stick them up on a shelf, in order to remember them - God forgets them! God does not hold them against us, but forgives us! Join me as we pray to the One who delights in us, as we say,

Unison Prayer of Confession
We confess that our lives weaken us, Strengthening God. We do not exercise our faith as we should, and so fatigue easily. We see houses as investment property, not as homes built on love, hope, and dreams. We whimper our petty complaints about our friends and families, rather than shouting our hosannas to heaven for the gift of their lives.
You are our hope, Tender God, so forgive us. Create in us new hearts, and fill us with new energy to serve our sisters and brothers, bringing them to the deep wells of salvation, where they can fill their parched souls, even as we have been led to them by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Silence is observed

Assurance of Pardon
Rather than remaining white hot, God's anger melts into streams of living water, washing us clean of our sins and refreshing our spirits with hope and joy.
This day! This day we give thanks to the God who is our strength and our salvation. Praise God! Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 27-C

Call to Worship
The God who is greater
than we will ever understand,
is humbled to become one of us.
The God who is more loving
than our hearts dare imagine,
gives us more grace
than we ever realize.
The God who is wiser
than we will ever know,
teaches us all we need
to become God's children.

Prayer of the Day
Why should we fear,
God of compassion?
You choose us
to be the bearers
of grace and justice
to a broken world;
you call us to be words
of hope and joy
to people deafened by despair.
We will extol you.

Why should we fear,
Brother of justice?
You call us to follow you
that we may serve all
who have been abandoned
by a society focused on self.
You model kindness
so we might bring healing
to a fractured culture.
We will bless you.

Why should we fear,
Spirit of grace?
When we run around in circles,
you fill us with your peace;
when we stumble
through each day,
you energize us
with your hope;
when our spirits are empty,
you come and dwell in us.
We will praise you.

Why should we fear,
God in Community, Holy in One,
as you listen to us pray
as Jesus has taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
We often think that God is 'out there' somewhere, distant and uncaring. But God hears our hearts, God sees our struggles, God walks with us as we try to be faithful disciples. Let us come to the One who is as close as the very breath we take in this moment to confess the brokenness of our lives,

Unison Prayer of Confession
We are so easily confused by what the world tells us, Watching God, that we forget the stories of faith we heard as children. We are so fearful of tomorrow, we are not aware of your Spirit with us today. We are so busy wondering, 'what if?' or 'suppose?'we cannot hear the promises you whisper to us.

So once again, Gracious God, have mercy on us. You know our hearts so well - touch them with your grace. You see our deepest fears - heal them with your peace. You hear our secret longings - speak to them of your hope. This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Silence is observed

Assurance of Pardon
The One who searches our broken hearts has found the way to mend them and make us new people. The good news is that everything God has done in Christ is for us, that we might be made whole.
With kindness, and justice, God makes us new people. We will sing our thanks through all eternity. Great is God, and greatly to be praised! Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
People of God, lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the One who heals our brokenness.
Let us offer our thanks to God,
who has prepared this Table for us.
We will bless the One who offers us life in every moment.

We think of your greatness,
God of the living,
and fall silent.
When there was only chaos,
your whispered your Word,
and creation sprang forth.
The sun and stars
filled the heavens
with your splendor,
and the earth
sang of your glory.
You filled us with your dreams
of life with you forever,
but we confused your hopes
with our desires
and went chasing after
the seductions of sin and death.
You sent the prophets
to remind us of the stories
we had been told as your children,
but we thought them
to be myths and fables.
So once again,
you sent your Word
to speak sense to our lives.

Therefore, in this time and place,
with those who have gone before,
and those who will come after,
we join in the song of all creation:

Sanctus

Holy are you, God of Understanding,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son.
When we had been deafened
by the songs of the world,
he to speak of hope,
and to offer us justice.
When we were easily confused
by the promises of sin,
he came to make clear
your dreams for us.
When we thought
we could save ourselves,
he offered himself on the cross,
that we might spend eternity
in your presence.

As we come to the Table of grace,
as we are offered all your gifts,
we remember what Christ has done for us:

Memorial Acclamation

Send your Spirit upon the gifts
of the bread and the cup,
and upon your children
who gather in this place.
Fill our empty hands
with the Bread of life,
that we might take
justice and peace
to the outcasts of our world.
Touch our parched hearts
with the Cup of grace,
that we might be poured out
for the broken and lost
in these times and places.
Heal us with the peace
of this joyful feast,
that we might become
your people of hope.

Then, when this world passes away,
and time has come to an end,
we will gather around the Table
in your kingdom of grace,
singing our praises to you
for all eternity,
God in Community, Holy in One.
Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 26 - C

Call to Worship
We gather in awe
standing in the presence of the One
who crafted the stars, the mountains, the seas.
We gather in faith,
trusting that the One who has held little children
holds our lives in the heart of God.
We gather in need,
seeking the One who longs for justice
to grace each and every person in creation.

Prayer of the Day
You stirred the dust
and created us for service;
you breathed into our lungs
so we could share your good news;
you shape our hearts
with the tools of compassion
so we will seek justice for all.
We thank you, God of gifts.

In the hospitality of Zaccheus,
we see your openness
for all who are different;
in the grumbling of his neighbors,
we hear the echoes
of our own prejudices and fears;
in his transformation
into a new person,
we see your grace
which is prepared for us.
We thank you,
Companion of the poor.

You cradle us in the peace
of the resting night;
you awaken us
with the light of dawn
and the warmth of your gentleness;
you walk with us
through each day,
nudging us to be that blessing
we are called to be to others.
We thank you,
Surprising Spirit.

God in Community, Holy in One,
we lift our thanks to you,
even as we pray as Jesus teaches,
Our Father. . .

Call to Reconciliation
How patient is God! We run around trying to do
everything our way, and God just waits. We try
to buy life and happiness, and God waits. We
hurt others and walk away from those in need,
and God waits. God waits, and upon hearing
our heartfelt prayers and cries for help, God
touches is with forgiveness and new life.
Come, join me as we pray to the One who
waits to hear - from us!

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
Surrounded by so many seductions, Patient God, we
find it difficult to see you in our lives. Justice has a
hard time surviving when there is so much persecution
and affliction towards the little ones of the world.
Our neighborhoods, our families, even our churches,
are filled with strife and contention.

We cry for help, Listening God; forgive us! As we
wait for your grace to fill our lives, may we open our
hearts to your hope and healing, always giving thanks
for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Rich, poor;young, old; sinner, saint.
We are all God's children, and God
transforms each of us into the people
we are meant to be.
Broken, we are mended;
separated from others, we are made one;
longing to serve, we are sent forth.
Thanks be to God, we are forgiven. Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 25-C

Call to Worship
This is the day the Lord has made:
a day for praise and prayer;
a day for gratitude and generosity.
This is the time God has given us:
a time for singing and silence;
a time for speaking and listening.
This is the life to which God calls us:
a life of humility and service;
a life of faith and trust.

Prayer of the Day
Pour out your Spirit
upon us as we gather,
God of our salvation:
so your grace
might strengthen us
for service;
so your peace
might calm
our troubled souls;
so your hope
might mend
our broken hearts.

You poured out your life
that we might be filled
with the gift of salvation.
You humbled yourself
that we might be raised
to eternal life.
Take hold of our hands,
Servant of the world,
so we might cross
the finish line together.

You are in our midst,
Spirit of wholeness.
You enabled us
to cling to faith,
when hope runs
through our fingers like sand.
You open the gateways
of our hearts
morning and evening,
that we might sing
our praises with all creation.

God in Community,
Holy in One,
we pour out our hearts to you,
as we pray as Jesus taught us,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
When we pray to God, do we do so with pride in what wonderful people we are, or with that humble hope which recognizes how we have not lived as God’s children, and how we need God’s forgiveness and grace in our lives? Join me as we pray to our God, saying,

Unison Prayer of Confession
Watching God, like the Pharisee, we think we can stick our thumbs into life, pull out a prayer, and congratulate ourselves for being such good Christians. Then, we remember the harsh words we have spoken this week, the hurt we have inflicted on someone we love, the lack of compassion we failed to offer to someone who needed our help.

