Liturgy w/communion for November 15, 2026 9Pentecost 25/Trinity 24/Proper 28/Ordinary 33 - A)

 Call to Worship

This is the Lord's Day, the day of wonder and grace.
This is the day to worship the One who calls us here.
This is the Lord's Day, the day we are given joy and peace.
This is the day promised to us, the day of healing and renewal.
This is the Lord's Day, and it has come just in time!
This is the day we gather with hope, with faith, with love!
 
Prayer of the Day
Now,
in the silence,
when we struggle
to control our lives,
     may we, once again,
     empty ourselves of our pride and fears,
          to be filled with your hope.

Now,
in these moments,
when we cannot let go
of our worries and doubts,
     may we, once again,
     open our hands to hold your faith.
 
Now,
on this day
which is only and always
your gift to us,
     may we, once again,
     live into your kingdom.
 
Now, as we lift our hearts to you,
God in Community, Holy in One,
we once again pray as we have been taught saying,
 (The Lord's Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
When we remember all the mistakes we have made, all the careless words we have spoken, all the contempt we have given to those around us, we have trouble looking God in the eye. But God gazes at us with mercy and love, waiting to forgive us, even as we hesitate to speak of the brokenness of our hearts. Join me as we pray, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness

     Again we must confess, Master of the Universe, our struggles to be faithful disciples.  Entrusted with all your gifts, we become fearful once again of misusing them, missing the chance to be a blessing to others.  Invited to dance in the light of your love, we stand against the wall once again, keeping company with our old friend, sin.  Called to be emptied for those who struggle in life, we fill ourselves once again, with scorn for the poor choices they make.

     Have mercy, Journeying God, have mercy on us.  Once again, open our eyes to your kingdom in our midst, so we might discover that your day of hope and grace has already come in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  Amen. 

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
This is the good news: God intends for us to find life, to embrace hope, to receive forgiveness through Jesus Christ, our Servant.
The end of our journey is not rejection and emptiness, but the fullness of grace and hope in our God.  Thanks be to God, we are forgiven. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
Now, in these moments of gratitude, we would offer you a portion of all which you have given to us, Gracious God.  We do so, trusting that you will take them, multiplying them in your kingdom, so all might be blessed by your love, your peace, and your hope.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God of promises be with you!
And also with you!
Rejoice in the One who surprises us, people of God.
We lift our hearts to God who brings us salvation.
Children of God, join in glad song to the Giver of mercy.
Our voices join in praise to the God of love and hope.

When you had
had enough of chaos,
Covenant God,
you cried out in love
     and creation burst forth in joy.
You shaped us into images of you,
that we might be children of light,
     but we were drawn into
     the shadowy life of sin and death.
You sent people like Deborah
to call us back into your light,
     but we were scornful of their words.
Then you sent Jesus,
who came to fill us
with your love and hope.
 
So, with servants and sinners,
with judges and those who endure injustice,
we lift our voices, our hearts, our eyes
singing to the One enthroned on our hopes:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God enthroned in the heavens.
All creation looks to the hand of the Creator.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the One who walked the dusty paths of earth.
Hosanna in the highest!

Holy are you, God of Wonder,
And blessed is Jesus Christ, our Lord.
When the proud hurled
their contempt at him,
     he humbly knelt to serve them.
When friends urged him
to play it safe,
     he crawled out onto faith's limb,
     trusting it would hold him.
When death wrapped him
in its cold shadows,
     he burst forth into the light
     of resurrection joy,
that we might live
in the kingdom with you.
 
As we remember his mercy and hope,
as we celebrate the feast he has prepared,
we speak of that mystery we call faith:
 
Christ died on that day of shadowed hearts;
Christ was raised on that day when death was surprised by love;
Christ will come to us on that day of light and love.
 
Your grace showers down
upon the seeds you have planted,
your hope warms the harvest
planted in our hearts.
As the Spirit gathers your gifts
and prepares them for your Table,
make us ready to receive them
with joy and gratitude.
As you send us forth
to serve your people,
     may our faith and love
          be transformed into winter coats,
          we can give to the homeless;
     may our hope become
          the meals we fix for the hungry.
 
And when that long-awaited Day comes,
when all times and seasons have ended,
we will gather at your Feast,
joining our voices with our siblings,
as we sing to you through all eternity,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.

