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Pentecost +11, Proper 16C

Posted in - RCL and other Common Lectionaries, Liturgical Texts: Eucharist, Year C, tagged Proper 16C on August 1, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Pentecost +11, Proper 16C

Aug. 25

This ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia is supported by your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund.

Support Our Work … read how you can help keep lifeinliturgy.org available for use without subscription charges.

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:

Jeremiah 1:4-10 or Isaiah 58:9b-14
Psalm 71:1-6 or Psalm 103:1-8
Hebrews 12:18-29
Luke 13:10-17

Suggested Hymns from Chalice Hymnal

680-O God of every nation

100-When morning gilds the skies

275-Christ is made the sure foundation

273-Built on the rock

56-For the beauty of the earth

272-The Church’s one foundation

609-Take my life

101-Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts

482-O Christians, haste

386-We come as guests invited

399-O God unseen yet ever near

429-You satisfy the hungry heart

More hymn suggestions, as well as helpful references for use of the arts in worship, are available from the United Church of Christ website.

On Hebrews 12:18-29

Unto Mount Zion do we come,

approach in rapt delight;

the heavenly Jerusalem

has opened gates for all.

The City of the Living God

accommodates our hope.

And heaven’s festal gathering

is our assembled throng.

By preparation of the blood,

the weight the cross begets,

we are enticed to promised life,

to all that lures us home.

So warmed, we do not fail to rise

nor flounder on our way;

but by acceptance do we rise

to own the kingdom shown.

CM Suggested tune: Beatitudo

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: Portions of Psalm 103 are on p. 752-753

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: As one season presses into the next, the lives we lead are ever changing.

P: Yet our God is steadfast, faithful in every season, every generation.

L: When our confidence is shaken or hope is interrupted, where will we find help?

P: Our help is in God, whose love is from everlasting to everlasting. Praise the Lord!

(adapted from Psalm 138)

L: Let us give thanks to the Lord with our whole hearts, bowing down to sing God’s praise.

P: Let us give thanks to God’s name for steadfast love and faithfulness.

L: We have called, and God has answered, increasing the strength of our souls.

P: Let all of us sing the ways of the Lord who is great in glory.

L: Thought God is high above all, he looks with care upon the lowly.

P: God’s outstretched hand will save us and complete God’s purpose for us. God’s steadfast love endures forever.

L: Thank the Lord with all your heart, in the gathered assembly of God’s people.

P: Mighty are the deeds of the Lord; great are God’s works, studied by all who have pleasure in them.

L: Holy and awesome is God’s name! To worship the Lord is the highest wisdom; those who do so know all that is good.

P: God’s praises will last forever.

Invocation or Prayer of Approach

God of Love, you have loved us first and continue to love us. We come before you a people longing to love you in return. We hunger for your healing love in our lives, for we long to love ourselves and our neighbors. Come to us this day and fill our longing. In Christ’s name we pray (as he taught us to pray, “Our Father…”) from Flames of the Spirit

God of every season, even now we sense the promise of autumn creeping in. Days are growing shorter. Children are returning to the routines of school. Time moves ever faster, it seems, and yet you remain constant—always with us, ever urging us into your holy presence. Help us to draw nearer to your gracious heart, as we seek to become a more complete and faithful church family, for we pray in the name of Christ (who taught us to pray, saying, “Our Father…)

With thankful hearts for the bounties of our lives we come, O God, to offer our prayers and praise. As we gather this week keep us mindful of all the blessings in our lives and those we share our lives with. Be with us in worship as we lift our voices in praise of you, through Christ our Lord (who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”)

We who have come to know your love, O Lord, are here to worship you. We ask your blessing upon us in this offering of our praise, and we ask your presence in every act of our lives, that we…your Church…may be confirmed in our faith, and give glory to your son Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray (as he taught us to pray, “Our Father…”)

Pastoral Prayer – Prayers of the People – Intercessions

Loving God, you are the great giver of gifts. You have set before us the way of life, and given us breath and health to live it. You have granted to this earth resources for sustaining our bodies and our families and our communities, and given us a call and a blessing to learn to wisely use them for the good of all. You have given us salvation, a path to life eternal with you in the form of the man Jesus, who healed the sick, and freed the captives, raised the dead, and ate and drank with sinners. In him, we have the path toward living out your desire for this world in the community of your church, our loving family gathered here.

Thank you, God, for placing such varied gifts in our midst in the flesh and blood and spirits of our brothers and sisters here who have said “yes” to living as Christ’s disciples. That is what we seek, O God. We offer our lives and the gifts you have implanted within us to you – to be blessed and to be made useful, so that all of our world’s tomorrows will be a little better, and your church more effective in meeting them with hope for those who are hurting, freedom for those in chains, joy for the sorrowful, light for those in darkness, and healing for those who are ill.

We pray for those people every time we gather, God. Now, we offer up ourselves to follow the leadership of your Spirit in offering our gifts to be the hands and feet and heart and words of Christ to those we pray for. Use us, O God, by teaching us to better use the gifts you’ve given us long ago, when you knew us most intimately, within our mother’s wombs, and in the cradles of our infancy…filled with wonder, gifted, and blessed. For we offer our prayers in Christ’s name.

Mighty and merciful God, may your kindness be known to all. Hear the prayers of all who cry to you; open the eyes of those who never pray for themselves; have mercy on those who are in misery; deal gently with those who sit in darkness; increase the number of those who love and serve you daily. Preserve our land from all things hurtful, preserve our Church from all dangerous error, preserve our people from forgetting that you are their Lord and Saviour. Be gracious to those countries that are made desolate by war, famine, disease, or persecution, and grant that the course of the world may be so ordered in obedience to your will that the people may live in security and freedom from want, and their children grow up to be makers of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Prayers from the Book of Common Order, Church of Scotland, on oremus.org)

Prayers from Common Worship*

Collect

Let your merciful ears, O Lord,

be open to the prayers of your humble servants;

and that they may obtain their petitions

make them to ask such things as shall please you;

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

God of our pilgrimage,

you have willed that the gate of mercy

should stand open for those who trust in you:

look upon us with your favour

that we who follow the path of your will

may never wander from the way of life;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Additional Collect

Lord of heaven and earth,

as Jesus taught his disciples to be persistent in prayer,

give us patience and courage never to lose hope,

but always to bring our prayers before you;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Collect of the Day (from Book of Common Prayer, 1979**)

Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered

together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your

power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you

and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Luke 13:10-17

Upon the Sabbath, your own day, O God,

we clamor to attest the rest

you bring unto our care.

And in our measured themes, our God,

we echo your desire to care,

to render weal at life’s appeal.

Prepare these hearts, we pray,

that in the honest moment we may dare

allow your love its share.

Service of Table

While all of our congregations navigate the Sacred Board in a different way, it seems, there are common elements in most, which are provided here. We would love to hear if your congregation has variations to these elements which we might address in the future.

Offertory / Invitation to Give

Giving is not a casual act—it relates God’s work to our work. Peter writes: “as each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace, that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” Let us give as people whose work is inextricably linked to God’s great works of creation, redemption and empowerment.

Through our offerings, we are invited to put God first in our lives, to show our gratitude and our commitment. We owe everything to God: our lives, our health, people who love us, meaningful work and activities. Let us respond in proportion to our gratitude.

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.

We bring our gifts to you, and offer them as symbol of sacrifice and service. We seek to share the story of suffering love that fulfills and conquers death. Bless these gifts and all who give; use our wealth, our time, our abilities for the good of all your people, O Lord.

Invitation to the Table

God has given through Christ the authority and the calling to us to bring grace and freedom to the world. We come to the Table of Christ now to renew our confession that he is Lord and Messiah through the breaking of bread and pouring of wine. May we truly know the presence and the power that his life among us provides as we gather at the table in his name, so that we may share it with all.

