Liturgy w/communion for September 1, 2024 (Pentecost 15/Trinity 14/Proper 17/Ordinary 22 - B)

 Texts Song of Solomon 2:8-13; Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9; James 1:17-27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Call to Worship

Here, our Beloved speaks to us;

the voice of our Beloved sounds in our hearts:

calling us to generous acts, to share the gifts we have been given.

Now, our Beloved speaks to us;

the voice of our Beloved sounds in our land:

calling us to generous acts, to open our hearts to all in need.

In every place, in every moment, our Beloved speaks to us;

the voice of our Beloved sounds in all creation:

calling us to generous acts, to stand with God's people:
the least, the lost, the little, the last.

Prayer of the Day

Light-giving God:

our praises spring up

like flowers on a spring day;

our songs of joy are lifted to you;

our hearts overflow with

your kindness and generosity.

Jesus, Beloved Child:

you look through the lattice of the world

at our lives, our hearts, our souls.

You speak to us with tenderness and strength,

calling us to come away from rigid legalism

to lives of grace and hope.

Truth-speaking Spirit:

we look in a mirror

and see God's child;

we walk away

and forget whose we are.

Move within us and reshape us

into God's beloved children,

living within that circle of blessing

called the kingdom.

God in Community, Holy in One,

hear us as we pray together,

as Jesus taught us, saying,

(The Lord's Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation

Do we honor God only with our lips, while keeping our hearts from the Holy One?  Do we deceive ourselves, thinking we are religious rather than living faithful lives?  Let us confess to God our sin, trusting in the One who seeks to make us whole.

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
   Holy One of leaders and little children, we hear your words every day, but rarely live them out.  Our anger roars like a flooded creek, but our forgiveness drips like a rusty faucet.  Our impetuous tongues rush to judgment, while our words of hope sound like a sluggish soundtrack.  We listen with impatient ears to the cries of the poor.
   Father of Lights, may your mercy fall on us like a summer shower on parched grass; may your hope overflow our hearts; may your Beloved Child, Jesus Christ, speak to us and call us to life.

Silence is kept 

Assurance of Pardon

Listen and understand - the voice of the Beloved speaks to us, implanting the word of hope, the word of grace, and the word of forgiveness into our hearts.

We listen and understand.  Every gift comes from God, especially the gifts of mercy and love.  Thanks be to God, we are forgiven.  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/offering

Let us be slow in our yearning to hang on to our blessings, and quick to share them with the hungry, the lonely, the forgotten, and the hurting of our world, that our gifts might become a kind of first fruits for those whose lives are so empty.  This we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

Beloved, may God be with you!

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts, Beloved of God.

We lift them to the One who loves us beyond all expectations.

God's Beloved, let us offer our thanks and praise to the Lord our God.

Our voices unite in joy and thanks to the One who brings us hope and healing.

Our hearts overflow with praise and thanksgiving,

God, our God!

Your Beloved's voice spoke to chaos,

calling forth the flowers of grace

which bloom in our hearts.

Because you love righteousness,

you would anoint us

with the oil of joy

and clothe us in the robes

of mercy and goodness.

But we break your heart by embracing

the very wickedness you hate,

staining our lives with sin and death.

Still, you love us and seek us out,

for in Christ your grace has defeated sin

and the Risen Lord has opened the way

to life in your kingdom

So, we lift our voices in joy and hope,

singing with the choirs of angels in heaven,

and with all the faithful of every place and time,

singing of your glory forever

Holy, holy, holy are you, Lover of righteousness

All creation overflows with praise for you.

Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is your Beloved who anoints us with unexpected grace.

Hosanna in the highest!

Look, he comes!

Your Beloved Child,

Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior, our Companion,

the joy of your Heart.

Gazing into our souls,

he sees our emptiness

and fills us with your grace;

listening to our pain,

he is quick to speak

healing and hope to us;

the perfect gift of life,

he declares that sin is past,

death is over and gone,

and resurrection blossoms

in our hearts forever.

As you have called him Beloved at his baptism,

and as you raised him from death to give us life,

so we give ourselves to live for him in grateful praise and service:

Christ was born, hearing your morning song.

Christ died, doing your will even in the moments of his despair.

Christ was raised, in fulfillment of your own purpose.

Christ will come, the first fruits of our resurrection.