Forgive us, God of Grace, and deal gently with us. May we become more like the tax collector - humble, penitent, acknowledging our faulty lives to you. Then, may we receive the mercy promised to us through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Silence is observed

Assurance of Pardon
Forgiven and healed, we open ourselves to the grace, the peace, the hope offered to us through our loving God. This is the good news we have received!
Graced and blessed, we are able to offer our lives for others, taking them by the hand to reach that finish line called the Kingdom. Thanks be to God. Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 23 - Year C

Call to Worship
Whether we live in an apartment or a house;
if we reside in the suburbs or the city:
God tells us to pray for the places
where we live.
Whether we are exiles or prisoners for the gospel;
if we are young, old, insider, outcast:
God says, when you search for me,
you will find me.
Whether we have been wandering and lost;
or if we have lived in the same place all our lives:
God says, i will gather you from all your places
and bring you home.


Prayer of the Day
Awesome Creator:
you bring us together in this sanctuary,
calling us from all those places
where we live and work and play,
so we can recognize you
in faces lined with wisdom;
so we can hear you in the questions
of the smallest child;
so we can sit up and notice
all that you do in our midst.

Cradler of Grace:
you speak your words,
so we might hear the sighs
of the outsiders of our world.
You walk the borderlands
of our joys and sorrows,
so we might embrace your healing.
You enter our hearts,
despite our best efforts
to close them to your presence.

Enduring Spirit:
when we are tempted
to imprison the good news
with our politics, our fears,
our prejudices, our doubts,
whisper that Word
which shatters all chains,
and sets us free to be God's people.

God in Community, Holy in One,
we pray as Jesus, our Brother and Savior,
has taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
Despite our foolish and angry words, God continues to speak of mercy to us. Despite our best efforts to be faithless in our living, God remains faithful in keeping the promise to forgive us and restore us to wholeness. Let us confess our sins to God, that God's hope and grace might endure in our brokenness.

Unison Prayer of Confession
God beyond borders, we know that on our way to worship, we may not have noticed the exiles in our neighborhoods. We admit how easy it is for us to wander down the street of temptation, pausing at the corner of easy choices. We fall silent in the presence of those who speak words of anger and hate. We tolerate a culture that suspects all who are different from us.

Have mercy on us, O God, for surely you take the side of justice. Open our hearts to all the wonders you are performing in our lives. You gift us with those of other cultures, that our lives might be blessed. You send us friends out of places we least expect, that our community might be enriched. You call us to be generous with our blessings, so others might be graced with the gift of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Silence is observed

Assurance of Pardon
God challenges us, God encourages us. God confronts us, and God accepts us. God works wonders in our midst, and gives us the eyes, the hearts, the souls to see such miracles.
God forgives us, God guides us through the wilderness of the world, God leads us home. Thanks be to God. Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 22 - C

Call to Worship
We gather, as God's people,
bringing our fears and pain,
knowing that when our spirits
have grown cold,
God rekindles the gift of faith in us.
We gather, as God's people,
hanging our broken hearts
on the branches of the tree of life,
knowing that while friends
may turn against us,
God transforms enemies
into sisters and brothers.
We gather, as God's people,
hungering for healing and hope,
knowing that even when life is no picnic,
God prepares a feast for us.

Prayer of the Day
Singer of Songs:
when we have lost
the melody of your hope,
you reshape the notes of our hearts;
when we can find
no resting place,
you are the lap
that cradles us;
when we are held captive
by our complaints,
you free us for praise.

Seed Planter,
you only did
what you ought to have done:
traveling the empty roads
of our world;
listening to
our midnight cries;
overtaking us
to shoulder our burdens.

Spirit of Love,
as you enter our hearts
to ease our loneliness:
may we not foget
who our protector is;
may we remember the faith
which has been gifted to us;
may we be stewards
of the good treasure that is ours.

God in Community, Holy in One,
we lift our prayers as Jesus taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
Our faith has been placed in our hands by our parents and grandparents. But we know we have not always done what we ought to have done. Let us lift our prayers to the One who is always ready to place forgiveness in our hearts.

Unison Prayer of Confession
We stand before you in this moment, Listening God, and state what you already know. Our cheeks are carved with the tears of the pain we have caused. Our hearts are so empty we cannot comfort others. Our desires have taken us places where we cannot sing your praises.
Heart-seeking God, forgive us. Plant a tiny seed of hope that it might grow into a bouquet for others. Increase our faith until it spills over in thanksgiving to you. Fill us with the love that overwhelms all our complaints and rekindles our desire to follow faithfully Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Silence is observed

Assurance of Pardon
While our failures and frailty are fresh, God's grace has been ours before time began. This is great news - we are forgiven.
Thanks be to God, who has given us the promise of life in Christ Jesus our Lord! Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May God be with you
and also with you.
People of God, lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the One
who cradles our hearts in loving hands.
People of God, let us give thanks
to the God who sets a Table for us.
We praise the Lord our God
who welcomes us with open arms.

It is our greatest joy
to sing our songs of praise to you,
Gardener of Creation.
You planted the seeds of faith
in our ancestors
who sought to pass it on to us.
But your gifts of love and self-discipline
found no resting place in our souls.
Your tears washed
the streets of the kingdom,
when we abandoned them
to walk the world's lonely paths.
We do not remember who protects us,
and we rely on those false gods
who would lead us into despair's captivity.
But you will not forget us,
or leave us orphaned.
Hearing us crying in the night,
you sent our Hope, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, we lift our voices,
singing our praise with those in every time, and in every place, who have been brought out of death's exile,
and who forever sing your joy.

Sanctus

Holy are you, Speaker of our hearts,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, Promise of Life.
When we had hung our souls
on the branches of loss,
he handed them back to us,
teaching us the ageless
harmonies of grace.
When the world left us
by the side of the road
like rusty automobiles,
he came to restore us to newness.
Splashing in pain's puddles,
he washed our feet
and dried them with his love,
leading us into the kingdom.
Daughters of despair,
widows of woe,
orphans and outcasts -
he gathers us all up
in his arms of mercy
wiping out death,
and sitting us down
at the family Table.

As we remember his grace and love,
as we dare not forget his sacrifice for us,
we sing of that mystery we call faith:

Memorial Acclamation

Holy Spirit,
as we offer the gifts
of the bread and the cup
for your blessing,
so we present ourselves:
our accomplishments, our failings,
our hopes, our realities.
Make us weak,
so we might rely
on your strength.
As we have heard the Word,
may we listen
to the cries of the poor.
As we are family
with those sitting beside us today,
may we love our sisters and brothers
in every corner of creation.
As you hold out
the bread and cup to us,
may we reach out to enemies
to clasp hands as friends.

Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
all honor and glory are yours,
Almighty God,
now and forever. Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 21-C

Call to Worship
The word has come for us from God:
who promises to shelter us
under the wings of hope and grace.
The word has come for us from Jesus:
who encourages us to remember
the good news we have received.
The word has come for us from the Spirit:
who reminds us to place our
hope and trust in God.

Prayer of the Day
When we fall into the traps
of groundless fears,
you deliver us.
When an epidemic of worry
threatens to overcome us,
you protect us.
When harmful words
are flung at us,
you answer our cries for help.
Gracious God,
we worship you.

When our lives crumble,
you urge us to buy hope's fields.
When we are tempted by wealth,
you point us to those
who have nothing but share all.
When we are eager
to grasp senseless lies,
you wrap our hands
around God's promises.
Servant of the poor,
we follow you.

When the world silences our hope,
you give us the words to make
the good confession of faith.
When we have lost our way
and can no longer endure
the emptiness of our lives,
you satisfy us from the abundance
of God's grace and joy.
Sheltering Spirit,
we seek your peace.

God in Community, Holy in One,
our Refuge, our Trust, our Hope,
we lift our prayer to you
as Jesus has taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
In God's presence, our lives are exposed, our words are shown for their hollowness, our need is revealed. Let us confess who we are, as we ask God to embrace us with grace and hope.