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)

Holy God, we praise and bless you for creation and the gift of life; and for your abiding love which brings us close to you, the source of all blessing. We thank you that in the fullness of time you sent Jesus, born of Mary, to live in our midst, to share in our suffering, and to accept the pain of death at the hands of those whom he loved. We rejoice that in a perfect victory over the grave, you raised Christ with power to become sovereign in your realm. We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to gather your church by whom your work may be done in the world, and the life we have within your family on earth and in heaven.

Send the power of your Spirit upon us and upon these gifts of bread and wine, that they may be for us Christ’s body and blood, and that we might be for the world Christ’s body, until at last we feast with him and all your people at the table of unending joy.

O God, who knows the hunger and thirst of your children far better than we know it ourselves, as we give thanks to you for the bread broken and the wine outpoured at this table which you have spread, we pray that your Holy Spirit would come upon these gifts and upon us, your people. Make of us a new family, united in Christ, and ready to move at his bidding; that the world might know of your great love to us made known in your Beloved Son.

Gracious God, through your Son Jesus you have empowered your church to bring grace and freedom to the world. As we gather at your Table to renew our confession that he is Lord and Messiah through the breaking of bread and receiving of wine, help us to know that in his name and in his presence we are empowered to bring that grace and freedom to all. Pour out your Holy Spirit now to renew your Church, we pray, even as you renew our spirits here, that all may know and confess that Jesus is both Christ and Lord to the glory of your holy name.

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 2018. Calendar for 2019

Sun 2 Dec 2018. CW* Almanac and Lectionary 2018-19. Common Worship Almanac and Lectionary. for the year beginning Advent Sunday 2018. Compiled by Simon Kershaw August 2018 from the Common Worship Calendar and Lectionaries

using Almanac Maker. compilation © Simon Kershaw 2018 Almanac Maker © Simon Kershaw 2010-2018.

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.

Pentecost +10, Proper 15C

Posted in - RCL and other Common Lectionaries, Liturgical Texts: Eucharist, Year C, tagged Proper 15C on July 28, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Pentecost +10, Proper 15C

Aug. 18

This ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia is supported by your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund.

Support Our Work … read how you can help keep lifeinliturgy.org available for use without subscription charges.

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:

Isaiah 5:1-7 or Jeremiah 23:23-29
Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19 or Psalm 82
Hebrews 11:29 – 12:2
Luke 12:49-56

Suggested Hymns from Chalice Hymnal

277-Christians, we have met to worship

274-I love your Church, O God

540-O love that will not let me go

595-Be thou my vision

637-For all the saints

254-Breathe on me, breath of God

322-O Word of God Incarnate

655-Community of Christ

408-Come, share the Lord

398-Be known to us in breaking bread

428-An upper room with evening lamps ashine

More hymn suggestions, as well as helpful references for use of the arts in worship, are available from the United Church of Christ website.

On Jeremiah 23:23-29

O God at hand and God afar

press near your faithfulness.

For in confusion round our ears

compounding dreams are roused.

And many voices echo words

and prophesy your call

in all so many crowded ways

when stumbling feet are stalled.

Your word is spoken, Lord, in truth,

in echoes of your heart;

and this cacophony of dreams

distorts our hearing schemes.

In all this flurry of desires,

in calculating zeal,

provide in us the resonance

of your exalting weal.

For we would answer faithfully

to have your rigor won.

And in our muster and approach

by you, our fain delight.

CM Suggested tune: York

Dealing with the Psalm of the Day:

This week: Psalm 82 is used in the first Call to Worship below

Call to Worship

from Psalm 82

L: Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth!

P: Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

L: Let your hand be upon the one at your right hand…then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name.

P: Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

L: The Spirit of God gave the universe birth.

P: The Spirit of God delivered the world.

L: Our God is the first; our God is the last.

P: No other god declares the word of creation.

L: Yet this same God invites us, saying, “Do not be afraid!”

P: We worship the One who banishes fear, who comforts the trembling and quickens the faint! We worship the One whose creation is renewed and whose creatures are never forsaken!

OR from Psalm 111

L: Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.

P: Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.

L: Full of honor and majesty is God’s work, whose righteousness endures forever.

God has gained renown by his wonderful deeds; the LORD is gracious and merciful.

P: God provides food for those who fear him, and is ever mindful of his covenant.

L: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. P: God’s praise endures forever.

OR from ministrymatters.com

L: Sing to the Lord a new song!
P: We sing a song of peace and hope!
L: Sing to the Lord a song of strength.
P: Our strength is in the Lord of hosts!
L: Sing to the Lord a song of joy!
P: Our song is a song of service and faithfulness.

OR from ministrymatters.com

L: The Lord calls us to grow in faithfulness.
P: Take away our greed and selfishness, O Lord!
L: The Lord challenges us to serve others in loving ways!
P: Help us grow in our service and witness to your mercy and peace.
L: Come, let us worship the Lord who delights in our witness.
P: Let us praise God who is always with us.

OR from ministrymatters.com

L: God of the ages, we sing your praises in the vineyards of our lives.
P: Tend the garden of our love.
L: Where we have become ragged and wild, prune us in the way we should grow.
P: Nurture the soil of our hope.
L: Let your hand be upon us, leading us to Jesus, the perfecter of our faith. Heal the roots of our faith. Bring us rain in drought, shade in scorching heat, and protection in the wilderness.
P: Protect the growth of our spirit.

Invocation or Prayer of Approach

O God, source of all beauty and goodness, your grace comes fresh every morning. In each new day you give us light. We praise your for your never‑failing love that satisfies our needs and shows us the way to follow. We rejoice in your constant care, for you are faithful in love for all people, offering the world salvation through Jesus Christ (who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”)

As we worship this morning, O God, we pray that your spirit will be our strength, your word will be our guide, your love will be our comfort, and your promises will be our hope (for we pray as our Savior Christ has taught us, “Our Father…”)

O God, light of all hearts that seek you, life of all souls that love you and strength of the thoughts that reach to you, we praise you. To turn from you is to fall, but to be turned to you is to rise. To live in you is to stand firm forever. We rejoice at the thought of your nearness. You are here in our midst, at our side, in our hearts, knowing, understanding, caring and helping. And so we life our hearts to glorify you in praise and adoration through Christ our Lord (who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”)

OR from ministrymatters.org

Lord of light and life, you have called us this day to open our hearts, our minds, our spirits to hear your words of encouragement, healing, and hope. Give us patience and willingness to serve you in all that we do. In Jesus’ Name, we pray (as he taught us to pray, saying, “Our Father…”)

OR adapted from ministrymatters.org

Lord of the vineyard, we ask for your presence and your guidance. In your holy wisdom, tend the vines of our hearts. Teach us your righteousness, that our lives may flower with justice. We come as wild grapes, yearning to grow fruitful in your love. Show us the way to discern your will, hear your word, and grow in your ways, as we deepen the roots of our faith through Jesus your Son (who taught us to pray, saying, “Our Father…”)

Pastoral Prayer – Prayers of the People – Intercessions

In these quieter times, God of peace, as in the busyness of our hectic days, you hear the true prayers of not just what we say, but also what we do and who we are. Hear us as we join our hearts in unity to pray for your church. May we be united in your truth, committed in your love, and sanctified by your grace, that with one heart and one voice we might proclaim your gospel in word and deed, praising you for your abiding presence in our midst as a community of faith.

We pray for our fellow creatures, this world which you lovingly made, and the people of earth with all their diversity and commonality. We lift to you those in our world who weep, and those who cause their weeping; those without food, clothing, shelter or a means of sustaining life with the dignity of one whom you have created. We pray for those who distort the good news of the gospel, who make gods out of things, out of themselves, out of their systems, institutions or structures…and who find it all so hollow and empty.

We pray for those who live without meaning and hope, who live as objects of the whims of others, and those who live in broken families, broken communities, and a broken world. Lead your church, we pray, toward a new vision of our mission to them in Christ—the vision of shalom—with those who are afar off in other lands, but also with those here, where each of us may encounter them personally.