 

Generous God, pour out your Holy Spirit

upon those who gather around your Table,

and upon the gifts of the Bread and Cup.

As they are the body of your Servant

and the Spirit of your compassion,

may we become the healing and hope

the world longs for in our time.

As you touch our lips with your life,

may we be quick to speak of justice;

as you pour grace into our hearts,

may we be the doers of your Word,

those whose hands are stained

by generous acts of kindness:

feeding the hungry,

clothing the naked,

lifting the fallen to their feet,

comforting all who are broken.

Then, when your Spirit

unites us at your Table in heaven,

as we clasp hands with all your beloved,

we will sing your glory for all eternity:

God in Community, Holy in One.

Sending

Arise, and let us go forth as God's people.

Look!  God sends us forth with songs of love on our lips.

Arise, and let us go forth to serve beside Jesus.

Look!  He stands, waiting for us to help tear down the barriers of injustice.

Arise, and let us go forth to join the generous Spirit.

Look! We will be doers as well as givers with our gifts.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Liturgyw/communion for August 25, 2024 (Pentecost 14/Trinity 13/Proper 16/Ordinary 21 - B)

Texts: 1 Kings 8: (1, 6, 10-11, 22-30), 41-43; Psalm 84; Ephesians 6:10-20; John 6:56-69

 Call to Worship

Jesus said: 'I am the Bread of Life . . .
whoever eats this Bread will always live.'
This is a tough teaching, too tough to swallow.
Jesus said: 'Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God
like a child shall not enter it.'
This is a tough teaching, too tough to hear.
Jesus said to all he met: 'Follow me.'
We have accepted Jesus, and seek to be faithful,
no matter how tough it is to follow him.

Prayer of the Day

Holy God,
Home of all who seek you:
may you find in our hearts paths to walk,
wandering with us through dark valleys,
dipping us in pools of living water,
lifting our faces to the grace
falling softly upon us.

Loving Lord,

Speaker of tough words:
we would wish for an easy life
as we follow you to our Home.
Help us to see that when we mop floors,
we find our meaning;
when we hammer nails,
we discover our hope;
when we embrace the sick,
we touch our healing.

Spirit of Strength,
Bearer of our prayers,
we would ask for:
the strength
to say 'yes'
when 'no' is on our lips;
the wisdom
to welcome all
into our hearts;
the longing
to be with you
always.

God in Community, Holy in One,
hear us as we pray together,
as Jesus has taught us, saying,
(The Lord’s Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation

If it was easy to follow Jesus, we would not need to ask for forgiveness. But it is tough - tough to say 'yes,' tough to be graceful, tough to be loving. Yet whatever we do, God loves us enough to forgive us and to feed us with the Bread of Life. Let us pray together, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness

     God, our sun and shield: we may long to be in your house, but our deeds show how tough it is for us to live there. Called to follow, we search for paths to take us back to our old ways; given the words of eternal life, we weakly proclaim the gospel to others; offered the path of salvation to walk upon, we stumble down the rocky roads of our world.
     Forgive us, Guardian of our lives. Strengthen us with your Spirit, so we may serve your people with all that brings them life. Let your Word, Jesus Christ, the One we have come to believe and know is our Lord and Savior, be confirmed in us in every word, every deed, every thought, every moment in the days to come.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Today, receive the Bread of Life;
today, hear the words of eternal hope;
today, trust in the One who hears your prayers,
and showers grace and forgiveness upon you.
Today, we are set free to serve God's people, and to sing God's praises. Thanks be to God.  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
Take our gifts, Gracious God, and use them to put shoes on blistered feet, to put garments of grace around the hopeless, to touch hurting bodies with healing hands, and to share the gospel with everyone we meet.  In Jesus' name, we pray.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

May the Lord, our Host, be with you!
And also with you!
Blessed are those whose hearts know the way to the kingdom.
Our hearts are filled with life itself
as we seek to follow Jesus.
Blessed are those who sing praises to God.
Trusting in the One who calls us here,
we sing our joy and love to God.

Early morning rains created pools

filled with the sweet waters of life
on that day of wonder and goodness
we call creation, God of our joy.
You shaped a garden
here we might always find you,
you offered hope to all who trusted you.
But we found your words too hard,
and the promises of sin too easy,
your road to peace was too long,
and death's path was so short.
Through the ambassadors of your word
you spoke, that we might know your name
and return to your heart.
But we were offended by their speech,
and went from sin to sin.
So, you sent Jesus to us,
the bread come down from heaven
to lead us back to you.

