Liturgy w/communion for May 19, 2024 (Pentecost - B)

 Texts:  Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 104:24-35; Acts 2:1-21; John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

Call to Worship
Come, Holy, Spirit, come.
Come and move in and through us.
Whispers of hope around the corner of despair;
shouts of joy at a graduation:
You are around us in every place.
The sweet breath of a baby,
the remembrances of the elderly:
You speak to us through every person.
Soft breezes on a summer’s day;
bitter winds through frozen trees:
You are with us in every season.
The gentle lullabies of a parent;
the birds twittering us awake:
You sing glad songs to us.
The sudden rush of newness
throwing open our sheltered fears;
the gale of justice breaking down
the walls of oppression:
You sweep us up in your commitment
to transform all lives, all places.
In every breath, in every song,
in every moment, in every tongue:
Come
   Dance
       Enflame
   Engulf
Transform us!

Prayer of the Day
You come like a dove,
Anointing God,
in every time, in every place,
in every language and way of communicating,
announcing through your Spirit
that we are your Beloved.

You come like a whirlwind,
Spirit’s Brother,
justice doing cartwheels before you,
grace tumbling over grace,
hope gusting open windows
of our shuttered hearts.

You come first as a whisper
and then a mighty shout,
Wind of God,
a waterfall of peace and hope
cascading down into a pool
where we can swim forever.

You come, God in Community,
wind, flame, voice, joy, life
for all you call your children
and so we pray as we have been taught,
(The Lord’s Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
We say we want change, but prefer the comfort of what we have; we long for new life, yet turn our backs on those around us.  We could open our arms to others, but close them tight around our fears.  Let us confess our lives to our God, as we hope for the Holy Spirit to come and dance among us, as we pray, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness

   Your Spirit moves over the waters, Gracious God, but we prefer to splash in the puddles of temptation.  You would breathe life into us in every moment, but we hold our breath until we turn blue, wanting to get our way.  You would give us the words to bring hope to the despairing, to offer healing to the broken, and to share hope in the places of anger and violence, but we turn them in accusations towards those around us.
   In your mercy, forgive us, God of gusty grace.  May your Spirit sing in our hearts, so we may invite others to dance in joy with us.  May your Spirit be the still, small voice which silences the shouts of fear and worry all around us.  May your Spirit sweep us off our feet and into the arms of Jesus Christ, our Brother, our Savior, our Companion.  Amen.

 Silence is kept

 Assurance of Pardon

In every breath we take, there is the Spirit;

in every word we speak, there is the Spirit;
in every heart we touch, there is the Spirit;
in every person we welcome, there is the Spirit.
In forgiveness, we are given the words to speak; the courage to reach out to others; the open heart to offer others, the breath of life to share with those around us.  Thanks be to God, we are forgiven!  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering

These gifts are but the bare bones of who we are, and what we could offer.  So, move over them, filling them with muscles, and sinews, and breaths of our lives, so they might become living gifts of hope and grace to others.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.

The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

May the God of wind and flame be with you.
And also with you.
Throw open the shutters of your hearts, so God may enter.
We offer our hearts so God’s joy might dance over our lives.
Take deep breaths and sing your praises to our God.
We join all people and languages in praising the One who feeds us this day.

You whispered in the silence
and the Spirit tumbled forth,
   moving over water buoying whales,
   rattling treetops on tall mountains,
   cradling hawks gliding over meadows.
You shaped us from creation’s dusty floor,
and Spirit breathed life into us,
so we might follow you through life,
   but we sought sin’s narcissistic vision
   in death’s mirror and like it better.
Prophets, both old and young, women and men,
spoke of your dreams for us,
   but we preferred to shutter ourselves
   in the shadowed rooms of temptation.
So, with the Spirit breathing hope,
you sent your beloved Child to us
so we might once again have hope.

With those who dance with joy on this day,
with those who long for the fresh breath of grace,
we sing out songs of praise to you:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God of wind and flame.
All creation dances in the Spirit’s arms this day.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the One who is anointed by the Spirit.
Hosanna in the highest!

In the soft, warm breath
of a baby, you come
   to be one of us in every way.
In the gentle invitation
to followers, you whisper
   that all are welcome.
In the sobs
at the tomb of Lazarus, you echo
   our grief and loss.
In the anguished cry
on the cross, you join us
   on the last journey.
In the new life breathed
by the Spirit, you show us
   that death has no power,
   but love endures forever.

As we gather to celebrate this day,
as we remember the gifts Jesus shared,
we sing of that faith which is a mystery:

Christ died, his last breath stolen from him;
Christ was raised, the Spirit’s breath bringing new life;
Christ will come, breathing new grace and hope in our lives.

Here, where the bread and the cup wait,
breathe your Spirit upon these gifts.
Here, where the young long for visions,
and the old whisper their memories,
breathe your Spirit upon us, Holy God.
Let us not be content
simply to eat the bread,
but be strengthened by it
to blow through the fears among us,
   knocking them off their feet
   so they have to power.
Let us not just sip from grace’s cup,
but be enflamed by its passion for justice,
   to breathe new life into all
   who have lost that last bit of hope.

And when our journey has ended
and we are invited to with those
of every time and from every place,
breathe on us, very Breath of God,
so we may take in great gasps of grace,
to forever praise your name,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

Sending
God’s Breath of hope has torn open
the shutters of our hearts,
So that we may open them to all who long
for grace and life.
Justice is the strong wind poured into us
by the One who is Brother to the forgotten.
We will go into the streets of our neighborhoods
to serve our siblings.
A new community is being shaped by the Holy Spirit,
made up of those from every place, every tongue.
We will join hearts with those we meet,
we will learn songs of joy in new languages.