Tender and compassionate friend, give us the assurance that you are here among your people, and in the gifts of quiet and rest in this celebration of your word and table. Enable us with your guidance to be your church and to do your will in our common life together. Pour out your Spirit on those who are suffering, especially as we lift to you our own needs and the needs of those whose lives are closely linked with our own:__________, and those we name in the silence of our hearts.

Bless us to follow in the paths of those saints who have gone before us in faith, whose steps were taken in the sure and certain comfort of your presence, that we may faithfully glorify you now, in your church and your world, forever. For these prayers we offer in the name and spirit of Jesus, your Christ, our Lord. Amen.

OR from ministrymatters.org

We are such a fickle people, O Lord. It is easy for us to accept greedily your blessings in times of peace, and to cry for mercy in times of difficulty. We want you to pamper us. We want to be your special people. We don’t like the idea that you might indeed care for those whom we would reject. Such is our lot! We need once again to be reminded of the many ways in which we have chosen to be the “wild grapes” rather than the faithful vines. We have been given opportunities time and time again to serve you by helping others. Today we have gathered in worship to praise you and to offer our gifts. But it is our commitment and our lives of service that you would appreciate. Witness and service to you are not easy. They may require some sacrifice. We may face some misunderstanding and ridicule from others. But you call us to be faithful, to be steadfast. Help us, O Lord, to make the kinds of commitments which will bring healing and hope in this troubled world in which we live. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Prayers from Common Worship*

Collect

Almighty God,

who sent your Holy Spirit

to be the life and light of your Church:

open our hearts to the riches of your grace,

that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit

in love and joy and peace;

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

Holy Father,

who gathered us here around the table of your Son

to share this meal with the whole household of God:

in that new world where you reveal the fullness of your peace,

gather people of every race and language

to share in the eternal banquet of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Additional Collect

Gracious Father,

revive your Church in our day,

and make her holy, strong and faithful,

for your glory’s sake

in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Collect of the Day (from Book of Common Prayer, 1979**)

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a

sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us

grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work,

and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Luke 12:49-52

Desiring us, O God, you bring to us

the love we worry to deserve.

We muster rules upon our fears

and register by dread our means

of branding hope on hearts.

In such rude opposition, O God,

you scatter us by Spirit’s breath

and at the signs of gentleness.

Service of Table

Offertory / Invitation to Give

Our offerings take us into the mainstream of God’s work through the church. Jesus said that whatever we do to the least of his brothers and sisters we do to him. May our offerings bring him comfort, relief and joy.

Through our offerings we identify with the cause of Christ. We proclaim our concern for all people, and we name them all as our next of kin. We identify with their suffering and grief and we rejoice when good comes to them. God gives both our material resources and our personal time and effort to us. Let us now extend them through the body of Christ into this moment of history and into the whole world.

Offertory Prayer

God of our ancestors, God of our here and now, you laws are timeless and whose ways empower the church, we bring to you the results of our labors. We would recognize all our moments and days as precious gifts from you. We dedicate ourselves anew to the fulfilling of your will through all you entrust to us, not just through the portion we here return. Bless all that the church seeks to accomplish in Christ’s name.

Thank you, God, for this high and holy moment in worship and in life when we have something to give that others need. Take our bread, our witness, our lives to benefit all your human family. May your glory be known among us and in all the world.

OR from ministrymatters.com

Loving Gardener, we offer ourselves into your nurturing hands. Receive the devotions of our labors, the fruits of our vines, and all that we are and know, that we may make a difference: in our homes, in our communities, and in our world. Receive these sacrifices, as a pledge to live our beliefs, through Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.

Invitation to the Table

Friends, this is the joyful feast of the people of God. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit at the table in the kingdom of God. This is the Lord’s table. Jesus invites all who seek to trust him to share in the feast which he has prepared. Let us come to his table now with hope and confidence as God’s children.

OR from ministrymatters.com

Just as the sun shines on all who turn their faces to the light, just as the rain showers upon all who stand on open ground, so God’s grace in Christ comes as a blessing to all. Borne of the sweat of his suffering love, Christ willingly gave of himself, that we might be made free. You, who are willing to offer yourselves to God, come to the table in love and faith. Here we find forgiveness, hope, and the promise of eternal 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)

Blessed are you, Lord our God; you bring forth bread from the earth, and wine in its season. Your holiness calls to us today, Lord, as you called to your people in the life of Jesus Christ. Although many rejected him and reject him still, we remember and celebrate his presence with us. Send your power and strength to us, Lord, as we gather here in love for you, and upon these gifts of bread and wine. Make them to be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we might be his true body, going about his work in our time and place; that in all things all glory might be given to you, Almighty God, now and forever.

Loving God, in the mystery of Christ’s offering of himself for the world, we gather at his Table. As surely as we do not know the breadth of your love for us, we do not fully understand the meaning of what you have called us to do. And yet we come at your bidding to eat this bread and drink this cup, the body and blood of our Lord Jesus, in faith and with thanksgiving. Send now the power of your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts, that as we receive them in your presence and in the company of all your people of faith, we may be united as one with Son Jesus Christ, and may find in him life that is eternal.

Loving God, whose will it is that all of your children should be fed, unite your people at this Table, we pray, with a new commitment to share your gifts with all. As we give thanks for this bread and this cup, pour forth your Holy Spirit upon us and upon them, that your presence may be known in our lives and given freely to the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord who makes us one.

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…

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.

Common Worship Almanac and Lectionary for the year beginning Advent Sunday 2018. Calendar for 2019

using Almanac Maker. compilation © Simon Kershaw 2018 Almanac Maker © Simon Kershaw 2010-2018.

Book of Common Prayer (1979), Public domain.

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Pentecost +9, Proper 14C

Posted in - RCL and other Common Lectionaries, Liturgical Texts: Eucharist, Prayers, Year C, tagged Back to School, Proper 14C on July 28, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Pentecost +9, Proper 14C

Aug. 11 (With back-to-school prayers)

This ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia is supported by your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund.

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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:

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 or Genesis 15:1-6
Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23 or Psalm 33:12-22
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Luke 12:32-40

Suggested Hymns from Chalice Hymnal

277-Christians, we have met to worship

91-All hail the power of Jesus’ name

546-Amazing grace

487-Help us accept each other

622-Guide me, O thou great Jehovah

349-My Jesus, I love thee

425-Let us break bread together

419-All who hunger, gather gladly (same tune as 277 above)

423-Become to us the Living Bread

More hymn suggestions, as well as helpful references for use of the arts in worship, are available from the United Church of Christ website.

On Luke 12:32-40

The Lord proclaims: Fear not for God delights in you ever.

Know that the kingdom is opened unto you this morning.

For we are shown

how the desires of our God

blossom in gifts of reception.

Certainly now and forever we come in compassion.

borne on the bounty our God has committed for certain.

All is acclaimed:

come in release to the joy

God ha expressed for our longing.

Ready your pace, prepare to admit our Redeemer

For he arrives at an hour of unusual passion.

Be ye prepared

to be accepting of him

as he arrives – O, adore him.

14.14..4.7.8. Suggested tune: Lobe Den Herren

Dealing with the Psalm of the Day:

This week: Regrettably, no advice this week.

Call to Worship

L: We celebrate the God of infinite power and love, who has called us into community.

P: We gather with God’s people of every age and place who have, by faith, found their true citizenship in heaven.

L: We journey together with hope, knowing that God who has fulfilled every promise in the coming of Jesus Christ will fulfill the promises of kingdom life for us and for all God’s children.

P: Thanks be to God for the faith that makes our life in Christ complete and promises life everlasting to all who believe.

L: The Spirit of God gave the universe birth.

P: The Spirit of God delivered the world.

L: Our God is the first; our God is the last.

P: No other god declares the word of creation.

L: Yet this same God invites us, saying, “Do not be afraid!”

P: Worship the One who banishes fear, who comforts the trembling and quickens the faint! Worship the One whose creation is renewed and whose creatures are never forsaken!