Unison Prayer of Confession
We need to confess, God of Abraham and Lazarus, how often we are not content with the simple gifts and lives you offer. Tempted by wealth, we can become insensitive to those who have nothing. Encouraged by the world to accumulate more, we may miss the chance to gather your goodness and godliness. Chasing after everything that has no value, we may not have the energy to pursue the faith, the love, the gentleness you have for us.

Forgive us, God of Reversals. Help us to remember how you have redeemed us, and in remembering, may we make that good confession that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, now and forever.

Silence is observed

Assurance of Pardon
This is the good news that comes from God: I will hear your prayers, I will answer with hope and peace, I will deliver you from your sins.
God has covered us with grace; under God's hope we will find shelter. Thanks be to God. Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 20-C

Call to Worship
We gather together to celebrate
the joy in our lives.
God's love fills our hearts
to overflowing with laughter.
We gather, in God's presence,
to find comfort and hope for our pain.
God's grace wipes away our tears
and knits us together as one people.
We gather together, in God's presence,
to worship God in faith and truth.
Alleluia! Amen!

Prayer of the Day
Healing God,
when dismay
is our daily companion,
you come to touch us
with your healing hope.
When grief falls on us
like a wall of bricks,
you rebuild our joy
with your comfort and love.

Jesus Christ,
Faithful Spirit,
when bullies pick on us,
you stand by our side.
When neighbors taunt us
for choosing to be faithful,
you commend us
for our wisdom.

Teaching Spirit,
when we are heart-sick
over the brokenness of our lives,
your compassion races
to bring your gentle balm.
When our joy is gone
and we are stained
by the world's cruelty,
you bathe us in the tears
flowing from God's broken heart.

God in Community, Holy in One,
hear us as we pray as Jesus has taught us,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
Before we speak, God knows our needs, yet our words open our hearts to God's grace. Let us prepare ourselves for God's healing as, in words and silence, we tell of all that separates us from God and one another. Please join me as we pray,

Unison Prayer of Confession
First of all, Everlasting God, we must confess how we have not lived as your people. We serve many masters - work, wealth, power, addictions - yet find no hope in them. We hear the cries of the poor, and shut the doors of our hearts to them. We ridicule those who expose their hopes and dreams to us.

Forgive us, Compassion's Heart, and heal us of our brokenness. Make us well, so that by our healing, we might be the hope and love others need in their lives, even as Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, brought these gifts to us, calling us to be faithful with the grace, peace, and joy entrusted to us.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Now that we have let go of the pain, the bitterness, the anger of our lives, let us be kind, tender-hearted, and gentle towards each other, forgiving as God has forgiven us.
We are God's beloved children, and will model God's grace and love in our hearts. Thanks be to God! We are forgiven! Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 19 - Year C

Call to Worship
The foolish say,
'there is no God.'
We come, trusting in Jesus,
the face, the voice, the presence
of the God who loves us.
The scoffers of our age ask,
'why do you seek after God?'
We come, in this time,
because God's grace has
spilled over in our lives.
The hopeless around us think,
'no one cares about me.'
We come, in this time, to this place,
because Jesus has found us
and brought us home.

Prayer of the Day
When we are short-sighted
and think we can't see you,
you show us a mother
cradling her sick child.
When we are anxious,
certain you don't care about us,
you are confident enough
to trust us with your grace.
When we are cynical,
sure that nothing matters,
you are optimistic enough
to become one of us.
God, you are our Hope.

You sweep the streets
of the world,
to uncover the people
we consider to be trash.
You shine your grace
into sin's shadows
to find us when
we have lost our way.
You would leave us
to go find the sister
we left behind.
Jesus, you are our Joy.

When we walk
the dusty desert of desolation,
you refresh us
with showers of grace.
When our lives
lie in ruined rubble,
you come and build
a foundation for us
out of love and faith.
Spirit, you are our Life.

God in Community, Holy in One,
our Hope, our Joy, our Life,
hear us as we pray as Jesus teaches,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
Which of us has not hurt someone this week? Which of us has not spoken (or thought) ill of a sister or brother in Christ? Which of us has failed to do good when given the chance? Which of us - all of us and each of us! But Christ came to save people just like us, so I invite you to join me as we offer our prayers to God, saying,

Unison Prayer of Confession
Although we believe we are experts at faithfulness, Holy God, we must confess we are unskilled workers at doing good. Too often, we turn a deaf ear to the cries of
people we have judged to be fools. We easily scoff at those we believe have nothing to teach us or share with us.

How foolish, Searching God, how foolish we are! Forgive us, and restore us to your goodness. Then, send us forth to search for all who sit in the shadowed corners of our world, yearning for someone to come and find them, even as Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, came to find us.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Our actions sometimes show we do not know God. Our words and lives show we do not understand God's hopes for us. But with utmost patience, God sets aside our foolishness, and fills us with mercy.
Mingled with faith and love, grace is poured into our sin-parched souls, giving us new life, restoring us as God's children. Thanks be to God. Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 18 - Year C

Call to Worship
We gather in the presence of God:
who knows us when we wake up
and when we go to sleep,
and in all the moments in between.
We gather in the house of God:
who has created a family for us:
here, as well as in Baghdad,
in Belfast, and in Nairobi.
We gather to be the people of God:
who appeals to us to follow
in love, in faith, in service.

Prayer of the Day
Eternal God our Potter:
you come to us
before we come to you.
You send your Heart,
Jesus Christ, to us
before our hearts
are turned to you.
You send your Spirit to us,
when our spirits
wander far from you.
You set a Table for us,
when our souls are hungry,
when our hearts are empty.

God in Community, Holy in One,
hear us as we pray
as Jesus has taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
Our sins are not to be hidden from God. Rather, we bring them into the Light and lay them on the Table, trusting in the One who shaped us for goodness and will transform our brokenness into wholeness. Please join me as we pray, saying,

Unison Prayer of Confession
Searching God: we are so attached to our possessions, we have trouble sharing them. We are so connected to our pleasures that we cannot feel the pain of those around us. We are so stuck on ourselves, we cannot sense our souls slipping away into the shadows.
Most merciful God: loosen us from the grip of the world, so we may feel your healing touch. Sever us from our sin, so your Spirit might bind us to you. Reshape us, redeem us, renew us, so we may take up our crosses and follow our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
The God who calls us is the God who created us; the God who formed us is the God who forgives us. This is the good news - we are God's new creation.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
The Potter of life be with you.
And also with you.
People of God, lift up you hearts.
We lift them to the One
who reshapes them into grace.
People of God, give thanks to the Lord our God.
We praise the One who has shaped us
for love and service.

With joy we praise you,
Creating God.
You stooped down and took the clay
lying on earth's floor,
shaping us in your image.
But we wondered
what it would be like
to follow our own paths
and detached ourselves from your side.
We counted the cost
of being your children,
and found it to be too much for us.
We pondered your words
and found them useless for our lives.
But you did not take your hands from us,
but continue to recreate us,
to reshape us, to redeem us.

Giver of breath, shaper of words,
all the living find voice to praise you,
as we celebrate with the people
of every time and place,
singing to your glory:

Sanctus

Holy are you, Redeeming God,
and blessed is Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior.
Traveling with us,
he points out the paths
we are to walk.
When he could command
us to do whatever he wants,
he appeals to us
to follow his example.
Whatever wrong we have done,
whatever good we have failed to do,
Christ charges them to his account,
that we might be counted
as your beloved children.

So, as we come to the Table
of grace and hope
we remember that mystery
we call faith:

Memorial Acclamation

Spirit of the Living God,
renew us with this bread and this cup
which have been set aside for sacred use,
even as you refresh our hearts.
Fill us with all the goodness of the kingdom,
that we may do good for Christ
as we serve others:
in the ways in which we treat our families;
in our willingness to draw
the outcast to our side;
in our efforts to be your healing hands
to the sick and grieving.

