Texts: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20; Psalm 19; Philippians 3:4b-14; Matthew 21:33-46
Call to Worship
L:
From where we are sheltering in place,
from
where sacred spaces where
folks
are socially distancing themselves,
P:
we are gathered as God’s people,
called
to the Table where brokenness
nourishes
us with simple grace.
L:
From virtual communities from all over the world,
with
families gathered in living spaces,
P:
we are gathered as God’s faithful community,
serving,
living, caring wherever we are.
L:
From neighborhoods made up of those
of
every class, every race, every branch of faith,
P:
we are gathered as witnesses to God’s hope
and
peace which have not disappeared
in
every place, in every person in this uncertain time.
Prayer
of the Day
Once,
you saw your children
held
bondage by fear and despair
and
gathered them up to journey
with
them into freedom and hope.
In
these days of worry and uncertainty,
continue
to walk with your children
who
feel captive by a virus we cannot see
Fill
our hearts and souls
with sighs more precious than
all we value, Word Speaker.
Once,
you came,
not
with blueprints under your arms,
but
with grace cradled in your hands.
You
came,
not
to force us to choose side
as
so many these days try to do,
but
to be that voice which calls us together.
You came,
so
that we would not have to worry about
what
lies ahead of us on these days,
but
so we could see that community
of
gentleness, of justice, of life you have prepared.
Fill
our hearts emptied of hope
with your grace more precious
than our deepest fears, Word Bearer.
When
we long to trust those promises
offered
to us by those who do not care
for
anyone but themselves.
when
we are tempted to believe those
who
say there is nothing to worry about
and
no reason to look out for others,
when
we hesitate to put our trust
in
those who would have us care
for
the forgotten, the most vulnerable,
may
we be nudged into seeking
to
live out our calling to live in unity.
Fill
our uneasy, shattered spirits
with your peace more precious
than the brokenness we grasp, Word of Wisdom
God in Community, Holy in One,
hear the words of our hearts
as we pray as Jesus has taught us, saying,
(The Lord's Prayer)
Call to Reconciliation
In these confusing days, it is easy to think that there are no rules we need to
follow, but we can live, act, do whatever we want. But Paul reminds us that, when we gain Christ
Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we receive exactly what we need - forgiveness, grace,
hope. Let us confess our foolishness to God, that we might know God's healing
love for us!
Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
If we were to name all the gods we have before you, Rock of Redemption, we
would be here for a very long time. We elevate politicians into saviors, though
they are as broken as we are. We misuse your name so much during the uncertain
and terrifying days, we have trouble speaking to you in prayer at night. We are
so busy being worried and fearful, we do not notice how creation witnesses to
your goodness and grace.
Forgive us, God our Hope. Even in our uncertainty, may we trust that your love
never abandons us. Even in our fears,
may we know that your presence never leaves our side. Even when our faith falters, may we know that
your grace is the most valuable gift we have, and we can open our emptiness,
our hearts, our lives to the healing and loving presence of Jesus Christ, our
Lord and Savior.
Silence
is kept
Assurance
of Pardon
L:
Persistently, patiently, lovingly, God pours out grace and joy into our lives,
healing our brokenness, forgiving our sin.
P:
Loved, we are sent to love those who have been forgotten. Forgiven, we are freed to offer mercy to
those who are cruel to us. Graced, we
can offer our gifts to everyone we meet.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayer
of Dedication/Offering
We
can join in hoarding all the gifts with which you bless us, God of generosity,
or we can share them with others. May what we offer in these moments be
the very blessing, the very hope, the very peace others need. This we
pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Great
Prayer of Thanksgiving
L:
May the composer of hope you!
P:
And also with you!
L:
Beloved, God has created us to live faithfully in these times.
P:
We lift our hearts to the One who shapes us into communities of grace and peace.
L:
Join in singing to God, who takes away all our fears.
P:
We will dance with joy to the Table of peace and hope,
even
if it is the table in our kitchen or living room.