L: Christ our Lord united his followers together in Christian love.

P: His presence makes our fellowship a happy experience.

L: When Christ is our life, our fellowship takes on the nature of Christ, we experience unity, love and humility toward one another.

P: May Christ live in us, that we may be like him

OR from ministrymatters.com Psalm 50

L: The mighty One summons us from sunrise to sunset.
P: Out of perfect beauty, God shines forth.
L: God calls to heaven and earth, “Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me.”
P: The heavens declare the righteousness of God, the judge of people and nations.
L: Let us not forget God, but with thanksgiving as our sacrifice, let us be a people of justice.
P: We worship the God of our salvation.

OR from ministrymatters.com

L: The Lord calls us today to be people of justice and mercy.
P: Our worship is hollow if it focuses only on our own gratification.
L: The Lord asks that our words of hope become actions of peace.
P: Thanks be to God who challenges and calls us.
L: Let our ministry together bring peace and justice.
P: Let our lives reflect God’s love and mercy.

OR from ministrymatters.com

L: The Lord comes to us this day. Are you ready?
P: We are ready!
L: The Lord challenges us to be in ministries of peace and hope. Are you ready?
P: We are ready!
L: Let us praise God who calls us to serve God by helping others.
P: Praise be to God who has given us hope and peace.

Invocation or Prayer of Approach

Eternal God, we long for truths that are lasting, yet we want our faith to be alive to the people and problems of today. As we move forward in an ever-changing world, may faith in Christ be our anchor, and your love be our guide through the presence and power of the Spirit. Unite our hearts, even as we unite our voices in your praise, through Christ our Lord (who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”)

God of the depths of the sea, as well as of the heavens and earth: Hear your people’s cry for your presence in our lives. Awaken us to your Spirit’s power and your ever-willingness to save us when we call to you from the chaos of our lives, even as Jesus heard and saved his friends when they floundered in the storms of yesterday. You are our God and Savior, the One who will keep us able to face tomorrow’s storms, and we praise you, through Christ our Lord (who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”)

OR adapted from ministrymatters.com

Creator God, Maker of stars and seashores, reveal yourself to us this day in which all things were made. Redeemer God, Caller of disciples, light our lamps and dress us for action; open the doors of our hearts and minds. Sustainer God, Giver of the Holy Spirit, renew our faith, that we might deepen our covenant with you. In Jesus’ name we pray (as he taught us to pray, saying, “Our Father…”)

OR from ministrymatters.com

Surprising God of mercy and love, thank you for calling to us this day. We praise you that you challenge us to show our faith in ministries of peace and justice, offering compassion to all in need. Open our hearts and minds today to hear your words of encouragement and challenge. We offer this prayer in Jesus’ name (praying as he taught us, saying, “Our Father…”)

Back to School Prayers

The following collects may be of use in this season as schools resume:

Journeying God, as we return to our Fall routines, help us to keep our eyes open to the changes around us, to be open to the new things in life and to appreciate the many jewels that you place before us. (Sunday Intercessions for the Church Year, 2002, ELCIC National Office)

Gracious God, you have given us the keys to the kingdom, keep us mindful of the gifts you have given us and encourage us as we share our gifts with one another as we minister in your name. (Sunday Intercessions for the Church Year, 2002, ELCIC National Office)

Knowledgeable God, we have so much to learn about your world, your people and your gifts. Schools are a place where knowledge begins and tools are given to continue that learning. Thank you for teachers, principals and the volunteers who are examples of your Son, who is also a teacher to us (Sunday Intercessions for the Church Year, 2002, ELCIC National Office)

Encouraging God, the road ahead of us is unknown and there are many things that may make us uncomfortable and make us ask difficult questions. Give us the courage to take up our cross when things are difficult and follow you, trusting the promise of your Son who bore his cross for us. (Sunday Intercessions for the Church Year, 2002, ELCIC National Office)

As all of God’s children begin a new part of their journey away from their supports and comforts of home, give them the knowledge to make sound decisions, the strength to ask for help, and the lightness of heart to enjoy the journey. (Sunday Intercessions for the Church Year, 2002, ELCIC National Office)

Give us the eyes to see in the simple, yet extraordinary things of this world, the risen Christ, and help us to be examples of that to one another. (Sunday Intercessions for the Church Year, 2002, ELCIC National Office)

Teacher of Wisdom, there is so much we have yet to learn and experience in this world. Help us to keep our eyes, ears and heart open to your teachings and your presence in our lives through the people that we encounter. (Sunday Intercessions for the Church Year, 2002, ELCIC National Office)

Pastoral Prayer – Prayers of the People – Intercessions

How vast and deep is your love, O God, for us and for all the world. As we give you thanks for the beauty of creation and for the gift of life, we turn to you for strength and guidance to help those of our world in need of care and healing.

We pray for our community, our nation and world that peace and justice might be made known. We pray for our families and friends, especially those who are hurting, sick, grieving or alone. We pray for our own burdens and needs, both spoken and unspoken…

We yield our lives to you as we offer our prayers in the strong and saving name of Jesus. Amen.

God of all love and holiness, on this day of love and wonder, we are awakened to the mysteries of life that you create. As we give thanks to you for your wonderful deeds of love and grace, we pray for the human family that we might be renewed and restored to love in your image.

Hear our prayers for our earthly families and for those who journey alone, that we might establish within your church such a glowing love and acceptance that friendship might be strengthened and the joy of fellowship be known, that none may journey in loneliness.

Help us, we pray, to be a strength to the friendships and romance that you kindle in the hearts of people who love, that relationships between them might blossom according to your will, and that homes of peace and grace would spring up in this age of selfishness and hate.

Free us in love to serve our neighbors, especially as we consider the poor, the hungry, the oppressed and the ill, as we remember…

And help us to serve as agents of healing to our nation which is struggling to regain its footing in a time of distrust, pain and upheaval. May we be empowered to make our communities, grounded in your love for our world, places of forgiveness and reconciliation, where love is practiced in practical ways in our dealings with others who need us and need you.

Fill us with your Spirit as a people of faith that we may serve you all our days, and look forward to your heavenly feast of joy and love in Christ Jesus our Lord, for it is in his name that we pray.

OR from ministrymatters.com

Lord of peace and justice, how easy it is for us to fall into the trap of complacency. We get used to doing things the way we have always done them before. We celebrate your love and rejoice in your gifts through our ministry of worship and sacrament. We place our abundance before you in offerings to enable ministries of hope to flourish. Yet we hang back. We feel that we have done enough. We think that we have met the challenge of your call to us. Wake us up! Shake us up! Get us excited about all the wondrous ways in which we can serve you! Do not let our awareness of the needs of others be expressed only in our prayers for healing and compassion. Shape us to be people of justice and peace, bringing the glorious news of your love to all people. Stretch us out! Make us truly disciples who are always ready to help others. Create in us a new spirit and a joyful energy to serve you. For we ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

OR (new school year)

God of grace and glory, even amidst the days of August we feel the cool of autumn creeping in. Days are growing shorter again. Children are returning to the routines of school. Time moves ever faster, it seems, and yet you remain constant—always with us, ever urging us into your sanctuary of prayer. Help us to draw nearer to your gracious heart, and to entrust to you our every burden and care, as we pray for our world and its peoples, for this community and those around us, for this our church family and those we seek to serve in you.

Ours are concerns of health and fulfillment, of peace and survival. We long to experience your healing presence in our lives and the lives of those we love, especially as we lift to you (_____and) those we name in the silence of our hearts.

