Liturgy w/communion for September 6, 2026 (Pentecost 15/Trinity 14/Proper 18/Ordinary 23 - A)

 Texts: Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 149; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 18:15-20

Call to Worship
When two or three gather, Christ lives in every moment,
where two or three gather, Christ is present with them.
Where two or three gather to worship God,
glad songs of praise are lifted, hearts are filled with hope.
When two or three gather to serve God's creation,
Christ is feeding the hungry, Christ is building shelters of peace.

Prayer of the Day
When we hold out our hands
to be cuffed by loneliness,
    you clasp our wrists
    to pull us into your heart.
When our lives are shattered
by the injustices done to those
passed over by the world,
    your love puts us back together,
    so we can serve them with your hope.
Emancipating God,
we praise you!

When we would build walls
between us and our neighbors,
    you come to be the welcoming gate.
When we would curse someone
who has hurt us in our souls,
    you sing us songs of blessing.
When we would focus only
on our needs and our desires,
    you hand us the dinnerware
    and ask us to set the Table.
Ever-near Salvation,
we would follow you!

When we would feed on
our bitter brokenness,
    you would offer us
    the Bread of reconciliation.
When we would grasp
the Cup of peace,
and drink it to the last drop,
    you whisper, 'offer some
    to those you don't like.'
Liberating Spirit,
we would be filled with you!

God in Community, Holy in One,
free us of all fears and doubts,
as we pray as Jesus has taught us,

(The Lord's Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
All we are called to do is to love - everyone.  Yet, as simple as it sounds, by our actions and our words, we show how difficult a task it is.  Let us confess our failings as we pray together, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness

    You do not ask much of us, Guardian of hope -  to love, to serve, to welcome.  Yet too often, it is words of bitterness we speak to friends and family.  It is our stiff-with-judgment backs we offer to those looking for help. It is our hardened hearts people find, when they reach out, hoping to touch grace.
    Love lived as Compassion, forgive us. We are broken, so make us whole through the life of Christ. We are empty of peace, so fill us with the reconciling Spirit of Christ. We are alone, so take us by the hand and lead us into your kingdom of joy and grace, brought to us through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Gathered as God's people, we hear the good news: God has forgiven us, God has made us whole, God sends us to serve.
We will not wear jealousy or resentment, but put on the garments of peace and hope.  We are forgiven by our God. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering

We would take our wrinkled bills, our plastic cards, our tarnished coins and give them to you, Loving God, so those who are oppressed might be set free, that those who are hungry would be fed, that those who are lonely might find a family.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May God be with you!
And also with you!
People of God, open your hearts.
We open them to the One who feeds us with freedom and hope.
Children of God, sing songs of thanksgiving 

to the One who journeys with you!
Graced with abundant life, we join our hearts
and voices in praise to our loving God!

The moment you spoke
and liberated chaos, Holy God,
time marked the beginning
of created beauty and glory.
You watered earth with tears of joy,
planting those seeds of hope and peace
    so we might be fed by your heart.
But asked simply to be your children,
we could not obey that request,
    but wandered off to feast
    at the table groaning with lies and curses.
Your gracious word was sung
in new ways by the prophets,
    but we tuned them out,
    so we could listen to the seductive songs of sin.
You sent us your hope in Jesus Christ,
who came to set us free
and bring us home from
our exile in rebellion.

So, with those who longed for your coming,
packed and ready to journey into freedom,
we sing our praises in the company
of our sisters and brothers from every time:

Holy! Holy! Holy! Living God of grace!
All creation echoes your praise:
    creatures roaming the fields,
    dolphins splashing in the seas,
    eagles soaring in the bright sky.
Glory to you forever and ever,
God of the captives!

You are righteousness, God our Deliverer,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Child, our Brother.
Because we break your heart
with our words and deeds,
    he came to shatter the chains
    of our arrogance and selfishness.
Because we have become gluttons,
feasting on bitterness and fear,
    he came to be the sweet Bread
    of healing and hope.
Because we become drunk
on sin's soured wine,
    he came to be salvation
    poured into our parched souls.
Because death smiles at us,
waiting with open arms,
    he came to gather us up
    in the embrace of grace and life,
carrying us out of the empty tomb
into your life of joy forever.