L:
We tremble in these moments
of
uncertainty, of days which seem endless,
wondering
if there is any word for us.
So,
remind us that you spoke
into
the trembling emptiness of chaos,
and
your goodness and wonder
began
all those days and nights
when
hope raced across the sky,
when
grace bubbled up from springs,
when
peace wandered the meadows.
All
these gifts were, and still are,
crafted
for those made in your mage,
even when we grumble in wildernesses
or live in the exile of fear and worry,
or seek to have our way, not yours.
In
every moment when your people
were
alone, afraid, felt abandoned by all,
you
sent prophets - women and men,
to
remind us of your promises and point us
to
all the ways you continue to love.
Even
in these months of isolation,
even
in these days which seem the same,
even
in these moments we are alone,
you
are with us, in the life, the promises
made
known in the Child you sent
to
point us to the way home to you.
So,
with those who trembled at
the
foot of your holy mountain,
and
with those who press on to follow you,
we
join our voices in praise to you:
P:
Your Word opens our eyes to all creation.
Your
Word is the sweet taste of joy
for empty hearts.
Your
Word helps us to endure through every
moment which seems unbearable.
Blessed
is your Word who comes in your name.
Hosanna
in the highest!
L:
Though others mock us for such trust,
we
continue to believe that we know
your
holiness in the hope you share, God of
our hearts,
and
we realize how blessed we are
by
the grace we have received in your Child, Jesus.
In
these times when we wonder
if
anyone really cares about us,
he is the One who is your love
poured out for us, each of us.
In
these days when bitter voices
would
seek to seduce us with anger,
he is the gentle voice which calls
us to trust in your heart broken for us.
In
the moments when people seem
not
to care for the most vulnerable,
for
those most at risk from this virus,
he is the living demonstration
that death has no ultimate power
but that your resurrecting love
is the final word spoken about us.
As
we would seek to model his gentleness
and
grace in these overwhelming times,
as
we try to let his light be revealed in us,
we
would speak of that mystery we call faith:
P:
Setting aside all he valued,
Christ became our treasure,
so we might know how precious we are to
God.
Setting
aside his own life,
Christ rescued us from all foolishness
so we might know the One who loves us.
Setting
aside our doubts and fears,
we yearn for the promised of the return
of
the grace, love, and hope of Christ.
L:
Now, around table and altars
in
sacred spaces which echo with silence,
around
nicked and initialized wooden tables
and
glass topped tables in homes,
we
pray, Redeemer of all creation,
that
you would pour out your Spirit
on
each and every place,
and
on each and every person.
Whether
it is bread that is broken,
or
crackers that are split apart,
may
these gifts remind us
that
it is moments when we least expect,
for
those people we usually do not notice,
that
we are called
to share your grace
to listen to the lonely
to welcome the heartbroken
to embrace the vulnerable.
Whether
it is a mug of tea,
a
glass of wine or juice,
or
even a glass of water,
may
this be your grace poured into us
so
that we might become
people who will not give up on justice,
people who will not let go of hope,
people who will not hoard life,
people who will trust in you always.
And
when this pandemic comes to an end
and
we can gather once again
with
our sisters and brothers around the Table,
we
will know what your promised Feast
in
that place, that time, that life beyond this,
where
all hurtful words silenced,
where
all is pain left behind,
where
hope and grace are our closest friends,
and
we will join our hearts and voices
with
our sisters and brothers
who
forever sing of your glory,
God
in Community, Holy in One. Amen.
Sending
L:
Even in this time of pandemic,
we
are a blessed people.
P:
We will go to be a blessing in the world.
L:
Even when there are so many angry people around us,
we
are the face of Jesus.
P:
We will go to be love and compassion to all.
L:
Even when we are isolated, quarantined,
living
in lockdowns, we are the family of God.
P:
We will go to serve our sisters and brothers
wherever
we may find them.
©
2020 Thom M. Shuman
