19th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper14 - B

Texts: 2nd Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33; Psalm 130; Ephesians 4:25-5:2; John 6:35, 41-51

Call to Worship
In these moments, in this family of faith,
the God of gentleness gathers us together:
hoping that our self-righteous anger
might become passionate justice for others.
In this place, in that Body shaped by his grace,
Christ, the Bread of life, calls us to service:
hoping our comfort level of complacency
might be transformed into compassion
for the needy all around us.
In our hearts, our mouths, our actions,
the Spirit of holiness gifts us with truth:
hoping our faltering, fumbling words
might be transfigured into good news.

Prayer of the Day
There is forgiveness with you,
God of compassion.
When we want to continue
to stumble down paths
potholed with aggression,
you hand us
the paving stones of reconciliation.

There is grace with you,
Bread of life.
When we want to list you
at a certain address in our directory,
when we want to put
dogmatic words in your mouth,
when we want you to parrot
our fears and prejudices,
you will have none of it.

There is peace with you,
Discerning Spirit.
When we want to keep playing
with our old, broken toys like
slander, malice, anger, and lies,
you place them on the highest shelf
where we cannot reach them,
handing us that new game called
'Imitating God'.

Peace, grace, forgiveness are your gifts,
God in Community, Holy in One,
and we praise you for them,
even as we pray as we have been taught,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
How often we find ourselves hanging between heaven and earth! We long to be imitators of Christ, but end up as copying the seductions and temptations of the world which rub up against us. In confession, we take those first steps towards healing, so let us bring our broken promises, our foolish mistakes, our hurtful words to the One who offers us grace and forgiveness.

Unison Prayer of Confession
How deeply we must grieve you, Tender Heart. You would soften our hearts, but we continue to soak them in the brine of our bitter tears. You would have us speak hope and peace to those around us, but we enjoy talking trash to them. You long to reside in our lives, but we keep making up the guest room for anger, slander, malice.

Deal gently with us, Overflowing Mercy, and forgive us of all our wrong-doing. Let us wait for your grace which strengthens us to be your people; let us watch for the new life which is our inheritance; let us hope in the Word of joy and peace, the Word we know as Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Silence may be kept

Assurance of Pardon
Watch what God does when we come in repentance and prayer. God loves us, God forgives us, God fills us with new life.
We watch and find the One who offers us hope; we wait, and find the Bread which feeds us in every moment; we are in awe at this good news: we are forgiven! Thanks be to God. Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
Such slight words -
light, water, earth, sky -
when written on a list,
but in your voice,
echoing in the Spirit,
creation bursts the logjam of chaos,
rushing forth to fill the void
with life, hope peace, grace,
all the gifts you shaped for us.
Our denial of you broke your heart,
as we made room for sin and death,
but you did not forget us,
sending the prophets to remind us
that there is forgiveness with you.
When we continued watch
more for temptation than for you,
you sent Jesus into our midst,
to speak the truth of your love for us.

So, as we gather with our friends and neighbors,
as we are members of the one Body
in every time and place,
we lift our voices singing of your love:

Holy, holy, holy, God of steadfast love.
All creation waits for you.
Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is the One who is the living bread.
Hosanna in the highest.

Steadfast love is who you are, God of Compassion,
and this love is made flesh in Jesus, your Child.
Though we struggle to follow,
he is the Guide to your heart;
though we rarely seek him,
he is the Bread which can feed
our deep-down-in-the-belly longings;
though we resist drinking from the fountain,
he is the living water which can quench our thirsts;
though we are convinced we can do it ourselves,
he is the one who gives himself up to sin and death,
defeating forever their power over us.

As we remember this fragrant offering for our sakes,
as we come to the Table of joy and peace,
we tell of that mystery we call faith:

In Christ's death, we hope;
in Christ's resurrection, we have life;
for Christ's return, we wait.

Here at this Table of bread and cup,
graced by your Spirit of hope and peace,
we discover the extravagant love you have for us.
As we feast on the Bread of life,
may is lavish grace fill our hearts,
so we may go out to serve others,
never minding the cost.
As we drink from the cup,
may we transformed by its peace,
that we might go out to embrace
all who have been forgotten by the world.

And when we no longer have to watch
but awaken in that eternal morning,
when we no longer have to wait,
but find ourselves seated around the Lamb's Table,
we will join our voices with all your beloved children,
singing to you forever and ever,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.

(c) 2009 Thom M. Shuman