Then, here at the Table
and beyond;
here, in this moment,
and through eternity:
remind us that we are always with you,
God of all places and times,
Christ of those who suffer,
Spirit of justice and hope.
God in Community, Holy in One.
Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 17 - Year C

Call to Worship
We come to worship our God,
to listen to the one who calls us here.
We come trusting God to lead us
in the coming days, as surely as were
our grandparents in the faith.
We come to worship our God,
to shout with joy to the God of all people.
We come to the Creator of all things,
to be bathed in the waters of life.
We come to the Feast of God's faithful,
to be fed by the One who never forsakes us.
We come to worship our God,
to sing aloud to the One who saves us.

Prayer of the Day
Yesterday, God of our days,
when our hunger for hope
had so weakened us
we could barely speak,
you fed us with
the Bread of life,
spread with the sweet honey
of your grace.

Today, Host to the poor,
when we look for you
in the powerful and the rich,
among the superstar and celebrity,
we will find you
seated with the children,
your knees squeezed painfully
under the table,
entertaining them
with your stories.

Tomorrow,
Spirit of Service,
when we will be scrambling
for the seats of honor,
you will be in the kitchen,
cooking dinner for the prisoners,
making up the guest room
for the immigrants,
singing lullabies of love
to the lost children
of our world.

God in Community, Holy in One:
yesterday, today, tomorrow, always,
we will pray as Jesus has taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
Despite all the ways we speak of sin - failures, mistakes, intended acts, Scripture tells us
that we are stubborn-hearted, wanting only our way. But if we pause to listen to God, if we open our mouths ( and our hearts) to confess our sin, God will fill our emptiness with forgiveness and hope. Let us pray together, as we say . . .

Unison Prayer of Confession
We are always uncomfortable, Watching God, when you notice how we want to sit in the seats of honor. We can be so proper, so good, so well-off, that it is easy to imagine we are superior to the poor. We are so busy completing our "To Do" list each day, that we forget to do good when we have the chance.

Forgive us, Welcoming God. Fill our emptiness with your grace and humility that we would spend our lives alongside Jesus, our Lord and Savior, throwing a party for the poor, the damaged, the prisoner, the lost, the oppressed.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
This is the good news: after what God has done for us, what can any one or any thing
do to us? We are new people, graced by our loving God.
Forgiven, embraced, welcomed by our God, we will offer open hearts and serving hands to everyone we meet. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
People of God, lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the God
who welcomes us at this Table.
Let us sing aloud to God.
We will offer glad songs of thanksgiving
to the One who delivers us.

We would sing aloud
our songs of joy to you,
Master of the Universe.
Out of the emptiness of chaos,
you brought forth creation,
plentiful with all we need,
graced with gifts beyond imagination.
Offered the place of honor
in your good Garden,
we filled our souls with worthless lies,
moving out of glory's neighborhood
into the junkyard of the world.
Prophets brought your word of judgment,
and your gracious invitation to come home,
but we would not listen
to the advice they offered to us.
Then you sent Jesus,
who humbled himself
that we might be exalted.

Therefore, we come to your Table singing,
our voices joining with those
in every time and in every place,
lifting our glad songs to you:

Sanctus

Holy are you, Mothering God,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Life.
Glorified as your True Child,
he came to show hospitality
to all the strangers of the world.
Deserving of the seat of honor,
he humbles himself
to serve the guests.
Refusing to let us be left
in the ruthless hands
of sin and death,
he entered that prison
we call the grave
to set us free to life with you.

As we remember his life and death,
as we come to the Table of the resurrection,
we speak of that mystery we call faith:

Memorial Acclamation

Send your Holy Spirit
upon the Bread and the Cup,
simple gifts from creation
which grace us with your life,
and upon those who gather
around your Table.
Fed with the finest wheat,
may we go forth to fill the lives
of all whose emptiness
imprisons them.
Having tasted the cup of joy,
may we bring the sweet honey of hope
to those parched by despair.
Welcomed without quesiton
at your Table of grace,
may we open our hearts
to throw a party for all
who have been forsaken by the world.

And when we gather around
the Wedding Feast in glory,
with all the poor, the broken,
the prisoners, the oppressed -
we will open our mouths
to receive your joy,
and sing aloud to you
our praise for all eternity:
God in Community, Holy in One.
Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 16 - Year C

Call to Worship
Before we got up this morning
and decided to come to church,
God was waiting for us,
to welcome us with grace.
When we are unsure of what to do,
when we falter before the next step,
we come to listen to God's voice,
to learn from the One who teaches us
all we ever need to know.
When we are surrounded by cruelty and injustice,
when our fears cripple our souls,
God delivers us with steadfast love;
we are set free to be God's sons and daughters.

Prayer of the Day
Rock of Ages:
when we are afraid
and can only whisper our fear,
you bend over to listen to us.
When everyone acts as if
they can't remember our name,
you know us as your Beloved.
When we cannot seem to tell others
all that you have done for us,
you put the Word into our mouths.
And we tremble with praise.

Word of the Lord:
when others would weigh us down
with shame and guilt,
you set us free with your joy.
when we are bent over
by our doubts and questions,
you reach out to touch us
with your hope and grace.
And we tremble with praise.

Refuge of Wisdom:
when we wander
from one crippling spirit to the next,
yet once more,
you lead us into hope.
When our fears
shake us to the core,
yet once more,
you touch us with your serenity.
When we cannot stand up
and see our way,
yet once more,
you take us by the hand
to lead us home.
And we tremble with praise.

God in Community, Holy in One,
we tremble with praise and joy
as we pray as Jesus has taught us,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
When we were children, we learned not to touch hot things so we would not be burned. If only avoiding sin were that easy! But sin seems so comfortable, so easy, so harmless that we cannot stop ourselves from reaching out to touch it over and over again. Let us confess our sins to the One who chooses to forgive us and love us unconditionally.

Unison Prayer of Confession
Yet once more, we come to you with our prayers, Holy God. Our crippling spirits keep us from following you. Our grudges weigh us down until we cannot walk straight in your way. Our anger becomes a fire which scorches our friends and loved ones. Our fears blind us to the goodness in those we believe to be different.
Forgive us, God our Rock, and set us free from our wrong-doings and failures. From the day of our birth, we have known your love, grace, and hope. So may we offer you our joyful thanks, as Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, reaches out to touch us with your healing forgiveness.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
God chooses not to turn a deaf ear to us, but to listen to our prayers. God chooses not to shame us, but to save us.
This is, indeed, good news for us! We are set free to drink deeply from the waters of life. Thanks be to God! Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
People of God, lift up your hearts.
We lift them to our Rock and Refuge.
Daughters and sons of God, give thanks to the One who saves us.
We lift our thanks and joy to the God who is our hope.

With a simple Word,
Creator of the Universe,
chaos trembled with fear,
as mountains stretched
to touch the clouds,
and rivers cascaded
through barren deserts.
With a single Breath,
life was given to our ancestors,
who stood up straight
to walk through your Garden.
But the spirit of sin
put out its hand and crippled us;
death enslaved us
with its unjust and cruel grip.
You touched the lips of the prophets,
appointing them to call us home,
but we could not lift our heads to see,
we would not turn our hearts to listen.
Yet, you would not leave us hopeless,
but sent Jesus to set us free.

Therefore, we joing our voices with the faithful
of all time and all places, singing our songs of joy to you:

Sanctus

Holy are you, God of the Ages,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, our Hope, our Trust.
Your Child from before time,
he became a son of Abraham,
that we might all be a part of your family.
From the day he became human,
he taught us of your hopes for us,
so we would not give in to despair.
Seeing us held in the unrelenting grasp
of sin and death,
he put out his hand and rescued us.

As we remember his life, ministry,
death, and resurrection yet once more,
we will proclaim that mystery we call faith:

Memorial Acclamation

Pour out your Holy Spirit
upon the gifts of the Bread and the Cup,
and upon your daughters and sons
who come to this Table.
We come with knees knocking,
with hearts pounding,
taking shallow breaths,
trusting and believing that
here, we will find healing,
here, we will be touched by your grace,
here, we will hear your Word of hope.
Then, fed by your love
and nourished by your dreams,
we shall go to bring your peace
to a warring world.
We shall speak out on behalf
of those whom society has rendered voiceless.
We will not be afraid to stand up straight
and look injustice and cruelty in the eye
and proclaim, "Enough!"