So, with those who have always known your name,
and those who have heard it for the first time,
we join our voices in praise and song:

Holy, holy, holy are you, our God and our Creator.
Heaven and highest heaven cannot contain you.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the One who comes with words of eternal life.
Hosanna in the highest!

Holy are you, God of steadfast love,
and blessed is Jesus, the Holy One of God.
Trusting your heart,
he poured out his love for us
in every miracle, in every conversation.
Trusting your words,
he told us of lost children welcomed
with open arms,
of outsiders who live out your grace.
Trusting you, Keeper of the covenant,
he would not live in the tents of evil,
but lived in your hope and peace.
Trusting your grace,
he journeyed to the cross
to defeat the power of death,
to be raised to new life,
so you might look upon the faces
of your beloved children.

As we gather to remember his life and death,

as we celebrate the wonder of the resurrection,
we make known the mystery of the gospel:

Christ died, so we might have peace;
Christ is risen, so we might live forever;
Christ will come again, so we may live
     in God's house for all eternity.

How lovely is your Table of grace, God of mercy,

the simple gifts of the bread and cup
transformed by your love,
your Spirit of joy and hope filling
your people who come to your feast.
The bread of heaven feeds us with life,
so we might go from person to person,
bringing relief where there is pain,
bringing hope where there is despair.
The cup of grace is filled
with deep pools of your hope,
so we might go to all the places
of worry, anger, and discord,
to share your peace for all people.

And when that day with you
which will never end finally begins,
when we are gathered with our sisters
and brothers from every time and place,
we will sing for joy to you,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.

Sending
Let us go now, to share God's strength.
We will do so by embracing the weakness of others.
Let us go now, to be as alert as Jesus.
We will do so by noticing the brokenness all around us.
Let us go now, to share the life of the Spirit.
We will do so by receiving the bread of life from the poor.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Alternate texts liturgy for August 25, 2024 (Pentecost 14/Trinity 13/Proper 16/Ordinary 21 - B)

  Texts: Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18; Psalm 34:15-22; Ephesians 6:10-20; John 6:56-69

 Call to Worship

To abide in you;

to find strength in you;

to worship you in these moments,

we gather, O God.

To challenge the evil around us;

to bring healing to the hurt;

to offer hope to the vulnerable,

we follow, Jesus our Brother.

To learn how to live;

to put away our old gods;

to stick with God in every moment,

we listen, Holy Spirit.

Prayer of the Day

Knowing the words to familiar hymns

and offering a word of welcome to a stranger;

listening to the silly stories of 5-year-olds

and affirming an awkward adolescent;

dancing to soul-filled tunes

and walking a sick neighbor’s dog:

we continue to love you, O God.

Filling a grocery cart for the food pantry

and dropping off supplies for a free health clinic;

living out God’s hopes for others,

rather than giving into the mongers of fear;

cradling the broken heart of the widower

and mending the toddler’s flat tire:

we choose to stick by your side, Servant to all.

Noticing the faithful teachers arms full of supplies

and paying for them out of our own pockets;

taking a lonely neighbor out for lunch

and reconnecting with an old college mate;

refusing to turn our backs on the forgotten

and holding leaders accountable for injustices,

we offer the bread of life, Holy Spirit.

In all ways, with all people, in all moments,

we give thanks to you,

God in Community, Holy in One, 

even as we lift the prayer we are taught, saying,

(The Lord’s Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation

When we could pay attention to our words and actions, we become distracted by our worries, our desires.  Yet God would seek to clothe us in garments of hope and grace, so we might continue to walk in the ways of love and peace.  Let us bring our lives to the One who offers us mercy, as we pray together,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness

   Yes, Watcher of the faithful, we could put on the comfortable shirt of faith, but prefer fear with its frayed cuffs and stains on the front.  We could slip on the loafers of peace, but squeeze into the size-too-small stiff dress shoes of anger.  We could wrap truth around our lives, yet continue to punch holes in the belt of falsehood so it always fits.

