Genesis 12:1-9; Psalm 33:1-12; Romans 4:13-25; Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26
Call to Worship
The sinners, the saints,
the broken, the whole:
we all come seeking the One
who offers grace and hope.
The doubters, the devout,
the wonderers, the wanderers:
we all seek to follow the One
who works for justice and hope
for all of God's people.
The hesitant, the heroic,
the grandparents, the little children:
we all listen for the songs of joy
all creation sings to the One
who gives life and peace.
Prayer of the Day
When we begin
our journey of faith,
you are there,
Constant Love,
pointing the way
to the promises you offer.
When we stumble
over our own silliness,
and skin our knees
on the hardened pavement
of our pride,
you are there,
Companion of the world's riffraff,
to take us by the hand,
to lift us to our feet,
to bandage our bleeding egos.
And you continue to call us,
Breath of life:
to follow,
even when our faith falters.
to drink
the living waters bottled
with your grace.
to serve
those whom the world
easily discounts.
to see
you waiting at the end
of our pilgrimage.
God in Community, Holy in One,
we will seek to follow you always,
even as we pray as Jesus teaches us,
(The Lord's Prayer)
Call to Reconciliation
In this place, in this moment, we wonder, "is it true?" God's hopes, God's promises, God's grace - are they really for you, for me, for us? God invites us to bring our questions, as well as our fears and failures, so we might discover the truth for ourselves, as we pray, saying,
Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
When we look for our place cards at the table of honor, do we see you standing at the back of the room with the servers? When we walk around the homeless on the way to the ballgame, do we see you sitting in the doorway with the hungry children? When we tell others to pull themselves up, have we forgotten how many people reached out their hands to us along the way?
Forgive us, God who offers mercy to us, and desires that we share grace with others. If we would truly follow, we must be willing to take off our Sunday best and put on the aprons of service, offering everyone we meet the bread of life and cup of hope which have come to us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Silence is kept
Assurance of Pardon
Here is the good news: it is not up to us. God has not wavered in keeping the covenant of grace, of hope, of mercy, of life.
By God's grace, we are forgiven;
by God's healing, we are made whole;
by God's constant love, we are restored to life.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication/Offering
We could not do it on our own – stepping out in faith, embarking on journeys to unknown places, trusting in you above everything else. So, bless us with your gifts as we continue to follow you, seeking the lonely, helping the broken, and bringing hope to our world. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God who gives life to the dead be with you.
And also with you.
Open your hearts to God’s steadfast love.
Hoping against hope, our hearts are glad in God.
Let joyous melodies be offered to our God.
Loving righteousness and justice, we rejoice in God.
You saw the well-laid plans
chaos had devised, Faithful Worker,
and laughed out loud,
the heavens bursting forth
with each great guffaw,
the stars spilling into places
with each breath of joy.
Filling the earth with
that love which never ends,
you created us so we might
live in your garden of grace.
But we reached out to grasp
the garment of sin,
letting it drag us through
the mud of despair and death.
Even then, you sent those
who spoke in your name
to remind us of the promises
made so long ago.
When we continued to cling
to trying to save ourselves,
you sent Jesus to us,
knowing his faith in you
would never weaken.
So, knowing praise is the only response
which we can make to such love,
we join our voices in this place and moment
with those in every time and place
who forever sing your joy:
Holy, holy, holy are you, God who desires mercy.
All creation sings new songs of thanksgiving.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is the One who eats with people like us.
Hosanna in the highest!
Holy are you, God of Grace,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, Desirer of mercy.
He walked among us,
calling us to follow
that we might know
the way to your heart.
Sitting with the outsiders,
he fed them with that love
which welcomed and embraced them
as siblings from different parents.
Following your hopes,
he went into the grave
where death was waiting,
so he might take us
by the hand and lead us
into life forever with you.
As we remember your ancient promises
fulfilled in the One who will never die,
we would sing of that faith which is ours:
Trusting God’s faithfulness, Christ died on the cross.
Giving God the glory, Christ was raised from the grave.
Calling us to follow, Christ leads us into God’s kingdom.
Pour out your Spirit
upon these simple,
yet so very precious, gifts
of the bread and of the cup.
By your grace,
when we would sanitize
our hands with piety,
the bread transforms us
so we would reach out
to the untouchables of our time.
By your compassion,
when we would sit at home,
at ease, in comfort, with plenty,
the cup alters our attitude
so we will get up
and follow Jesus into
the brokenness of our world.
And when we are gathered
around the great Table in heaven,
seated beside Abraham and Sarah,
Paul and the psalmists, Jesus and Joanna,
we will lift our voices together,
praising you forever,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.
Sending
Like Sarah and Mary, Abraham ad Aaron,
we take those steps of faith offered by our God.
With Jesus, as well as foolish and fallible followers,
we dare go into those unknown places
where hope is absent, where grace is empty.
With Paul, with Phoebe, with people we know,
we are willing to follow the Spirit
on adventures into justice and compassion.
© Thom M. Shuman