Sending
Let us go forth to be God's faithful servants.
We will not hide our gifts but share them with everyone we meet.
Let us go forth to be the followers of Jesus.
We will not hold back our compassion, but will offer it to all.
Let us go forth to be the Spirit's hope and peace.
We will be the grace, the joy, the wonder others need in their lives.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Alternate texts liturgy w/communion for November 15, 2026 (Pentecost 25/Trinity 24/Proper 28/Ordinary 33 - A)

 Texts:  Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18; Psalm 90:1-12; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30

Call to Worship
Before there was any time,
there was God.
When we wandered the wilderness,
God built a way for us.
When we lived in exile,
our homes were built by God.
When we are overwhelmed life,
God unknots the tightness in our shoulders.
When we seek to serve faithfully,
God provides the opportunities.
When tomorrow comes,
we find God awake and waiting for us.
When time ends,
there will still be God.

Prayer of the Day
Conqueror of Chaos,
you reached down
gathering up the dust,
filling it with your breath,
and giving us life.
We gather in worship
so we might continue
to be shaped by your love.

You walked the paths
of this dusty earth,
Jesus our servant,
lifting us up when we had fallen,
feeding us when we were famished,
healing us when we were broken, and
saving us when we were sinners.

Spirit of Hope,
you laugh,
and leaves dance down the streets;
you whisper,
and children sleep in peace;
you clap your hands,
and our souls leap with joy.

God in Community, Holy in One,
we lift our prayers to you,
using the words Jesus teaches,
(The Lord's Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
God created us for goodness, and we make foolish choices.  God, who walked this earth, knows our temptations.  God, whose hope is for wholeness, waits to forgive us.  Let us come to our God, as we confess our lives together, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
   God of promises, you offer us guidance, yet we grasp the hand of the world on our journey.  You would nurture us with love and grace, and we feast on the empty calories of success and seduction.  You call us to be your faithful people, and we are eager to follow the politicians, the promoters, the petty.
   Forgive us, Covenant God.  You have not forgotten your promises, nor will you break them.  Rather, you come to us so we will know your love.  You walk with us, so we will find the way.  You redeem us, so we will trust your words which were fulfilled in  Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. 

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
In every time, in every place, in every life, God shows compassion and mercy.  Thus, we know God has heard our prayers and has filled us with grace and hope.
In this time, in this place, in our lives, our grace and hope are sustained by this abiding love.  Thanks be to God, we are forgiven.  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
May we not hide our gifts, Loving God, but offer them to you with trust and hope, so all may join us on the journey to your kingdom of grace and hope, peace and healing.  In Jesus' name, we pray.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God of every moment be with you.
And also with you.
Let us lift our hearts to God.
We offer them to the One who comes to us.
Join in singing glad thanksgivings to our God.
We will rejoice in praising our God forever and ever.

Like a thief, creation snuck into
the silence of chaos, Loving God,
   light illuminating shadows,
   water pouring into rivers,
   winds drifting across plains.
These days, and all days,
were for those shaped in your image,
   but we thought you were up to no good,
   and rushed into the harms of sin.
Hastening fast too draw near,
prophets came to call us back to you,
   but we swept your dreams away,
   preferring the dusty yarns of death.
So you sent your wise Heart
to gather your children
into the light of your love.

With those who are always awake,
and with all who can't keep their eyes open,
we lift our glad songs to you:

Holy, holy, holy are you, Imagination unplugged.
From everlasting you are God.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the Word who came to us.
Hosanna in the highest!

You crept in on the night
we least expected, Mothering God,
placing your heart in poverty's arms
so we might receive the riches of your grace.
Jesus came, not to discourage us,
   but to inspire our lives.
Jesus came, not to confuse us,
   but to clarify your hopes for us.
Jesus came, not to frustrate us,
   but to spur us to service.
Jesus came, not to abandon us,
   but to enter the loneliness of death,
   bringing forth resurrection's hope
   as he broke free of the tomb.

As we would seek to remain awake,
as we long to live with Jesus,
we tell of that faith which is such a mystery:

Christ died, going on the journey to the grave.
Christ was raised, so we might journey in hope.
Christ will come, as our journey ends in life with you.

You come into the dark nights of our souls,
bringing the gifts of the bread and the cup,
pouring your Spirit on them
and on those gathered for the banquet.
Fed on the broken bread,
we will not hide its hope,
   but share it with all
   who live in the shadows
   of injustice and fear.
Drinking from the cup of salvation,
we will not bury its grace,
   but pour it into the emptiness
   of those who struggle around us.