And then, when we are gathered
with our sisters and brothers
from the beginning of creation,
we will sit at the Table of the Lamb,
joing hands and lifting our eternal praise to you,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 15 - Year C

Call to Worship
The One who commands the clouds
calls us to be poured out for others.
We can, by faith, be the waters of peace
which quench the fires of hatred.
The One who creates mercy and hope,
longs for a world of fair play and grace.
We can, by faith, let righteousness and
justice be our constant companions.
The One who is with us in every moment
composes a love-song for our hearts.
We can, by faith, teach this song
to everyone we meet.

Prayer of the Day
Gracious God,
in the debris and litter of the world,
you clear a place
where we can be planted:
your justice
which can bring hope
to the oppressed;
your righteousness
which can receive
even our enemies
in peace.

Jesus Christ,:
you break up
the stony ground
of our hearts,
so grace might be planted.
You take us by the hand
to lead us through
the waters of baptism,
so we can stand
on the far shores
on your kingdom.

Holy Spirit,
early every morning,
you are out ahead of us,
walking the paths of life,
clearing away all the temptations
which would cause us
to stumble and fall.

God in Community, Holy in One,
hear us as we pray as Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior, has taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
Being human, we never find it easy to ask for forgiveness. But as God's children, called to live in relationship with one another, we know we must speak of how we have hurt others, so we might be forgiven and restored to new life. Please join me as we pray to God, saying,

Unison Prayer of Confession
What more can we say, Expectant God, that you don't know already? You long for justice for all people, but it is washed away by the flood of violence in our world. You hope that righteousness will walk with us, but you hear the clear cries of those we mistreat. You ask us to speak up for those in need, but we shut our mouths and turn away.

Forgive us, Righteous God. Have mercy when we do not bear the fruit we could. Even though we have not lived our faith to the fullest, may we receive the promises of hope and grace you have given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Silence is kept.

Assurance of Pardon
Shhh, listen! Can you hear them? The saints of heaven - those who have gone on before us - are cheering us on as we run towards the finish line of our faith.
Thanks be to God! The victory has already been won for us in Jesus Christ. We are forgiven. Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May God be with you.
And also with you.
People of God, lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the One whose heart is broken for us.
Offer your praises and joy to the God who is our Creator.
We sing our love-songs to the One who loves us and watches over us.

It is our greatest joy
to offer our thanks and praise to you,
God of all time.
At the dawn of creation,
you sang your love-song:
covering mountains with cooling shade,
directing the clouds to pour rain
upon the cedar seedlings,
filling your garden of grace
with all the goodness we would need.
But longing for a view
of temptation's delights,
we chopped down the hedges
surrounding Eden and protecting us,
and we were devoured
by sin and death
You sent the prophets
to tend and nurture us,
pruning us so we could bear
the fruit of justice and righeousness.
You took pity on us
as we weakened ourselves by our pride,
and placed your hand upon Jesus
sending him to be strong for us.

Therefore, we lift our thanksgiving to you,
joining our voices with the witnesses of every age,
echoing their glad songs of praise,
offering our hope to you:

Sanctus

Holy are you, Shepherd of all people,
and blessed is Jesus Christ,
your sign of hope and grace.
Surrounded by all the faithful,
he humbled himself,
coming to set the pace for us
in this race we call life.
Worthy of all glory and praise,
he disregarded human acclaim,
and died on the cross
that we might be given life.
Picking up sin and dath,
and tossing them aside,
he cleared the way to you,
that we might enter your kingdom.

As we remmeber his death and resurrection,
as we look for signs of his life in our time,
we receive that mystery of faith
which is promised to us:

Memorial Acclamation

Pour out your Holy Spirit
upon the gifts of the bread and cup,
and upon those who, by faith,
come to your Table.
As we receive these signs
of a grace we cannot see,
may we be transformed
into signs of peace and hope
for our time.
As we taste the broken Bread,
may we draw strength
to serve a shattered world.
As we drink of the gift of grace,
may we become robust
in our giving to others.
As we open our hands to you,
may we go to hand out justice
to the lost, the little, the least.

Then, when we are no longer divided,
but all people are gathered
around the Feast of the Lamb,
we will never turn away from you,
but will sing our songs of love
to you through all eternity,
God in Community,
Holy in One,
forever and ever. Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 14 - Year C

Call to Worship
We are people who have been called
to follow where God leads us.
By faith we can obey, even when asked
to walk into an unknown future.
We are people who have been challenged
to tell God's story to others.
By faith we have the ability
to share the good news.
We are God's children who are invited
to feast at the Table of grace.
By faith we will embrace
our sisters and brothers in Christ.

Prayer of the Day and our Lord's Prayer
Creator of the light:
when our sins
stain our lives,
you dissolve them
with your mercy;
when our souls become calloused
by the hardness of our hearts,
your grace makes them as soft
as a cashmere sweater,
so we can be dressed
to serve others.

Creative Word:
when you had enough
of our hollow words
and empty promises,
you came to listen
to the echoes of your hope
deep within our hearts.
When you became bored
with our endless meetings
and petty squabbles,
you took delight
in our willingness
to follow you.

Breath of Creation:
when we could be sitting
at home watching television,
you encourage us
to rest in stillness with the grieving.
When we could be out shopping,
you nudge us to share our abundance
with the poor and needy.
When we could be relaxing
in our achievements,
you sit us down next to a child,
struggling to read.

God in Community, Holy in One,
as we seek to grow in our faith,
hear us as we pray as Jesus has taught us,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
We would like to keep our sins hidden and our failures a secret. But God would not have us keep silent, but speak our confessions out loud, so we may be blessed with God's mercy and grace. I invite you to pray with me, saying,

Unison Prayer of Confession
You have a vision of all people as your beloved children, Imaginative God, but we see folks whose language, dress, and skin make them different. You have a vision of a universe filled with goodness and beauty, and we damage it with litter, with violence, with poor choices. You have a vision of a Table where we can feast on your grace and hope, but we line up at the fast food counters of sin and greed.

Forgive us, Envisioner of Mercy, as we confess that we are not "insiders" but immigrants searching for our true home. You love us enough to want us to be with you forever, so may we take the hand of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who leads us into your kingdom.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
There is nothing to fear. God's hope is more tenacious than our despair; God's joy is more resilient than our grief; God's love is more compelling than our hate.
By grace, we are gathered to God. By faith, we rest in God's promises of forgiveness and restoration. Thanks be to God! Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May God be with you.
And also with you.
Open your hearts to God, followers of Jesus.
We open them, so the Light of Love shines through us.
People of God, give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is our greatest joy and honor to offer thanksgiving to God.

You called the heavens and the earth
out of the deep emptiness of chaos:
soft breezes caressing our cheeks,
songbirds caroling your glory,
children tapdancing through mudpuddles -
all that we see, hear, and feel
have sprung from your imagination,
Creating God.
All that you thought, dreamed, and wondered
was shaped for us
that we might live with you
in peace and hope.
But we wondered what we would do
with your glory and power;
we dreamed of being divine
and thought we were your equal.
So we reached out for wealth and power,
those false idols who enticed us
even as they ensnared us with their lies.
You sent the prophets
to remind us of your vision for us,
and to assure us of your hope for us.
But we took no delight in their words.
Then, your Word took on flesh
and came to us as Jesus the Christ,
to summon us out of the empty lives
we had created for ourselves.

Therefore, we gather with your faithful ones,
in this time and in this place,
joining our voices with the heavenly choirs
who sing of your justice and grace:

Sanctus

Holy are you, God of infinite imagination,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son,
our Hope, our Lord and Savior.
He should have been clothed
in royal robes of purple and gold,
but put on the uniform
of a condemned prisoner,
so we could be clothed in your grace.
He should have been given
every honor the world has,
but was cursed
so we might receive your blessings.
He should have had a long and healthy life,
but was put to death at an early age,
so we might live forever with you.