As you have prepared this Table for us,
gather us as your children, so we might remember
all the promises fulfilled to us in Christ our Lord:

When we eat of the Bread, Christ's life strengthens us;
when we drink from the Cup, Christ's Spirit nourishes us;
when we go to serve others, we proclaim Christ's death
    until he returns in glory.

As you bless the gifts
of the Bread and the Cup,
anoint us with your Spirit
which brings us together.
As your grace touches our lips
with hope and healing,
    may we reach out our hands
    to set free those captive to injustice.
As your peace is poured
into the empty corners of our hearts,
    may we go forth to love
    others as much as we love ourselves,
          and to serve them
          as we show our love for you.

And when time has marked the end of history,
and we gather with all our sisters and brothers,
    all division done away with,
    all brokenness healed,
    all barriers pulled down,
          and all your children set free from despair,
we will join our hands and hearts
around your Table of eternity,
singing praise through forever:

Glory to you, Liberating God!
Alleluia to you, Christ our Servant!
Thanks to you, Spirit of Peace!
Now and forever. Amen.

Sending

Send us out now, O God, in twos and threes

to be the grace and compassion the world needs.

Send us out now, O Jesus, alone and together,

to work for justice for all the forgotten.

Send us out now, O Spirit, as your people

to bring peace to the brokenness around us.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Alternate texts liturgy for September 6, 2026 (Pentecost 15/Trinity 14/Proper 18/Ordinary 23 - A)

 Texts:  Ezekiel 33:7-11; Psalm 119:33-40; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 18:15-20

Call to Worship

We gather here, where God would teach us:

so we may learn to be more compassionate,

so we may be taught how to be more loving.

We gather here, where Jesus would teach us

the wisdom to choose forgiveness over holding a grudge,

the language of hope so we may speak to all.

We gather here, where the Spirit imparts wisdom,

so we might know how to share grace,

so we would learn to welcome all to this Table.

Prayer of the Day

Liberating God:

you set us free from our loneliness

by the touch of another's hand;

you deliver us from our selfishness,

so we may be of service to others;

you break the chains of our pride,

so we might walk with you in humility.

Christ of love,

when we would cling to our anger,

you send forgiveness to take us by the hand;

when we would snack on our bitterness,

you share the Bread of heaven;

when we would drink from sin's fountain,

you pour out the Cup of salvation.

Spirit of new life:

you gather us together in God's school

to teach us how

     to live together,

     to love together,

     to serve together,

so that those around us might know

that you are in their midst.

God in Community, Holy in One,

fill us with your wisdom as we pray, saying,

(The Lord's Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation

In worship and at work, in life and in loss, now and in every moment, Christ is among us: loving us, teaching us, and hoping to lead us.  But we focus on those needs, on those desires that keep us from recognizing him.  Let us confess all that we have done against God and others, as we pray,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness

     All you ask of us is to love one another, God of our lives, and you are more than willing to teach us how.  Yet we find this simple request so hard to carry out, this easy lesson so difficult to learn.  Someone cuts us off in traffic, and we curse them.  Another buys something we want but cannot afford, and we overflow with jealousy.  A friend gets the acclaim we wanted, and we whisper about them behind their backs.

     Forgive us, Merciful God, and unclasp our hands from our grudges.  With Christ in our midst, we can become the people your dream about: loving, merciful, gentle, and compassionate children of God.  Amen.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Grace

2, 3, 30, 300  - we have gathered as God's people:

   broken, we are made whole;

   alone, we are welcomed into a family;

   forgiven, we are sent to serve.

Fed, forgiven, restored, loved.  This Table is our constant reminder of God's presence in our lives, of God's grace which makes us new in every moment.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering

May our gifts go forth into our world, so that where people hunger, they may be fed; where there is war, peace might be welcomed; where families are broken, they may be made whole.  Then others will be as blessed as we have been by your love, grace, and compassion.  In Jesus' name, we offer our gifts and this prayer of gratitude.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

May God our Teacher be with you.

And also with you.

Now is the moment to offer your hearts to God.

Now, we turn our hearts to your grace.

Join in songs of thanks and praise to our God.

We join with all who are here and throughout the world in praise.

We praise you, Holy God:

Shaper of the Bread of life,

Pourer of the Cup of salvation.

