Alternate texts liturgy w/communion for July 14, 2024 (Pentecost 8/Trinity 7/Proper 10/Ordinary 15 - B)

Texts: Amos 7:7-15; Psalm 85; 8-13; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:14-29

Call to Worship
In Jesus Christ, the Child of God,
we hear, and see, the Word of peace,
which is for all people:
we gather to tell the world
that peace is God's will for us.
In Jesus Christ, Redeemer of all creation,
we hear, and see, the healing of the broken,
which is for all people:
we gather to proclaim the good news
of God's faithfulness and justice.
In Jesus Christ, our Lord, and our sibling,
we hear, and see, the inheritance of God,
which is for all people:
we gather to share with our sisters and brothers
this glorious grace we have received.

Prayer of the Day
In the chorus
of the cardinal and turtledove,
all creation sings your praise:
Giver of Grace.
Steadfast love whispers to us
on the breezes of summer,
while faithfulness runs barefoot
in the backyards of our hearts,
calling to us to come play forever
in your fields of peace.

Justice calls to our souls,
Plumb Line of Peace,
daring us to reach out
to the broken, the hungry,
the needy, the hopeless:
to share with them
the rich inheritance
of acceptance and healing
which has been given to us.

The evensong of the frogs
in summer's gentle mist
lullabies us in the gentleness
of your steadfast love,
Spirit of God,
as you cradle us in your grace
and heal us with your peace.

God in Community, Holy in One,
we lift our praise to you as we pray
as Jesus has taught us, saying,
(The Lord’s Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
Peace is the heirloom promised to us, forgiveness is the inheritance passed on to us through Christ. May we know God's peace, and be healed of our brokenness, as we confess our sins to God, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
   Why are we always willing to descend into the worst areas life offers to us, but reluctant to come into your presence, Holy One? Why can we stand on sin's shaky foundations, yet find it impossible to dance in your joy? Why are we so quick to trumpet our hollow achievements, and do not seem to be able to hear your whispers of hope for us?
   Forgive us, Grace's Glory, and fill us with your mercy.  May we set our hope in Jesus Christ, who came so we might become your children, inheritors of love, peace, and faithfulness forever.  Amen.

Silent prayers may be offered.

Assurance of Pardon
In Christ, God's salvation has come; God's peace kisses our cheeks, wiping away our tears, and faithfulness takes us by the hand to lead us home to God.
God has called us, God has claimed us, God has redeemed us. This is good news for all creation! Thanks be to God. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
Even as we are reluctant to part with our material goods, we know that it is just as hard to share peace, grace, hope, justice, and all of your gifts with others, Holy God. So, make us as generous and as vulnerable as you are to us, as we share more and more with those around us.

The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God of summer breezes be with you.
May the God of snowy mornings be with you.
In every place, in every time, God’s people
offered their hearts to the One called
Steadfast Love.
And so, here and now, we join our hearts
offering them to God whose faithfulness
never falters, never is taken away.
From the very first moment, all creations
has been singing praise to our Creator.
With quavering whispers and strong voices,
we offer our songs of praises this day.

You held a plumb line
to the cracked walls of chaos
and as Spirit held the blueprints,
you began to craft creation.
Meadows filled with grass and flowers
sprang forth where those lovers
grace and joy could walk hand in hand.
Justice gathered as clouds in the sky
to shower the seeds of hope and peace
you had planted deep in the earth.
All this, and so much more, you created
for those shaped in your image, but
we chose to run through the alleys
filled with the debris of sin and death.
time and again, you sent your prophets,
those women and men who reminded us
of your desire to gather us in your arms,
but we snuggled even closer
into the open arms of temptation.
then, you sent your heart to come
to call us back to you, becoming
flesh of our flesh, bone of our bone,
in the One named Jesus.

With those who always try to follow,
as well as those who often fail,
we join our voices in thanksgiving to you:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God of steadfast love.
All creation offers its hear to you.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the One who comes
to wipe away our tears.
Hosanna in the highest!

By your imagination, all creation
came into being, given life by
the breath of your holiness
by your grace, you became
one of us as Jesus took his first breath.
He came to the desolated
places of our lives,
so, we might set our hopes on him.
He came to the shattered
sanctuaries of our hearts,
so, stain glass window of grace
might be placed in the cracks
He came when we felt more alone
that we had ever done before,
so, we would realize that
we have been chosen as his siblings
Holy and blameless from
the very foundations of grace,
he came to transform
our foolishness into faith,
our idolatry to sin into
glorifying God, who brought him
out of the cold grasp of death
into the life of resurrection love.

As we gather for the feast of love,
as we remember his life and spirit,
we proclaim that mystery we call faith:

In the birth of Christ,
we know the mystery of God’s will.
in the life of Christ,
we are shown God’s good pleasure for us.
in the death of Christ,
God’s plans for all creation is made complete.
in the resurrection of Christ,
we are given our inheritance of grace.
in the return of Christ,
all things will be gathered to God.

In this place, in this moment,
we come to the Table
praying your Spirit will be poured out
on these people and on these gifts.
Here, the word of truth
is tasted in the bread of life,
so that we go and bring hope
to those in desolate place,
so that we may offer justice
to all who are forgotten
by the powers of the world.
Here, the gospel of love
is poured into the cup of grace
so that we can care for those
who know nothing but suffering,
so that we can create community
among all who live in loneliness.

God in Community, Holy in One,
when all time comes to an end,
gather us up in your arms with
our siblings from every moment
and part of creation since its beginning
to seat us around your Feast,
where we will join hands, forever
singing our love and you to you.
Amen and Amen.

Sending
Gathered, we have heard words of peace
which are offered to all.
Now, we will scatter to bring them
to all those desolated by conflict.
Gathered, we are reminded that grace’s gospel
is for everyone, everywhere, not just a few.
Now, we will scatter to bring healing
to those who are broken in so many ways.
Gathered, we see our siblings in that faith
which is founded on God’s love and justice.
Now, we will scatter to remind everyone
we meet that all of us, each of us, are heirs
to hope, wonder, love, and life.

© 2024 Thom M. Shuman