Remembering that is not our words which save us,
but your imaginative Word of beauty and love;
remembering that it is not our achievements,
but our hope in Jesus Christ which assures us of your love,
we celebrate that mystery we call faith:

Memorial Acclamation

God of Gentleness:
pour out your Spirit of grace and peace
upon these, your simple gifts,
which become the Bread of Heaven
and the Cup of Salvation for us.
As we taste the goodness of Christ,
and let his brokennes heal us,
may our eyes be opened
to the oppression and injustices
the world would keep us from seeing.
As the rich wine of hope and joy
refreshes our hearts and souls,
may we be ready
to share all we have been given,
to speak up for the voiceless,
to gather the lost into our family.

And when all time has stopped moving
and all the faithful have been gathered,
when we sit down at the feast prepared for all,
we will join hands to sing
the eternal anthem of your vision
of hope and peace for all creation,
proclaiming forever and ever your glory:
God in Community, Holy in One.
Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 13 - Year C

Call to Worship
God of the past,
who whispered in the prophets' ears;
who rescued us from sin's slavery:
we are here to thank you.
God of the future,
who is tearing down the old world,
and building your kingdom in our midst:
we are here because we trust you.
God of the present,
who, in the giftedness of our diversity,
creates us to be one people:
we are here to praise you.
God of life that surprises us
when we find it within us:
we celebrate your grace.

Prayer of the Day
Steadfast Love:
like a child
running down the sidewalk
to play with her best friend
on a summer's day,
you eagerly come towards us.

Child of God:
with the anxious heart of a mother
waiting at midnight,
you long for us
to come home,
your arms aching to hold us.

Fullness of Grace:
when all others
have turned away from us,
you throw open
the gates of the kingdom,
inviting us in to share
at the Table of hope
prepared just for us.

God in Community, Holy in One,
hear us as we pray as Jesus taught us,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
When we could be revived by God's grace, we find ourselves fearing God's judgment, doubting God's joy in us, fearing God has turned away from us. Let us come to the One who heals us and calls each of us by name. Please join me as we pray,

Unison Prayer of Confession
You hold nothing back from us, Amazing God, yet we are determined to cling to what we have accumulated. We spend so much time eating out, we cannot feel the deep ache our hunger for you causes. You invite us to set aside our old ways, and walk with you, but unknown paths fill us with fear.

Have mercy on us, Bread of Heaven. We come to the Table of grace and hope,
not for our personal satisfaction, but for the joy of recognizing the One who calls us to new life, and for the grace to share this joy with everyone we meet. This we pray in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Do not be afraid. More than anything else, God would rather turn fetid swamps into pools of crystal clear water; bonds of sin into cords of compassion; sinners into servants.
God loves us. God forgives us. God lifts us to new life. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May God be with you.
May God also be with you.
People of God, open up your hearts.
We open them to God and one another.
People of God, give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks to the One
who offers us lives filled with grace.

When we were children
running footloose through grace,
you loved us, Tender God:
dappling the night skies
with the bright stars of morning,
teaching us to walk
the paths of that first dawn,
telling us of your dreams
for all you created.
When, in our hurry to greet you,
we fell, skinning our knees,
you lifted us up in your arms,
holding us to your cheeks
wet with joy.
When we missed your calling
us to wash up for dinner,
you came and found us,
taking us by the hand
to feed us from Eden's abundance.

But when we grew up,
we knew more than you,
turning to the idols of wealth and power,
who promised to serve us
even as they shackled us;
giving ourselves over
to anxiety's sweet caress.
Yet you are God,
not a foolish human.
You remain in our midst,
not to punish or destroy,
but to reach out
and bring us home to your heart.

Therefore, we joyfully lift our voices,
with those who have gone before us,
and those who stand beside us,
singing our praise for your great love;

Sanctus

Holy are you, God of infinite tenderness,
and blessed is Jesus Christ,
your Son, our Lord and Savior.
Breaking the enslaving bonds of sin,
he binds our wounds
with cords of compassion;
walking with us
when we had lost our way,
he shows us the paths
to the kingdom;
stripping himself of glory and honor,
he clothes us in the new life of faith;
leaving aside his equality with you,
he became one of us,
so we might be one with you.

Remembering that you did not give up on us
or hand us over to sin and death
but showered us with your mercy
in Christ Jesus,
we take the bread of life
and the cup of grace
and joyfully celebrate that mystery
we call faith:

Memorial Acclamation

Compassionate God,
pour out your gracious Spirit on us,
and on these, your simple gifts.
Fill us with the broken bread
that we might be made whole;
touch our parched lips
with the cup of salvation,
so we might proclaim your gospel.
Then send us forth:
our hearts recoiling
at the oppression suffered
by our sisters and brothers;
our hands willing to build shelter
for those cast out by the world;
our arms surrounding
the lost and the least,
in the embrace of common humanity.

Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
in unity with the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor are yours,
God of love, now and forever. Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 12 - C

Call to Worship
It is in this place of holiness
that we can come with our fears,
our doubts, all the questions of our hearts.
We come to this place, to hear
the words of peace, of hope, of joy
God speaks to us.
It is in this place of discovery
that we can come searching.
We come to this place, to find
the One who has been looking for us.
It is in this place of openness
that we can come knocking.
We come to this place, to be embraced
by the One whose heart is never locked.

Prayer of the Day
Loving God of heaven and earth:
the morning breezes
whisper your holy name,
the trees clap their hands
in time to creation's songs of joy.
You build your community in our midst,
despite our best efforts to tear it down.
Your simple gifts of love and peace
are of more value than all
the world promises us.

Jesus Christ, Teacher of our hearts:
you walk with us
through the streets of fear and failure,
holding our hands
so we have no need
to reach out for the Evil One.
You give us words to speak
when the worries of our lives
turn us speechless.

Spirit of Grace and Hope:
your river of mercy
tumbles through us
washing our hearts of all
we cannot release,
so we may reach out and embrace
all who have hurt us.
Your peace defends the weak,
your glory shines in the oppressed,
your justice embraces all people.

God in Community, Holy in One,
we lift our prayers to you.
Amen.

Call to Reconciliation
We are invited to pray - all who have hurt someone else, and all who have been hurt by another. We are called to pray: for hope, for healing, for mercy. We pray to the One who seeks to make us whole; whose will is to restore us to new life. Join me as we pray, saying,

Unison Prayer of Confession
We do not find it easy to speak of how we do not live as your people, but you invite us to share our weaknesses and failures with you, Inviting God. Tempted to think your salvation is for a select few, we put up barriers for others. Clinging to all you give to us, we are reluctant to share with those in need. Surrounded by evil
and violence, we find it easier to close ranks with those just like us, rather than seeking peace and reconciliation for our world.

Forgive us, Salvation's God. Open our eyes to our sisters and brothers all around us. Open our ears to the word of hope you speak to us. Open our spirits to the presence of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who flings wide the open doors of your kingdom, that all might find life with you.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Here is the good news, my friends: Christ came searching for us, calling us by name, leading us
into God's kingdom.
In Christ, we become new people: broken, we are made whole; lost, we are found; forsaken, we are restored to new life. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Responsive Pastoral Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven:
remind us this day
that you are not only creation's Architect,
but your are the Babe who cried for food,
the teenager who knew loneliness,
the adult who felt the rejection of loved ones.
Hallowed by Thy name:
yours is the name spun by the stars;
yours is the name whispered by the dying;
yours is the name written on our hearts.
Thy Kingdom come:
may it be a kingdom of peace, not prejudice;
may it be a kingdom of sharing, not grasping;
may it be a kingdom of hope, not hurting.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven:
may your Word be more than print on a page;
may your justice be more than a wish in our hearts;
may your will become our deepest desire.
Give us this day our daily bread:
let us taste it in the kisses of loved ones;
let it fill us in the empty moments of our lives;
let it slip out of our hands to mend the brokenness of our world.
And forgive us our debts as we forgive others:
may those who have hurt us find a welcome in our hearts,
even as we have found our home in yours.
And lead us not into temptation:
turn our hearts from the seductions of our world;
and the simple pleasures that turn us from you.
Keep us from thinking we are so important
that we ignore those around us.
Help us to always bring others to you in prayer,
before we bring ourselves,
as we do in these moments:

Prayers are lifted for others

But deliver us from evil:
not just great evils of war and hunger,
but from ingratitude, self-love, pride,
all those little evils that do such great harm.
For thine is the kingdom:
our heart's true longing;
and the power:
which you set aside to serve us in weakness;
and the glory:
which we would mirror in our lives,
our bodies, our minds, our souls,
this day and every day.
forever and ever.
Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God of grace be with you.
And also with you.
People of God, lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the One
who share good gifts with us.
Children of the living God,
give thanks to the One who loves us.
We sing our praises to the One
who embraces us with righteousness
and showers us with kisses of peace.

