2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time/Epiphany 2-A

Texts:  Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 40:1-11; 1st Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42

Call to Worship
L:    In the bleak mid-winter, we wait:
P:    for the One who warms us
      with stories of love and hope.
L:    In the stillness of a snowfall, we wait:
P     for the One who clears a path
      so we may follow in faith.
L:    In the shadows of life, we wait:
P:    for the One who lights
      the way through the world.

Prayer of the Day
Like a teacher
who bends down
to hear a shy student,
you listen to our hearts;
like a fellow hiker,
you reach down
and pull us out
when we have fallen
into desolation's pit.
You are faithful,
Steadfast Love.

Like a school custodian,
you scrub the grafitti
off our graceless lives;
like a nurse,
you clean out our ears
so we can hear
the hurt and loss around us,
as well as your gentle reminder,
"what are you looking for?
Those are the ones to help."
You are faithful,
Servant of the poor.

Like a best friend,
you whisper peace
into our quaking ears;
like a debate student,
you testify about
God's never-ending love;
like an innocent child,
you see wonder in every moment.
You are faithful,
Spirit of Salvation.

God in Community, Holy in One,
we proclaim your faithfulness even,
as in faith, we pray as we are taught,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
Called to follow, we often trip over our
temptations, falling flat on our faith.  But
God picks us up, sets us on the solid ground
of grace, and sends us out as servants.  Let
us confess our sins to the One who is always
faithful.

Unison Prayer of Confession
  Shaped, formed, born to be servants, Faithful
One, we spend so much time focused on ourselves.
Called to be saints, we deeply despise those with
whom we disagree.  Challenged to testify about
the good news, we keep silent, hoarding stories
of joy and hope for ourselves.
  Forgive us, Merciful Lamb.  Give us open ears,
that we might hear your words of pardon; give us
open eyes, that we might see those you would
have us serve; give us open hearts, that we might
welcome the One who takes away our sins, Jesus
Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
L:    Listen!  Before you were born, God called you
      by name, claiming you as God's child.  Pay
      attention!  You are forgiven.
P:    We will not keep silent.  We will tell, and we
      will sing; we will whisper, and we will shout:
      God is faithful!  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
L:   May the grace of God be with you!
P:   And also with you!
L:   Lift up your hearts, people gifted by God.
P:   We offer all that we have to our God.
L:    Let us give thanks to God always, dear ones of God.
P:   We lift our praises to our faithful God, who calls us
        into the household of faith.

You called creation into existence,
Gatherer of goodness.
You shaped the hollows
to hold the waters of life,
you formed the stars
to glitter in the night sky,
and the suns to warm
all you created.
Before we were born from dust,
you named us as your own,
giving us breath that
we might honor you with our lives.
But when the world asked
about your constant love,
and death wondered if
you were indeed faithful,
we responded, 'we do not know God,'
and planted our feet deep
into the mud of sin and desolation.
Deeply distressed by our rebellion
hoping to bring us back to you,
you sent the prophets
to gather us home.
But we abhorred their advice,
and silenced them with our laughter.
So you sent Jesus,
the One we were looking for,
even though we did not know.

So, we join our voices with all who,
in every place and time,
call on Jesus' name, singing:

 P:   Holy, holy, holy, God who takes away sins.
      All creation tells the glad news of salvation.
      Hosanna in the highest!

      Blessed is the One whose trust is in you.
      Hosanna in the highest!

Holy are you, Gatherer of the lost,
and blessed is Jesus Christ,
Salvation's Servant and our Lord.
He came,
opening our eyes so we could see
your light shining in our shadows;
he came,
testifying that your love and faithfulness
were the bookends
holding together our lives;
he came,
to carry our sins to the cross,
so they would be left behind
in sin's grave forever,
as the Risen Lord comes
to lead your people
back into the kingdom.

As we remember his birth, his life,
his words and wonders, his death and love,
we would speak of that mystery we call faith:

P:   Christ died, hidden in the shadow of God's heart;
     Christ rose, delighting to do God's will;
     Christ will return, to bring us back to God.

As you gather us around the Table,
pour out your Spirit
upon the gifts of the bread and the cup,
and upon those who come,
longing to do your will
and to follow you faithfully.
May the bread which has been broken
shape us as servants
to a world shattered
by injustice and hopelessness;
as we drink from the cup,
may our hearts be reformed
so we would hear the cries
of the lost, the last, the least;
as we are embraced in your grace,
may we be reborn, not as saints
who can bask in our own glory,
but as servants who,
abundant in gifts beyond measure,
would pour them out
for everyone we meet.

And when creation has been reborn
into the new heaven and the new earth,
and we are gathered around
the Marriage Banquet of the Lamb,
we will not keep silent
but tell and sing, whisper and shout
of your grace and of your peace,
of your faithful and constant love,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

(c) 2011 Thom M. Shuman