Alternate texts liturgy w/communion for August 4, 2024 (Pentecost 11/Trinity 10/Proper 13/Ordinary 18 – B

 

Texts: Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15; Psalm 78:23-29; Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:24-35

Call to Worship
We come in these moments
drawing near to our God,
God hears our souls and
listens to the burdens of our hearts.
We come in these moments
looking for the One who feeds us.
Jesus is the Bread of life,
who fills the emptiness of our souls.
We come in these moments
looking not for signs, but for faith.
The Spirit brings us together as one body,
giving us all the grace we need.

Prayer of the day
You give each of us grace
so that others might be embraced,
you give each of us love
so that the lonely might have a friend,
you give each of us gentleness
so that the bullies lost power.
May we be your manna in our time,
God who blesses us.

You give each of us hope
so that scared will lose their fear,
you give each of us justice
so that the forgotten will be remembered,
you give each of us strength
so that the weary will not walk alone.
May we be your manna to others,
Jesus our friend.

You give each of us kindness
so that the hurting might be healed,
you give each of us peace
so that the victims might know
the end of violence,
you give each of us serenity
so that a noisy world might find solitude.
May we be your manna to others,
Spirit who is with us.

God in Community, Holy in One,
may we your manna, here and now,
even as we pray as we are taught,
(The Lord’s Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
Because we know ourselves so well, all our foolish choices and words, we think God wants nothing to do with us. But in truth, God wants us to draw near, offering our prayers to the One who hears them, and responds with words of grace and forgiveness. I invite you to join me as we pray together, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
   You call us to lives of grace, Loving God, but we choose to be mean-spirited. You remind us of all the gifts we must share, but we complain that they are not enough. You beg us to build up the hopes, the lives of those around us, but it is easier to tear them down.
   In your mercy, God of life, forgive us. While we hunger for power, for wealth, for control, continue to open the doors of your heart and shower us with love, hope, justice, and peace, so we can share these gifts with everyone we meet. In the name of our Brother, Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Hear is the good news, dear friends of God. God’s grace is poured out upon us like that ancient manna from heaven, to give us hope and mercy.
Now, may we live as those who have been forgiven, sharing God’s love with everyone we meet. Thanks be to God, we are forgiven. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
May our gifts serve those who feel so hopeless, so empty, so forgotten, so they would know the presences of God’s love and grace in their lives. Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts, people of God.
We lift them to our God who pours
out the manna of grace on us.
Let us give thanks to God who loves us.
May our complaints be replaced
by choruses of thanksgiving to our God.

You opened the doors of your imagination,
Amazing God,
and the wonders of creation
flowed into the emptiness of chaos:
raindrops falling to fill
ponds, lakes, rivers, and oceans;
wind-rippled wheat in fields
waiting to be harvested for bread;
grapes clustering on vines
to be picked and crushed into wine.
All of these wonders, and more, were created
for your children formed in your image,
but we grumbled, ‘if only we were gods’
as we turned to the foolish choices offered.
But you would not give up on us,
sending women and men time and again
calling us, begging us to return to you,
but we followed the signs of sin,
turning down the streets marked death.
So then, out of the ultimate gift of love,
you chose to become one of us,
as your Child was born in our midst.

Which is why, in this place,
with these people, in these moments
we lift our voices in praise to you:

Holy, holy, holy are you, Manna Giver.
All creation sings in one voice to you.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the Bread of life broken for us.
Hosanna in the highest!

In humility, you set aside your holiness,
God of wonder and joy,
your glory transformed into that grace
revealed to us in Jesus, your Child.
We murmur and complain that
you do not listen to us,
yet Jesus is the One who
sat by wells, at tables, and
by roadsides to hear our hearts.
We whine of how empty
our lives are,
but Jesus shows us that
we have the gifts to be
the caregivers, the hopeful,
the healers the world needs.
We toss to and fro as we worry
about what happens when
we will take our last breath,
and Jesus experiences death
and demonstrates the ultimate love
you have for each and every one of us.

