Pentecost +5, Proper 9A
July 9
This ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia is supported by your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund.
Scripture (from the Revised Common Lectionary, with links provided by TextWeek.com – a source for thoughtful worship and preaching throughout the year):
Click on Scripture Lessons below for study links and resources for each individual pericope:
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 or Zechariah 9:9-12 Psalm 45:10-17 or Song of Solomon 2:8-13 or Psalm 145:8-14 Romans 7:15-25a Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
Suggested Hymns from Chalice Hymnal
725-God of the Ages
265-Spirit of God
480-I love to tell the story
420-I come with joy
More hymn suggestions, as well as helpful references for use of the arts in worship, are available from the United Church of Christ website.
Hymn of the Day from Rev. William Flewelling (© 2017, William Flewelling; All rights reserved)
On Zechariah 9:9-12
On the hope of your salvation
come we to the Lord of love,
certain that in this confusion
you will lead us to your way.
In the stronghold of your vision,
there to see restored our joy:
come we now, O Lord our Savior,
in the way of your increase.
Now the moment of compassion,
now the victory of grace:
certain is the riding Savior
to attest triumphant love.
In the humble victor coming,
now astride the simple ass,
find we know the ample coming
of the victory surprise.
All the scatter of the tumult
all the firming of your realm:
come O Lord and hold dominion
from the sea unto the sea.
By the covenant of mercy,
by the blood splashed on the land,
here provided is occasion
to be snatched to freedom’s glen.
8.7.8.7.D Suggested tune: Nettleton
Dealing with the Psalm of the Day:
Since Chalice Hymnal does not provide a complete Psalter, there will be occasions when suggestions may be made for alternate Psalm use (or hymn equivalent). A metrical version of the Psalter, for those Psalms not provided in Chalice Hymnal, is being prepared by Rev. David Chafin. Where practical, these may be offered here as well. You may also want to visit http://lectionarypsalms.org/
This week: Psalm 45 is not available in the hymnal.
Concerning the Following Items: Except where otherwise noted, items are created or adapted by the editor. If you are aware of source notations which are missing, please bring them to his attention. No copyright infringement is intended, but is sure to happen.
Call to Worship
L: We hear the voice of one who calls to us to come and find rest.
P: We come burdened with much, but will heed the voice of Jesus.
L: We have much to learn from him, and he will give us all that we need.
P: May we be made ready to receive the yoke of Christ, and empowered to live in it.
Invocation or Prayer of Approach
Almighty God, you pour out the spirit of grace and supplication on all who desire it. Deliver us from cold hearts and wandering thoughts that with steady minds and burning zeal we may worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord (who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”)
Pastoral Prayer – Prayers of the People – Intercessions
God of all grace and mercy, you have made an amazing and beautiful world – diverse and teeming with the bounty and beauty of your artful hand. You have made us mortals in your own image, and given us such a marvelous variety of gifts by which to praise and serve you, and to serve the common good. Hear our varied expressions of thanksgiving, as we look to you for care and guidance to use every skill and art with which you’ve blessed us for the blessing of humanity.
We seek new ways, O Lord, to reach into the lives of others who are searching for meaning in their lives and to discover their own giftedness, and to give them encouragement, love, and peace on that journey. We look to you to guide us as partners with Christ as we minister to those who are hurting, lonely, sick, grieving, or in any danger. May our openness to your Spirit at work within us as your people be a sign of your ministries at work within us, your church. Make of this community a home of peace and empowerment for those who are struggling to find their future, and a place of compassion and justice for those who need it most.
Hear our prayers, O God, for those whose lives are closely linked with our own, whose names cross our hearts and our lips so often, and whose needs are many. Help us to entrust them to your care, as we offer up our own needs and our hearts’ desires to you in silence…
As Jesus prayed that all who follow him might be one, reshape us as your faithful disciples, and knit us tightly with all those who profess Christ into his one body. May our unity and our diversity proclaim his name to all the world, as we glorify you together, offering our varied gifts for your use. For we pray in his name and in his spirit.
