Texts:
Ezekiel 33:7-11; Psalm 119:33-40; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 18:15-20
Call
to Worship
We gather
here, where God would teach us:
so we
may learn to be more compassionate,
so we
may be taught how to be more loving.
We gather
here, where Jesus would teach us
the
wisdom to choose forgiveness over holding a grudge,
the
language of hope so we may speak to all.
We gather
here, where the Spirit imparts wisdom,
so we
might know how to share grace,
so we
would learn to welcome all to this Table.
Prayer
of the Day
Liberating
God:
you set us
free from our loneliness
by the touch
of another's hand;
you deliver us
from our selfishness,
so we may be
of service to others;
you break the
chains of our pride,
so we might
walk with you in humility.
Christ of
love,
when we would
cling to our anger,
you send
forgiveness to take us by the hand;
when we would
snack on our bitterness,
you share the
Bread of heaven;
when we would
drink from sin's fountain,
you pour out
the Cup of salvation.
Spirit of new
life:
you gather us
together in God's school
to teach us
how
to live together,
to love together,
to serve together,
so that those
around us might know
that you are
in their midst.
God in
Community, Holy in One,
fill us with
your wisdom as we pray, saying,
(The
Lord's Prayer)
Call
to Reconciliation
In worship and
at work, in life and in loss, now and in every moment, Christ is among us:
loving us, teaching us, and hoping to lead us. But we focus on those
needs, on those desires that keep us from recognizing him. Let us confess
all that we have done against God and others, as we pray,
Unison
Prayer for Forgiveness
All
you ask of us is to love one another, God of our lives, and you are more
than willing to teach us how. Yet we find this simple request so
hard to carry out, this easy lesson so difficult to learn.
Someone cuts us off in traffic, and we curse them. Another
buys something we want but cannot afford, and we overflow with
jealousy. A friend gets the acclaim we wanted, and we whisper about them
behind their backs.
Forgive us, Merciful God, and unclasp our hands from our grudges.
With Christ in our midst, we can become the people your dream about:
loving, merciful, gentle, and compassionate children of God.
Silence is
kept
Assurance
of Pardon
2, 3, 30,
300 - we have gathered as God's people:
broken, we are made whole;
alone, we are welcomed into a family;
forgiven, we are sent to serve.
Fed, forgiven,
restored, loved. This Table is our constant reminder of God's
presence in our lives, of God's grace which makes us new in every
moment. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Prayer
of Dedication/Offering
May our gifts
go forth into our world, so that where people hunger, they may be fed; where
there is war, peace might be welcomed; where families are broken, they
may be made whole. Then others will be as blessed as we have been by
your love, grace, and compassion. In Jesus' name, we offer our gifts and
this prayer of gratitude. Amen.
Great
Prayer of Thanksgiving
May God our
Teacher be with you.
And
also with you.
Now is the
moment to offer your hearts to God.
Now,
we turn our hearts to your grace.
Join in songs
of thanks and praise to our God.
We
join with all who are here and throughout the world in praise.
We praise you,
Holy God:
Shaper of the
Bread of life,
Pourer of the
Cup of salvation.
Face-to-face
with chaos,
you spoke that
Word that taught
elephants to blow water out their trunks,
monkeys to swing from trees,
leaves to swirl gently to the ground,
gases to form into planets.
All that was
light and wonder and hope
was offered to
those crafted in your image,
but we wandered through the shadows of sin,
following the teachings of death.
You sought to
bring us back to you
by sending
prophets with your gracious words,
but we could not hear you
above sin's siren songs.
Taking on
human form yourself,
you came to
live among us,
so we might
see your face-to-face
and know your
forgiveness firsthand.
With our
sisters and brothers at our side,
with those
before us and those behind us,
we sing the
songs of the gathered faithful:
Holy,
holy, holy are you, Teacher of your children.
All
creation sings the praises learned from you:
creatures roaming the earth,
dolphins splashing in the sea,
eagles soaring through the sky.
Glory
to you forever and ever,
Hosanna
in the highest!
God, our
righteousness,
you take
pleasure in your people and so
in love, you became human;
in hope, you came to us;
in joy, you gave yourself to us
through your
Child, Jesus our Brother.
Clothed in
light,
he came to lead us out of the shadows.
Filled with
your wisdom,
he came to teach us your ways.
One with you
forever,
he came to gather us into your family.
Humble enough
to take on our death,
he carries us into your kingdom.
As we come to
this Table
which you have
prepared for us,
we remember
the faith which was his:
Christ
died, facing death one-on-one.
Christ
was raised, bringing new life for all.
Christ
will come, when the time is right.
Move over
these gifts of the Table,
Breath of God,
and on those
gathered for this meal.
As the bread
of hope heals our brokenness,
may we go
forth to be reconciled
to those we
have harmed.
As the cup of
grace quenches our thirst for hope,
may we reach
out to those
whom the world
has forgotten.
As your peace
fills our empty souls,
may we bring
that peace to our world.
And when that
day comes when
all brokenness
is made whole,
all barriers
are torn down,
all people
live at peace with one another,
we will gather
at your holy feast,
singing our
praises forever,
God in
Community, Holy in One. Amen.
Sending
Go now to the
people who are overwhelmed by despair.
We
will take the hope which has been given to us and share it with all.
Go now to
those who are at odds with neighbors.
We
will offer the peace and reconciliation which God has poured into our
lives.
Go now to
those who are the most vulnerable in our world.
We
will bring the healing, the grace, the love of our God.
(c) Thom
M. Shuman