Call to Worship
From
north and south,from east and west, we come:
God's people called to the Table
where simple grace nourishes us.
From down the street to across town,
from single households to apartment dwellers:
God's people are called to community,
where we live and serve one another.
From every class, every race, every status;
from little ones with sippy cups to elders with overflowing hearts:
God's people are called to witness to God's hope,
to offer peace to a shattered world.
Prayer of the Day
Seeing
your childrenin bondage and despair,
you brought them to freedom
by your compassion and hope.
Longing to create a people
who would care for one another,
you spoke simple truths
about integrity and justice.
Fill our worship
with sighs more precious than
all we value, Word Speaker.
You
came,
not
to build a grand scheme,but to be our foundation of faith.
You came,
not to choose sides like we do,
but to be that peace
which brings us together.
You came,
not worrying about what
lay ahead for you,
so we could see
your kingdom prepared for us.
Fill our worship
with your grace more precious
than our deepest fears, Word Bearer.
When
we cling
to
all which holds us back,you empty our arms,
putting our past in a rummage sale.
When we hesitate
to stand with the lost,
you nudge us forward
with the wind of justice.
Fill our worship
with your peace more precious
than the brokenness we grasp, Word of Wisdom
God in Community, Holy in One,
hear the words of our hearts
as we pray as Jesus has taught us, saying,
(The Lord's Prayer)
Call to Reconciliation
We are good at rules: making them and then breaking them. Paul reminds us that, when we gain Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we receive exactly what we need - forgiveness, grace, hope. Let us confess our sins to God, that we might know God's healing love for us!
Unison
Prayer for Forgiveness
If we were
to name all the gods we have before you, Rock of Redemption, we would be here a
very long time. We elevate politicians into saviors, though they are as broken
as we are. We misuse your name so much during the day, we have trouble speaking
to you in prayer at night. We are so busy, we do not notice how creation
witnesses to your goodness and grace.
Forgive
us, God our Hope. Help us to let go of what we value most, so we may open our
emptiness, our hearts, our lives to the healing and loving presence of Jesus
Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Persistently,
patiently, lovingly, God pours out grace and joy into our lives, healing our
brokenness, forgiving our sin.
Loved, we are sent to
love;
forgiven, we are freed
to forgive;
graced, we can offer
our gifts to everyone we meet.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayer
of Dedication/Offering
Great
Prayer of Thanksgiving
May
the composer of heaven's music be with you!
And also with you!
Beloved,
God has created you for faithful living.
We lift our hearts to
the One who calls us to be Christ's Body.
People
of God, sing to the One who cleanses us of our fears.
We will dance with joy
to the Table of peace and hope.
Chaos
trembled as you spoke,
not
wanting to hear
your
goodness breaking it apart,
Rock
and Redeemer of all.
Creation sang oratorios for you,
while earth drummed out the rhythm.
Each
day testified 'God is good';
each night whispered 'Glory!'
All
that was beautiful and true was created for us,
but
wanting to know sin and death,
we exchanged the best you gave to us,
for the garbage they offered.
Using
words and wonder,
silence
and speech,
prophets
came to call us back
into
your covenantal love,
but we continued to yearn
for what we could not have.
Finally,
you sent your Son,
in
love, in hope, in peace,
that
we would accept him
and
the gift of new life.
So,
with those who trembled at
the
foot of your holy mountain,
and
with those who press on to follow you,
we
join our voices in praise to you:
Your
Word opens our eyes to all creation;
your Word is the sweet
taste of joy for hungry hearts;
your Word endures
through every trial and triumph.
Blessed is your Word who comes in your name.
Hosanna in the highest!
Holy
are you, God of all creation,
and
blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.
Yearning
for us to know you,
he came to be your face
of love and compassion for all.
Hungering
for reconciliation
between
you and your children,
he became the broken Bread of Life.
Aching
for our release
from
the agony of sin and death,
he suffered on the cross,
so we might be made well.
As
we remember his goodness and gentleness,
As
we celebrate his life in us,
we
would speak of that mystery we call faith:
Setting
aside all he valued,
Christ became our treasure;
setting aside his own
life,
Christ rescued us from sin;
setting aside our
doubts and fears,
we yearn for Christ's return in glory.
Here
at your Table,
Redeemer
of all creation,
pour
out your Spirit
on
the gifts of the bread and the cup,
and
on our sisters and brothers in Christ.
Your
Spirit gives us life,
so we may go and serve others.
Your
Spirit heals our brokenness,
so we may bring healing to all.
Your
Spirit graces us with peace,
so we may be peacemakers
for our communities.
And
when we stand around your Table,
all
hurtful words silenced,
all
pain left behind,
with
hope and grace our closest friends,
we
will join our hearts and voices
with
our sisters and brothers
who
forever sing of your glory,
God
in Community, Holy in One. Amen.
Sending
You
are a blessed people.
We
will go to be a blessing in the world.
You
are the face of Jesus.
We
will go to be love and compassion to all.
You
are the family of God.
We
will go to serve our sisters and brothers
wherever
we may find them.
© Thom M. Shuman