As we remember all that he said and did,
as we come to taste the bread and cup,
we speak of that faith which is so mysterious:

Jesus died, as a sign of ultimate trust.
Jesus was raised, God’s sign of death’s defeat.
We await the sign of the fulfillment
of the Beloved Community.

Here in these moments, in this place
the foolish as well as the faithful,
the stumbling as well as the strong,
the hesitant as well as the hopeful
become one through the gifts
of the bread and the cup blessed
by the presence of your Holy Spirit.
This ordinary bread, in pieces,
does not seem like much,
but it is that manna which enables us
to bring food to the truly hungry,
to provide shelter for those who have none,
to be the voice for those ignored.
These cups of juice seem
so tiny in our hands, but they hold
the grace the hopeless need,
the comfort mourners long for,
the healing longed for by so many.

When that moment comes when
all time, all worries, all fears end,
we pray you would gather us
around your Table of love and life
where together, with our siblings
from every moment and place
we will sing your praises,
God in Community, Holy in One.
Amen.

Sending
Gathered as God’s people,
we will scatter to bring grace to all.
Gathered as the Body of Christ,
we will scatter to share justice for everyone.
Gathered in the presence of the Spirit,
we will scatter to be healers of our world.

© 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Liturgy w/communion for August 4, 2024 (Pentecost 11/Trinity 10/Proper 13/Ordinary 18 - B)

 Texts: 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a; Psalm 51:1-12; Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:24-35

Call to Worship

 Lead a life worthy of your calling.

We cannot do this alone,
we dare not try this alone,
so we gather as God's people.
Lead a life filled with the gifts of your calling,

gifts to be used with service and meekness.

We come to build up Christ's Body,
in humility and gentleness,
with patience and love.
Lead a life which reflects your calling,

that life of peace grounded in the Spirit.

We rejoice in our oneness in Christ;
we would share the grace offered to us.
Live a life worthy of the calling

to which you have been called.

We gather as God's family
at the Table prepared for us,

waiting to be fed by the Bread of life.

Prayer of the Day

Gentle God:

   we have traveled through many waters

   to reach this place,

   but share one baptism;

   we arrive from different backgrounds and traditions,

   yet share one faith;

   we are, each of us, unique and precious to God,

   and are members of one Body;

   we have different dreams and doubts,

   yet our hearts beat with one hope;

   we are graced with different gifts,

   so we may offer them in service to one Lord.

God in Community, Holy in One,

equip us for the work of ministry,

as we pray together with one voice,

as Jesus has taught us, saying,

(The Lord’s Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation

When we try to sugarcoat what we have done, scripture stares us down, reminding us of our faults.  When we seek to romanticize why we have failed to live as faithful people, God refuses to go along, waiting for us to confess our sins.  Let us join together as God's children, lifting our prayers to the One who is generous in love.

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness

  Compassionate One:  like David, it is not easy for us to confront those deeds which do not please you.  We are so busy looking for the miracles we desire, we cannot see the gift of your presence in others.  We are so intent on indulging our appetites and slaking our thirsts, we cannot taste that Bread which gives life.  We spend so much of our lives bemoaning the acts of others, we have no time to look in the mirror and see our secret faces.

   Forgive us, Steadfast Love.  Grace us with your mercy, so we might be made whole. Touch our inner being and heal us, so we might know joy and gladness.  Create new hearts within us, so they might beat as one with each other, and with your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Silence is kept

 
Assurance of Pardon

Despite knowing our sin, God chooses to forgive us;

seeing our emptiness, God chooses to feed us;

holding our shattered hearts, God chooses to heal us.

This is the good news:  God loves us.

God has graced us with mercy and created new life from our brokenness.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering

Use the gifts which we offer to you, Holy God, to restore joy to the despairing, to give food to the hungry, and willing spirits to us, that we might be servants to all your people.  Amen.