And when your day of new life comes,
we will join our siblings 
around the table of the Lamb,
forever singing our praises to you,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

Sending
Go with God into the world.
We will journey with our friends and neighbors,
with our families and strangers.
Go with Jesus to serve faithfully.
We will seek to confront injustice;
we will bring healing to those who are broken.
Go with the Spirit to share peace.
We will embrace those forgotten by the world;
we will share our gifts with everyone we meet.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Liturgy w/communion for November 8, 2026 (Pentecost 24/Trinity 23/Proper 27/Ordinary 32 - A)

 Texts: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Psalm 78:1-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13

Call to Worship
If we will but listen,
God will speak to us in parables,
God will tell us stories lived out by our grandparents.
If we will but remember,
we will discover all we have heard and known,
all the wonders God has in store for us.
If we will but share,
we can tell our children and grandchildren -
even those not yet born -
the glorious stories of our God.

Prayer of the Day
We stand at the crossing,
Holy God,
arms, hearts, souls
full of the burdens
the gods of this world
have placed on us.
You remove them,
throw then to one side,
taking us by the hand
to lead us into your kingdom.

As we turn to you in our despair,
Holy Friend,
you come and fill our emptiness
with the holy oil
of your compassion,
so we might always
be ready to serve
those who come to us.

Holy Wisdom,
you would not leave us
uninformed of God's love for us,
so you whisper in our ears
of wonders beyond imagination;
you remove the blindfolds from our eyes
so we may  behold the grace
flowing all around us;
you open our hearts
to the family God has given us.

God in Community, Holy in One,
hear us as we pray as Jesus teaches us,
(The Lord's Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
How quickly we forget - our faith, our calling, our hope.  All because we try to do everything our way, rather than God's.  But God is quicker to forgive, and to restore us to new life.  Let us confess to our God, as we pray, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
     It is never easy to admit how foolish we are, Approaching God.  You have chosen us for yourself, and we continue to shelter false gods in our hearts.  You promise to be with us in every moment, but we can find little time for you.  You send your Word to us, but we are too busy listening to the noise of our culture to pay attention.
     Have mercy, Eternal One, and forgive us.  Speak to us, so we might listen, and in hearing be transformed into your people.  Fill us with holiness, so we might give ourselves wholly to others.  Enable us to serve you faithfully and completely, even as did our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Grace
This is our assurance: God forgives us.
This is our hope: God's love is everlasting.
This is our truth: God is with us always.
We will speak the truth;
we will live the hope;
we will share God's mercy.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
We can stand at the edge and watch while you seek to bring hope, healing, peace, and joy to everyone in the world.  Or we can take that step, of committing our lives as well as our gifts, in working with you in this ministry of grace.  Bless our gifts, bless our lives, bless our service, we pray.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the Lord be with you.
And also with you.
People of God, lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the One whose faithfulness never ends.
People of God, give thanks to the Lord.
We offer our praise and thanksgiving to the One whose love is eternal.

How good and right
it is to praise you,
God who gathers us
around this Table!
You opened your mouth,
and creation's glory sprang forth;
you appointed the stars
to glitter in the night;
you established the waters
to nourish the earth.
You shaped us in your image,
calling us to be your children
to live with you in harmony and joy.
But we chose to serve sin,
crossing the River back into chaos,
hugging our false gods to our hearts.
But you would not give up
on your hope for us,
sending us the prophets
so we might pay attention
to the words of your heart.
When we would not forsake
our reliance on the world's idols,
you sent Jesus to us,
who died and was raised for our sake.

Therefore, we join with those
who await us there in heaven,
as well as those who witness to us here,
singing forever of your glory:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God of all wanderers.
All creation cries out in praise to you.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the One who comes that we might have hope.
Hosanna in the highest!

You alone are holy,
God of all time,
and blessed is Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior.
When we had walked away
from your gracious love,
you turned to us in Christ
to save us.
When we no longer
were willing to listen,
your Word of hope
came among us
to live your love in our midst.
When we foolishly clung
to sin's deadly ways,
Jesus reached out to pull us
from the grasp of death,
and showed us the Kingdom.

As we remember his death and resurrection for us,
we tell those who come after us
of that mystery we call faith:

Christ died, the witness that love is stronger than hate;
Christ was raised, the witness that life is stronger than death;
Christ will witness to us that hope is stronger than grief.

As we come to this Table
of healing and gentleness,
we pray that you would
send your Spirit upon the gifts
of the bread and of the cup,
and on your children gathered here.
As we reach out our hands
for the bread which has been broken for us,
we seek to encourage others
to discover you love;
as we drink of the Spirit of Christ,
may we no longer plead ignorance,
but with full awareness,
and open hearts, go forth
to serve all your children.