We remember with joy and praise your faithfulness to those who have finished their course and rest with you. Strengthen us to be faithful disciples in an ever-changing world. Remind us that you love this world, and are ever-giving yourself for it, even as you gave your ultimate self to us in Jesus the Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Prayers from Common Worship*

Collect

Almighty Lord and everlasting God,

we beseech you to direct, sanctify and govern

both our hearts and bodies

in the ways of your laws

and the works of your commandments;

that through your most mighty protection, both here and ever,

we may be preserved in body and soul;

through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Post Communion

Strengthen for service, Lord,

the hands that have taken holy things;

may the ears which have heard your word

be deaf to clamour and dispute;

may the tongues which have sung your praise be free from deceit;

may the eyes which have seen the tokens of your love

shine with the light of hope;

and may the bodies which have been fed with your body

be refreshed with the fullness of your life;

glory to you for ever.

Additional Collect

Lord God,

your Son left the riches of heaven

and became poor for our sake:

when we prosper save us from pride,

when we are needy save us from despair,

that we may trust in you alone;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Collect of the Day (from Book of Common Prayer, 1979**)

Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always

those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without

you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you

and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Luke 12:32-40

We come, O God, your own

unto your rich delight.

We come to find your kingdom come,

presented in our hearts.

We come as guided to begin,

to welcome at our unthought hour,

the coming of your own

ineffable delight.

O God, in your expansive care,

refresh us in your kingdom.

Service of Table

Offertory / Invitation to Give

As a people whose citizenship is not of this earth, but joined in holy community with all of God’s people and recorded in heaven, let us manage our lives accordingly. Our earthly journey is one that brings numerous resources our way, and yet we are reminded that they are not our own, but are ours to steward for the good of others. And so we hold them loosely, always watching for where they may best serve Christ’s mission in this world. Let us offer the gifts that God has poured into our lives freely, with thankful hearts, into the hands of God to be transformed and used for the good of Christ’s coming reign.

By the goodness of God, we are called into the family of the church. By God’s grace, we rejoice to share in the church’s life of mission and ministry. Let us offer our tithes and gifts to God’s glory as a token of the offering of our very lives.

Offertory Prayer

Lord Jesus, you who expressed your kingship not by taking but by giving, not by demanding but by sacrificing – bless us now as we follow your example in giving our lives back into your hands for the sake of others. May these gifts offered freely represent our faith in God’s all-sufficient provision for our lives in this world and the world to come.

Thank you, God, for the generosity that enables us to share. We are rich in many things. Help us to empty ourselves of pretense, even as we pour out gifts of gratitude. We dedicate our offerings and ourselves to shaping the community you intend, in the spirit of Christ.

Invitation to the Table

At this table, the church remembers and celebrates the love of God. The act of sharing bread and wine is a statement of faith and an expression of assurance. Communion happens in many different ways in different churches throughout the world, and in each place brings a new meaning of life in the Spirit of God that is right for that community.

But above all, here believers join themselves to the Lord of life. Death, which shows itself in sins, injustice, oppression and despair, yields to concrete demonstrations of life which produce peace, justice, hope, liberation and salvation.

This meal is an act of expectation. We, in the midst of our daily lives, proclaim the imminent manifestation of the reign of God, as citizens of that kingdom. Hope replaces sorrow; joy surpasses tears; the power of life triumphs over the reign of death. As an act of faith surpassing the limits of time and place, we sing along with John in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ: “Now God’s home is with mortals! He will live with them and they shall be his people. God will personally be with them, and will be their God. God will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there will be an end to death. There will be no more grief nor crying nor pain, for the old order has passed away.”

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. You who come to me shall not hunger; you who believe in me shall never thirst.” In company with all who hunger for spiritual food, we come to this table to know the risen Christ in the sharing of this life-giving bread. God has offered us Christ, the Bread of Life, in these gifts – fruit of the earth and work of human hands – to be our spiritual food and drink. May we receive Christ into our lives anew as we profess our faith and gather at his Table.

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)

It is good to glorify you, Mighty God, and to give you thanks, for you alone are God, living and true, dwelling in light inaccessible from before time and forever. Fountain of life and source of all goodness, you made all things and fill them with your blessing. You created them to rejoice in the splendor of your radiance. Your mighty works reveal your wisdom and love.

You loved the world so much that in the fullness of time, you sent your only Son to be our Savior. To fulfill your purpose and to create a new and heavenly people, he gave himself up to death; and rising from the grave, destroyed it, making the whole creation new.

Send the power of your Spirit upon us gathered here out of love for you, and upon these gifts of bread and wine. Make them to be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may truly be his body, cleansed by his blood, so that all who share this bread and cup may be one body and one spirit, together as citizens of your heavenly realm, to the praise of your name. Through Christ we offer to you our thanks and praise, now and forever.

O God, in your Son Jesus Christ you have called out to us to live without fear, and indeed to confront even our most challenging turmoil with confidence and hope. Here, at your Table, you give tangible evidence of your ever-present love for us and for the world which you have so lovingly created. Pour out your Spirit, Lord, and bless this bread and this wine, that they may be for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that we who are fed and nourished here may be empowered to face the days ahead in the certain reality of his abiding presence, and to share the gift of new life with all the world.

OR (adapted from the Church of Ireland)

Mighty God, Lord of all creation, we praise you for your goodness and your love. When we turned away you did not reject us. You came to meet us in your Son, welcomed us as your children, and prepared a table where we might feast with you.

As we give thanks for the gift of this bread, Lord Jesus, we bless you: you are the bread of life. And as we lift up the cup of your covenant, Lord Jesus, we bless you: you are the true vine.

Holy Spirit, giver of life, come upon us now; may this bread and wine be to us the body and blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ. As we eat and drink these holy gifts make us, who know our need of grace, one in Christ, our risen Lord. O Blessed Trinity: with your whole Church throughout the world we offer you this sacrifice of thanks and praise. Thanks be to you, our God, for your gift beyond words.

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…

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.

Common Worship Almanac and Lectionary for the year beginning Advent Sunday 2018. Calendar for 2019

using Almanac Maker. compilation © Simon Kershaw 2018 Almanac Maker © Simon Kershaw 2010-2018.

Book of Common Prayer (1979), Public domain.

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Pentecost +8, Proper 13C

Posted in - RCL and other Common Lectionaries, Liturgical Texts: Eucharist, Year C, tagged Proper 13C on July 28, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Pentecost +8, Proper 13C

Aug. 4

This ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia is supported by your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund.

Support Our Work … read how you can help keep lifeinliturgy.org available for use without subscription charges.

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:

Hosea 11:1-11 or Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23
Psalm 107:1-9, 43 or Psalm 49:1-12
Colossians 3:1-11
Luke 12:13-21

Suggested Hymns from Chalice Hymnal

2-Joyful, joyful, we adore thee

272-The Church’s one foundation

683-O for a world

5-O for a thousand tongues to sing

101-Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts

655-Community of Christ

408-Come, share the Lord

426-The voice of Jesus calls his people

411-For the bread which you have broken

More hymn suggestions, as well as helpful references for use of the arts in worship, are available from the United Church of Christ website.

On Colossians 3:1-11

Raised unto Christ, align this life

as hidden in the Lord.

Seek that above, where focus lies

in company with Christ.

Refocused in the Lord’s delight,

become alive in him.

For in the presence held on high

is rapt delight, our sight.

Becoming the in unity

a people home on high,

we savor how we are in him

for Christ is all in all.

In this revamping of our view

we put away all wrath

that in coincidence with Christ

we celebrate in joy.

CM Suggested tune: Gerontius

Dealing with the Psalm of the Day:

This week: Psalm 107 see p. 755

Call to Worship

L: Thank the Lord with all your heart, in the gathered assembly of God’s people.

P: Mighty are the deeds of the Lord; great are the God’s works,

studied by all who have pleasure in them.

L: Holy and awesome is God’s name!

To worship the Lord is the highest wisdom; those who do so know all that is good.

P: God’s praises will last forever.

OR (adapted from Psalm 17)

L: Let us call upon the Lord who will hear us and answer.

P: God shows steadfast love to those who seek refuge in the Lord, their Savior.

L: Like the apple of his eye, God hides us in the shadow of the Almighty wings.

P: We behold God’s face in worship and praise, and with God we will be satisfied.

L: We gather in the name of the living Christ to worship God.