Our greatest joy is to sing
our songs of thanksgiving
to you, Lord of all eternity.
When you first spoke,
creation was conceived and brought forth
birds to swoop through the clear blue skies
and butterflies to flit about
in the gardens of Eden.
We were offered the chance
to run free in your good universe,
but we immersed ourselves
in the petty philosophies of pride,
and were enticed
by the empty lies of the world.
You sent the prophets
to knock at our hardened hearts,
asking us to turn to you,
but we continued to dance
in the arms of sin and death.
That is when you sent Jesus,
to put on flesh's body,
so we might throw off
the chains of our captivity.

Therefore, we join with those
in every time and place,
who have searched, and found you,
who have asked, and been answered,
who have knocked and been welcomed
in your all-forgiving grace and love,
singing our praises forever:

Sanctus

Holy are you, God of restored lives,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son.
In him,
you turned away from your anger,
so we might turn to you
to receive forgiveness.
In him, you set down your indignation,
to hand us the Bread of Life.
In him,
death and sin were defeated
so we could be revived to life.
So, as we gather at this Talve,
remembering how he not only lived and died,
but was raised to life by your love,
we proclaim that mystery called faith;

Memorial Acclamation

Pour your Spirit of peace and hope
upon these good gifts
of the bread and the cup
and upon those who have gathered here
at your gracious invitation.
May the Bread which is broken
make us whole,
so we may go forth
to speak peace to a world
which has been fed violence and death.
May the Cup which is shared
open our hearts to the pain
of those around us,
so we may bring healing and hope.
And when we leave this Feast,
may we follow your righteousness
into the streets of the world,
taking all we meet by the hand
to show them the path
to your heart.

And when our wills have been
subsumed into yours,
and when your kingdom has come
in its glory and grace,
we will gather with our sisters and brothers
from every time and place,
embracing and kissing
all children of the living God,
sitting down at the great Feast of the Lamb,
singing your glory through all time and space,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 11 - Year C

Call to Worship
God has called us to this place.
What do you see?
We see people who model for us
God's joyous embrace of all people.
God has brought us to this place.
What do you hear?
We hear God's hope
that we are able to see each person
as our sister or brother.
God has challenged us
to open our lives and hearts to others.
What will you do?
We will do only one thing:
welcome everyone in God's name!

Prayer of the Day
You open our eyes
to a world
which would sell the poor
for the price of an SUV,
or trade the needy
for a pair of Guccis,
or haul the weak
into Judge Judy's court.
So come,
God of Justice,
to make us
as vocal as Amos.

You watch us
as we fill our days
with endless work;
as we keep a list
of all our worries,
never marking any off;
as we get easily distracted
by others' inactions.
So come,
Creation's Oldest Child,
to make us
as still as Mary.

You take notice
of how quickly
we can overlook
those who hunger
for their empty hearts
to be filled;
those who long
for a family
to welcome them;
those who thirst
for that relationship
which will revive
their souls.
So come,
Reconciling Love,
to make us
as welcoming as Martha.

God in Community, Holy in One,
come to make us your people,
even as we pray as Jesus has taught us,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
They are there in the Bible: men and women who are as weak, as foolish, as prone to sin as we are. Every page, every story reveals to us our brokenness. Yet every page, every story tells us of One who longs to make us whole. Let us confess our sins, and clear the way for God's reconciling love to work within us. Please join me, as we pray,

Unison Prayer of Confession
In the mirror we call scripture, Revealing God, we see ourselves for who we are and are not. We whine about those who are not doing what we think they should and ignore our failings. We speak words which nibble away at the life in our family and friends. We step over the poor on our way to get more and more, ignoring their needs.

Forgive us, Reconciling Love. Sit us down at Jesus' feet, so we may learn the balanced life you intend for us. Then, and only then, we can set aside our grudges, to offer our gifts to our neighbors; we can stop licking at our hurts, to bring healing to others; we can reach out and welcome our sisters and brothers, even as we have been welcomed into your heart through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Silence is kept.

Assurance of Pardon
Christ Jesus comes to reconcile us to God, so we can be reconciled to one another. Recreated in God's image, we are made whole.
When we are in Christ, everything becomes new. Our past is just that - our past!
Do you really believe this - that your past is done, and you are a new person? If so, go out and reflect it in your life.
Thanks be to God! We will go forth and live as reconciled people. Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God who embraces us be with you.
And also with you.
Children of God, lift your hearts to the One
who makes you welcome in every moment.
We lift them to the Lord our God
who is our host at this meal.
People of God, offer your praise
and thanksgiving to the One
who comes bringing new life to us.
The sad dirges of our lives
become praise songs for the One
who makes us whole.

We will thank you forever,
God of Reconciliation.
Through your imaginative Word,
all things were created:
summer fruit to tingle our taste buds,
and winter's ice sculptures to delight us;
spring's breezes to disturb our complacency,
and autumn's rainbow leaves
to dance across our lawns.
Offered life in your garden of joy,
we took refuge in the world's shadows;
invited to build a home in your love,
we grasped the blocks of betrayal
to build our false lives on;
chosen to make known your grace for all,
we proclaimed the lies of the Evil One.
Yet, you would not let us wander
from sin to sin,
but sent the prophets to speak
in the presence of the unfaithful,
of your forgiveness and hope.
And when our sharp tongues
slashed their words to ribbons,
you sent the fullness of your life,
Jesus the Messiah,
to bring us back to you.

And so, we join our voices
with all who have gone before us
and all who will come after us,
singing your praises forever:

Sanctus

Holiness is who you are, Reconciling God,
and salvation is the blessing we receive
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.
He came to bear the stain of our lives,
so we could be made squeaky clean;
he walked the streets of the world,
so we no longer needed to shuffle our feet
in the dust of our failed dreams;
in his life, death, and resurrection
he revealed the mystery
of your glorious hope for us,
before we had finished
reading the story.

As we would welcome your loving embrace,
we would proclaim that faith we long for:

Memorial Acclamation

Send your Holy Spirit
upon the gifts of the bread and the cup,
and upon those
who will receive these gifts.
May the bread which is broken
make us one with each other;
may the cup which is shared
be the healing we need.
Then, when we be nourished by your grace,
send us forth to be your servants:
setting aside our worries
to welcome the weak and forsaken;
letting go of our grudges,
so we may receive
the grace the stranger brings to us,
releasing our fears and doubts
so we may embrace
your steadfast love.

Then when all time comes to an end,
and we are brought together at your Table
through him who reconciled us to you,
and who holds us together in his grace,
we will sing our praises through all eternity:
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 10 - C

Call to Worship
Blessed is God, who created us
and loves us beyond measure.
Blessed is God, who calls us
to stop measuring out our love.
Blessed is God, who speaks
and tells us stories about ourselves.
Blessed is God, who reveals to us
who we are and who we could be.
Blessed is God, whose compassion
is poured out on every single person.
Blessed is God, who gives us compassion
to share with every single person,
even people we do not know or care about.

Prayer of the Day

Eternal God,
Rescuer of the weak:
given every reason to judge us,
you seek justice for us.
You stand with the poor
in the ditches
where we have discarded them.
You plant your Word of truth
in the One who gives us
unexpected answers.