The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts, people of God.

We lift them to our Lord so they might be filled with a new spirit.
Let us give thanks to God who loves us.

May our willing spirits offer praises to the One who feeds us..

Our greatest joy is to offer you our thanks and praise,

Creator, Grace-giver, Healer of our brokenness.

All that is beautiful was created for our eyes;

all that is wonderful was created for our awe;

all that is majestic was created for our praise;

all that is mystery was created for our silence.

But despite everything you have given us,

we are not satisfied.

Believing life is about our appetites,

we choose the moldy bread of the world;

knowing our only hope is from you,

we continue to rebel;

called to live in unity with one another,

we cling to all which divides us.

Yet you refuse to let go of us,

sending your only Son, Jesus,

to call us to life in you.

We have fallen,

and you lift us up;

we have forsaken you,

and you redeem us;

we are broken,

and you make us whole.

Therefore, we praise you,

joining our voices, here and now,

with the faithful of every time and place,

singing to the glory of your name:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God of every mercy.

All creation praises one God and Father, one Lord, one Spirit.

Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the One who gifts all of God’s people!

Hosanna in the highest!

Holy are you, God of grace and tenderness,

and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.

Though we look for him for all the wrong reasons,

he holds out the bread of life to us;

though we offer the cross to him,

he graces us with life;

though we thirst for more and more,

he offers us the cup of salvation;

though we gossip and slander one another,

he speaks the truth in love to us;

though we would divide each other

by class, race, or condition,

he calls us to oneness in you.

Recalling your steadfast love in Christ,

and knowing we cannot understand your grace

until that eternal day

when we can know your heart,

we take this bread and this cup,

praising and blessing you

for these gifts of hope and joy.

Great is the mystery of faith.

Christ died, a seeming prisoner of death.

Christ was raised, so all might be freed in resurrection love.

Christ will return, finishing the work of God.

Holy God of Truth,

though we come to your Table as many,

may your Holy Spirit make us one body and one spirit.

As you feed us with the Bread of Life,

may we feed those who know true hunger;

as your justice illumines our hearts' darkness,

may we be a beacon to the oppressed and lost;

as you speak to us the truth in love,

may we be a voice for the powerless and forgotten;

as you restore us to wholeness,

may we bind up our shattered world.

Through Christ who saved us,

all glory and honor are yours,

God, who created us in your own image,

through the Holy Spirit, in our midst making us your people,

now and forever.  Amen.

Sending

Let us go into the world with God’s gifts.

We will perform God’s works of mercy and life.

Let us go into the world with the Bread of heaven in our hands.

We will share Christ’s grace which gives life to everyone.

Let us go as the one body of faith and fellowship.

We will to witness to the one Spirit of hope and faith.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Liturgy w/communion for July 28, 2024 (Pentecost 10/Trinity 9/Proper 12/Ordinary 17 - B)

 Texts: 2 Samuel 11:1-15; Psalm 14; Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21

Call to Worship
The foolish say, "There is no God!
We are alone, on our own."
We gather to declare
the glory of God in our lives.
The foolish say, "It is your life;
you are accountable to no one."
We gather, strengthened by the Spirit,
trusting that Christ dwells in our hearts.
The foolish say, "Everything I have is mine;
I owe nothing to anyone."
We gather to praise the One
who calls us to serve others in love.

Prayer of the Day
Your glory flows
through all generations,
as you name every family
in heaven and on earth.
And so we come to you this day,
O God.

Your grace is
higher than the farthest star;
your peace is
deeper than our greatest emptiness;
your love spans
the abyss of death;
your hope stretches
into all eternity.
And so we come to you this day,
O Christ.

When our lives bottom out,
your grace is still our bedrock;
when our spirits run dry,
you fill us with your joy;
when we falter in our faith,
you strengthen us
to serve with hope and peace.
And so we come to you this day,
O Spirit.

