Liturgy with communion for August 20, 2017 (Pentecost 11/Trinity 10/Proper 15/Ordinary 20 - A)

Texts:  Isaiah 56:1, 6-8; Psalm 67; Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32; Matthew 15: 10-28

Call to Worship
In the gathering of school supplies,
in the harvesting of backyard gardens:
God blesses us beyond imagination.
In the simple acts of daily chores,
in the kindness shared by a stranger:
God is gracious to us.
In the rapture of a child watching a firefly,
in the inquisitive look of a senior
wondering where they left their keys:
God's face shines upon us.
We praise you, O God!
We praise you!

Prayer of the Day
Welcoming God:
you gather everyone,
especially the outsiders,
to worship you, for
you are not an image or idol,
   but protector of the helpless,
          parent to the poor,
          friend of the lonely.

Accepting Christ:
there is not any place
you will not go to bring
God's grace to others.
In you,
   the enemy is made a friend,
   the broken are made whole,
   the orphan finds a home.

Embracing Spirit:
your gentleness falls upon us,
and our fears of rejection disappear;
   your truth is whispered in our ears,
   and our arms embrace strangers;
your peace is poured into our souls,
and we are reconciled to all we hurt;
   your love throws open our shuttered hearts,
   and we see our sisters and brothers all around us.

God in Community, Holy in One,
in you we have life and hope forever.
Hear us as we pray together saying,
(The Lord's Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
We may praise God, but we prefer to live our way, becoming captive to our foolish choices.  But God longs to set us free, so let us confess to our God, as we pray together, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
     In every opportunity, God of this day, we choose not to follow you.  From our hearts to our mouths flow words that hurt others, come thoughts that lead us away from you.  We are richly blessed, but think others should be grateful for the crumbs we offer to them.  Our claims to have great faith are disputed by our inability to trust you in all things.
     We come to you, Helper of the weak, for you are gracious and forgiving.  You offer us the fullness of your love, not just a few dollops.  You refuse to let us go, but sweep us up with arms of joy.  You send Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, to lead us into your kingdom.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
I ask you, has God rejected us?
No!  By God's grace, God's gifts and God's calling are never taken back.
I ask you, again, has God rejected us?
No!  That Love we know as God will never let us go.
This is good news, dear friends, believe it.
Thanks be to God.  We are forgiven.  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
May we not offer you the leftovers of our resources and our lives, Blessing God, but let these gifts be but part of what we give back to you, as we seek to serve your people and your creation.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the gathering God be with you.
And also with you.
Open your hearts to the One who welcomes you.
We offer them to God whose face glows when we do what is right.
Sing glad songs to our God.
We rejoice, for our God will not reject us.

You called creation to your Self,
Gathering God, saying, "Listen and understand:
     let waters fill the rivers and seas,
     let the trees sing for joy,
     let the fields yield fruit and grains,"
and all the ends of the universe praised you.
to those shaped in your image, you gave everything,
hoping we would understand your dreams,
     but sin and death kept shouting
     after us, and we listened only to them.
Prophets came, to make your ways
known in all the world,
     but we only wanted the temptations of sin.
So you sent Jesus to us,
to be our guide to your heart.

With those whose faith is great,
with those who cling fast to your covenant,
we sing a song of joy to you:

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.

Your holiness is poured out on all,
and Jesus Christ comes to make
your way know to all people.
When we listened only to foolish words,
     he spoke of your dreams
     so we might understand.
When we were imprisoned by
our all too willful rebellion,
     he came to set us free with that love
     which will never let go of us.
When death would devour
the very crumbs of our lives,
     he gathered us up
     and carried us out into
     that resurrection morning.

As we gather with our sisters and brothers,
with neighbors and strangers, at the Table,
we sing of that mystery known as faith:

O Love, how deep, how broad, how high,
beyond all thought and fantasy:
that God, the Son of God, should take
our mortal form for mortals' sake.

Help us to listen to your welcome
to your feast, God of the gathered,
as your pour out your Spirit
on the gifts made ready for us.
May we understand that it is
not just crumbs, but all of your justice
offered in the bread so, as we eat,
     we may go to bring wholeness
     to all shattered by the world's fears.
Help us to recognize that it is
not just a few drips, but all of your grace
poured into the cup so, as we drink,
     we will go to do what is right,
     opening doors to outsiders,
     gathering outcasts into our family.

And when at the last you call to us,
gathering us around the Feast of the Lamb,
we will join all peoples in praising you,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

Sending
Now go, to serve as God's people.
We will work to remove all that divides us from others.
Now go, to share the grace of Jesus.
We will love others just as we are loved.
Now go, to be the Spirit's community.
We will invite everyone to join us in this life of faith and service.

(c) 2017 Thom M. Shuman