© Thom M. Shuman

Liturgy w/communion for May 12, 2024 (Easter 7 - B)

 Texts: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1; 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19

Call to Worship
From comfortable pews,
from tricycle seats,
from easy chairs in front of TVs:
God gathers us in, giving us the

words with which to proclaim the gospel.
At kitchen sinks,
at laptops and blackboards,
at nursing stations:
Christ calls us to share
in serving all creation.
In communities gathered to pray,
in memories of those who served,
in families grilling in the backyard:
The Holy Spirit fills us with God's joy.

Prayer of the Day
We do not notice,
Holy God,
but you give us:
time,
   so we can think
   about your Word;
silence,
   so it may fill
   our emptiness;
wisdom,
   so we may know
   the path to walk.

We do not notice,
Risen Christ,
how you have not given
   just a piece of yourself,
   or a portion of your grace,
but all of who you are:
for us  -
and yet,
you regard US
as God's amazing gift
to you!

We do not notice,
Nourishing Spirit,
how you remove our fears,
   simply by sitting with us
   and holding our hearts;
or how you swirl around us,
   pulling us deeper and deeper
   into love, grace and peace,
until we find ourselves
rooted forever in the One
who watches over us forever.

God in Community, Holy in One,
hear us as we pray as we have been taught,
(The Lord’s Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
We gather as God's people, believing the promises fulfilled in Christ.  We do not need to confess out
of dread or fear, but in trust that God is faithful to forgive us and make us new.  Join me as we pray,
saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
How foolish we are, Calling God,
to think we could be happy
when we sit in seduction's comfortable seats,
    and scoff at your call to discipleship;
or run down the easy streets of sin,
    rather than following Jesus;
or idolize the celebrities and superstars,
    and not see you in those who wait on us
    in stores, restaurants, and sport arenas.

Forgive us, Author of Life.
Keep us from our silly selfishness
as we seek to become
    those branches children can climb on;
as we hope to provide shade
    for fellow pilgrims;
as we long to be continually nourished
    by the Living Water of Jesus Christ,
    our Lord and Savior.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
We are no longer blown about in the winds of the world, we are grounded, yesterday, today, tomorrow in God's forgiveness, hope and love.
Today, tomorrow, forever:  we can bear fresh fruit, sharing God's peace and joy with everyone we meet.  Thanks be to God, we are forgiven!  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication

As we offer our gifts, remind us that they will be used to heal the broken often lost in the systems we have created, to feed those who don’t have the forms filled out correctly, and to bring hope to those who wander the shadowed alleys of despair.  This we pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

May the God of joy be with you.
And with you as well.
We are called to share the gospel with all we meet.
God fills our hearts, as well as our hands,
to bring healing and hope to the world.
Join in singing God’s praise as we gather around the Table.
As streams of joy and wonder pour into us,
so our songs of thanksgiving flood through all creation.

You stood among chaos, Ever Watchful God,

and called forth creation in all its beauty:
   rooting oak trees in the rich loam of your Word,
   watering seeds with the Spirit’s showers,
   using goodness to pave the paths
through the garden of hope and grace designed
for those you shaped in your image.
You called to us to pay close attention,
   but we chose to follow sin’s directions,
   making death our ultimate destination.
Prophets were sent to take the witness stand,
placing their hands on our hearts
to offer testimony concerning your hopes,
   but we continued to listen
   to temptations broken promises.
So Jesus came to show us how
   to walk the right paths,
   to do the right things,
   to be people of righteousness and justice.
 
With those who listen to your heart,
with those who stumble along the way,
we lift our praise to you:
 
Holy, holy, holy are you, God who gives us eternal life.
All creation joins in praising your glory.
Hosanna in the highest!
 
Blessed is the One who sanctifies us.
Hosanna in the highest!
 
In your holiness, Tender God, we find life,
and in that blessing names Jesus, we find our Friend.
Seeing us sitting in chairs warmed by foolishness,
   he came to pull us to our feet,
   to offer us a seat handcrafted by his grace.
Noticing how we tended to listen only to seductive whispers,
   he came singing songs composed
   in the depths of your compassionate heart.
Watching our tendencies to drift through life
like dandelion seed heads floating on temptation,
   he came to plant us deep within your forgiveness,
   watering us with the spring showers of resurrection
   he brought with him on that first Easter morning.  
 
As we seek to walk the paths of righteousness,
as we long to bear witness to Jesus in our time,
we speak of that mystery called faith:
 
Dying, Jesus destroyed the power of death;
being raised to life, Jesus destroyed death’s sting;
coming for us, Jesus will guide us from death to eternity with God.
 
It is here at this Table,
where the Spirit is poured out
upon the gifts of the bread and the cup,
that we know of your love and grace.
Made whole by the brokenness of the bread,
we would go to bring words of hope
to all who have been told they are worthless,
to strengthen all weakened by grief and loss.
Watered by the goodness of the cup,
we would offer compassion
to everyone who has been hurt,
we would carry hope to all
whose hearts are emptied by despair.
 
And when we are gathered with our siblings
around your Feast of the Lamb in glory,
we will bring our songs of joy to you,
planted forever and ever in the depths of your heart,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

Sending

From the comfort of this place,
to the discomfort of discipleship,
we will go to serve your people, 

Loving God.
Weeding community gardens 

which feed the hungry,
tutoring children after school,
we will go to wrap others in your grace, 

Jesus our Brother.
Listening to the stories of the ignored,
learning the language of our newest neighbors,
we will go to discover the truth

you share in every moment, Spirit of Wisdom.

(c) Thom M. Shuman