God in Community, Holy in One,
we come to you this day,
praying as we have been taught,
(The Lord’s Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
God looks at us, to see if we are wise enough to offer confession, to receive forgiveness, and to seek to know the healing love of Christ.  Let us prove our wisdom, and set aside our foolish pride, as we pray together,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
   Wisdom's Heart: deep within, we know how we have failed to be your people.  Our hardened hearts are closed to the love of Christ; our lust for more and more blocks the fullness of your grace from transforming our lives; our trust in the powers of the world reveals our foolish nature.
   Have mercy, God of every generation.  Pour out the rich blessing of forgiveness on our parched souls.  Feed us with Heaven's Bread, so we might be nourished by your gentleness.  Shape us as your people, and restore us to faithful living, as we seek to follow our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in service to everyone we meet.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
The wideness of God's mercy, the range of God's forgiveness, the infinite love of God, the Heart of hope which is never empty:  all these gifts are ours, as God restores us to the fullness of life meant for us.
Grounded in love, rooted in discipleship, we offer ourselves in service to others, recognizing the limitless grace which is ours to share in Christ.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
In our hands, the gifts seem so paltry, but in yours, they can bring plentitude of grace to those who are so hungry for hope.  In our hearts, we wonder how effective our ministries might be, but joined with yours, we can indeed bring healing, community, peace, and joy to our struggling communities.  Bless us and our gifts, multiply our hopes and our efforts, that your wonders might come into the world around us.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May God feed you at this Table of grace!
And also feed you!
God desires to dwell in us,
and so we open our hearts to welcome God.
Let us rejoice in the God who loves us,
as we sing songs of thanksgiving to God.

Chaos foolishly thought there was no God,
until you spoke and sent it astray,
as creation burst forth from your imagination,
   grace racing the breadth and length
      planting wonders and joys beyond count,
   laughter filling the height and depth
      of every corner of the universes.
You prayed that we would have the power
to understand that all these gifts were shaped
for the life of those crafted in your image.
   But early one evening we gazed sin bathing,
   and felt it so beautiful that we inquired
   of death how to gain it.
You sent the prophets to us,
their words continuing to challenge us
to see if we had grown any wiser,
   but we continued to confound your plans,
   seeking refuge in the alluring embrace of temptation.
Finally, you sent Jesus to us,
who continually called to us,
‘do not be afraid; I am here.’

So with those who have come through the storms of life,
with those foolish enough to rely more on themselves than on you,
we lift our voices in glad song to you:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God of who feeds all people.
All creation is filled with the fullness of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the One who came be the bread to feed our emptiness.
Hosanna in the highest!

You alone are holy, God of every moment,
and in your Child, Jesus, we find that love we cannot understand.
He could have stayed on the safe shores of glory,
   but came to bring us hope in every storm we face.
He could have kept your abundance for himself,
   but took your gifts and poured them out for us,
   so much that there were leftovers to share with those around us.
He could have left us to our foolish lives,
   but confounded the plans of sin
   by defeating death at its own game,
and restored us in that refuge called the resurrection.

As we try to understand his willingness to restore
   our fragmented lives through his brokenness,
as we ponder that miracle which is beyond death,
we proclaim that mystery we call faith:

We know God’s love, by the death of Christ;
we received the grace of God, by the resurrection of Christ;
we will be fed in glory, by the return of Christ.

We gather at this Table which is blessed
by your Spirit of transformation,
the common gifts being set aside for your holy use.
The broken pieces of the bread
are just enough to strengthen us
so we can go out to serve our fragmented world.
The cup of grace overflows with hope,
so we can see those around us,
   the families without hope,
   the children without food,
   the elderly without friends,
   the world without peace.

And when that time comes, when you show
how truly foolish you are by gathering
those of every time and place around your Table,
we will join our hearts and voices
in singing our praises to you forever and ever,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.

