Proper 5/Ordinary 10/Pentecost 3/Trinity 2 - C

Texts: 1 Kings 17:8-6 (17-24); Psalm 146; Galatians 1:11-24; Luke 7:11-17

Call to Worship
You we praise, O God! You we praise!
We will sing our songs of joy this day and in all the days to come!
School is coming to a close, vacations are planned, life changes from day to day.
Yet, you keep your promises every day; you hold your faithfulness in your heart.
You shower us with your hope; you offer us help in every moment.
You we praise, O God! You we praise!

Prayer of the Day
You we praise, Fountain of Hope:
you turn our hearts
toward the outsiders
in our midst,
     so we can see you
     in them;
you take off
the sunglasses of sin
we have worn for too long,
     so we may see your kingdom
     of peace and joy.

You we praise, Friend of the poor:
when we trip
over our foolish feet
in our headstrong rush
to catch the world's whims,
     you pick us up,
     bandage our scraped knees,
     and put us back on
     the path to faithfulness.

You we praise, Spirit of blessing:
you hold the hands
of the widows and orphans
     as they wander the busy streets
     of greed and consumption,
         leading them to your
         compassion and grace.

You we praise,
God in Community, Holy in One,
as we lift our prayer as Jesus has taught us,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
We think life is all about us - our desires, our needs, our achievements. And, so in our pride, we ignore the gospel proclaimed to us by God's love and hope for us. Let us confess our faulty lives, as we open ourselves to God's healing grace, praying together,

Unison Prayer of Confession
     We do not want you to know how our lives do not proclaim your good news, God of all hearts. But you have heard the words we have spoken which injure those we love. You see how insistent we can be in clinging to the ways we have always lived, rather than walking your new paths. We have trouble believing that when our souls are empty and our hearts have only a small portion of love, that you can do miracles in and through us.
     So, what we need to know is that you do indeed forgive us, and still love us, God of comfort.  Let your grace shower us and end the drought of fear and doubt in our lives, so we can believe the good news which comes to us through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Do not be sad. God feeds us with grace and hope, God watches over us, and raises us to new life.
You we praise, Holy God, for this good news of joy and peace for our lives. Thanks be to God, we are forgiven! Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
The God of prophets and widows be with you!
And also with you!
Offer your hearts to God, who prepares this Table for you.
We will trust the One who fills us with grace and hope.
Praise the Creator for all the goodness which is ours.
We will sing glad songs to God with every breath we take!
You we praise, Engendering God!
You formed the seas, their waters
     teeming with abundant creatures;
you cradled the earth, planting
     a myriad of life into its deep soil.
You shaped us in your gracious image,
imparting the Spirit's breath in us,
     but we put our trust in mortal death,
     zealous for its temptations and longings.
You sent prophets into the world,
who challenged us not to fear,
but to place our trust in you,
     yet we returned time and again to sin.
Keeping faith forever with us,
you sent Jesus into our midst,
to touch us and give us life.

So, with those whose eyes have been opened,
and with those who have been set free,
we lift our songs of glad joy to you:

Holy, holy, holy, God of all generations!
Heaven and earth, the sea, and all in them glorify you.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the One who looks with grace upon us.
Hosanna in the highest!
You we praise in your holiness, Glorious God,
and bless your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
When we had nothing but
a handful of sin,
     he came to fill us with grace;
when there was only a little
hope left in our lives,
     he came to pour salvation
          up to the brim in us;
when we despaired in the drought of sin,
     he approached the gates of death,
     bringing its power to ruin,
his empty tomb the reminder
of the abundance of resurrection.

As we come to this Table of plenty,
as we celebrate the life he gave for us,
we speak of that mystery we call faith:

Christ died, so we would not weep;
Christ is risen, so we would not fear;
Christ will come, so we will glorify God.
You we praise, Baker of life, Vintner of grace.
Your Spirit moves upon
the gifts of this Table
and on those for whom
the feast has been prepared.
We eat,
believing that the Bread will not fail,
     but strengthen us to go forth
     to work for justice,
          even as we feed the hungry.
We drink,
trusting that the Cup will not be emptied,
     as we pour ourselves out in service
          to those crushed by oppression,
          to those held captive by fear.

And when we gather where all time has ended,
seated with your children from every time and place
around that wedding feast of joy,
we will join our voices in praising you forever,
singing to God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.

© Thom M. Shuman