Transfiguration Sunday - C

Call to Worship
We gather as the faithful of God,
we come to listen to what God
has to say to us.
God has invited us to this place:
may our faces reflect our hopes
and our hearts.
We gather as the faithful of God,
people of the new covenant of
hope and of promise.
We boldly enter into the presence of God,
hoping to be transformed into new people.
We gather as the faithful of God,
our fears melting away in the heart of God.
We come to share in the freedom of the Spirit,
we come to praise God's holy name.

Prayer of the Day
Majestic Glory,
Heart of God:
on mountaintops crowned with mist
and in museums filled with wonder;
in tents pitched by singing brooks
and in theaters filled with laughing children;
in this sacred space
and in all the ordinary neighborhoods
where we live,
you are with us,
hearing us,
answering us.
And we do not lose heart.

Holy Beloved,
Face of God:
we glance at you
out of the corners of our souls,
and see grace surrounding us;
we look at you
conversing with the poor and rejected,
and see our family;
we watch you
as you come to us,
to touch us, to heal us,
and to give us back to God.
And we do not lose heart.

Holy Spirit,
Ear of God:
when our lips
cannot shape words,
you speak them for us;
when we can only sigh
our deepest needs,
you gather them up
and offer them to God;
when our hopes
are dashed to the ground,
you pick them up
and give them back to us.
And we do not lose heart.

God in Community, Holy in One,
we lift our voices and hearts to you,
praying as Jesus taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
Sometimes we wait for God to astound us with whirlwinds of wonders, while God silently offers us grace. God waits to forgive us, so let us hold nothing back, but trust in the One who listens to our prayers and answers us with mercy.

Unison Prayer of Reconciliation
God of mountaintops, the din of the world can harden our hearts to your Word. We watch news, reality TV, silly shows - yet have trouble bearing witness to your presence in our lives. Our faith is placed in those who fail us, our trust is given to those who misplace it.

Forgive us, Revealer of Mystery. You offer mercy to us, so we might hear your call to discipleship. You whisper our names, so we might know how loved we are. Caught by the surprise of your never ending joy in us, how can we not follow our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, onto the mountaintops of worship and into the valleys of sacrifice and service!

Silence is observed

Assurance of Pardon
On mountaintops and in valleys, in our homes and in our hearts, God knows us better than we know ourselves, and God forgives us when we cannot forgive ourselves.
P: By God's mercy, we are forgiven;
by God's mercy, we are made whole;
by God's mercy, we are equipped to
serve others. 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 Lord our God.
People of God, give thanks to the One
ho meets us on the mountaintops of
glory and in the valleys of service.
It is good and right to give praise
to the One who is with us in every moment.

Shaper of mountains
and Carver of rivers:
it is our greatest joy to offer you
our praise and thanksgiving in these moments.
All things in every place
were created by you
to rejoice in your radiant splendor.
Created by you to live
in your garden of hope and joy,
we believed in the shrewd schemes of the world,
and wandered into the valleys of sin and death.
But you did not forsake us,
but became one of us
so we might be transformed
into new life.

You gave us the Breath of life
and the Word of grace
so all the living could find voice
to sing your glory.
Therefore, we join with those
of every time and place
singing the ancient hymn
of praise and glory:

Sanctus

Mighty God, lover of justice,
you are seated upon the praise of your people.
On the mountain of holiness
you proclaimed Jesus Christ as your Beloved,
the hope of all your children.
He descended Glory's mountain
to climb up on a garbage dump called Calvary.
When he could have stayed
with Moses and Elijah,
he chose to be crucified
between two thieves.
When he could have taken shelter
within your hope and love,
he endured the cross of pain and suffering.
And so, we proclaim our faith
as we come to your Table:

Memorial Acclamation

Descend upon us, Holy Spirit,
and on these gifts of the Bread and the Cup.
As we share them with one another,
may we be restored to wholeness.
May Christ's return in faith
find us in service to others;
may Christ's return in hope
find us praying for others;
may Christ's return in love
find us reconciled with one another.

And when Christ comes again in glory,
all people will be set free,
all brokenness will be made whole,
and all creation will sing:
through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.

(c) 2006 Thom M. Shuman