Sending
Let us go now, foolish enough to believe in God.
We will see God in everyone we meet.
Let us go now, foolish enough to follow Jesus.
We will share grace with those who need it the most.
Let us go now, foolish enough to be filled with the Holy Spirit,
We will serve with the Spirit in calming the fears of the world.

© Thom M. Shuman

Alternate texts liturgy w/communion for July 28, 2024 (Pentecost 10/Trinity 9/Proper 12/Ordinary 17 - B)

 Texts:  2 Kings 4:42-44; Psalm 145:10-18; Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21

Call to Worship

God comes with hands filled with grace;
God offers justice like a neighbor with tomatoes from the garden.
For this reason, we come to worship our God.
Jesus comes to hold up those whose legs wobble;
Jesus picks up all who stumble over their faith.
For this reason, we come to follow Jesus.
The Holy Spirit comes, as close as every breath we take;
the Spirit makes clear God’s hopes for us.
For this reason, we come to learn from the Spirit.

Prayer of the Day
We fill sacks with groceries
and hand them out to
hungry neighbors and strangers;
we run, walk, wheel
with kids and teens
to help pay medical bills
for one of their friends;
and you strengthen our faith
with these and so many other
ways to serve, Holy God.

A couple hold their grandchild
for the first time as she
beams up at them;
a carer holds our hand
as we prepare for another round
of treatments which weaken us;
and you dwell in us
through these and so many others,
Jesus our Companion.

You awaken that dormant
commitment to peace and justice
which has been gathering dust;
you till our souls with
goodness and compassion
so we can welcome refugees
into our communities;
and you continue to plant us
deep into the rich soil of hope,
Spirit of wonder.

Through these ways and opportunities,
these people and challenges,
you show us the dimensions of your love,
God in Community, Holy in One,
and we lift the prayer you have taught, saying,
(The Lord’s Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
We get out our yardsticks, our calculators, our laser distance measurers, determined we can figure out just how many square feet of grace we can expect.  But the dimensions of your love cannot be figured out, any more than the depths of your mercy.  And so, we know we can bring our prayers for hope as we speak of those foolish lives we have been leading.  Hear us, as we pray together, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
   Believing you exist to save us, Holy One, we think we can do anything we want, no matter the consequences; we can speak any words that are on our lips, no matter how much they hurt those we love; we can hoard everything, and anything, we wish, no matter how much need others have in their lives.
   Yet you choose to redeem us, God of imaginative justice, not so we can keep living the lives we have, but we might be transformed into those who praise you, not just with our songs, but with hands that lift others to their feet, with hearts that love those ignored by the world, and with hope that has been planted deep within us by the Master Gardener, Jesus Christ, our Brother.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
There is more than enough grace for everyone.  We may not understand why, or how, or when; but God will make it happen.  And that is all we need to know.
When it comes to grace, hope, peace, forgiveness – there are so many leftovers from God’s abundant heart, that we can put them in to-go boxes to share them with everyone we meet.  Thanks be to God, we are forgiven!  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
When we worry about having enough to feed the hungry, to clothe the cold, to shelter the homeless, to embrace the lonely, you simply ask us to share but some of our abundance, and you will multiply it beyond every expectation.  Receive our gifts, and use them we pray in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God who feeds us be with you.
May God be with you as well.
Let us open our hearts to the One who fills us with grace.
We lift them to our God who touches us with hope.
Let us join our voices in praising our God.
Taught by the Word, we sing the melodies of the Spirit.

Gathering up the fragments of chaos,
Innovative God,
you took them and, giving thanks,
shaped them into creation’s wonders:
   little children willing to share with everyone;
   little birds that swirl in autumn breezes;
   lightning bugs twinkling over summer lawns.
You even crafted us in your image of love and hope
so that we might live in joy with you,
   but we withdrew into the embrace of death,
   preferring to sail sin’s tossing seas.
Giving them your words of faith,
you sent prophets to call us back,
   but we did not think it was enough
   to keep us from ignoring you.
So, you chose to send your grace to us,
becoming one of us so we might
be brought back to your heart.