Then, when we gather at
the Wedding Banquet in your kingdom,
we will praise you,
Creating God,
Jesus of the poor,
Healing Spirit -
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

Sending
Go now to tell the stories of our God.
We will listen to the lives of those around us as we do.
Go now to discover the gifts of everyone you meet.
We will remember Jesus, who blessed us with hope and life.
Go now to share all that is within you.
We will tell everyone - from the smallest child to the oldest person -
of the Spirit who longs to shape us into one community.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Alternate texts liturgy w/communion for November 8, 2026 (Pentecost 24/Trinity 23/Proper 27/Ordinary 32 - A)

 Texts: Amos 5:18-24; Psalm 70; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13

Call to Worship
We gather to worship our God:
not only with those whose hearts
     overflow with joy,
but with those who long to offer
     their deepest sorrows.
We gather to follow Jesus:
not only with songs and prayers,
but with lives of service and peace.
We gather to be filled with the Spirit's presence:
not only so we can wait patiently
     for the Bridegroom to come,
but so we can be with those who are impatient
     for justice and hope in their lives.

Prayer of the Day
We think we can put you
in a tiny cage made out of
our expectations, where you will stay,
but you come,
God-who-is-always-unpredictable,
     composing songs in strange languages,
     replacing pianos with steel drums,
     gathering us in pubs at closing time,
so we can learn that to worship you
is to be with your children in every place.

We will only have the patience
to wait for you,
Jesus-who-comes-as-the-Bridegroom,
     when we become impatient
     enough to challenge the excuses
     of all who tell the poor to just wait;
we will only have enough faith
     when we trust that you
     know what your are doing
     and do not stand in the way;
we will only have enough justice
     when we make sure
     that the have-nots are
     as valued as the haves.

You would have us keep nothing
from God, Spirit-who-brings-the-new,
so teach us to pray with abandon,
bringing all that that knocks
     us off our feet,
and all that takes
     our breath away;
revealing the messy rooms
     of our souls,
opening the empty
     cupboards of our souls
so you can stock them
     with grace and wonder.

Be with us now in these moments,
God in Community, Holy in One,
as we pray as Jesus has taught us,
(The Lord's Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
We are not people who have no hope.  Despite our foolish ways of living, in the face of all the mistakes we make, God does not waste time, but comes to fill us with forgiveness and hope.  Join me, as we pray together, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
     With instant-this and instant-that, we are an impatient people, God our help.  We are so focused on our hand-held electronics, we do not notice the changing seasons.  We are so rushed to get to our next activity, we do not see the victims of injustice by the side of the road.  We are so determined to get right the date of your return, that we forget you are waiting for us to focus on what we can do with our days.
     Forgive us, God our rescuer, and teach us patience.  As we wait, may we continue to seek to do your will.  As we do your will, may our eyes be opened to those around us.  As our eyes are opened, may we see Jesus Christ, our Lord the Bridegroom, coming toward us with justice and righteousness as his companions. Amen.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Grace
God is please to pour salvation upon us, drenching us in the waters of grace and hope.
Thanks be to God!  We will rejoice and be glad in the One who delivers us from our brokenness and who makes us whole.  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
It seems like just a drop, the gifts we offer to you from our abundance.  But our drop added to hers, then to his, then to theirs soon become a river of hope, a flood of peace, a torrent of grace rushing into and through our world.  May it be so, Just God, may it be so.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God of the prophets be with you.
May the God of the Bridegroom be with you.
Lift up your hearts, all you who wait for God.
We open them, that God might fill them with righteousness.
Join in the glad chorus of all who sing to our God.
Our songs will be of justice and hope for all people.

You could have brought the ordinary
out of chaos, Unpredictable God,
every planet the same size and shape,
every creature a lookalike of the next,
     but you spun rings around Saturn
          and layered Jupiter with gases;
     you stretched the neck on the giraffe
          and webbed the feet of ducks.
Then, you envisioned us in your image,
shaped by your hands, given life by your Breath,
so we might enjoy the wonders of your mind.
     Yet, we chose to seek shelter in sin
     and picked death as our boon companion.
You would not have us be ignorant
but sent Amos and others to remind us
of your love and mercy toward us,
     but we jumped feet-first
     into temptation's alluring pools.
So you sent Jesus to us,
your salvation flowing from
your heart to ours.

