21st Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 16 - A

Texts:  Exodus 1:8 - 2:10; Psalm 124; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20

Call to Worship
L:    Our help is in the name of the Lord,
P:    who made heaven and earth.
L:    Our joy comes from the heart of God,
P:    who transforms us into open-handed givers of hope.
L:    Our grace comes from God's compassion,
P:    who breaks the bonds which tie us to sin and death.
L:     Blessed be the Lord our God!
P:    who reveals to us the One who brings us new life!

Prayer of the Day
When fear would enslave us,
you set us free by your faith in us;
when the currents of hopelessness
would sweep us away,
you cradle us in your promises;
when evil would exercise power,
you transform us into
members of the one Body,
so we can overcome its efforts.
You are always on our side,
All Watchful God.

Through the mouths
of children and youth,
you teach the foolish
the wisdom of your grace;
through the gentle lives
of those harmed by hate,
you open our locked hearts
to embrace the broken.
You are always by our side,
Heart of Compassion.

Reluctant to let go
of all our gifts,
you touch us with generosity's grace.
Hesitant as to what
we might do for others,
you teach us the skill set
of compassion and service.
Dwelling with loneliness,
you nudge us to welcome
the last and the least.
You are always at our side,
Spirit of Change.

God in Community, Holy in One,
we believe you are side-by-side with us,
even as we pray as Jesus has taught us,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
While we may yearn to be like Jesus, we
know that in our hotheaded choices, our
frantic lives, our impetuous words, we
are too often like Peter.  But like him,
we can confess Christ as our Lord, speaking of
our need for your saving presence in our lives.

Unison Prayer of Confession
   We look for you in all the wrong places, God
of the lost, and wonder why we cannot find you.
We wander the corridors of power, while you are
on the sidewalks, beside the homeless.  We sit
at the head tables of the world, while you are
handing out soup to the hungry at the kitchen's
backdoor.  We applaud those who win the race,
while you are cheering on those in last place.
  In forgiving us, God of new life, you would
transform our cold hearts into those melted in
service to others.  In granting us mercy, you
challenge us to think of all those we have
ignored.  In gifting us with grace, you enable
us to proclaim Jesus Christ, our Lord and
Savior, as the hope, the joy, the peace the world
seeks.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
L:    It's not money, but our generosity with it;
       it is not power, but our willingness to
       humble ourselves; it is not our efforts,
       but Christ's gift, which transforms us into
       God's children.
P:    It is more than just how we think.  In mercy
       and grace, our hearts, our lives, our spirits
       are transfigured and made new.  Thanks be
       to God.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
L:  May the God of who watches over us be with you!
P:  And also with you.
L:  Children of God, open yourselves to the God of Moses and Miriam.
P:  We raise our hearts to the One who changes the lives of all.
L:  People of God, sing praises to the God of Jesus and Peter.
P:  We raise our glad songs of joy to the One who is with us,
      in this time, and in this place.

If you had not been on the side
of all that is good, perfect, and acceptable,
God of Joy,
chaos would have ruled.
But you swept it away
in your flood of creation,
which thundered through valleys
carving majestic mountains,
which showered the soil
with life, with hope, with love.
Transforming us from earth's floor
into people in your image and heart,
you gifted us to live with you.
Sin and death begged us
to follow in their footsteps,
nursing our infantile foolishness
with their seductions and desires.
You sent the prophets
to be midwives to us,
bringing words of new hope;
but our anger flared up
at their intrusion in our lives.
So, after we had ignored
Elijah and Jeremiah, Miriam and Hannah,
you sent Jesus to us,
to open wide the gates
to the kingdom of your heart.

So, with those who remained faithful as slaves,
as well as with those who proclaim your Child,
we join our voices with those in every time and place,
singing your praises forever:

P:  Holy, holy, holy are you, God who keeps watch over us.
     All creation is transformed by the wisdom of your Spirit.
    Hosanna in the highest!

    Blessed is the One who does not give up on us.
    Hosanna in the highest!

Holy are you, God of Imagination,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, our Messiah, your Son.
If he had not been on our side,
we would have continued
to wander sin's pathways
into death's oppression.
In compassion,
he came to reveal your heart;
in generosity,
he offered us the means
to escape from sin;
conscious of his choice,
he took up the cross,
where he was put to death,
and swallowed up by the grave,
sweeping away death's power
when he was raised to new life
by your love and hope.

So, as we remember his willingness
to come and be by our side,
we sing of that mystery called faith:

P:   Christ dies, taking our side against sin;
      Christ rose, taking God's side against death;
      Christ will come, taking us to his side and into eternity.

Renew us, God of all joy,
by the gift of your Spirit
upon the bread and cup prepared for us.
If the Spirit were not with us,
we would become gluttons,
stuffing ourselves on your grace.
But She sends us out
to empty ourselves for those
forced into hunger and despair.
She nourishes us with your hope,
so we might prevail
against all those powers
which would oppress your children
with injustice and hopelessness.

And when all powers have been defeated,
when evil has gone the way of chaos,
we will stand side by side at your Table
in that kingdom of eternal joy,
singing our thanksgiving to you,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

(c) 2011  Thom M. Shuman