Liturgy w/communion for February 2026 (Lent 1- A)

 Texts: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11

Litany for Lent

L: O Christ,
led by the Spirit
to wander temptation's wilderness,
you show us how
to turn our backs
on the wrong ways of the world,
so we can follow you faithfully:
P: Walk with us, Lord Jesus.
L: O Christ,
Wellspring of wonder,
you let go of your glory,
so you might hold
our shattered hearts.
P: Cradle us, Lord Jesus.
L: O Christ,
grace-full and truth-full,
you empty yourself
to fill us with the bread
which makes us whole,
with the living waters
which burst the banks
of our faded dreams.
P: Fill us, Lord Jesus.
L: O Christ,
Shatterer of sin's deathgrip,
into our despair, you bring hope;
in our fear, you come with peace;
in our loneliness, you become our sibling.
P: Save us, Lord Jesus.
L: Jesus Christ, Lamb of God
P: have mercy on us.
L: Lamb of God, who takes awa
the sins of the world:
P: pour our your grace upon us
L: Jesus Christ, gift of salvation:
P: grant us your peace.

Silence is kept

L: You hold nothing, nothing!
back from us, Gardener of Grace.
Your very self came to us,
your very heart was broken for us,
your life was poured out for us,
in Jesus, our Brother, our Savior.

We seek to do your will,
to share your truth,
to sing of your faithfulness,
to proclaim the good news,
as we follow Jesus
into the wonder of your kingdom,
praying as he taught us, saying,
(The Lord's Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
Like a parent, God seeks to set boundaries for the children of God. And, like children, we are stubborn enough to want to do things our own way. So, we become easy prey for the evil one. But Jesus, our Sibling, shows us how to find the will, the strength, to resist and to know the mercy of God. Together, let us confess our sins, so God might fill us with hope and joy.

Unison Prayer for Forgivness
   God of Eden's morning, we know that Lent is a hard time for us. In a culture which showcases  success, you call us to sacrifice ourselves for others. In a world which promotes power, you invite us to deny ourselves. In a society which encourages us to 'feel good,' you point us to the struggles of siblings, the burdens others bear.

   By your mercy, forgive us, Hope of our lives. Remind us that as we journey with Jesus, we learn 
the steps of discipleship. As we listen to his call to obedience, may we learn how to say 'no' to all 
that tempts us. As we see his suffering, may we live out the good news which has come to us through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
L: By ourselves, we would be easily controlled
by sin and temptation. But God has given us
the free gift of grace, and so we are set free
to live as disciples.
P: This is the gift which brings us hope;
this is the gift which brings us joy;
this is the gift which brings us life.
Thanks be to God, we are forgiven! Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering

May the privileged always share with the forgotten, may the powerful learn the grace of humility, and may our generosity reveal our gratitude for all the blessings we have been given so we can share them with others.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
L: The Lamb of God be with you!
P: and also with you!
L: All who search for God, lift your hearts.
P: We offer them to the One who comes searching for us in the
wilderness of life.
L: People of God, sing praises to the Lord.
P: We worship our God, and will serve God alone.

You tilled the barrenness
of chaos, Gardener of Genesis,
freely giving life to all
that is good and beautiful.
Shade trees with ripe fruity,
flowing streams, and creeping things,
skies bright with your joy,
clouds scudding across your hopes -
all were formed for our safe keeping.
But what was a delight in your eyes,
was a disappointment in ours,
and so we looked to the world,
finding the bread which
cannot fill our emptiness,
drinking from temptation's cup,
which only increases our thirst.
You sent the prophets
to lead us out of our wilderness,
but we clung to the rocks
which gave us no foundation.
Then you sent Jesus,
to carry the free gift of grace
into our hearts.

Therefore, with all those
who have journeyed with you
in every time and place,
we lift our glad cries of deliverance:

Sung: Creator of the stars of night,
Your people's everlasting light,
O Christ, Redeemer of us all,
We pray you hear us when we call.

Holy are you, God of goodness and glory,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Holy Child.
Fluent in the language of grace,
he speaks to us of
your steadfast love for us;
passing every test and temptation
offered to him,
he teaches us
obedience and faithfulness;
willing to be the one
to carry the sins of others,
he went to the cross,
faithfully serving only you,
even into suffering and death.

Risen in glory from the grave,
he welcomes us to this Table,
even as we sing of that mystery called faith:

Sung: At your great name, O Jesus, now
All knees must bend, all hearts must bow:
All things on earth with one accord,
Like those in heaven, shall call you Lord.

