4th Sunday after Epiphany/Ordinary Time 4 - B

Texts:  Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 111; 1st Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28

Call to Worship
L:    Thinking we know all the answers,
        yet wondering if we haven't missed something:
P:    we enter this sanctuary of Truth.
L:    In the company of sinners,
        in cahoots with saints:
P:    we gather as God's people.
L:    Standing by folks of deep, abiding faith;
        seated with those who stumble through
        the Kingdom:
P:    we lift our praise to God.

Prayer of the Day
L:    We hunger for power,
        and you feed us
        the bread of humility;
        we long for freedom,
        and you invite us to drink
        the cup of self-denial.
        Faithful and Just God:
P:    our songs of gratitude
        will echo down
        the hallways of creation.

L:    You speak
        and all the props
        are knocked out
        from under our pride.
        Then, you astound us
        by reaching out your hand
        to lift us to our feet
        so we may follow you.
        Holy Gift of God:
P:        our songs of praise
            will echo down
            the hallway of our hearts.

L:    Without your wisdom,
        we would be speechless;
        without your peace,
        we would be heartless;
        without your presence,
        we would be graceless.
        Bearer of Truth:
P:        our songs of joy
            will echo down
            the hallways of eternity.

L:    God in Community, Holy in One,
        may our songs echo in your heart
        as we pray as Jesus has taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
It's very simple:  all God asks is that we
recognize our sin and acknowledge it.
And why?  When we offer our prayers
of confession, God takes them from us
and fills our hearts with such an abundance
of mercy, we cannot hold it all.  Please
join me as we pray together, saying,

Unison Prayer of Confession
   God our God: we fill our souls with the
empty sounds of our culture, and wonder why
we are so empty when we need words of hope,
of grace, of comfort.  We are careful to follow
the prescriptions our doctors give us, yet pay
little heed to your hopes for us.  We puff out
our chests over what good people we are, yet
do not notice how our pride trips those who
seek to follow Jesus.
   Forgive us, Holy One, and be gracious to us:
   astound us with your words,
        so we may learn your ways;
   nourish us with your mercy,
        so we may be filled with life;
   enter our empty souls,
        till they overflow with praise for your
        Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

    Silent prayers may be offered

Assurance of Pardon
L:    Of all the astounding works of God,
        this may be the most wonderful:  God
        is gracious and merciful  -  to us!
P:    What has this to do with us?  Everything!
        What is this?  Good news, of the very best kind!
        We are forgiven.  We give thanks to our God with all
        our hearts.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
L:  May the God of wondrous deeds be with you!
P:  And also with you!
L:  Let us give thanks to our God.
P:  We lift our whole hearts to God, holding nothing back.
L:  Join in praising God, who is merciful and gracious.
P:  In the company of our friends and fellow followers,
     we rejoice in the one who is our God.

'What have you to do
with us,' chaos cried out,
and you rebuked it, Holy One,
whispering, 'be silent,' and with a Word
all that is good and true came forth,
   oceans teeming with life,
   meadow grass rippling in the breeze,
   snow-capped peaks touching the sky.
You raised us up in your image,
but we worshiped the idols, sin and death,
becoming so accustomed to them
we would follow them anywhere.
You put words into the prophets' mouths,
so they could speak your words of hope,
but we refused to listen.
So you sent Jesus,
from whom all things are,
so we might live with you.

So, with prophets and those who never listen,
with the foolish, as well as the faithful, of every age,
we sing our songs of praise to you:

P:  Holy, holy, holy are you, God of great wonders.
     All creation is astounded by your works.
     Hosanna in the highest!

     Blessed is the One who restores us with love.
     Hosanna in the highest!

Holy are you, Awesome Creator,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, Redeemer of all.
He teaches, as one with authority,
those who rebel against you.
He heals, as one with compassion,
those who struggle with pain and illness.
He calls, as one with the words of life,
those who have lost their way.
He dies, as one with complete trust,
for those who have no hope.
He rises, as one known by God,
so we may live for you.

As we remember what Jesus has done for us,
as we celebrate his life, death, and resurrection,
we speak of that mystery we know as faith:

P:  Christ died, as we fell silent in grief;
     Christ is risen, silencing the power of sin and death;
     Christ fills the silence of our fears with songs of
        your wondrous love and life.

You long to have everything
to do with us, God of wonders,
and so you call us to this table
of peace, hope, reconciliation.
Here, in the bread and the cup
transformed by your Spirit,
we are reminded that
there is no God but you.
For, in the life of the bread,
we feast on that grace
which can heal a broken world.
For in the sweet taste of the cup's hope,
we taste those promises
which we can share with all people:
   peace where there is only war,
   love where there is only evil,
   wonder where there is only despair,
for from you come all things;
to you, we all would turn to follow.

And when all human time and history is done,
when we are gathered with our sisters and brothers
in that time with you we call eternity,
we will praise you forever, singing glory to you,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

© 2012  Thom M. Shuman