Liturgy for May 4, 2014 (Easter 3 - A)

Texts:  Acts 2:14a, 36-41; Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19; 1 Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35

Call to Worship
Lift your voices to God.
We call on the One who promises to hear us.
In life, in death, in every moment, God deals graciously with us.
We rejoice in the One who saves us.
We will break the Bread of life in thanksgiving to God.
We will lift up the Cup of salvation, drinking deeply from it.

Prayer of the Day
When every day seems the same,
with no one listening to our dreams,
our hopes, our fears and worries,
you pause, God our Baker,
turning your head
so you can read our lips.

When every road seems the same,
filled with despair's potholes,
littered with pain's detritus,
you come alongside us, God our Lover,
pointing out that side road
that will take us to Abba's Fine Eats.

When every step trips us up,
when every loss weighs us down,
when every grief breaks our heart,
you come, God our Keeper,
with your book of grace
filled with easy words
and lots of pictures
to teach us hope.

When every one ignores us,
when every thing disappoints us,
you walk with us, you talk with us,
you refuse to abandon us,
God in Community, Holy in One,
so hear us as we pray as we are taught,
(The Lord's Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
When we confess our lives, we are calling on God who promises, not only to hear us, but to heal us with forgiveness and hope.  Join me, as we pray together saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
     We cut you to the heart, Loving God, with the silly choices we make.  We had hoped our lives would reflect your presence, but those around us can see how empty we are.  We had hoped our words might bring healing, but they end up hurting those we love the most.  We had hoped to find Jesus, but cannot see him in all those you send to us.
     Oh, how foolish we are to think we can go on without your mercy, Lord God.  Through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, you judge us impartially from the depths of your heart, so we may be born anew by your grace, to continue the journey into your future.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
This we know for certain - we are forgiven by our gracious God.  This good news never ceases to astound us!
This promise is passed on to us, so we may share it with everyone we meet.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God of Emmaus roads be with you.
And also with you.
Fellow pilgrims, give your hearts to God.
We offer our cold hearts to the One who will set them on fire.
Alleluia!  Sing songs of glad praise.
Alleluia!  We will sing of the risen Lord.

Before the foundation of creation
was poured out of your heart,
God of astounding imagination,
your Word whispered and
     elephants trumpeted in the veldt,
     whales sang in the ocean deeps,
     gases whirled and swirled into galaxies.
The Spirit moved upon those shaped
in your image, breathing life into us
so we might live within your grace,
     but we put out our hands,
     letting death handcuff us
     and lead us away from you.
Prophets came, interpreting your love
and hope for us with words and deeds,
     but we did not recognize them,
     going on our way without them.
So you sent Jesus to us,
to astound us with the news
that you would never give up on us.

With those who are far away,
with those who are right next to us,
we offer our thanksgivings to you:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God our listener.
All creation is made new by your Word.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the Bread of heaven who opens our eyes.
Hosanna in the highest!

Because you are holy, you are gracious,
God of our every moment,
and being Grace itself, your Child
was willing to become one of us.
He took on our humanity,
     so your love might be seen
     face-to-face.
He blessed us, when the rest
     of the world cursed us
     and tossed us aside.
He broke the power of sin
     by dying on the cross,
and he gave death its notice,
     as he walked out of the tomb
     from which you raised
     him to new life.

Baptized at the font as your beloved children,
sustained by the feast of the Lamb of life,
we speak of that faith which seems so familiar,
     yet is still a mystery:

Christ died, suffering those things for us;
Christ was raised by God, walking side by side;
Christ will come, and our eyes will be opened so we can recognize him.

We act as if we are going on,
but you urge us to stay,
inviting us to this Table
where your Spirit blesses
the bread and the cup,
and your children gathered together.
We take the bread you have blessed
and in its breaking, our eyes are opened
     to see the despair around us,
     to glimpse the grief of our friends,
     to witness to the suffering in our midst.
We take the cup you give us,
and as we drink from it, our hearts burn
     for the oppressed in our world,
     for those we walk past,
     for the hungry and homeless.

And at the same hour when all time ends,
we will return to your heart,
finding our sisters and brothers gathered
together around the Table of glory,
and join forever in singing your praises,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

Sending
The stone has been rolled away!
We will go to share this good news!
Jesus walks with us on our journey.
We will go with him wherever the road takes us.
Jesus has opened our eyes.
We will go to serve everyone we see.
© 2014 Thom M. Shuman