Pour out your Spirit
upon the bread and the cup,
and upon your children
gathered around this Table.
As we turn towards Jerusalem,
may we reject the temptation
to focus only on ourselves,
but engage in
radical acts of obedience:
feeding the hungry around us,
nurturing the children left behind,
comforting the lonely and ignored,
picking up the brokenness
and restoring our world
with your peace and reconciliation.

Then, when our journey has ended,
and we are surrounding your Table in glory,
we will welcome our family and friends,
as we share peace with our enemies,
singing through all eternity
of the One who has brought us home:

Sung: To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit, Three in One,
Praise, honor, might, and glory be
From age to age eternally. Amen.

(sung responses are from a Latin hymn
dating back to the 9th century "Creator
of the Stars of Night")

Sending

L: with the bread which is broken,

P: we will go forth to bring healing to the brokenness of our world.

L: with the cup of grace poured into us,

P: we will go out to share hope and justice with our siblings.

L: with the life which is planted in us,

P: we will go forth to serve all the forgotten of our communities.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Alternate texts Ash Wednesday service

 Texts:  Amos 5:8-15; Psalm139:7-12; Romans 8:31-35; Luke 18:9-14

Call to Worship

We gather in the dimness of evening
to be with the God who brightens
the shadows of our lives.
We gather in the quiet of this place,
to be with Jesus, knowing that nothing
past, present, or future separates us.
We gather to be marked as disciples,
to be fed for the journey through Lent,
to be sealed by the Spirit as God’s own.
 
Evening Prayer
You wait on this evening,
Patient God, for us to come back:
to stop going away from you
   on our self-focused travels;
to set aside our empty fears;
to cease shaping you in our image,
   so we can discover you closer
   than we ever dare imagined.

You wait for us this night,

Companion of our hearts,
for us to follow once more:
leaving the shuttered corners
   of our lives;
refusing to go from one failed
   promise to another;
coming out of the panic rooms
   we have built in our souls,
so you can take us by the hand
to lead us to resurrection life.
 
You wait in scattered ashes of our lives,
Spirit of silence, for us to find you:
in the broken bread
   which strengthens us to serve;
in the cup of grace
   which fills our emptiness;
in our sisters and brothers
   who are willing to hold us up
   when we falter,
so you can embrace us
with joy and hope in every moment.
 
As you wait, and as we seek
to return to you in these moments,
we pray as we are taught,
(The Lord’s Prayer)
 
Invitation to the Lenten life
Not for the first time, yet fresh once more,
we accompany Jesus to Jerusalem.
Because of his experience in the wilderness,
we discover how we might have the strength
to turn our back on evil, so we can choose good.
By his example of fasting and prayer
In the midst of serving and caring for others,
we can learn that rhythm of faithful living
which allows us to work for justice and hope,
as we draw strength from the timeless acts
of silence, feasting on the word, and prayer.
As we remember our baptism into faith,
as we gather at the feast of grace,
as we are marked as Christ’s own,
we prepare ourselves to come to God,
on this holy night.
 
Call to Reconciliation
On this night, we begin our journey to Easter.  Before we can take the first step, we must admit how we have not been faithful to our God.  Let us pray together, saying,
 
Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
   We have trouble telling the truth, God of broken hearts, yet we must admit on this night how we have trouble being your people.  We may not trample the poor, but we sometimes walk right past them.  We don’t receive bribes, but we are more privileged than many around us.  We trust more in ourselves than in you, and spend far too much time patting ourselves on the back, rather than holding out a hand to others.
   Where can we go for forgiveness but to you, God of the ashes?  When we are greedy, you promise to be gracious.  When we have trouble confronting injustice, you stand at our side.  When we struggle to seek good, you point us to Jesus, our Brother, our Savior, who shows us how to turn our back on evil to follow him.  Amen.

Silence is kept

 
Assurance of Pardon
God refuses to stand far off, but comes close to us – to hear our prayers, to touch our hearts with forgiveness, and to walk with us during this holy season and beyond.
We have no need to go anyplace else, but into the comforting and restoring heart of the One who loves us.  Thanks be to God.  We are forgiven.  Amen.
 
