Call to Worship
Jesus began his ministry to the world,
led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
As we begin our
Lenten journey,
let us be led by
the Spirit,
even into the uncomfortable
places.
In those forty days, and in that place,
Jesus was faced with hunger, doubt, and temptation.
As we seek to
follow Jesus, we would be led,
even into the
uncomfortable choices.
Jesus left the wilderness, faithful and obedient to God,
rejoicing in the One in whom he trusted.
As we continue on
our path to faithfulness,
we will be led by
our Christ,
rejoicing in the
Lord our God.
Prayer of the Day
Hope
is the inheritance
you
gift to us, God our trust,
so
we might discover that
when
we are tempted
we
may call out to you for help;
that
even when we stumble
during
our journey,
we
are carried in your hands.
Grace
is the inheritance
you
share with us, Brother of strangers,
not
that we might hoard it
for
ourselves and loved ones only,
but
we would be willing
to
be generous to all we meet,
making
no distinction when
it
comes to our sisters and brothers.
Peace
is the inheritance
we
receive from you, Spirit of salvation,
not
that we might settle in
and
claim it only for a special few,
but
that we might turn it
into
that place of refuge for all,
where
mercy and hope flow
into
each person’s life.
All
that we have is an inheritance from you,
God
in Community, Holy in One,
blessings
to be shared with all,
even
as we pray as we are taught,
(The Lord’s Prayer)
Call to Reconciliation
God makes no distinction between us. We are all sinners, we are all children of God, we are all precious to God, and we are all saved by God. Because God is so impartial, let us confess our common humanity to the One who is generous to all.
Unison Prayer for
Forgiveness
We meet you here, God of faithfulness, our
hands and lives full of all our foolish ways.
Your people, we treat the strangers who walk among us with fear and
doubt. We afflict our anger on those who
care about us the most. We impose hard
words on those who need to hear hope and grace in their lives.
So now we bring our hearts to you, Generous
God, setting them down before you in hopes that you will mend them. As you hear our faltering words, we pray you
would answer us with your forgiving love.
And as you forgive us, may we go forth to be generous with our lives
towards others, even as the one who is Lord of all, Jesus Christ, has been so
generous to us.
Silence is kept
Assurance of Pardon
As
you have confessed, do you so believe?
The good news is that there is nothing we do that can conquer us, for we
are sheltered in God’s gracious mercy and hope.
This is the truth we
believe. The Word is in our hearts, and
on our lips, as we give thanks to God who is our shelter and our live. Amen.
Prayer of
Dedication/Offering
From
a laptop and a daycare center, from retirement and teaching, from construction
work and nursing, from all the places where we derive a living, we offer you
our gifts, God of grace, so they might become part of all the fruits of hope
and of healing, of peace and patience, which you give to others throughout the
world. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May
the God of wilderness hopes be with you.
And also with you.
Let
us bring our hearts to God.
We offer them to God
who fills them with life.
With
songs on our lips and in our hearts, let us praise God.
We sing of what we
believe, offering thanksgivings from our hearts.
From
the deep wilderness of chaos,
you
brought forth the refuge of your heart,
God
our God, creating
mountains that shade the valleys below,
rich grain and vegetables to feed the
hungry,
rivers and lakes filled with the water of
life.
This
creation was entrusted to those
shaped
in your image, the first fruits of your love,
but we chose to follow temptation
into that wilderness we call death.
Seeking
to be generous to all,
you
continued to send prophets to us,
women
and men who carried your words
to
us in their hands and their hearts,
yet we continued to serve the empty
promises of sin and fear.
So
you sent the Word near to us
in
Jesus, the One who came to reveal
your
salvation to us.
With
old-timers as well as newcomers,
with
insiders and those who have stood outside
we
offer our songs of praise to you:
Holy, holy, holy are
you, Giver of all goodness.
Creation’s heart
overflows with joyous praise to you.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is the One who
is full of the Spirit.
Hosanna in the highest!
Holy
are you, God of mercy and hope,
and
blessed is Jesus Christ, Lord of all.
When
he could have feasted on glory,
he came to feed all who hungered
for hope and for life.
When
he could have strode the halls of power,
he chose to walk the wilderness,
picking up all who stumble along the way.
When
he could have chosen the easy way,
letting
the angels carry the burden,
he confronted death face to face,
being flung into its wasteland,
where you brought him forth into new life.
As
we seek to believe in our hearts all he did and taught,
as
we try to confess his death and resurrection,
we
proclaim the word of faith that is so mysterious:
Christ died, trusting
in your continued presence;
Christ was raised, the
first fruits of resurrection;
Christ will come making
no distinction, but welcoming
all into that kingdom overflowing with mercy
and hope.
Led
by you, we come to this Table,
where
the first fruits of redemption,
the
bread of life and the cup of salvation,
are
filled with the gifts of your Spirit
and
offered to all who gather before you.
As
we are fed by the bread,
may
we become as generous as you,
making
no distinction as to who we will serve.
As
the cup nourishes us with your life,
may
we be poured out for others,
feeding those who are hungry,
joining the voices of the powerless,
offering our lives in grace and hope to all.
And
when we gather at last where you dwell,
we
will celebrate the great feast
of
the first fruits of your love and grace,
joining
our sisters and brothers in praising you,
God
in Community, Holy in One. Amen.
Sending
Now
let us go from this place of haven
God
has given to us.
Led by the Spirit, we
will go to be with those
who are filled with
fears, with hopes.
Now
let us go from the refuge of the Table
where
we have tasted the first fruits of grace.
Led by the Spirit, we
will go to feed
those who hunger for
companionship and life.
Now
let us go into the world, living out God’s reality
that
there is no distinction between people.
Led by the Spirit, let
us go to serve
our sisters and
brothers who are our true family.
©
2016 Thom M. Shuman