P: Surely, God is in this place and calls us to worship in spirit and in truth.

L: God’s love and provisions are for you and for all people everywhere.

P: In Christ we receive the Bread of Life, and are renewed in the refreshing Spirit of the living Christ.

L: In the best and worst of times, we hear the call of faith to join in worship.

P: From deep within, we sense the need to offer praise and offer up our burdens.

L: Despite the circumstances we face, God desires to provide the very best for all of earth’s children.

P: So we come to the Table of Christ, where we find God’s provisions in abundance, satisfying the true hungers of our hearts.

OR adapted from ministrymatters.com

L: Christ calls us to clothe ourselves in righteousness.
P: Worship the One who wraps us with justice, and helps us grow in the image of our Creator.
L: Love well, for your heart is where your treasure is.
P: May our hearts be filled with God’s blessings, divine provisions that meet our true needs.

OR adapted from ministrymatters.com

L: If we have been raised with Christ Jesus, let us set our minds on heavenly things.

P: The old self is gone. Let us revel in the Spirit that strips away the trappings of death, and dresses us in garments that are new.
L: As new creations in God, we are separated and divided no longer.
P: Christ is all and in all! Thanks be to God.

OR adapted from ministrymatters.com

L: Give thanks and praise to the Lord!
P: For God has dealt mercifully with us!
L: Even when we turned our backs on God,
P: God forgave us and restored us to life.
L: Rejoice in God’s abundant love.
P: We will continually praise God who heals and loves us.

OR adapted from ministrymatters.com

L: Our lives are in the care of God.
P: God has given us abundance and hope.
L: This day we have come to praise and thank God for all that God has done for us.
P: We gather to celebrate God’s love and to offer our lives in service.
L: Come, let us open our hearts to the Lord!
P: Let us rejoice in God’s goodness and love.

Invocation or Prayer of Approach

God of light and truth, you are beyond our grasp or conceiving. Before the brightness of your presence, the angels veil their faces. With lowly reverence and adoring love, we acclaim your glory and sing your praise, for you have shown us your truth and love in Jesus Christ our Savior (who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”)

God of all glory, on this first day you began creation, bringing light out of darkness. On this first day you began your new creation raising Jesus Christ out of the darkness of death. On this Lord’s Day, grant that we, the people you create by water and the Spirit, may be joined with all your works in praising you for your great glory. Through Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, we praise you now and forever (praying as our Savior taught us, “Our Father…”)

Creator of all worlds, we lift up our souls to you. All the earth is yours, all who dwell here are your children. We seek once more to experience your truth, to receive your blessing, to ascend above the limitations we have known. You are strong and mighty beyond our imagining. We aspire to become more than we have believed ourselves to be, individually and together. This we pray through Christ our Lord (who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”)

O God, your desire has always been that each of your children might be made whole, and live abundantly and freely in your presence. Center our hearts and minds that we may receive the Bread of Life which you so freely give to all, and empower us to share with others from grateful hearts, so that all may know your love and gracious provisions. This we pray through Christ our Lord (who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”)

OR adapted from ministrymatters.com

Loving Lord, open our hearts this day in praise and thanksgiving for abundant acts of love. Challenge us to seek the values of heaven over the trappings of this world. May what we experience this day call us to a rich relationship with you, as we learn to live out the calling of our baptism, through Jesus Christ our Lord (who taught us to pray, saying, “Our Father…”)

OR adapted from ministrymatters.com

Bountiful God, who gives to us all that we need to sustain our lives: Open our hearts today to hear your words of compassionate justice, that we may focus on the ways in which you intend us to live and be of service to you by serving the world. In Jesus’ Name, we pray (as he taught us, saying, “Our Father…”)

Pastoral Prayer – Prayers of the People – Intercessions

Mighty and merciful God, may your kindness be known to all. Hear the prayers of all who cry to you; open the eyes of those who never pray for themselves; have mercy on those who are in misery; deal gently with those who sit in darkness; increase the number of those who love and serve you daily. Preserve our land from all things hurtful, preserve our Church from all dangerous error, preserve our people from forgetting that you are their Lord and Savior. Be gracious to those countries that are made desolate by war, famine, disease, or persecution, and grant that the course of the world may be so ordered in obedience to your will that the people may live in security and freedom from want, and their children grow up to be makers of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Prayers from the Book of Common Order, Church of Scotland, on oremus.org)

OR (from Common Worship)

R may be silent prayer or a response, such as “Lord, hear our prayer.”

For the unity of the Church in witness and proclamation of the Gospel … let us pray to the Lord: R

For the peace and stability of all peoples and for the leaders of the nations …let us pray to the Lord: R

For places of work, education and leisure …let us pray to the Lord: R

For a blessing on our homes; for our relations and friends and all whom we love …let us pray to the Lord: R

For the sick and suffering and all who minister to their needs …let us pray to the Lord: R

Let us commend ourselves, and all for whom we pray, to the mercy and protection of God.

Open prayer may be offered and silence is kept. The Collect and Lord’s Prayer follow.

God of love and mercy, you have called us and all your children into one family through the resurrection of your Son Jesus. By his gracious presence, we look with new eyes at the whole human family in its brokenness and pain. We seek your strength and determination to embrace them, love them, heal them, and share with them your great good news of hope and new life.

Hear us as we lift to you our deepest needs, our pressing burdens, our fears and hopes. Be near us, we pray, as your people. Help us to receive your many gifts with gratitude and faithful stewardship.

We pray for those who suffer pain or illness, for the lonely and despairing, for the lost and worn and battered of our world. And we lift to you the leaders of this and every nation, community and faith, that they would be guided by your spirit, and aware of the needs, especially of the least, of their people.

We pray for those whose lives are closely linked to our own_______________and for our own needs, which we offer to you in faith.

To the sick, O Lord, give your healing; to the grieving, give hope; to the dying, give your peace; and to all of us, O God, give faith to go forth from this place, determined to live in the light of your good news in Jesus Christ. It is in his name that we offer to you our prayers and our lives. Amen.

Lord God, we give you thanks for all your gifts to us—for daily food, for health, for each breath we take, for freedom to choose, and for the gifts of your word, your power and your love. Our hearts are truly overwhelmed, O God, when we consider how you have entrusted so much to us. May we be worthy of that trust—may we be a people who are unafraid to live as fully and as richly as you want us to live.

Help us, O God, as followers of Jesus, to multiply all that you have given us, to risk spreading your word and perhaps see it misunderstood, to gamble by loving those whom others think worthy only of hate, to take chances by doing good to those who have not done good to us. Help us be faith filled and desire to increase your glory and your goodness in this world. Make us people who share in both word and deed that which you have given to us.

We pray for the church gathered today, both here and around the world, that it may encourage all of its members to discover, develop and use all their gifts, those of nature and those of grace.

We pray for those who are poor in body or in spirit, for those oppressed and heavy laden, for those sick or in despair. Minister by your Spirit and by us, to all those for whom we have prayed, and help us walk faithfully in the path of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

OR from ministrymatters.com

Lord, we stand in line for tickets, books, and gadgets. We place our energy in gathering things that might be of monetary value at some later point and justify this action by stating that it is for our children’s good. When we have gathered enough, we tend to relax and say to ourselves that it is all right for us to “eat, drink, and be merry”. We have done our best. But have we? Have we given thought to how we have given our best in service to others? Have we spent so much time gathering and building bigger containers for our trinkets, that we have overlooked the good we could have done? We are indeed foolish people, Lord. We want everything, yet the most important things are not the trinkets but the good that is offered to others. We have gathered here this day, asking for your healing mercies for people and situations that impact our lives. We place our trust in your compassionate love. Help us to gather peace, joy, justice, and hope as gifts to be given abundantly to all. Bring us again to your mercy and care, for we ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Prayers from Common Worship*

Collect

Lord of all power and might,

the author and giver of all good things:

graft in our hearts the love of your name,

increase in us true religion,

nourish us with all goodness,

and of your great mercy keep us in the same;

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

Lord God, whose Son is the true vine and the source of life,

ever giving himself that the world may live:

may we so receive within ourselves

the power of his death and passion

that, in his saving cup,

we may share his glory and be made perfect in his love;

for he is alive and reigns, now and for ever.