Imposition of the ashes
Just yesterday it seems, the palms were
fresh and green, held tight in hands
as we reenacted Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.
But then they dried, shriveled, became
almost too fragile to touch, until
we burned them into the ashes for tonight.
Yet, by the grace of our God,
with the Spirit resting upon them,
they are mixed with oil and placed
on our heads or hands,
the dust of life resting upon us
as a sign that by sharing the gifts
of peace, reconciliation, justice, and generosity,
we will live into the people we long to become.
 
As we are touched with this mark,
God of all moments,
remind us that just as you
shaped humanity from earth’s dust,
so, from the ashes of repentance and denial,
that grace which is gifted to us
through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer,
will shape us into faithful followers.  Amen.
 
(In the silence, those who wish may come to have the sign of the cross placed on their foreheads or back of their hands.  The ashes are from palm branches used in previous Palm Sunday services, mixed with oil)

Invitation to the Table

 
The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God of the ashes be with you.
And also with you.
On this night, let us offer our hearts to God.
We open then so we may be filled with the gifts of Lenten discipleship.
Let us lift glad thanksgiving to our God.
We offer praise to the One who gives us the strength for this journey.
 
There at the edge of the emptiness of chaos
you spoke, God of all graciousness,
   brightening the shadows with lights in the sky,
   pouring the waters into rivers and seas,  
   planting seeds to feed all creatures.
From the dust of creation, you shaped your children,
offering us all the goodness and beauty
which overflowed from your heart,
   but we trampled through your hopes,
   as we turned from your heart
   to chase after evil’s false promises.
But no matter where we went,
or how far we sought to flee from you,
you continued to meet us in all those places,
constantly inviting us to return to you
and be filled with your steadfast love.
 
Therefore, we join with our sisters and brothers,
in the silence and shadows of this evening,
to offer you songs of thanksgiving:
 
Holy, holy, holy are you, God who is at our side.
We join all creation in singing your praises.
Hosanna in the highest!
 
Blessed is the One who makes us right.
Hosanna in the highest!
 
Your constant love is the seal of your holiness,
and Jesus is the One who comes
so we will never be separated from you.
He endured every hardship we experience,
   so we receive the hope you offer to us;
he experienced the hunger of loneliness,
   so we might become members of your family;
he was willing to set aside his life,
   so death would have no power
   to keep us apart from you, but
   your resurrection power would give us
   the same life he received from you.
 
As we take our tentative first steps towards Jerusalem,
as we would be marked as his companions,
we remember that mystery known as faith:
 
Christ died, not withholding his heart;
Christ was raised, so that he might become our advocate;
Christ will come, to draw us to your side.
 
Here at this Table of life and longing,
pour out your Spirit on us,
and on the gifts offered to us.  
May the bread which is broken
strengthen us so nothing can separate us
   from those who struggle with life;
   from those who mourn a death;
   from those who have no power or voice.
May the cup which overflows with grace
nourish us so we pick up
   those who have been trampled by misery;
   those who are trapped by injustice;
   those who are pushed aside by the privileged.
 
And when neither death nor life,
neither time nor history
can keep us apart from you
as you gather us around your Table
with our sisters and brothers,
we will sing your glory and praise forever and ever,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.
 
Sending
Smudged this night with the ashes of penitence,
we will go out to share God’s forgiveness
with those we have hurt, with those who are forgotten.
Fed this night by the Host of the Feast of grace,
we will go out to bring healing to the broken,
to offer grace to those trampled by the powerful.
Called this night to journey through suffering to new life,
we will go out to stand with those experiencing injustice,
to share the Spirit’s peace and reconciliation with the world.

Liturgy w/communion for February 15, 2026 (Transfiguration - A)

  Texts:  Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 2; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9

Call to Worship

It is good to be here in this sacred space,
in the shelter of God’s love and hope.
It is good to be here with folks we know well, as well as with new friends,
joining with all of God’s beloved, siblings of Jesus.
It is good to be here, where we can hear God’s voice,
calling us to be eyewitnesses to the Spirit’s presence.

Prayer of the Day
We could build grand edifices
crafted out of our opinions
of how you should act and be,
God of mountains,
   or we could gather up
   all the broken dreams
   of the most vulnerable
to build a more just world.

We could join the denigrating

chorus which ridicules all
who have been pushed aside
by those climbing to the top,
Dawn of Hope,
   or we could hear songs
   of reconciliation and hope
   in the lingua franca
   of all who seek peace.