     Hear us, Faithful heart, and rescue us from our worst selves.  When we are lonely, you offer us your heart as a refuge.  When we are broken, you knit us back together.  When we are afraid, you promise to draw us into your embrace.  When we are faithless, you continue to call us to follow Jesus the Christ, the only Word we need in the midst of so many hollow promises.  Amen.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon

As God listens to our voices and hearts, our brokenness is gathered up and we are made whole, as mercy and hope fill our lives.

We are forgiven.  We are transformed into new people.  We are clothed with grace and peace, so we may go and serve as God’s people.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering

May these simple gifts transform into shoes for those who have none, into clothes for kids heading off to school, into faith, hope, peace, and grace for all of your children, Holy God.  Amen.

The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

May the God of the feast be with you;

may God also be with you.

We come to the place where God has called us.

We lift up our hearts to the One who mends them.

Here, we are fed with living hope and grace.

And so, we lift our songs of thanksgiving to God.

You listened to the silence of chaos,

Wonder-filled God, and called forth creation.

Yes, there were feathered birds,

   but also faith planted in the hollows of our hearts;

there were porpoises swimming in clear waters,

   as well as peace to shelter us in trouble;

trees grew tall with shade

   and truth whispered to us in the evenings.

All these good and precious gifts

were offered to those in your image,

   but we were seduced by the wiles

   of the Evil One, feasting on moldy lies.

Prophets came to call us back to you

with words, prayers, and challenges,

   but we wished that you would go away

   and leave us alone to our doubts.

That is when you chose to send

your love, your hope, your grace to us

in the One made human like us.

With those who are bold in their faith,

and those who can barely lift their hearts,

we sing our praises to you:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God who clothes us.

All creation gathers to praise you.

Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the Bread of life offered to us.

Hosanna in the highest!

Though you are holy, Eternal God,

you would not forsake us to our foolishness

but became bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh.

In Jesus, we hear the tough teachings

of justice for those we would ignore,

   not the easy platitudes of those

   who claim they do not matter.

In Jesus, we are offered the life

which is grounded in your hope and grace,

   not the daily promises of success

   which are pulled out from under us.

In Jesus, we taste the sweetness

of resurrection life and love,

   not the moldy and stale death

   the Evil One tells us is our finish.

As we come to the Table of living bread,

as we prepare to take the cup of grace,

make us bold with that faith which is hard to understand:  

Though the Word was shattered on the cross,

you did not forsake him, Loving God,

but completed the mystery of the gospel

with your resurrection love, offered to all.         

We come to this holy feast, Loving God,

because this is where you want us to be,

gathered with those who like us,

seek to be faithful and not forsake you.

Here, the Spirit is the yeast in

the bread which, though broken, offers life

to those who eat of it, so we might

   share peace with every step we take,

   speak the gospel with every action of our lives,

   stand firm against the injustices around us.

Here, the Spirit is poured into

the cup which, when emptied, fills us so we can

   wrap our arms around the lonely and grieving,

   gather up broken hearts and mend them,

   reunite children separated from their families.

And when we are no longer ambassadors

in chains of hope, grace, and peace,

but are gathered with our sisters and brothers,

we will join in praising you at all times,

God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen. 

Sending

To whom should we go, Holy God,

now that worship is done?

We will go to nurture others with grace.

Where should we go, Holy One of God,

now that the songs have been sung?

We will go to serve those around us,

for you are the Word of hope all need.

Why should we go from this space,

gracious Spirit, where we find life?

We will go to gather who are lonely,

all who hunger for community.  

© Thom M. Shuman

Liturgy w/communion for August 18, 2024 (Pentecost 13/Trinity 12/Proper 15/Ordinary 20 - B)

 Texts:  1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14; Psalm 111; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58

Call to Worship

For cool mornings and rumbling afternoon storms,
for amazing days and even more ordinary evenings,
for deep friendships and shallow wading pools:
we give thanks to God!
For the laughing God who tickles us with joy,
for the broken-hearted Love who joins in our struggles:
we give thanks to God at all times!
For the Bread of heaven who feeds us hope,
for the Spirit of grace who teaches us to dance:
we give thanks to God at all times and for everything!

Prayer of the Day
We long to worship
in high-vaulted cathedrals,
our songs and prayers
echoing the deep sighs
of the saints cradled in the stone.
Yet you, unpredictable Creator,
you compose a canticle
with the gentle drops of rain
on a tin-roofed shelter.

