Sunday, August 03, 2025

Liturgy w/communion for August 10, 2025 (Pentecost 9/Trinity 8/Proper 14/Ordinary 19 - C)

 Texts: Isaiah 1:1, 10-20; Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Luke 12:32-40

Call to Worship
We are people who have been called
to follow where God leads us.
By faith we can obey,
even when asked to walk into
an unknown future.

We are people who have been challenged
to tell God's story to others.
By faith we have the ability
to share the good news.

We are God's children who are invited
to feast at the Table of grace.
By faith we will embrace
our sisters and brothers in Christ.


Prayer of the Day
Creator of the light:
when our sins
stain our lives,
     you dissolve them
     with your mercy;
when our souls become calloused
by the hardness of our hearts,
     your grace makes them as soft
     as a cashmere sweater,
          so we can be dressed
                to serve others.

Creative Word:
when you had enough
of our hollow words
and empty promises,
     you came to listen
     to the echoes of your hope

          deep within our hearts.
When you became bored
with our endless meetings
and petty squabbles,
     you took delight
     in our willingness
          to follow you.

Breath of Creation:
when we could be sitting
at home watching television,
     you encourage us
          to rest in stillness with the grieving.
When we could be out shopping,
     you nudge us to share our abundance
          with the poor and needy.
When we could be relaxing
in our achievements,
     you sit us down next to a child,
          struggling to read.

God in Community, Holy in One,
as we seek to grow in our faith,
hear us as we pray as Jesus has taught us,
(The Lord’s Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
We would like to keep our sins hidden and our failures a secret. But God would not have us keep silent, but speak our confessions out loud, so we may be blessed with God's mercy and grace. I invite you to pray with me, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
     You have a vision of all people as your beloved children, Imaginative God, but we see folks whose language, dress, and skin make them different. You have a vision of a universe filled with goodness and beauty, and we damage it with litter, with violence, with poor choices. You have a vision of a Table where we can feast on your grace and hope, but we line up at the fast food counters of sin and greed.
     Forgive us, Visionary of Mercy, as we confess that we are not "insiders" but immigrants searching for our true home. By faith, may we be willing to be as gracious, as compassionate, and as hopeful as you are.  You love us enough to want us to be with you forever, so may we take the hand of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who leads us into your kingdom.



Silence is kept


Assurance of Pardon
There is nothing to fear. God's hope is more tenacious than our despair; God's joy is more resilient than our grief; God's love is more compelling than our hate.
By grace, we are gathered to God.  By faith, we rest in God's promises of forgiveness and restoration. Thanks be to God! Amen.


Prayer of Dedication/Offering
It is by faith that you bless us, hopeful God.  So, it is by faith that we offer back to you a portion of what we have and who we are, trusting that you will take these gifts and use them in the work of that kingdom of justice and hope, of grace and wonder, which is yours.  This we pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

May God be with you.
And also with you.

Open your hearts to God, followers of Jesus.
We open them, so the Light of Love shines through us.

People of God, give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is our greatest joy and honor to offer thanksgiving to God.

You called the heavens and the earth
out of the deep emptiness of chaos:
     soft breezes caressing our cheeks,
     songbirds caroling your glory,
     children tap dancing through mud puddles -
all that we see, hear, and feel
have sprung from your imagination,
Creating God.
All that you thought, dreamed, and wondered
was shaped for us
     that we might live with you in peace and hope.
But we wondered what we would do with your glory and power;
we dreamed of being divine and thought we were your equal.
     So we reached out for wealth and power,
     those false idols who enticed us
          even as they ensnared us with their lies.
You sent the prophets
to remind us of your vision for us,
and to assure us of your hope for us.
But we took no delight in their words.
Then, your Word took on flesh
and came to us as Jesus the Christ,
to summon us out of the empty lives
we had created for ourselves.

Therefore, we gather with your faithful ones,
in this time and in this place,
joining our voices with the heavenly choirs
who sing of your justice and grace:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God the Creator!
The mountains sing your praises,
     the valleys echo your glory.


We welcome the One who comes in your name,
who comes to call us to life.


Holy are you, God of infinite imagination,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son,
our Hope, our Lord and Savior.
He should have been clothed
in royal robes of purple and gold,
     but put on the uniform
     of a condemned prisoner,
          so we could be clothed in your grace.
He should have been given
every honor the world has,
     but was cursed
         so we might receive your blessings.
He should have had a long and healthy life,
     but was put to death at an early age,
          so we might live forever with you.

Remembering that is not our words which save us,
     but your imaginative Word of beauty and love;
remembering that it is not our achievements,
     but our hope in Jesus Christ which assures us of your love,
we celebrate that mystery we call faith:

Lord Jesus, you call us:
     open our eyes that we may see you,
          open our souls that we may long for your presence,
               open our hearts so we may follow you.


God of Gentleness:
pour out your Spirit of grace and peace
upon these, your simple gifts,
which become the Bread of Heaven
and the Cup of Salvation for us.
As we taste the goodness of Christ,
and let his brokenness heal us,
     may our eyes be opened
     to the oppression and injustices
         the world would keep us from seeing.
As the rich wine of hope and joy
refreshes our hearts and souls,
may we be ready
     to share all we have been given,
     to speak up for the voiceless,
     to gather the lost into our family.

And when all time has stopped moving
and all the faithful have been gathered,
when we sit down at the feast prepared for all,
we will join hands to sing
the eternal anthem of your vision
of hope and peace for all creation,
proclaiming forever and ever your glory:
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.