With those who wait patiently for you,
with those who fritter time away,
we offer our songs of thanksgiving:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God of wonder.
All creation finds joy in you.
Hosanna in the highest!

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

Your kingdom is as unpredictable
as you, God who comes to us.
You could have dammed up
all your hope, but you sent Jesus
so we might see it face to face.
You could have kept your dreams
locked away in your heart,
but you sent Jesus so we
might hear them for ourselves.
You could have withheld salvation
from those who had no hope,
but you sent Jesus, so it might
sweep away death's grasp as
it flooded out of the empty tomb.

As we wait patiently for the Bridegroom,
as we seek to live as those with hope,
we proclaim that mystery called faith:

Christ died for those who are alive today;
Christ was raised, to snatch us out of death's grasp;
Christ will bring all who die into your kingdom.

Come quickly, Holy Spirit, , and grace
the bread, the cup, and all who gather here.
Feed us with the Bread which,
though broken, can make us whole,
strong enough to lift up
the poor and the needy.
When our sense of justice
is so parched we cannot speak
for the oppressed and voiceless,
may the Cup of righteousness
flood through our lives into our world,
bringing hope and new life to all.

And when the Bridegroom comes
to gather us all for the Wedding Feast,
we will join our siblings
in praising you forever and ever,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

Sending
Go forth as God's people!
We will take hope to all who have none.
Go forth as the Bridegroom's beloved!
We will open the floodgates of God's compassion for all.
Go forth to share the Spirit!
We will be rivers of justice flowing through the world.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Liturgy w/communion for November 1, 2026 (Pentecost 23/Trinity 22/Proper 26/Ordinary 31 - A)

 Texts: Joshua 3:7-17; Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37; 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13; Matthew 23:1-12

Call to Worship
When we stand at the edge of fear and worry,
God invites us to step into the waters of faith and trust.
When we stand at the edge of the world's pain and need,
Jesus invites us to step into the land of humble service.
When we stand at the edge of our hunger and thirst:
the Spirit invites us to sit at the Table of grace.

Prayer of the Day
God-ever-with-us:
you draw us near to your heart,
so that, cradled in compassion,
     we might see the brokenness
     of all who are around us.

Teacher-beside-us:
you draw us near to yourself,
so that, by following you,
     we may discover the deep joy
     of serving the broken of the world.

Spirit-within-us:
you draw near to us with your peace,
so that, reconciled and restored to God,
     we may be the healers
     of a world shattered by despair.
 
God in Community, Holy in One,
as we draw near to you in this time,
we lift the prayer you have taught us, saying,
(The Lord's Prayer)
 
Call to Reconciliation
We know how easy it is to do exactly the opposite of what we learn from our Teacher, Jesus. So, let us draw near to our God, for in confessing our failures, we will discover the grace and mercy God has in store for us. Join me as we pray, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
     When we come to the edge of your holiness, Constant Love, we know how we have not lived as your children. We dam up for ourselves your rivers of love, while the lives around us turn into deserts of loneliness. All too quickly, we place our feet on the quicksand of fear, not wanting to step across to your faith. We tie up our angers and worries and burden our families and friends with them.
     Forgive us, Listener to our hearts. By your patient grace, give us more time to practice our calling to discipleship, so we might learn all we need to live as sisters and brothers of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

 Silence is kept

 Assurance of Pardon
This is the good news: God hears you, God forgives you, God is with you as you journey into that land called Promise.
Let the redeemed of God say: this is indeed great news! Accepting God's word of joy and grace, we will live as God's children in all the days to come. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
We offer our gifts in gratitude, Holy One, for all your blessings in our lives.  Use them to touch the lives of all who stand on the edge of hope, of peace, of community that they might step into these promises of yours with confidence.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May creation's Guide be with you!
And also with you!
Weary wanderers, offer your hearts to God;
who takes us by the heart to lead us back to faithfulness.
Do not hesitate, but step forward in joy into God's life.
We will do so, singing to the One who immerses us in hope.
 
Standing at the edge of chaos,
you cried out, Exalted Love,
     and all creation sprang forth
     from the goodness of your Word.
Grace overflowed from your heart,
     racing through the deep valleys of hope.
Creating us in your image,
breathing life and joy into us,
you drew us near to you,
so we could live in joy with you.
     But we chose to wander
     through the deserts of death,
     paving over Eden's promise with our sins.
Like a parent with her children,
you encouraged us to change,
sending the prophets to bring us back.
     But we would not listen,
     tying up the burdens of our lives
     and putting them on their backs.
Then you chose to send Jesus,
to be the Witness to your
never-ending love for us.
 