With those who have been fed by your grace,
and those who hunger for hope,
we sing our praises to you:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God who knows our hearts.
The faithful join all creation in glorifying you.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the One who feeds the hungry.
Hosanna in the highest!

You could choose to stay apart
from us, God of all that is good,
but you cross to the other side of your holiness
to become one of us in Jesus.
In him, you became weak,
   so that we might be pulled up
   from where we have fallen;
in him, you became a laughing stock,
   so that we our tears could be wiped away
   by your grace and hope;
in him, you took on death,
   breaking its power once and for all,
   and denying sin’s claim on us,
   as you raised him from the grave.

As we remember his compassion for the most vulnerable,
as we prepare to receive the gifts of life and grace,
we sing of that faith which knows no reason:

For this reason, Jesus set across the rough seas of fear and death;
for this reason, Jesus was raised in resurrection love;
for this reason, Jesus will return to gather us in hope.

As your people gather at this Table,
where the Holy Meal awaits,
pour out your Spirit on the gifts
of the bread, the cup, and your children.
As we eat of the bread
which is as broken as your heart,
may its love and hope
not become leftovers we throw away,
   but strength for those broken by life,
   peace for those torn by conflicts,
   wonder for those dulled by disappointment.
And may grace filling this cup
not be poured down the drain,
but be offered in love
   to those who have no friends,
   to those who long for justice,
   to all who listen for words of affirmation.

And when you have accomplished more
than we could ever dare imagine,
gather up all of us from every time and place,
so that together we may forever praise you,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

Sending
With words and whispers of the heart,
God has spoken to us in these moments.
For this reason, we shall go out to share good news with everyone we meet.
With ways to care for others, with bread for the journey,
Jesus sends us to care for those around us.
For this reason, we shall go out to be
with the hungry, the broken, the lonely.
With seeds of hope planted deep within us,
the Spirit prepares us to be hope and peace to others.
For this reason, we shall go to the places we try to avoid,
to serve those we usually ignore.  

© Thom M. Shuman

Liturgy w/communion for July 21, 2024 (Pentecost 9/Trinity/8/Proper 11/Ordinary 16- B)

 Texts: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a; Psalm 89:20-37; Ephesians 2:11-22; Mark 6:30-34; 53-56

Call to Worship

Neighbors and newcomers, families and strangers,
we gather in this place built by God’s steadfast love.
Strugglers and stragglers, pilgrims almost at the end of the journey,
each of us is seeks to follow Jesus, the compassionate One.
Builders of bridges in fractured communities,
those who stand on either side of walls of fear,
the Spirit of faithfulness calls us to live as one people – God’s people!

Prayer of the Day
God of aliens and strangers:
make the doors of this church
wide enough so that all find a welcome,
a home, a haven, a heart.

Christ of the near
and those who are far off:
make our hearts wide enough
so that all might find a place
in this household of faith.

Welcoming Spirit
of saints and sinners:
open our arms wide enough
so that all -
the guest, the neighbor,
the child, the widow,
the politician, the homeless,
the brother, the sister -
may be embraced
by your love and grace.

