Texts: Genesis 28:10-19a; Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24; Romans 8:12-25; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Call to Worship
Early in the morning, we gather
at the edge of heaven,
finding the gates flung wide open
by the One who welcomes all.
Early in the morning, we come
to this holy place of worship,
to be touched by the One
who offers us grace and love.
Early in the morning, we worship God,
who adopts us into the family,
to be filled by the One who would
pour us out in service to the world.
Prayer of the Day
God-who-keeps-promises:
every word you have spoken
of hope found in the depths of life,
of healing surprising our pain,
of grace jumping rope with children,
will all come true -
even when our stubbornness
deafens us to your whispers.
Jesus-who-sows-seeds:
every hope you have for us
of kindness never ending,
of persistent patience,
of sacrificial service,
can be found -
even when others cannot
see them in us.
Spirit-who-leads-us-into-life:
every dream you have
of peace becoming our best friend,
of joy bubbling from our hearts,
of strangers welcomed as kin,
will happen -
even when we insist on
living out our fantasies.
Behind us, under us, beside us, over us,
you are ever and always with us,
God in Community, Holy in One,
and so we lift our prayer to you saying,
Our Father . . .
Call to Reconciliation
Hiding in the cobwebbed corners of our lives, we hope God cannot find us and see how we truly act and speak. But God's light of righteousness
shines on us, so that we might find comfort, hope, forgiveness. Let us confess our sins together, saying,
Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
I've tried to hide from your searching gaze, Love's Delight:
I've climbed mountains,
and burrowed deep into earth's caverns;
I've fled to the farthest edges of my soul,
and longed to sail in my fears to the dark side of the moon.
And wherever I go -
you are waiting for me!
Even in the dimmest corners of my heart,
your light is able to find me.
Lost,
I am found;
afraid to speak of my sinfulness -
you hear my stumbling words
before I shape them in my mind;
unable to help myself -
you redeem me through the gracious love
of Jesus Christ, my Lord, my Savior. Amen.
Silence is kept
Assurance of Grace
In sorrow so deep we cannot find our way out, God cradles us in comfort;
in moments so dark, we stumble over ourselves, God lights the way;
in joy which cascades into our souls, God fills us with healing.
Even when we cannot see it, God's hope is all around us, surrounding us with peace and healing. Thanks be to God, we are forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication/Offering
Wherever they are - the broken, the homeless, those without hope, those in need of justice - you are with them, O God. Not just with them, but healing them, caring for them, feeding them, and sustaining them with all the gifts offered to you by so many, including ours. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God who knows you best be with you!
And also with you!
Worship the One who is with us at this Table,
as well as in our hunger for hope.
How blessed we are to open our hearts to God.
Sing songs of wonder to the One who whispers in your soul.
We praise the One who surrounds us in every moment.
Into the shadows of chaos,
you shine your light of righteousness,
Creation Blesser.
You looked, and saw the sun
shimmering over green meadows;
you watched, as the moon
gleamed in the night sky.
When your Spirit came to lead us
through the gardens of your grace,
we ran and hid ourselves
under the shelter of death,
believing you would never find us.
You sent the prophets
to sow seeds of hope
in our shallow and barren souls,
but we collected them
and threw them out with the trash.
So, groaning with the pain
of your shattered heart,
you sent Jesus to gather us up
and to bring us home to you.
So, with those who have gone into the deserts,
and found you waiting for them;
with those who have journeyed to the center
of faithful living, led by your Spirit;
we lift our voices, to sing your praises:
Holy, holy, holy, God who knows us completely.
All creation hopes for what is not seen.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is the One who comes, laying his hand on us.
Hosanna in the highest!
Holy are you, God of all joy,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, our Savior.
When our lives had touched
the bottom of despair,
he came to lift us up
to the heights of your hope;
when we wandered to sin's edge
and dived in headfirst,
he reached in to pull us
to the safety of your love;
when we journey
to the center of death,
we find him waiting
to take us by the hand
and lead us into life.
As we remember all his stories of how we are to live,
as we recall how he lived according to your Spirit,
we speak of that faith we can only call a mystery:
When Christ made his bed in Shē'ōl, God was there;
when Christ rose, God's hand took him into new life;
when Christ returns, God will lead us in the everlasting way.
You search for us,
finding us wherever we have run;
you take us by the hand
to lead us to this Table of reconciliation,
where the bread and the cup
have been prepared and blessed
by the gift of your Spirit.
Fed by the Bread filled with grace,
may we dare go live
at the farthest edges of despair,
to stand with those who have lost
all hope and life.
When our arid souls have been
watered by the Cup of love,
may we dare to carry
the light of your joy and freedom
to those living in the shadows
of injustice and oppression.
And when those who have fled
to the edges of life to escape you,
and those who made their beds
in futility and foolishness
are gathered together in your heart,
to feast at the Table of the Lamb,
we will sing our praises to you
forever and ever and ever,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.
Sending
Now, later in the morning, we will scatter,
as we go into the lonely places
where your children gather for hope, our God.
Now, later in the morning, we leave this place of worship,
to find the empty places of forgetfulness
and fill them with your justice, our Brother.
Now, later in the morning, we will leave these behind,
to search for our siblings in life and faith
and expand our awareness of your family, our Spirit.