Jesus Christ,
Word of Truth:
you will not pass us by,
but stoop to lift us up
and carry us out of our pain.
You love the faithful enough
to tell us stories
which will shatter our complacency
and send us forth
to carry mercy to others.

Holy Spirit,
Giver of mercy:
you carry hope in your mouth
and breathe it into our souls.
You take us by the hand,
leading us out of the ditches
we have dug for ourselves,
into the brightly lit streets of the kingdom.
You pray for us in every moment,
especially when we are unable
to pray for ourselves.

God in Community, Holy in One,
hear us as we pray as Jesus taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
Are you in love with God? Do you show it in your words, your thoughts, your actions? Are you in love with your neighbor? Do they know this by your presence, your grace, your friendship? Or are you so obsessed with your self, that you have no time, no room, no pity for others, or for God? Let us confess the limits we place on our love, so we might be filled with God's limitless mercy.

Unison Prayer of Confession
They may not be beaten down or lying by the road,
but there are people we pass by, Watching God.
Some are family and friends
we take so much for granted
we cannot see how we have stripped
them of our love and compassion.
Others are neighbors:
who have been left half-dead by crushing work;
who have fallen into the hands of despair;
who have been abandoned by all those
who walked on by them.
Many are strangers, people we don't know,
but quickly judge:
they are weak,
or poor,
or the enemy
or because they remind us of who
we once were, or could become.

Rescue us from the power of our sins,
Righteous One of all generations.
Pour out your justice on us,
rather than your judgement,
that we would be moved with pity,
and spurred to action;
that we would hear of the hope that is ours,
and share it with our sisters and brothers;
that we would shower mercy on all we meet,
even as we have received forgiveness for our sins
through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Silent Prayers may be offered

Assurance of Pardon
Children of the Most High: you are forgiven
and brought into the kingdom. Be filled with
spiritual wisdom, lead lives worthy of your
inheritance, bear fruit in all you say and do
and think.
God has rescued us and redeemed us from
our sins, setting aside judgment to shower
us with mercy. We will go and do likewise.
Thanks be to God. Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

We would not cease singing
our songs of thanksgiving to you,
Innovative Creator.
You imagine a sky
as wide as eternity,
and fluff it with billowy clouds.
You shape mountains
and top them with snow.
You notice our uncertainty of the dark,
and shower us with fireflies
to twinkle our fears away.
All this, you thought and did, for us.
You would teach us your ways
of kindness, peace and compassion,
but we filled our minds
with the empty words of a wayward world.
You sent the prophets
to retell your story of hope,
but we urged them to go
and preach to someone else.
But when the world turned its back on us,
when others pass by our pain,
you sent Jesus to come and find us
and to carry us into your heart.

Therefore, we lift our songs of joy to you,
joining our voices with those in heaven and on earth,
who forever praise your name:

Sanctus

Holy are you, God of Wonder,
and blessed is Jesus Christ your Son.
Your heart, your soul, your mind, your strength,
he was willing to love you enough
to become one of us;
loving us as much as he loved himself,
he endured the battering of the world,
and stripped of his glory and grace,
he was left by the side of the world
by the gang of sin, evil, and death.
Moved by his love and sacrifice,
you came and found him,
alone and forsaken in the tomb.
Anointing him with the waters of baptism
and the oil of hope's gladness,
you brought him into the new life
of your resurrection love.

As we remember his life of great love,
we praise you,
that as we break the bread of life,
and drink from the cup of grace,
we know the risen Christ is among us:

Memorial Acclamation

We come to this Table
looking for answers to our questions
and for healing for our brokenness.
So, pour out your Spirit upon your children,
and upon the gifts of the bread and the cup,
that nourished and fed by you,
we might we strenthened
to serve our sisters and brothers around us.
As we get up from our seats at your Table,
may we stand up
for the rights of the lowly.
As you pour out your grace
upon us,
may we wrap it around the orphans and weak;
as you whisper your dreams for us,
may we speak out
on behalf of the poor;
as you offer us
the bread and the cup
from your hands,
may we reach down
and lift up those
who have fallen through
the cracks of our society.

Then, when all time has come to an end,
and there is only life forever with you,
we will join hands with all your children,
singing our joy and thanks to you,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 9 - C

Call to Worship
Sing praises to our Lord:
who heals us and makes us whole.
Sing praises to our Lord,
faithful children of God:
whose joy rises in our lives
each and every day.
Sing praises to our Lord,
faithful children of God;
give thanks to God's holy name:
God's Kingdom is near to us;
God's peace resides in our hearts.

Prayer of the Day
We greet you,
Helper God,
with songs of joy
on our lips.
You remove our sackcloth
and dress us
in Kingdom finery;
you lift us up
and waltz us past
the outstretched hands
of sin and death;
you sow your seeds of grace
deep within our hearts,
bringing forth a harvest
of faithful and loving disciples,
who forever praise your name,
even as we pray as Jesus taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
Unlike ours, God's anger does not last. But
God's favor, God's grace, God's forgiveness?
In every moment, between yesterday and
today, between now and forever,
they are for us. How can we not want to
confess to such a One who is ready to heal
us? Please join me as we pray, saying,

Unison Prayer of Confession
Helper of every person, we grow weary of
all the wrongs done to us and those we love,
but forget how we let the chances to do what
is right slip through our lives. We gloat over
the failings of our neighbors and turn a deaf
ear to our call to bear their burdens. We boast
about all we do for the needy, and refuse to see
your grace and favor working through us in
such moments.

Do not let our sins rejoice over us, Healing
God. You let go of your anger to reach out
and touch us with your forgiveness. Pour out
your Spirit of gentleness upon us, so we might
bring the peace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, to the world.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Sing praises to our God, faithful children.
God has heard our prayers and made us
whole.
We will not be silent, but will sing our
joy to the One who has forgiven us and
made us a new creation. Thanks be to
God! Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the Lord our God be with you.
And also with you.
Children of God, lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the One who heals us
at the Table of brokenness.
Children of God, give thanks to the Lord our God.
We will sing our praises
to the One who restores us to life.

We do not bring silence to you,
Holy One of all people,
but shouts of praise and laughter
for your gracious love.
Your healing river flowed through creation,
bringing life and joy to all
who would drink from it.
But we preferred to splash
in the sewers of the world,
rejecting all that you intend for us.
Yet, you never grew weary
of bearing the burdens of your children.
When you could have shaken
the dust of our sin from your feet,
you chose to lead us out of the Pit
of our rebelliona nd sin.

Joining with those who sing your praises,
lifting our voices with faithful ones
of every time and of every place,
we sing our thanks to you forever.

Holy, holy, holy are you, God the Creator!
The mountains sing your praises,
the valleys echo your glory.

We welcome the One who comes in your name, who comes to call us to life.

Holy are you, God of compassion,
for when death threatened your children
and sin vowed to turn the universe
back over to chaos,
you sent your Son, our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ,
to heal the brokenness of the world.
He did not grow weary
of doing the right things,
but confronted the wrongs of the world;
he endured the violence of sin,
that we might receive the gentleness
of life with you forever;
he carried our sins to the cross,
that we might bear the burdens
of our sisters and brothers;
he went ahead of us into death,
that we might walk with him
into the kingdom.

As we dance to the Table
to be embraced by hope,
we remember all that Jesus has done for us,
and all that we have been called to do in his name.
Great is the mystery of faith.

Lord Jesus, you call us: open our eyes that we may see you, open our souls that we may long for your presence, open our hearts so we may follow you.

Flow through us, Holy Spirit,
as we drink deeply of Christ's cup.
You never grow weary of feeding us
with the Bread of life,
but transform our brokenness by this meal.
And as we turn from the Table,
send us forth:
to bring healing to the sick,
freedom to the oppressed,
to speak peace
to the human household,
to carry the kingdom with us
wherever you would lead us.
For we will not keep silent,
but praise you forever and ever,
God in Community, Holy in One.
Amen.

(c) 2007 Thom M. Shuman