We could avert our gaze
from those who have fingers
pointed at them because
of where they come from,
Spirit of love,
not who they are,
   or we could catch
   a glimpse of you
   coming down from the
   closet shelf where we put you
      so you can be with us.

When we could stay on the mountaintop,
take us by the hand to lead us into service,
God in Community, Holy in One,
even as we pray as we have been taught,
(The Lord’s Prayer)
     
Call to Reconciliation
We wait for God to show up, and while waiting, do not notice the words we might have spoken, the good we could have done.  Let us confess to our God, who waits to surround us with grace and hope, as we pray together, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness

   Our judgment often becomes clouded by our foolishness, Sheltering God, and so we make all the wrong choices.  We let fancy philosophies draw us away from your grace.  The flowery words of politicians can lead us into valleys of worry and despair.  Our fears can convince us that those around us are conspiring against us.
   You can take all our foolishness, Creative God, and make us wise enough to see you among us.  You take the shards of our broken lives to recast us into a faithful people.  You speak gently to us, so we can listen to your dreams of our seeing each person as your beloved, even as Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, sees us through such eyes.  Amen

Silence is kept

Assurance of Grace
On mountaintops and in valleys, in moments when our lives are shrouded and as well as when we reflect Christ’s light, God is with us, declaring we are the beloved!
In this moment, in every moment, may we glimpse the grace of God which comes and transfigures our lives.  Thanks be to God, we are forgiven!  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering

Let us not keep our treasures stored in the mountaintops of our fears of how others might use them, but pour them out so they might be used to transform all those who find themselves in the valleys of hunger, of loss, of loneliness, and of injustice.  This we ask in the name of your Beloved.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

May the God of each dawn be with you.
And also with you.
Let us open our hearts to God who gathers us at this Table.
We delight in the grace which fills our lives.
May we offer our praise to the One who calls us the beloved.
We give thanks to our God of holiness.

You took the shards of chaos,
Repairer of all brokenness
and transfigured them into
   mountains where we could draw closer to you,
   valleys where we could serve your people,
   bright stars of each morning.
These gifts, and so many more, were offered
to the children of dust you call Beloved,
   but we joined death and sin
   in their conspiracy to make themselves
   more important than you in our lives.
You waited for us to return to you,
sending invitation after invitation
through people of every age,
   but we continued to plot,
   listening only to sin’s foolish words.
When you could no longer wait,
you sent Jesus to us,
so we might take shelter in you.

With those who have seen your glory,
with those who hunger for your grace,
we join in praising your name:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God who offers shelter.
We join all creation in glorifying you.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the Morning Star of salvation.
Hosanna in the highest!

You alone are holy, God who laughs
at our foolish posturing,
and blessed is Jesus Christ,
who came to tell everyone of your love.
He could have remained seated in glory,
   but chose to walk with us
   down this path called life.
He could have remained on the mountaintop,
   but came down to minister
   to all in despair’s empty valley.
He could have simply told us
how we should live,
   but demonstrated genuine love
   by dying on the cross, so
      death’s power might be broken
      by the grace of the resurrection.

As we rejoice in your heart’s Beloved,
as we would listen to him with our souls,
we speak of that transfiguring mystery called faith:

Christ died, breaking sin’s power forever;
Christ was raised, as love conquered death;
Christ will return, to gather all the beloved to God.

Overshadow us with your grace, we pray,
as the Holy Spirit is poured out on us
and the gifts of this holy table.
As you give us the broken bread
to strengthen our service to others,
   may we offer hop to all
   surrounded by injustice.
As your cup of life nourishes us,
   may we see each person,
   not as a stranger or outsider,
   but part of your beloved family.

And when the waiting is ended,
when the stars of mornings and evenings
shine the way to your holy feast,
we will join our siblings 
in forever singing your praises,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

Sending
God sends us from this experience of worship
to serve all those around us.
We will go to take the light of hope
into the shadowed corners in our midst.
Jesus, the Beloved, invites us to join him
in everyday life, in everyday service.
We will go to be blessed by all those
overlooked by the world.
Glory’s Spirit takes us by the hand
to lead us down path of humility.
We will enter into the mists of mistrust,
so we can offer hope to many.

© Thom M. Shuman

Liturgy w/communion for February 8, 2026 (Epiphany 5 - A)

  Texts:  Isaiah 58:1-12; Psalm 112:1-10; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; Matthew 5:13-20

Call to Worship
Called to be light,
we would carry God's hope into
the shadows of the world.
Called to be salt,
we would enhance the lives
of those around us, with joy.
Called to live in God's reality,
we would welcome everyone
as sisters and brothers in faith.