Face-to-face with chaos,

you spoke that Word that taught

     elephants to blow water out their trunks,

     monkeys to swing from trees,

     leaves to swirl gently to the ground,

     gases to form into planets.

All that was light and wonder and hope

was offered to those crafted in your image,

     but we wandered through the shadows of sin,

     following the teachings of death.

You sought to bring us back to you

by sending prophets with your gracious words,

     but we could not hear you

     above sin's siren songs.

Taking on human form yourself,

you came to live among us,

so we might see your face-to-face

and know your forgiveness firsthand.

With our siblings in the faith around us,

with those before us and those behind us,

we sing the songs of the gathered faithful:

Holy, holy, holy are you, Teacher of your children.

All creation sings the praises learned from you:

     creatures roaming the earth,

     dolphins splashing in the sea,

     eagles soaring through the sky.

Glory to you forever and ever,

Hosanna in the highest!

God, our righteousness,

you take pleasure in your people and so

     in love, you became human;

     in hope, you came to us;

     in joy, you gave yourself to us

through your Child, Jesus our Sibling.

Clothed in light,

     he came to lead us out of the shadows.

Filled with your wisdom,

     he came to teach us your ways.

One with you forever,

     he came to gather us into your family.

Humble enough to take on our death,

     he carries us into your kingdom.

As we come to this Table

which you have prepared for us,

we remember the faith which was his:

Christ died, facing death one-on-one.

Christ was raised, bringing new life for all.

Christ will come, when the time is right.

Move over these gifts of the Table,

Breath of God,

and on those gathered for this meal.

As the bread of hope heals our brokenness,

may we go forth to be reconciled

to those we have harmed.

As the cup of grace quenches our thirst for hope,

may we reach out to those

whom the world has forgotten.

As your peace fills our empty souls,

may we bring that peace to our world.

And when that day comes when

all brokenness is made whole,

all barriers are torn down,

all people live at peace with one another,

we will gather at your holy feast,

singing our praises forever,

God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

Sending

Go now to the people who are overwhelmed by despair.

We will take the hope which has been given to us and share it with all.

Go now to those who are at odds with neighbors.

We will offer the peace and reconciliation which God has poured into our lives.

Go now to those who are the most vulnerable in our world.

We will bring the healing, the grace, the love of our God.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Liturgy w/communion for August 30, 2026 (Pentecost 14/Trinity 13/Proper 17/Ordinary 22 - A)

 Texts: Exodus 3:1-15; Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c; Romans 12:9-21; Matthew 16:21-28

Call to Worship
Gathered as God's people,
we come to worship together:
singing praises to the One who loves us,
opening our hearts to the One who calls us.
Called to be followers of Jesus,
we come to share our lives together:
to celebrate the joys of our hearts,
to mingle our tears with God's.
Challenged to become partners with the Spirit,

we will seek peace and hope:
offering our food to our enemies,
giving a drink of water to those
who have drained our souls.

Prayer of the Day
When we would rush
to get all our to-dos done,
you call to us to turn
    and notice your compassion
    burning (but not reduced to ashes)
          for those living in misery.
When we hesitate,
you ask us to remove
    all we think protects us from
    the fire of your justice,
          so we can draw closer
          to your heart's warmth.
YOU ARE the One we search for,
God of all held in bondage.

When we become
stumbling blocks to you,
you polish our stony resistance
    so we can become smooth pebbles
    on the path to your kingdom.
When we would tell you
how we think you should
bring about your hopes and dreams,
you show us your heart,
broken for the lost and the last,
    so we will look to their needs
    rather than thinking about our own.
YOU ARE the One
who leads us to freedom,
Servant of the poor.

When we believe we cannot speak
about your peace and hopes,
you give us words
    which spill out of our hearts.
When we put our palms
over our eyes, afraid to look
at the suffering around us,
you fill our hands with grace,
    sending us to serve your children.
YOU ARE the One who
teaches us new ways,
Impassioned Spirit.

God in Community, Holy in One,
YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE,
and we lift our prayer to you, saying,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
In stories and in stores, in sandy deserts and on rocky roads, at school events and Sunday worship, we encounter God. We meet the One who fills every moment with the sacred. We confess our sins, in trust that we can turn aside and notice God welcoming us with forgiveness and hope.