Additional Collect

Generous God,

you give us gifts and make them grow:

though our faith is small as mustard seed,

make it grow to your glory

and the flourishing of your kingdom;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Collect of the Day (from Book of Common Prayer, 1979**)

Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your

Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without

your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you

and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Luke 12:13-31

Accumulating more than we suppose,

we as the fool content ourselves

with hoards of our abundance.

Our God, enlarge our sights

that we may understand

your love for us

and comprehend the bounty set

within our hands to share

in Jesus Christ.

Service of Table

Offertory / Invitation to Give

Listen to God’s word concerning our offerings, as told by Moses long ago: “Let everyone give as they are able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given you.” God has given much. Let us rejoice in this opportunity to share God’s blessings with the world.

Just as Christ has taught the way of life to us, the church, we have the responsibility of bringing life to the world around us through our ministries and the outreach of missions through our connections of faith around the globe. Let us offer gratefully and sacrificially to the work of God who has given all for us.

God has made every provision for our lives on this earth, giving not only enough in creation to keep us alive, but to give us life that is abundant and rich with possibilities. How do we respond to such graciousness and love? May it be by offering not only what we feel obligated to give, but what God’s example has set for us, and what God’s Spirit inspires in us – the very first fruits, the very best of our lives and of our labors.

OR from ministrymatters.com

Prosperity is given to the greater community of believers, so that all of God’s children may benefit. Let us demonstrate that we are the body of Christ through our extravagant sharing of God’s blessings this day. And let us give out of our joy, rather than out of a sense of obligation, as we offer to our God the gifts of our hearts.

Offertory Prayer

Receive, O God, these fruits of earth, and the products of our labors, which we offer to you in token of the sacrifice of our lives. Accept them, we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God of our ancestors, whose laws are timeless and whose ways empower the church, we bring to you the results of our labors. We would recognize all our moments and days as precious gifts from you. We dedicate ourselves anew to the fulfilling of your will through all you entrust to us, not just through the portion we here return. Bless all that the church seeks to accomplish in Christ’s name.

We dedicate this money as one evidence of our stewardship, loving God. Our silver and gold have no value except as they are invested according to your purposes. Our lives gain value as we give our time and talents in loving service. Use all that we have and give to build the community you intend, through Christ our Lord.

OR from ministrymatters.com

Invitation to the Table

Luke wrote of our risen Savior, who at the table with two of the disciples, took bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. Their eyes were opened, and they recognized the risen Christ in the breaking of the bread. In company with all believers in every time and place, and beyond all time and place, we come to this table, to know the risen Christ in the breaking of the bread.

God is the great provider. From earth’s bounty we receive this bread, worked by human hands, and brought to us to be offered as our spiritual food; and this wine, made by human labor to be brought to this Table as our spiritual drink. All of this is God’s doing, and not just for us, but for all the world. Christ himself invites us to receive with thanksgiving the blessings of God’s hand. Let us come near the Table he has spread with joy and gratitude.

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)

We thank you, God that you have provided for all of us who ever were or ever will be by giving yourself to us in love. If we go to the heights of the mountains, or if we make the grave our bed, you are there with us. If we go to the depths of the sea, your right hand holds us securely.

You, O God, sent your own Son that he might be servant of all. He alone, who is closest to your heart, made you known to us. He walked among us, ate with us, showed us his glory in signs, and gave to us this feast of joy as the promise of our salvation from sin and death.

We ask now that you bless us, as we share this bread and cup, that we might be nourished by that same unbounded love and so be encouraged to be your servants in the world, in the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Your abundance, O God, has overflowed into the world with an everlasting love. As we give thanks for the gifts of earth – this bread and wine – and the way in which you have given it so graciously through the life of Jesus, we pray that your Holy Spirit would come upon us and upon this Table. May we be nourished by your gifts and encouraged by your promise to care for us and for all creation through the presence of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

In confidence of your sure provisions, we lift our hearts to you, O God, seeking once again to be fed by your eternal Bread. As we break this loaf and lift up this cup, we pray that your Holy Spirit might come upon them, and upon us, that we might receive true life and strength to live faithfully in your presence in the days to come. Hear us as we offer ourselves to you anew in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord.

As we come to partake the One Holy Loaf, feed us and draw us to unity of heart in Jesus Christ. Create in us the oneness which embraces people in full measured Christian love and weeps over our proud division, stopping us from calling anyone our brother, our sister. Refresh us and make to flow in our veins your peace, as we are set together in the one cup. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, fill our lives with the passion of Christ, a longing to include in our communion all the peoples loving you, that our joy may be complete in Jesus Christ our one Lord.

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…

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.

Common Worship Almanac and Lectionary for the year beginning Advent Sunday 2018. Calendar for 2019

using Almanac Maker. compilation © Simon Kershaw 2018 Almanac Maker © Simon Kershaw 2010-2018.

Book of Common Prayer (1979), Public domain.

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Pentecost +7, Proper 12C

Posted in - RCL and other Common Lectionaries, Liturgical Texts: Eucharist, Year C, tagged Proper 12C on July 24, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Pentecost +7, Proper 12C

July 28

This ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia is supported by your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund.

Support Our Work … read how you can help keep lifeinliturgy.org available for use without subscription charges.

Scripture (from the Revised Common Lectionary, with links provided by TextWeek.com – a source for thoughtful worship and preaching throughout the year):

Hosea 1:2-10 or Genesis 18:20-32
Psalm 85 or Psalm 138
Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19)
Luke 11:1-13

Suggested Hymns from Chalice Hymnal

713-For the fruit of all creation

15-Rejoice, ye pure in heart

717-Let all things now living

(This is a great day to sing the Lord’s prayer. #310 is most singable)

275-Christ is made the sure foundation (note alt. tune on 149)

423-Become to us the living Bread

More hymn suggestions, as well as helpful references for use of the arts in worship, are available from the United Church of Christ website.

On Genesis 18:20-32

Ever questioning in honor,

ever seeking peace at last,

then did Abraham apprise God

to accede on holiness.

Finding fifty righteous mingled,

will the judgment crush the whole?

No, replies the testing Savior:

fifty will suffice to save.

Ah, Lord, Abraham continues,

lacking five, will brimstone fall?

Again does God patience offer –

and not for ten wreak havoc.

Certainly, God’s patience dawdles

over few and fewer yet,

waiting till the measure answers

and, too few, they’re drawn away.

Standing in the face of judgment,

waiting on disaster’s fall,

see we how compassion renders

fear to mercy, life to thrive.

So, the chosen of divine love

echo love in worried parts,

call again, again to answer

gentleness to save afresh.

8.7.8.7.D Suggested tune: Austria

Dealing with the Psalm of the Day:

This week: Sorry; no good advice.

Call to Worship

L: Our God has gathered us here, among the treasures of the Kingdom, to rejoice in faith.

P: Our hearts are open to the life-giving possibilities faith can bring.

L: Let none of us be afraid. The harvest of faith belongs to God the Giver.

P: Thanks be to God. Our confidence is in the One who made heaven and earth!

OR (from Psalm 85) from ministrymatters.com

L: Come! Join the fellowship of God’s people—people who gather as faithful disciples of Christ.
P: We seek the One who frees us from uncertainty and doubt.
L: Come! Join the welcome of God’s people—people who meet together for justice and peace.
P: We seek the One who is trustworthy, the One who gives us what is good.
L: Come! Join the celebration of God’s people—people of the One who was, and is, and shall ever be.
P: We raise our voices in praise and honor to God, and worship the One who is faithful.