Prayer of the Day
When we see the hungry
     and refuse to pass them by;
when we humbly notice
     those walking shoeless
          in winter
     before we repair the holes
          in our souls,
we will worship you truly,
God of the Feast and the Fast.

When we think the line workers
     are as valuable as the CEOs;
when we give our
     in-law apartment
     to a homeless family,
we will follow you faithfully,
Servant of the oppressed.

When we mend fences
          with our siblings
     and build bridges
           to our enemies;
when our cries for justice
     are louder than a
          vuvuzela,
we will proclaim your hopes,
Spirit of justice.

Then we will be like
a royal botanical garden
watered by that grace
which never runs dry,
God in Community, Holy in One,
even as we pray as we are taught,
(The Lord's Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
This is what God hopes for us - that we will speak of the mistakes we make, so we might be forgiven.  Relying on the Spirit for the right words, let us pray together, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
     It is true we break your commandments, God of our lives.  Much worse, we break your heart when we point the finger at those who are different from us; when we gossip about our friends and neighbors; when we think everything is all about us.
     Forgive us, Loving God, we pray.  We long to know your ways, so open our ears to hear those words we always ignore.  We search for you each day, so open our eyes to your wonders so we may see them anew.  We would believe in your promises, so fill our hearts with the presence of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
God will show us the way to God's realm. Gracious, merciful, and righteous is our God of salvation!
God rebuilds our lives, repairs our mistakes, fills our emptiness with hope and joy.  Thanks be to God, we are forgiven!  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
May the gifts we offer, Loving God, be used to fix breakfast for hungry children, to shower others with grace, and to patch the potholes poverty has created in the roadways of the kingdom.  This we ask in Jesus' name.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God of the Table be with you.
And also with you.
This is the fast God chooses for us as we come to the Feast,
that we empty our hearts in service, so they may be filled again.
This is the way God offers to us,
We will sing our praises as we journey to the realm of hope and love.

When you came proclaiming creation,
God of wonder,
you brought forth what no eye had seen:
     snowflakes drifting in a meadow,
     hawks floating lazily in the sky.
You whispered what no ear had heard:
     whale songs in the deeps,
     a coyote caroling the moon.
You established what no heart believed:
     justice for the most vulnerable,
     healing for the broken.
Day by day, you called us to your side,
but when evening fell, we slipped
     into sin's enticing shadows,
     dashing your dreams for us.
You sent the prophets to us,
relying on the Spirit
to give them the right words,
     but we did not notice
     as we practiced hubris.
So you asked Jesus to come,
dashing the hopes of the wicked.

So with those who do not fear
the good news which he brought,
we lift our voices in glad shouts of joy:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God who shows the way.
Creation joins in praises to you.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the One who knows your mind.
Hosanna in the highest!

He came proclaiming your salvation,
God of Holiness,
your Child of salt and light.
For those in the shadows
of mourning,
     he brought light.
For those whose lives
have crumbled around them,
     he rebuilds their hopes.
For those who are separated
by the chasms of fears,
     he stretches a bridge
     so they can meet each
     other in harmony.
For all who face death's
uncertainty,
     he went into that unknown,
     coming forth to reassure us
that its power had been broken.

As we seek to seem him in our midst,
as we try to hear your Word of life,
we trust in that faith which is mysterious:

Christ died, showing us the way to death;
Christ was raised, showing us the way to new life;
Christ will come, to show us the way to your heart.

Here at the Table of grace,
the Holy Spirit proclaims life,
transforming these simple gifts
and the people gathered in this place.
As we taste the hope in the broken bread,
we would go to
     break the bonds of injustice,
     and free the oppressed.
As we are filled with the cup,
we would be light to the world,
     opening our pantry to the hungry,
     wrapping a naked child in our love.

And when God's time is fulfilled
and we are gathered together
with our siblings
in the kingdom of heaven,
we will not keep any thing bottled up,
but will shout our praises to you,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

Sending
To those huddled in the shadows of fear and worry,
God sends us to be light.
To those whose lives and hopes have lost all flavor,
Jesus sends us to be salt.
To a society where love is tossed aside as easily as a food wrapper,
Spirit sends us to be faithful carers of everyone we meet.

(c) Thom M. Shuman