Call to Worship
On this day, we are not a single
congregation,
but part of all believers everywhere,
every place.
On this day, we share not just a
sacrament,
but a feast from every time, every place
of faith.
On this day, God’s people gather in
house churches and cathedrals,
and on sandy beaches and under towering
trees.
Prayer of the Day
In Tagalog and Turkish,
in Mandarin and Maine drawls,
in children’s whispers
and seniors’ forgotten word,
glad songs are lifted to you, Loving
God,
and we join our hearts and voices
in praising you.
In villages where water is more precious
than gold,
in prisons where humanity often
disappears,
in neighborhoods controlled by gangs,
in residential homes for the disabled,
your children cry out for justice,
Servant of the poor,
and we commit our hearts and lives
to serving them with
you.
In prayers for peace
whispered by little children;
in hope-filled comfort
offered to those who struggle;
in affirmations of unity found in
neighborhoods
where folks live side-by-side,
not doctrines filled with jargon,
you continue to fill us with the words
we need, Wisdom’s Heart,
and we will continue to speak them
in every moment.
In this place, and in every place,
with those we know, and with folks
faraway,
we will seek to be your people
united in your heart, love, and service,
God in Community, Holy in One,
even as we pray, saying,
(The Lord’s Prayer)
Call to Reconciliation
A word of anger breaks another’s heart,
a church’s silence damages a family, a nation’s anger can bring war and
destruction. As individuals, as communities, as a world, we do not live
as God’s people, so let us bring our lives to our God, so forgiven, we might
continue to seek to become one in Christ.
Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
We
confess, God of every person, how easy it is to think that our way of being
your church is the one, true way. And so, we believe we have no reason to
hear your name spoken in another language. We are sure we don’t need to
learn songs that have tunes which sound dissonant to us. We believe that
our baptism, our communion, our beliefs are the ones closest to your heart, and
so we close our hearts, eyes, and hands to those around us.
Forgive us, Gracious God,
and have mercy. Remind us that while there may be many types of bread,
there is that one Love which has been broken for us. Remind us that while
there might be wine or juice offered, there is one Life which has been poured
out for us. Remind us that while some remain seated, some come forward,
and others dance, there is one Table, offered to us by your grace, through
Jesus Christ, our Brother, our Savior.
Silence is kept
Assurance of Pardon
In little churches with wide open
windows, in ancient buildings echoing with the songs and prayers of
generations, in buildings that do not look like sanctuaries, the same good news
is proclaimed: God is love. And that love forgives us, redeems us,
restores us.
In whatever language, in every tongue
and dialect, we rejoice and give thanks. We are forgiven by our God of
grace and wonder. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication
As we offer our gifts here, a family is
placing its tithe in another church. As we write our checks, a little
child dumps coins from piggy bank into the basket passing down the row.
As we, and they, and our sisters and brothers everywhere respond to your
blessings in our lives, may you gather them all up and use them in acts of
kindness, of goodness, of justice, and of
grace. This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Invitation to the Table
Some come from towns we have trouble pronouncing,
others have walked across the street;
some gather with strangers,
others are with old friends and family;
some hold the bread with trembling hands,
others pass the cup with a strong grip;
some need to taste hope and grace,
others long for a community which welcomes them with open
arms.
And all, all of us, are welcomed to this Table
and every Table where the Holy Meal is celebrated this
day.
For this is not the clergy’s table, this is not the church’s
table;
this is God’s Table, and God turns no one away.
Come, people of God; come and taste the goodness of the
Lord.
Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God of all be with you!
May that God be with you, as well!
We will join our hearts with all of
God’s people,
offering them to the God who loves us.
God fills our hearts, our lives, with
overflowing grace.
With voices in every tongue, of every
faith,
we will sing our praises to God.
We offer glory and thanksgiving to our
God.
When there was nothing but your imagination,
God of Wonder, you thought,
and the Spirit began to twinkle chaos
with stars, moons, and
planets.
You spoke, and the Word began to call to
life
centipedes to march across
the ground,
sparrows to dart across
skies,
and little kittens to lap
milk.
You laughed, and shaped us in your
image,
to offer all these things and more to
us.
But we were convinced we did not need
you,
and so chose to stay
wrapped in our little cocoons
spun by sin and
death.
Over and over, in dusty streets and
urban centers,
your prophets call us back to you,
but we were set in our
ways,
not wanting to walk by your
rivers of life.
So that we might finally have life with
you,
you sent your Child to us,
so that all the world might be
redeemed.
With those whose hearts are filled with
joy,
with those whose lips tremble with
questions,
we lift our praises to you:
Holy, holy, holy are you, God of all,
God of each.
All creation everywhere joins in praising
you.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is the One who calls us to the
Table of life.
Hosanna in the highest!
In your holiness, God of creation,
you could have stayed aloof,
letting the world drift back into
chaos.
But you became one of us,
in a little child born in a place no one
imagined,
and to a family none would have
picked.
A little child,
Jesus knew the hunger and
fears of poverty and despair.
A young boy,
Jesus knew the doubts and
questions
of wondering about the
future.
A worker,
Jesus knew the struggles to
put food on the table.
A storyteller,
Jesus knew how to reach the
deepest
depths of the human
heart.
A servant,
Jesus was willing to take
on our death for us,
so that in the power of the
resurrection,
sin and death lost their
power over us.
As we gather in grand churches and in
open fields,
as we feast on the finest bread, and
drink from crystal cups,
we join our sisters and brothers in
every place, proclaiming the mystery:
Jesus died, so we might know the depths
of love;
Jesus was raised, so we might know the
strength of love;
Jesus will come, so we might know God’s
steadfast love for us.
At altars carved from marble and tables
shoved together,
with people who are at the feast every
time it is served,
as well as those just stopping in,
we pray that you would pour out your
Spirit
upon your children and on the gifts
gathered
from the simple goodness of creation and
set aside for holy use.
In the bread which is broken,
may we be reminded of those places
like Palestine and Israel
torn apart
by ancient and modern
fears;
may we be strengthened to bring hope and
help
to flooded communities;
may we become willing to listen to those
who tell stories of
unspeakable horrors from decades ago.
In that cup which is filled with grace,
may we be called to welcome
those
who have been forced to
flee from the neighborhoods
they loved, but now fear;
may we gather up children who have been
forgotten,
to be blessed by their
resilience;
may we commit ourselves to ending
injustice
in every place, in every
person.
And when all time has ended and the
world
as we know it is made complete,
we will gather around that One Table
of grace, hope, peace, and love with
sisters and brothers of every time and
place,
forever praising your name,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.
Sending
We will go now
to share God’s love with all.
Whether in our neighborhoods or in other
places,
we will care for others in God’s
name.
We will go now
to join in offering the grace of Jesus to all.
We will join the Servant of all in
seeking
justice and hope for everyone.
We will go
now, knowing we are one people in the gift of the Spirit.
We will bring peace to places torn apart
by violence;
we will help to rebuild lives damaged by
fear and hate.
© 2018 Thom M.
Shuman