We long to worship

beside the high and famous,
rubbing shoulders with those
clothed in power, wealth, renown.
But you, quirky Redeemer,
you we find sitting at the gutter,
huddling in the shadowed doorway,
curled up on a sidewalk grate

with your long-lost kin.

We long to worship

with drums pounding
and the amps turned up
so high our hearts tremble.
And you, fanciful Spirit,
you would draw us into
that still, silent, sacred
space called peace.

We long to worship you,

God in Community, Holy in One,
even as we pray saying,
(The Lord’s Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
We would follow Jesus, but sometimes it seems that we do not know how to go out in faith, or come in out of the shadows of life. The One who has sent the Bread of life to us is the God who is just and true, longing to grace us with mercy. Please join me, as we pray together, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
     We try to be so careful, Faithful God, yet we make so many mistakes. We think we are so wise, yet do not understand the simple wonder of a child. We spend so little time in your presence, and ask why we do not know your dreams for us. We long to be good, upright people, but find our hearts tripping over the temptations of the world.
     Have mercy, Covenant Keeper, and be gracious to us. As you continue to teach us of your hopes, your dreams, your love for us, may we practice what we learn, as we follow our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in faith.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon

Out of our lives laced with foolish mistakes and unwise choices, God is able to weave a tapestry of grace, forgiveness, and healing.
God has sent redemption for all, God has fed us with the healing bread of life. At all times, and for every grace, we give thanks to God in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
By your grace, Holy God, our gifts become the bread which feeds the hungry, become the water which drought ravaged lands need, become a community for the lonely, become medical missions for those battling disease and worries.  By your grace, Holy God, may we offer more and more as your feed us with the Bread of life.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God of joy be with you!
And also with you!
At this Table, God speaks grace to us.
We offer our listening hearts so we hear these words of life.
In this company of faithful followers of Jesus, give thanks.
In this moment, and always, we sing praises to our Steadfast Love.

All praise is due to you, Amazing God,
for your great works we call creation.
Grace flowed out of your heart,
its gentleness woven into
the light, the earth, the air;
peace rested upon all that was shaped
out of your unpredictable imagination,
all that lived and breathed touched by
the wisdom of your Spirit.
You formed humanity in your image,
that we might bear witness to you,
but we could not discern between
good and evil, choosing to follow
death and sin out of your presence.
You asked your servants, the prophets,
to teach us your ways and will,
but we did not have understanding minds.
So, in grace and mercy, you sent Jesus,
the living bread come down from heaven
that we might have eternal life with you.

So, with the wise and the unwise,
the foolish and the faithful of every time,
we join our voices to sing our thanks:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God who teaches us to walk in faith.
All hearts in creation sing praises to you.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the Living Bread which came down from heaven.
Hosanna in the highest!

Holy are you, Awesome God,

and blessed is Jesus Christ, Living Bread.
When he could have remained
in the high places of glory with you,
he became fully human,
walking the paths of pain,
drinking the brackish waters of rejection,
eating the stale bread of our broken promises.
When he could have been careful,
he threw his fears to the wind,
taking up his cross to embrace death,
rising from the grave to lead us to eternal life.

As we gather to eat at your Table of remembrance,
as we give thanks for the life, death, and resurrection of Christ,
we point to that mystery of grace called faith:

Christ died, the Bread which will live forever;
Christ was raised, on the first day of new life;
Christ will come for us, so we may abide in God's kingdom forever.

It is not in the high places

but here at this Table graced
with the common loaf and the graced cup
that we find your promises kept,
and your Spirit poured out upon us.
You offer us the Bread of heaven,
broken that we might be made whole,
to us, so that filled with grace,
we might go to find all those
whose hopes have been foreclosed.
You touch the Cup of life,
poured out for our renewal,
to our lips, to our hands, to our hearts,
so that we might be transformed
into servants to all the world.

And when all your works have come to fruition,

when all your children are gathered around you,
we will lift our voices, singing praises to you,
through all time, and for all good things you have done,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.

Sending
Fed with words of grace and hope,
let us go to bring the Bread of life to our world.
Called to be faithful as followers of Jesus,
let us go to share justice and hope with all.
Touched by the Spirit of wonder in these moments,
let us go to bring peace to the broken.

(c) Thom M. Shuman