Sending
By faith, let us go out as God’s people.
We will gather others around us and dance into God’s kingdom.
By faith, let us go to follow Jesus to serve with compassion and grace.
We will share the good news of hope and peace with everyone we meet.
By faith, let us go to join the Holy Spirit in welcoming all of God’s children.
We will add as many chairs as are needed, so all may feast on God’s love.

©  Thom M. Shuman

Alternate texts liturgy w/communion for August 10, 2025 (Pentecost 9/Trinity 8/Proper 14/Ordinary 19 - C)

 Texts: Genesis 15:1-6; Psalm 33:12-22; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Luke 12:32-40

Call to Worship
We trust in God,
and so we hope in God.
We hope in our God,
and so we offer our hearts,
so our God may fill them with grace.
Every time, we trust, we hope, we come to God,
God is waiting for us . . . every time.

Prayer of the Day
It was faith which made them
listen to your words,
trust in your promises,
dare to imagine a different country,
risk undertaking new adventures,
setting aside their fears and doubts.
Give us such faith,
God of our ancestors,
give us such faith.

It was faith which helped you
as you walked through the world,
telling stories of reversals,
listening to the ignored,
touching those we did not love,
pointing to that Community
being built all around us.
Give us such faith,
Jesus or Brother,
that we might follow.

It is faith which you give to us:
so we can trust the hope
which the world cannot see;
so we can journey into
places we have never been;
so we can welcome strangers
as sisters and brothers.
Continue to give us such faith,
Spirit who walks with us
in faith, every moment, every day.

With the faith you give us,
with the faith you have in us,
God in Community, Holy in One,
we lift that prayer taught to us by faith:
(The Lord's Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
We are blessed when we trust in God, but too often we offer our loyalty to idols.  We are blessed when we see each others as family, but we prefer to see them as strangers, even enemies.  So, let us come with our prayers to the One who loves without reservation and offers compassion without conditions.  Join me as we pray, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
   We must admit, Loving God, that if faith is a trust which cannot be confirmed, it is easier not to trust.  Of if faith is the gut feeling that hope is just around the corner, we prefer to keep our eyes closed.  And surely, if faith is to be lived out in difficult moments, we often leave it behind at home.
   Call us into your backyard, God of wonder, to point up to the stars and remind us that we cannot begin to imagine, or count, how many times you will forgive us.  Give us the trust to have faith in you, the faith to hope in you, and the assurance you will surround us with the grace, hope, and wonder shared with us through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Like our grandparents in the faith, we can dare to trust in the promises of God, even without any actual proof staring us in the face.  This is the good news of God's love.
We will trust in those things that last, in the grace, which counts, in the mercy no one can take away from us.  Thanks be to God, we are forgiven!  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
All it takes is one person, then another, than more, who hear God's hopes, trust God's promises, and have the faith to merge our gifts together, so they can be used to bring hope, healing, grace, and peace to our communities, to our sisters and brother.  This we pray.  Amen.

The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God of faith be with you!
May God be with you as well!
Let us open our hearts in trust.
God fills them with grace in every moment.
Join together in singing songs of thanksgiving.
We lift our voices in glad adoration to our God.

When there was only the emptiness
of chaos, God of our hearts,
you dared to imagine that from
things unseen might come wonders
to behold:
   stars too many to count in the night,
   flowers varied in colors and shapes,
   creatures that roamed, flew, swam.
You spoke the Word which brought
all this into being for those who are
created in your image of hope and love,
   but we chose to trust temptation's lies
   and to hope in the emptiness of death.
In dreams, with words, with love,
women and men continued to call us
back to you, who would fill us with grace,
   but we always turned away, trusting
   power, hate, fear, injustice instead.
Then, you chose to become one of us,
so we might see hope walking among us,
so we might taste grace in fish and bread,
so we might know love that never ends.

With those who have faith which astounds us,
with those who long to see your beloved Community,
we join our voices in praise and wonder:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God who watches over us.
All creation trusts in your grace and hope.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the One who comes to serve us.
Hosanna in the highest!

By grace,
you set aside glory to become
one of us, Christ of creation,
   so we might be filled with compassion
   we can share with others.
By faith,
you told stories of servants,
of prodigals, of children,
   so we could see ourselves
   as who God longs us to be.
By trust,
you dared to let death wrap
its cold arms around you,
   so we might be released
   into the comforting embrace
   of resurrection's hope.

By grace, we come to this Table.
By hope, we tell the story of Jesus.
By faith, we share the mystery of salvation:


Jesus died, to bring light into death's gloom.
Jesus was raised, to bring life to all God's people.
Jesus will come, so all are welcomed by God.

Now you come, Holy God,
pouring out your Spirit
on the gifts of the bread and cup
and on your people gathered here.
May the bread which is broken
give us the strength to go and
   choose love, not hate;
   to share hope, not fear;
   to gather people together, not divide them.
May the cup of grace
nourish us to be the ones
   who offer compassion without conditions,
   who offer justice and grace to all,
   who will love without reservation.

And when all time has come to an end,
we will sit at the table in your backyard,
feasting with our sisters and brothers
under the stars we never stopped counting,
rejoicing with them in your grace,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

Sending
As God's people, let us be ready:
to bring light into the shadows,
to confront the bullies around us.
As followers of Jesus, let us be ready:
to invite strangers into our hearts,
to set the table for everyone.
As those gifted by the Spirit, let us be ready:
to choose love, not hate;
to feed those who wander 
through both food and fear deserts.

(c) 2019 Thom M. Shuman