Alternate texts liturgy with communion for July 14, 2019 (Pentecost 5/Trinity 4/Proper 10/Ordinary 15 - C)

Texts: Deuteronomy 30:9-14; Psalm 25:1-10; Colossians 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37

Call to Worship
We come, bringing our souls to God.
God delights in us, just as God 
has found wonder in every generation.
We come, bringing our hands to Jesus.
Jesus challenges us to see each person
as the neighbor we are to serve.
We come, bringing our hearts to the Spirit.
The Spirit teaches all we need to know
so that we may be faithful in our lives.

Prayer of the Day
When you show us Humble Street,
so we know where to walk;
when you model patience for us,
so we can share it with others;
when you never forget us,
but always hold us close to your heart,
we know your word of love
is closer to us than we think,
God of steadfast faithfulness.

When you tell us stories
of foolish children and tiny seeds;
when you hand us the map
with all the trails of hope marked;
when you rules we memorize
into acts of daily compassion,
we know your word of grace
is closer to us than we think,
Jesus of constant justice.

When you open our eyes
to God's heart, so we can learn peace; 
when you show us the way
out of ditches, so we can help others
further along the road of life;
when you are in the mouths 
that speak to us, 
and are in the words
we speak to those we meet,
we know your word of life
is closer to us than we dare imagine,
Spirit of continued hope.

You are nearer to us in every moment,
God in Community, Holy in One,
and so we lift our prayers to you,
(The Lord's Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
God longs to take delight in us, but too often we disappoint with our hurtful words, the rejection of those around us, the love we hoard only for ourselves.  Let us come to the One whose love is constant and true, as we pray together, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
   Holy God, called to walk with the vulnerable, we run to catch up with the powerful.  Asked to pray constantly for others, we are too busy bragging about ourselves.  Challenged to notice and to care for those tossed aside by the world, we rush by with our to-do list in our hands.
   Have mercy on us, God who loves us completely.  May we be the grace that a lonely person needs this week; may we be the hope the forgotten are looking for; may we be the peace that the broken long for in every moment, even as Jesus, our Lord and Savior, has been our peace, our hope, our grace, and so much more in our lives.  Amen.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Today, in this moment, the word is very near to us.  The word of forgiveness, the word of hope, the word of our God for all of us.
God's heart is open to us, pouring mercy, wonder, and peace into our lives.  Thanks be to God, we are forgiven!  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
We could hold onto our abundance, Generous God, or we could offer them who have been pushed aside, those who need food and shelter, those who long for healing.  May the gifts we offer in these moments, in the name of Jesus, be used for our neighbors.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God who loves completely be with you.
May the God of steadfast love be with you.
Open your hearts to the One who does not pass us by.
Our hearts will be filled with God's grace.
Let us lift our voices in glad songs to God.
Joyfully, lovingly, we offer our praise to our God.

We always give you thanks,
God of imagination,
for your good gifts of creation:
   for fireflies in backyards,
   for bullfrogs in ponds,
   for hawks soaring in the sky.
All that flowed forth from your love
was for those shaped in your image,
shown the paths of the Garden,
   but we wandered into the brambles
   of sin and death, choosing to play there.
The prophets came, women and men
who noticed us in the ditch of despair,
and they sought to pick us up with their words
and carry us to your healing heart,
   but we preferred to listen to the 
   temptations of the world.
And so, you sent the One we least expected,
to bring the good news 
of your steadfast love for us.

With those who are faithful mentors,
with those who long for healing,
we bring our songs of joy to you:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God our trust.
All creation joins in praising your name.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the One who comes to show us our neighbor.
Hosanna in the highest.

We always give you thanks,
God of holiness and hope,
for the gift of Jesus who came to us.
He could have remained in glory,
loving you completely,
   but chose to search for us.
He could have walked by us,
   but stooped to pick us up.
He could have crossed 
to the other side of death,
   but stepped into its deep ditch,
   carrying forth your resurrection love
   out of the dust of its broken power.

As we remember the stories Jesus told,
as we seek to see ourselves in these tales,
we speak of that mystery we call faith:

Jesus died, trusting in God completely;
Jesus was raised, to offer God's love to all;
Jesus will come, to carry us into God's heart.

We always give you thanks,
God of the Feast of grace,
as you pour out your Spirit 
on the gifts of the bread and the cup,
and on all who have gathered here.
The brokenness of the bread
reminds us we have been made whole
   so we can love God completely,
   so we can serve our neighbors without question,
   so we can walk the streets of humility.
The taste of grace in the cup
nourishes and strengthens us
   so we can care for the rejected,
   so we can offer the lonely hope,
   so we can see every person as our sister and brother.

And when all time and life has ended,
and we are gathered around the Table
with our sisters and brothers,
we will sing our songs of praise without ceasing,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

Sending 
We go now, as people of God.
To take the word of love to those
from whom it has been far away.
We go now, as followers of Jesus.
To be the word of justice to all
from whom it has been taken away.
We go now, as companions of the Spirit.
To the word of peace in all the places
from which it has disappeared.

(c) 2019 Thom M. Shuman