So, with wanderers and witnesses,
with those who cried out to you,
and those who followed your promises,
we lift our songs with our sisters and brothers
who forever sing your praises:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of steadfast love.
All creation overflows with your grace and mercy.
Hosanna in the highest!
 
Blessed is the One who calls us to humble service.
Hosanna in the highest!

You are holy, Creation's Guide,
and Jesus Christ, your Son, our Teacher,
is the One who comes to redeem us.
Seeing the barren lives we lead,
he came to till the rich soil
of your hopes and dreams,
     that it might bear life in us.
Watching us stumble
along sin's side streets,
he takes us by the hand,
     to lead us to your feast.
When we would allow our pride
to become entangled with death,
he gently takes this burden
from off our shoulders,
     carrying it to the cross,
     and leaving it behind in the tomb,
as he strides forth into
the promised land of resurrection.
 
As we remember his words and witness,
as we would let his teachings shape our lives,
we speak of what we believe, great is the mystery of faith:
 
Christ was sent to be God's Witness.
Christ is our Teacher of the Way.
Christ will come to welcome us home.

Pour out your Holy Spirit
upon those gathered
from every corner of the world,
and upon the gifts of the bread and the cup.
As your grace fills us,
may we go forth,
in thanksgiving and humility,
     to feed the hungry around us.
As the cup turns our parched souls
into fountains of hope,
may we overflow in service
     to those who wander in our midst.
 
Then, when all time has ended,
when the truly humble find themselves
seated beside you at the Table in eternity,
we will join our voices in thanksgiving to
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.

Sending
Go forth as God's people into the world.
We will go to serve those who stand at the edges of life.
Go forth as sisters and brothers of Jesus.
We will go to teach the world the ways of peace and hope.
Go forth as those filled with the Spirit.
We will go to share our lives with everyone we meet.

(c) Thom M. Shuman 

Alternate Texts liturgy w/communion for November 1. 2026 (Pentecost 23/Trinity 22/Proper 26/Ordinary 31 - A)

  Texts:  Micah 3:5-12; Psalm 43; 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13; Matthew 23:1-12

Call to Worship
We are witnesses to the love of God.
We see it in the father putting kids to bed;
we tell of the teacher patiently teaching a student to read.
We are witnesses to the justice of Jesus.
We hear it in the student who stands up to a bully;
we sing of it at vigils of hope for shattered communities.
We are witnesses to the peace of the Spirit.
We receive it from the sister who listens to our loneliness;
we whisper it to the little brother who falls off his bicycle.

Prayer of the Day
You stand at our side,
God-who-is-our-refuge,
holding our hand when
we are most frightened.
Your heart is a warm shelter
when others turn a cold shoulder to us;
you do not push us off your lap
but draw us close to you.

When we stumble about
with tears in our eyes,
wandering through the maze
carved by the unjust,
you take us by the hand,
Jesus-who-is-light-and-truth.
Lost and alone, we see you
in the distance, beckoning
the way to the front porch
where supper and a warm bed awaits.

Why do we continue to stress,
befriending worry every chance we get,
Spirit-who-is-our-peace?
You fill us with overflowing joy,
teaching us songs of wonder
which we offer to you in every moment,
using every instrument imaginable,
like the best marching band in the land.

As we praise you, we will hope in you,
God in Community, Holy in One,
our shelter, our justice, our heart,
even as we pray, saying,
(The Lord's Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
We are so busy putting awards on the walls and trophies in the case, we do not notice how our silence and self-centeredness hurts those around us.  Let us offer our foolish lives to our God, who is always ready to forgive us.

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
   We could live humbly with others, Sheltering God, but then they would not know how awesome we really are.  We could speak humbly to others, but we prefer to put them in their place.  We could act humbly in dealing with others, but then they would take advantage of us.  We could humbly serve the most vulnerable, but we would rather coddle the wealthy and the powerful.
   Have mercy on us, God of compassion.  Instead of putting letters after our names, may we spell out hope for those recovering from disasters.  Rather than jockeying for a seat at the head table, may we sit in the kitchen with the cooks and dishwashers.  Tempted to overlook injustice, may we abhor it as deeply and intently as did your Child, Jesus Christ.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
God loves us.  God forgives us.  This is not fake news, but the reality offered to us by the One who shelters us.  So life changing, this good news always causes us to respond with praise.
Thanks be to God!  We are heard, we are accepted, we are filled with mercy and hope.  Amen.  Amen!