God in Community, Holy in One,
open your arms wide enough
to enfold us in your heart,
as we pray as Jesus has taught us, saying,
(The Lord's Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
Do we really want God to dwell within us, or are we only willing to 'rent out' space for a brief visit?  Our actions, our words, our silence, our fears all show the presence, or absence, of God in our lives.  Let us empty ourselves of all which burdens us, and welcome the One who lives with us forever.  Please join me as we pray,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
   Steadfast God, we confess that we are so busy putting up walls between ourselves and others, we cannot see the home you are building for all of us.  We spend so much time noting the differences between us and others, while you are embracing everyone as your child.  We run to welcome those who look, talk, and act like us, and you throw open your doors to the stranger, the alien, in our midst.
   Forgive us, Faithful Heart.  By your grace, help us to see the household you are building for all people: there are no plastic protectors on the furniture; there are no rooms that are off-limits; and even the smallest child is welcome to sit at the big peoples' Table and be fed by your grace.  We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our peace, our hope, our Lord, our Savior.
Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Do you remember?  At one time, you were without Christ; you were the stranger, the outsider, and the alien.  But now, in Christ, you have been brought home, living in God's household of hope and peace.
God's covenant with us is everlasting; God's steadfast love is forever; God's forgiveness makes us new and whole.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering

Because you have compassion on us, Steadfast Love, you do not hold anything back, but fill us with your good gifts.  May we share from our abundance, as well as from our need, so our offerings might be an enduring witness to your hope, your peace, and your healing for all.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

May the Faithful One be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts to the one who has reconciled us.
We offer them as enduring witnesses to God’s steadfast love.
Sing to the One who is our Strength and our Hope.
We offer glad songs to the One who is our God.
 
Now, when chaos has settled in,
you spoke to Word and Spirit,
“Go, do all that you and in mind,”
and creation burbled forth into being:
   icy springs for hot summer days,
   color-changing leaves for kids to play in,
   grassy meadows just right for bare feet.
You appointed a place for us next to you
in your garden of wonders,
   but we hurried after death,
   begging sin to be our best friend.
Prophets came, hoping by their words
to draw us away from temptation’s playgrounds,
   yet we continued to cross over
   to seduction’s side every time.
You would not leave us without hope,
but having compassion for all your children,
sent Jesus to proclaim Jesus everywhere.
 
With those who have forsaken your grace,
with those who model your steadfast love,
we praise your name in these moments:
 
Holy, holy, holy are you, God who is always with us.
Creation calls out in joy to you, their God.
Hosanna in the highest!
 
Blessed is the One who has compassion for all.
Hosanna in the highest!
 
You are holy, God our salvation,
and your blessed Child could have stayed
in that lonely place called Glory,
   but he recognized our troubles
   and chose to come to us.
He could have secured the borders
of your kingdom to keep us immigrants out,
   but tore down the barriers we built,
   so we might cross more easily
   over that bridge called Faithfulness.
Having compassion on us,
he crossed to that deserted place called death,
   so we might recognize the Risen Lord
   as he came to embrace us in your resurrection love.
 
As we remember Christ’s great compassion for us,
as we seek to live as those who have hope,
we speak of that mystery called faith:
 
Christ became our death, so we might live.
Christ became our live, so we might know peace.
Christ will come in peace, so we might have hope.
 
As we gather around this Table,
we would come, not as strangers
but those who are called into your family
of steadfast love and faithfulness.
You have poured out the Spirit of strength
upon the bread which is broken for us,
   so we might go to tear down
   all the walls which divide us,
      to build bridges of reconciliation
      to all with whom we are broken.
You pour the grace of the Spirit
into the cup which is passed to us,
   so we might recognize those
   who are our sisters and brothers,
      not outsiders we need to fear.
As we feast on this meal of remembrance,
as we join hands and hearts with those around us,
   may we recognize that
   we are woven together with
   the scarlet threads of steadfast love and faithfulness.

And when we come away from this time we call life,

when we cross to that promised place called home,
we will gather with all who have journeyed before and after us,
offering enduring witness to your hope, peace, and forgiveness,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.
  
Sending
Now go, to greet stranger and dear friend equally.
We will share God’s steadfast love as we seek to live in faithfulness.
Now go, to share Christ’s compassion with everyone.
We will tear down dividing walls and build bridges of hope.       
Now go, to live as one as the Spirit gathers you with others.
We will build communities that welcome all, especially the outsiders.

(c) Thom M. Shuman