Prayers from Common Worship*
Collect
Almighty God,
you have broken the tyranny of sin
and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts
whereby we call you Father:
give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service,
that we and all creation may be brought
to the glorious liberty of the children of God;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Post Communion
O God, whose beauty is beyond our imagining
and whose power we cannot comprehend:
show us your glory as far as we can grasp it,
and shield us from knowing more than we can bear
until we may look upon you without fear;
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Alternative Collect
God our saviour,
look on this wounded world
in pity and in power;
hold us fast to your promises of peace
won for us by your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Collect of the Day (from Book of Common Prayer, 1979**)
O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments
by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your
Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole
heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Collect of the Day from Rev. William Flewelling (© 2017, William Flewelling; All rights reserved)
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
Create in us fond hearts, O God,
alert to all the motions Spirit lures
in human hearts,
revealing in diversity the coming of your own desire
to babes and such as find your rest
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Service of Table
Offertory / Invitation to Give
Gratitude is born of the heart that can truly take in the goodness of God all around it. All of us have been blessed beyond measure by the abundance of God’s love and provisions. Let us bring forth offerings that stand as living witness of our faith – faith resting in the extravagance of God’s grace.
Offertory Prayer
O God, we thank you for your great generosity. All that we are and all that we have is a gift from you. Help us to serve one another and so reflect your spirit and goodness. Accept these offerings and grant that the cause to which they are devoted may prosper under your guidance.
Invitation to the Table
When Jesus sat at table with tax collectors and sinners, he proclaimed God’s care knows no bounds. We proclaim again the comfort and challenge of that witness: All of you are invited now to share God’s table and be nourished by the Bread of Life.
Prayer of Thanksgiving (Prayers for Bread and Cup)
(The following may be offered as one prayer, or broken between two Elders, if that is the tradition to be followed)
- You, O Lord, have brought us to this table as a people ready to receive from your hand all that we could ever need or ask for. As we break this bread, open our hearts to receive the Bread of Heaven, that we may never hunger again.
- Pour out your spirit, O God, upon this bread and upon this cup. May we who receive the Cup of Salvation never know thirst, but rather be refreshed to bear your gifts to the world in all its needs, so that Christ may ever be made presence in our lives.
Conclusion: Through him, with him, and in him, in the power of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor be to you, O God, now and forever. Amen.
If not previously offered: “And now with the confidence of your children, we offer the prayer our Savior taught us, ‘Our Father…’”
MORE…
Resources from the Jubilee Fund: This stewardship ministry serving the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) offers weekly emails for each Sunday’s service. Visit http://www.thejubileefund.com/ to learn more.
Rev. Tim Graves offers Liturgy Bits with valuable, culturally sensitive and creatively contemplative works, well worth your time.
You may also want to visit Worship Connection at MinistryMatters.com, which offers numerous helps, including electronic versions of print resources for worship and preaching planning.
Intercessions and other helpful planning materials geared to the Lectionary (using Roman Catholic version, but normally quite useful for all traditions) for preaching and worship are supplied for several weeks in advance at The Sunday Website of St. Louis University.
Common Worship Almanac and Lectionary for the year beginning Advent Sunday 2016. Compiled by Simon Kershaw August 2016 from the Common Worship Calendar and Lectionaries using Almanac Maker; compilation © Simon Kershaw 2016; Almanac Maker © Simon Kershaw 2010. The Revised Common Lectionary is copyright © the Consultation on Common Texts 1992. The Daily Eucharistic Lectionary is adapted from the Ordo Lectionum Missae of the Roman Catholic Church reproduced by permission of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy. Adaptations and additions to the RCL and the DEL, together with Second and Third Service lectionaries and the Weekday Lectionary for Morning and Evening Prayer are copyright © the Archbishops’ Council 1997-2010. http://almanac.oremus.org/lectionary
Book of Common Prayer (1979), Public domain.
NOTE: We hope you return to this posting often (and are subscribed to the feed by email, on Facebook or your favorite reader), since the content of each week’s posting may change several times before Sunday. We’d also like to include your content, even after the fact, since everything will roll around again in 3 years, and your contributions may find new life in the great cycle of the lectionary. Send your comments or content here.
Life in Liturgy 