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
God of Moses and Mary,
we could live at peace with others,
    but we choose to do wrong to them;
we could welcome those we do not know,
    but choose to close our hearts;
we could make outsiders our best friends,
    but choose the safety of our cliques.

Forgive us, Genuine Love, for our foolish choices.
Hold on to our shaky lives,
until we learn to clasp your goodness to our hearts,
    so we can give it away to those around us.
Whisper your grace and hopes to us,
until we can stop cursing our enemies,
    and bless them as our friends.
Smooth the rough edges of our arrogance,
until we become polished enough
    to win the gold in being honorable.
Then, we would put aside our stumbling blocks to discipleship, so we can follow Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, as he leads us to your way of denial and life. Amen.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Grace
In our love for others, we discover God's love for us. In our forgiving of others, we learn once more how deeply God has forgiven us. Friends, this is the good news offered to us!
We are God's children, called to be different, called to act differently, called to live as new people. Thanks be to God.  We are forgiven.  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering

Tempted to turn away, remind us that we stand on holy ground when we walk with the lonely, work beside those seeking justice, bring hope to the forgotten, and share from our abundance with those who have nothing. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God of burning bushes be with you!
And also with you!
People of God, offer your hearts to God,
who calls to you from the mystery of grace.
We turn aside from our worries to open ourselves
to the One who calls us to new life.
Children of God, remember all the joy and wonder
which has been done for you.
We will lift our voices in praise to the One who is
beyond all imagining.

In a moment, creation began,
and from that time on, God of Freedom,    

     you began to pour out
    your goodness and genuine love.
Earth laughed with flowers
    and rejoiced with sunrises.
You shaped us in your image
    and began to show us all
    you wanted to give us.
But chasing after the temptations
and seductions of the world,
    we tripped over the stumbling blocks
    of sin and death, falling flat
    on our fears and doubts.
Observing our misery in such living,
you sent the prophets
to call us back to you,
    but we did not hear their cries.
Knowing we would continue
to suffer and lose our way,
you sent Jesus to come
and deliver us from our slavery.

Joining our voices with those
who have faithfully followed,
and with those who stumbled along the way,
we call on your name, singing praises to you:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God of Wonder.
Watching our struggles,
    your heart breaks;

hearing our cries,
    you whisper our names;
knowing our loneliness,
    you came to deliver us.

Blessed is Jesus Christ, who comes in your name!
Hosanna in the highest!

Holy are you, Listener of cries in the night,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Child.
Hearing the pain of your heart,
    he came to speak of your hopes;
seeing the brokenness of our relationships,
    he came to make us whole;
knowing our fear of death,
    he came to defeat its power;
aware of what it would cost him,
    he journeyed to Jerusalem
    to embrace suffering and heartache;
hating evil so much
    he was willing to let it believe
    it had won the battle,
until he burst from the grave
bringing life for all
even as you raised him from the dead.

Remembering his wonderful works,
recalling his miracles, his words, his life,
we speak of that mystery we know as faith:

Christ rejoices with us,
Christ weeps with us,
Christ died for us,
Christ was raised for us.

As we prepare to gather around
your Table, God of Love,
pour out your Spirit upon us,
and on the gifts of the bread and cup.
Feed us on the rich food
of your forgiveness and grace,
    so we might go forth
    to feed all those we only know
    by the name 'enemy.'
Quench our thirst for power
with the sweet wine of your servanthood,

     so we might choose
          honor over fame,
          humility over pride,
          forgiveness over vengeance,
    and in so doing,
    lose ourselves in your life
          of denial and service,
giving ourselves to others,
thus returning your love for us.

And when all moments come to an end,
and the time has come to gather around
that great feast in heaven,
there will be no enemy, no them, no us -
just our siblings from every time and place joining
hearts and voices in singing your praise,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.

Sending

Just as we have gathered, now

we will scatter as God's people,

to find the holy ground where God

will use us to bring love to those forgotten.

Just as we have been called

to be Jesus's siblings of hope,

we will go to join our voices with those

standing on the ground where justice is needed.
Just as we have been challenged

to become partners with the Spirit,

we will go to confront those

whose power and wealth keeps them

from offering peace and compassion to all.

(c) Thom M. Shuman