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
May not only these gifts, but our very lives, bear witness that there is justice for all who have been pushed aside; there is hope for all who live in the shadows of power; there is love for all who have been rejected; there is healing for all the broken.  In Jesus' name, we pray.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God of the Table be with you!
And also with you!
Let us offer our hearts to God.
God hears our hearts and answers with love and hope.
Lift your voices in song to the One who serves us.
We will praise God with our voices and lives.

When no answer was coming
out of the void, you spoke, God of our hearts,
calling forth creation in all its beauty:
   chipmunks dashing across lawns,
   eagles soaring over valleys,
   comets streaking night skies.
This was brought forth for us,
those created in your image,
   but we longed to live in sin's shadows,
   and so wandered down death's paths.
You repeatedly sent prophets to us,
women and men who called us to return,
   but we would not practice what they preached,
   but continued to play in temptation's yard.
So, you gave us the answer of your heart,
becoming on of us in Jesus,
so we could be filled with your hope.

Here, in these moments of silence and word,
here, as we gather at your feast of grace,
we join in offering praise to you:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God who is with us.
All creation joins in singing glory to you.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the One who serves the most vulnerable.
Hosanna in the highest!

You alone are holy, God who speaks to us,
and Jesus is blessed by your love and goodness.
Like a father teaching kids to drive,
   he is your patience with us.
Like a brother who shares baking secrets,
   he is your compassion to us.
Like a sister who shows us how to bend the ball,
   he is your wisdom towards us.
Like a mother who confronts our deepest fears,
   he is your life and hope
   which comes out of the tomb,
   having defeated the power of death.

As we recall his life and ministry among people,
as we remember his death and resurrection for all,
we speak of that faith which is often a mystery to us:

Your witness to weakness over power,
   Jesus died on the cross;
your witness to love overcoming hate,
   Jesus was raised from death;
your witness to promises yet to be fulfilled,
   Jesus will come again.

As we gather around this Table,
pour out your Spirit upon us
and the gifts of the bread and the cup.
As we eat of your brokenness,
   may we live humbly with others;
   may we speak with humility to power.
As we drink from your grace,
   may we act humbly in seeking justice;
   may we serve others with humility and love.

And when your light has overcome all shadows,
when we are all brought to your Table in glory,
we will join our sisters and brothers
of every time and from every place
in praising you forever,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

Sending
Let us go to be witnesses to God's love.
We will tell of it in our neighborhoods;
we will live it in every moment of every day.
Let us go to be witnesses of Jesus' justice.
We will challenge those who harass others;
we will help rebuild broken lives and neighborhoods.
Let us go to be witnesses of the Spirit's peace.
We will embrace the lonely with acceptance and joy;
we will fill the empty with wonder and grace.

(c) Thom M. Shuman
 

All Saints Day w/communion Year A

  Texts:  Revelation 7:9-17; Psalm 34:1-10, 22; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12

Call to Worship
At all times we are called
to bless God’s name.
Our lips are drenched with praises,
our hearts exult in God.
The proud will bend knees in worship,
the humble will lift glad songs.
We are free from our fears,
we have searched for God and been found.
Our faces glow with thanksgiving,
our spirits overflow with grace.
God has wiped away our tears,
God has fed us from the storehouses of hope.

Prayer of the Day
They are gathered around you,
God of Forever and Ever.
Some are well known, like
Martin Luther,
Mother Theresa,
C. S. Lewis,
Helen Keller,
and so many more.
Some have been forgotten, like
Agnes and Cadoc,
Tuda, Mary of Egypt,
and Ebba,
while others have days named after them.

But many are ordinary folk,
such as the teacher from second grade
who guided our fingers under the words;
the nurse in the hospital
who held our hand while blood was taken;
the coach who trusted us with the ball,
not the end of the bench.

There is an old man who left retirement behind,
and a barren woman who laughed at your promise;
there are popes, princes, and power-brokers
who are taught heaven’s hymns
by the paupers and pretenders;
there are those who moved mountains
and those who murmured in the wilderness;
there are those who founded the church,
and those who floundered on the waves of Galilee.

All saints,
just like us,
singing your praise forever and ever,
and we join in their anthem
even as we pray as Jesus has taught us, saying,
(The Lord's Prayer)

 Call to Reconciliation
 When God sets the table of the Lamb, all will be welcome – the young and the old; those who were faithful, and those who failed; those who followed Jesus, and those who lost their way.  Let us confess to our God our unsaintly ways, knowing how quick God is to forgive.

