Texts: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19; Psalm 24; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:14-29
Call to Worship
Before the earth was formed,we were chosen by God to be God's people.
God gathers us together that we might
sing of joy and hope, as God's beloved.
Before the stars glittered in the night sky,
we were chosen through Christ to be God's family.
Christ gathers us together that we might
carol the good news of redemption.
Before the rivers flowed to the seas,
we were chosen by the Spirit to serve creation.
The Spirit gathers us together that we might
dance in the fields of peace with our sisters and brothers.
Prayer of the Day
Every moment, we have the chanceto breathe in your goodness and grace;
every hour, we have opportunities
to share your love and hope;
every day, we have occasions
to rest in the comfort of your heart.
In you, we discover the fullness of time,
Delight of the Ages.
In every challenge we face,
we can find the strength to persevere;
in every person we meet,
we can find the blessing you have sent;
in every need we encounter,
we can find the help you would have us offer.
In you, we discover the fullness of life,
Companion of our days.
In every conflict of our lives,
there is your healing we can offer;
in every brokenness we experience,
there is that reconciliation we can receive;
in every difficulty which makes us stumble,
there is that dance of hope you would teach us.
In you, we discover the fullness of faith,
Promised Spirit.
God in Community, Holy in One,
in you we discover the fullness we long for,
even as we pray as we are taught, saying,
(The Lord’s Prayer)
Call to Reconciliation
We toss and turn at night, unable to sleep because of the tunes running through our heads. But, if we listen carefully, we will discover that it is God singing to us, of that hope, that joy, that mercy offered to us, if we will but open our lives to the forgiveness and healing which is God's desire for us. Let us confess our out-of-tune lives, as we pray together, saying,
Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
We would sing praises to you, Composer of our lives, but we remember the harsh words we used toward a friend this week. We would learn your healing hymns of grace, but the broken chords of our anger and pain echo deep within us. We would dance in the circle of your love, but we recall how quickly we turned and ran when offered opportunities to serve your people.Forgive us, Gifter of every blessing. Open our hearts and fill us with your mercy. Open our ears that we may hear the songs of grace you would teach us to share with the world. Open our eyes that we may see the hope we have in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, our inheritance of love and joy.
Silence is kept
Assurance of Pardon
Before the earth was shaped, God created the music of grace which sets our hearts, our souls, our feet to dancing with joy in the hope God has given to us. It is God who has created us, it is God who has redeemed us, and it is God who sends us forth to live as brothers and sisters of Christ. Thanks be to God, we are forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication
In this company of seekers, we find our inheritance – the deep richness of God’s grace. With this company of seekers, we offer our gifts, so that others might be able to set their hopes on Christ, with whom we are all blessed by God. Amen.Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God of wonder be with you!And also with you!
Lift up your hearts to God, whose steadfast love dwells within you.
We welcome the One whose faithfulness
runs barefoot through our hearts
Sing of the peace which is God's gift to you.
We join in the chorus of glad praises to the One
whose justice is the hope of all the world.
Gathering up all that is good and beautiful,
God of all wonder and glory,
you shaped the universe and all that is in it:
soft summer breezes dancing
across verdant plains,
snow-capped mountains reflecting
the sunrise each new morning.
It was your good pleasure
to create us in your image,
it was your glorious grace
that filled us with your life.
Yet, seeing the dazzling seductions
offered by sin and death,
we rushed back to you, imploring
you to give us our every desire.
Deeply grieved by our rebellion,
you sent the company of prophets
to lead us back to your heart,
but we continued to dance
with the wrong partners.
In the fullness of your wisdom,
you sent Jesus, to seek our faces,
and to turn us back to you.
So now, with those who praise you
with song and silence, with tambourines and organs,
we proclaim the riches of your grace:
Holy, holy, holy, God who has blessed us with Christ!
All creation is yours, for the riches of your grace are poured upon it.
Holy, holy, holy! Just and merciful are you,
God in Community, Holy in One!
Holy indeed are you, God of every blessing,
and blameless is Jesus Christ, your Beloved.
He sets free all imprisoned
by their fears, as well as their past.
He proclaims good news to the poor,
and challenges the rich to generous lives.
He gave himself into death's hands
and was laid into a cold tomb.
He leaped from the grave,
teaching us resurrection's dance.
We offer our songs of joy to you, knowing
that whenever we eat the bread and share the cup,
we live out that mystery we call faith:
Holy, he humbled himself with our death;
blameless, he was raised to new life;
gracious, he will return in the fullness of time.
Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, we pray,
as you gather us all in this place.
As we take and taste
the Bread of Heaven,
may its brokenness become our healing,
that we may become hope
to a world shattered by fear.
As we share the Cup,
may its grace become our fullness,
that we might empty ourselves
to become blessings to those who long
for peace and reconciliation in their lives.
And when all time has been fulfilled
and you gather up all your children to yourself,
with clean hands and pure hearts
we will gather around your Table in glory,
singing our praises to you through all eternity,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.
Sending
We are sent by God, to be God’s people in the world.
We will go to sing of God’s joy and hope to all.
We are called by Christ, adopted into God’s gracious family.
We will go to share the good news of Christ’s grace for everyone.
We are chosen by the Spirit to care for and serve creation.
We will go to join hands with our sisters and brothers in every moment.
© Thom M. Shuman
