Texts: Isaiah 35:4-9a; Psalm 146; James 2:7-10
(10-13) 14-17; Mark 7:24-37
Call to Worship
Here,
in this place, we will not be afraid to sing the good news.
We will praise our God,
now and always.
Here,
with this people, we will not fear in living the good news.
We will walk with
Jesus, as he comes with justice in his hands.
Here,
in these moments, we will not be scared to tell the good news.
We will be open to all
the Holy Spirit is doing in our midst.
Prayer of the Day
On
your holy road,
Heart
of faithfulness,
those
blinded by fear
will see hope;
those
deafened by doubt’s cries
will hear grace;
those
who have only crumbs
will be filled with love.
On
your holy road,
Heart
of justice,
bullies
will become mentors
for those they tormented;
those
who can’t find the right words
will compose songs of wonder;
those
who trip over their worries
will dance in the streets.
On
your holy road,
Heart
of grace,
those
convinced of their ways
will learn to change their minds;
those
whose hearts are barren deserts
will bloom with bouquets of laughter;
those
who have buried faith under a mound of words
will see it resurrected in compassion for
others.
We
long to journey on your holy road,
God
in Community, Hearts united,
as
we pray as we are taught,
(The Lord’s Prayer)
Call to Reconciliation
So
many choices, and we make the wrong ones; so many paths to take, and we go down
the wrong ones; so much good we could do, and all we do is offer empty
words. Let us bring our lives and hearts
to our God, who is our help and hope, in this and every moment. Let us pray together, saying,
Unison Prayer for
Forgiveness
We say that we are good listeners, God of
holy ways, but we turn stopped up ears to the vulnerable around us. We say that we live as your people, but too
often, put ourselves ahead of the people we love. We say that we are people of faith, but then
try to overwhelm people with words, rather than acts of service.
We say so much, God of compassion, that we
cannot hear you calling us to faithful living.
Have mercy on us and send us out to offer kindness to the lonely. Have mercy on us and send us to be generous
with the love you offer. Have mercy on
us, so we might be open to all the chances we will have to follow, and to serve
alongside our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Silence is kept
Assurance of Pardon
Whisper
it. Say it. Shout it.
Sing it! Our God comes with
justice, not judgment; with hope, not a heavy hand; with grace, not
grudges. This is the good news for us.
We will not be scared
to tell anyone, and everyone, of our God who overflows with mercy, who sets us
free, who watches over us. Thanks be to
God, we are forgiven! Amen.
Prayer of Dedication/Offering
May
our gifts not be the crumbs of our lives, but justice for those overlooked by
the world; be healing for those broken by pain and grief; be grace for those
who long to be listened to and welcomed.
In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Great Prayer of
Thanksgiving
May
the God of holy ways be with you.
May God be with you as
well.
Here
we may come, to be fed by grace and hope.
Here we offer our hollow
hearts to our God.
We
will rejoice and praise God every chance we get.
We will sing to our God
in every moment of our lives.
You
came, God of Imagination,
into
the emptiness of chaos,
your
arms laden with the gifts of creation:
sweet, juicy tomatoes on vines;
honey dripping from combs in trees;
cool, clear water rushing over rocks.
These
wonders, and so much more,
were
given to those you loved enough
to
form in your own image, so we might
feast
upon your goodness and bounty,
but we scrambled around under death’s
tables,
seeking to scoop up the crumbs of
temptation.
Prophets
came over and over and over,
their
words, their lives, their hearts
open
calls for us to return to your side,
but we turned hard hearts
and fear-plugged ears to them.
Then,
because you are our help,
you
sent your precious Hope to us,
the
One who would speak as you.
With
those who speak plainly,
with
those who have trouble changing their minds,
we
life our songs of thanksgiving to you:
Holy, holy, holy are
you, our God, now and always.
All creation praises
you every day, in every moment.
Hosanna in the
highest!
Blessed is the One
opens us to your grace.
Hosanna in the highest!
In
the baby born into poverty,
you
came, God of the vulnerable,
to challenge the powerful and profane.
In
the young boy playing in the fields,
you
came, God of the faithful,
to know our loneliness, as well as our joy.
In
the teacher who wove stories of wonder,
you
came, God of justice,
to remind us that mercy triumphs over
judgment,
that inclusiveness welcomes every outsider.
In
the One broken on the cross,
you
came, God of life,
to break the power of sin once and for all,
to set us free from our fear of death.
As
we remember the One who was willing to listen,
as
prepare to be fed by the One who was willing to learn,
may
we not be afraid to speak of that mystery we call faith:
Jesus died, so we might
find our hope in you;
Jesus was raised, so we
might find our help in you;
Jesus will come, so we
might find our life with you.
In
these moments, and in this place,
you
come, God of the feast,
pouring
out your Spirit on the bread and the cup
and
your family gathered around the Table.
Though
we would sweep out the crumbs of the broken bread,
you
gather them up
to feed the most vulnerable with life,
to bring healing to the broken,
to offer community to the lonely.
Though
we would toss out the dregs of the cup,
you
would pass this grace
to the refugee so they might find a welcome,
to the transgendered so they would know they
are loved,
to the aged so they are not forgotten.
And
when you have set us free from time’s prison,
you
gather us around the feast of heaven where,
with
our sisters and brothers, we will sing
your
praises, now and always,
God
in Community, Holy in One. Amen.
Sending
Now,
let us go with grace in our hearts.
We will not be afraid
to proclaim the good news.
Now,
let us go with justice in our hearts, in our hands.
We will not shrink from
speaking to those in power
to set the most
vulnerable free from all that limits them.
Now,
let us go with hope in our hearts, in our hands, on our lips.
We will join the Spirit
in singing the good news to our world.
©
2018 Thom M. Shuman