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
We did not listen, when the Teacher spoke, God of sinners. 
Rich in pride and arrogance,
     our spirits have no need for a kingdom;
taught to not let anyone see us cry,
     we refuse your comforting arms;
seeing the greedy and self-indulgent have their way,
     we yearn to inherit their hardened hearts;
noticing the hungry standing by the side of the road,
     we make sure we get more than our share
     of the world’s resources;
taking note of how the merciful are pushed aside,
     we develop calluses on our souls.

Forgive us, Saint Maker, that we follow the wrong examples and listen to false teachings.  It is the peacemakers who live into your hope; it is those whose hearts are shaped by yours, who are able to see you in the poor and broken; it is those who give themselves to serve others who are your saints, following the example of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior, our Shepherd, guiding us to the wellsprings of life.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
When we seek God, we are found;
when we cry out, we are heard;
when we confess, we are forgiven and made new.
We can taste the yeasty flavor of grace, we can drink the deep wine of hope, we can find our home in God’s heart, receiving mercy and new life.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.


Prayer of Dedication/Offering
We seek, not to be saints so much, but simply your people.  We have been blessed beyond imagination and so pray, as we offer these gifts, that they would be used to touch the lives of the broken, the lonely, the seeking, the hungry, the hopeless - all those who are our siblings.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God of saints and sinners be with you.
And also with you.
Join me in glorifying our God.
We offer our hearts as we praise our God.
Let us bless our God at all times.
Songs of thanksgiving will flow from our lips forever.

You stood before chaos, God of all time,
and cried out with a loud voice,
calling all that is good and beautiful into being:
     wiggly worms tilling the rich soil,
     owls watching over the gathering dusk,
     butterflies flittering through gardens.
You created humanity in your image,
the Spirit breathing life into our lungs,
all so we could live with you in creation’s wonder.
     But we tasted the tempting goodies of sin,
     and saw all the promises death offered to us,
          and we placed our hopes in them.
Hearing our souls cry out to you,
you sent the prophets to us,
to remind us that we were your children.
     But we continued to fall on our faces,
     worshiping the false gods of hopelessness.
So you sent Jesus to us, to reveal you to us
as the One who will redeem us from ourselves.

We join our voices with those
of every time and place,
joyfully sing with loud voices:

Amen!  Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor and power and might
be to our God forever and ever!  Amen!

Holy are you, God who wipes away all tears,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, the Lamb who is our shepherd.
Rich in your glory and honor,
     he came to bless the poor in spirit;
Word by which creation’s life came forth,
     he came to comfort all who stand at gravesides;
exalted by all the choirs of heaven,
     he came to give the meek their heritage;
emptying himself of all he might claim,
     he came to feed us with your righteousness;
compassionate beyond all imagination,
     he came to offer mercy to all he encountered;
true Prince of Peace,
     he came to share that gift with God’s children;
persecuted for being God’s righteousness,
     he came, to bring God’s kingdom into our midst;
reviled and crucified on the cross,
     he offers us that resurrection
     which is great in heaven.

Knowing that what we will be has not been revealed

but trusting that we will be like him,
we join all the saints in proclaiming our faith:

Christ died, so we might have life;
Christ was raised, so we might have this hope of resurrection;
Christ will be our guide, leading us to the living waters.

See what love God has given us!
Here at the Table where the Feast of Joy
has been prepared for all of God’s people,
the Spirit comes upon the gifts of the bread and the cup
and upon all who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
As we eat of this bread, we will taste God’s goodness,
going out into the world as God’s people,
     to offer shelter to those who sleep on the streets,
     to feed those whose hunger is palpable,
     to speak out for those who endure
          the great ordeal of oppression.
As we drink from the Cup, we will see God’s hope,
committing ourselves to serve others
that they might see Christ as he is:
     Healer of the broken,
     Brother of the poor,
     Servant of all who are lost.

And when we gather with those from every nation,
those from all tribes and peoples and languages,
we will fall on our faces worshiping and praising you,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

Sending

Go now to be saints of God this week.

Not to be holier-than-thou folks, but people 

who keep an eye out for those the world has overlooked.

Go now to be servants of Jesus this week.

Not to be those who are better than others,

but those who humble themselves in service. 

Go now to be companions of the Spirit this week.

Not those who are on the inside path,

but those who walk with all who have lost their way.

(c) Thom M. Shuman