OR from ministrymatters.com

L: The goodness of God has called us here!
P: We are recipients of God’s gracious love.
L: Though we have not always done what is right in God’s sight;
P: Yet God is merciful and forgiving.
L: Open your hearts and spirits to the refreshing love of God.
P: Help us, O Lord, to live joyfully and peacefully in your sight.

Invocation or Prayer of Approach

Gracious God, we gather this morning in this house of worship which, thanks to your love, is our home away from home. We come to add our human voices to the chorus of praise raised by your creation! We come as we are – distracted and weary, hopeful and open – know that you accept us and are ever mindful of our cares and joys. Still in us now the many voices that clamor for attention, that we might center ourselves upon you. Speak to us in word and melody and quiet, that we may be renewed in our faith and strengthened for your service. This we pray through Christ our Lord (who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”)

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ our Lord (who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”)

Pastoral Prayer – Prayers of the People – Intercessions

R= Lord, hear our prayer.

In peace, let us pray to Jesus our Lord, who ever lives to make intercession for us.

(silence)

Saviour of the world, be present in all places of suffering, violence and pain, and bring hope even in the darkest night. Inspire us to continue your work of reconciliation today. R

Lord of the Church, empower by your Spirit all Christian people, [especially NN], and the work of your Church in every land. Give us grace to proclaim the gospel joyfully in word and deed. R

Shepherd and Guardian of our souls, guide and enable all who lead and serve this community and those on whom we depend for our daily needs. Grant that we may seek the peace and welfare of this place. R

Great Physician, stretch out your hand to bring comfort, wholeness and peace to [N and] all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit. Fill us with compassion, that we may be channels of your healing love. R

Conqueror of death, remember for good those whom we love but see no longer. Help us to live this day in the sure and certain hope of your eternal victory. R

Let us commend ourselves, and all for whom we pray, to the mercy and protection of God.

Open prayer may be offered and silence is kept. The Collect and Lord’s Prayer follow.

God of Creation, God of Wonder, hear this offering of prayer and praise as a gift from our thankful hearts. We thank you for the wonders all around us. For grains of sand, the smell of rain falling on dry ground, for the shifting of the seasons and the sound of laughter. We thank you God for one another – for the joys and struggles of relationships that nurture us and help us to grow.

God, we thank you for your eternal presence in our midst and for the good news of your deep abiding love for all of creation.

Even as we give thanks, we lift up the concerns that burden us this day. We ask your peace and blessing on all those we have named in this place today and all whose names and circumstances remain in the safe sanctuary of your Spirit’s care.

We pray for all who are suffering in body, mind or spirit and for all who provide care for the needs of others. We pray for the lonely and the despairing…for those who struggle with addiction…for those who feel trapped in situations of abuse…for those who making difficult decisions in life…

God, we pray for your church and its mission in the world. Bless all of your children God, and pour your Spirit upon us, bringing healing, comfort and strength wherever it is needed. All this we ask in the name of the One who calls us forward in faith, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayers from Common Worship*

Collect

Merciful God,

you have prepared for those who love you

such good things as pass our understanding:

pour into our hearts such love toward you

that we, loving you in all things and above all things,

may obtain your promises,

which exceed all that we can desire;

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

God of our pilgrimage,

you have led us to the living water:

refresh and sustain us

as we go forward on our journey,

in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Additional Collect

Creator God,

you made us all in your image:

may we discern you in all that we see,

and serve you in all that we do;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Collect of the Day (from Book of Common Prayer, 1979**)

O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom

nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon

us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so

pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you

and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Luke 11:1-13

Simplicity commands our prayer, O God,

and brings us to our need for you

for basics at your coming store.

In this, as we allow our hands

to yield of good in love’s command,

be now the bearer of your gift,

your Holy Spirit, our delight.

Service of Table

Offertory / Invitation to Give

The wonderful works of God surround us. How will we show our gratitude? The generosity of God exceeds all our limits. How will our manner of life reflect the abundance of God’s mercy? Surely our offerings are one measure of our response.

OR from ministrymatters.com

Having received the grace of God in the redemption of Christ, we live strengthened in the faith, with hearts overflowing with thankfulness. From the depths of our hearts, we offer to God the very best we have. May our offering be a true act of worship and thanksgiving.

Offertory Prayer

Lord, our gifts are not casually presented. There is sacrifice in each of them. We have prospered and our gifts are prayers that your will may prosper in the lives of all who worship here today. For the saving of the world, we give and pray.

OR from ministrymatters.com

Before you, O God, we offer our prayers, our presence, our gifts, and our service. We lay our gifts before you in praise and thanksgiving for your many blessings. May these offerings continue the transforming work of your Spirit in and through our congregation. Amen.

Invitation to the Table

God wants to share this meal with you—all of you who dare to let go of your defenses and your trust in self or others, and trust in God. Let us come to God’s table with hearts of thanksgiving and trust fully in the Christ who invites us all.

OR from ministrymatters.com

Come and receive the answer to your prayers. This cup and this loaf contain the fulfillment of the human heart. Through this sacrament, we receive the power and direction to bring about the kingdom of God—as God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven. Come and receive the answer
to your prayers.

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)

O God, who in your Son Jesus Christ have taught us not only the words of prayer but the life of prayer, we offer to you our praise and thanksgiving for the gift of this holy meal, wherein he offers himself to us again and feeds to us the Bread of Heaven. Send forth the power of your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts of bread and wine, that as we receive them and share them we may be empowered to live as your people who not only pray for, but strive for your will to be done on earth as in heaven, as people of your only begotten Son, our Lord.

With hope and confidence, we bless this bread and cup, life-giving and ever-loving God. Pour forth your Spirit upon us who have heard Christ’s call to gather at your table, and upon these gifts which you have provided for all who hunger and thirst. Let your reign on earth be as it is in heaven, as we who receive them live in faith with you through your Son Jesus Christ, our Savior and Sovereign Lord.

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…

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.

Common Worship Almanac and Lectionary for the year beginning Advent Sunday 2018. Calendar for 2019

Book of Common Prayer (1979), Public domain.

Read Full Post »

Pentecost +6, Proper 11C

Posted in - RCL and other Common Lectionaries, Liturgical Texts: Eucharist, Year C, tagged Proper 11C on July 15, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Pentecost +6, Proper 11C

July 21

This ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia is supported by your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund.

Support Our Work … read how you can help keep lifeinliturgy.org available for use without subscription charges.

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:

Amos 8:1-12 or Genesis 18:1-10a
Psalm 52 or Psalm 15
Colossians 1:15-28
Luke 10:38-42

Suggested Hymns from Chalice Hymnal

88-All my hope on God is founded

538-Hope of the world

86-Great is thy faithfulness

275-Christ is made the sure foundation

517-Love divine, all loves excelling

543-Blessed assurance

595-Be thou my vision

420-I come with joy

385-An upper room did our Lord prepare

More hymn suggestions, as well as helpful references for use of the arts in worship, are available from the United Church of Christ website.

On Luke 10:38-42

Welcoming the Master ever,

busy in our serving hour,

anxious ever over toiling,

come we to demand desire.

Master, see, she sits and listens:

send her to assist at chores!

Martha, Martha, says the Master,

worried anxious all the while:

how your serving overwhelms you,

how your anxious haste does wring!

Knowing best, your sister’s chosen

what is yet the better part.

Martha, Martha, ever anxious,

worried over your own hands,

do remember, ever earnest,

to adore the guest your greet.

Spend upon the face and teaching,

all the prize that marks this day.

8.7.8.7.8.7. Suggested tune: Praise My Soul

Dealing with the Psalm of the Day:

This week: Psalm 15 is on p. 729

Call to Worship

L: Christ our Lord united his followers together in Christian love.

P: His presence makes our fellowship a happy experience.

L: When Christ is our life, our fellowship takes on the nature of Christ, we experience unity, love and humility toward one another.

P: May Christ live in us, that we may be like him.

L: Above the noise of the world, a quiet voice is calling.

P: The rush of the days, the busyness of life, can drain us and leave us empty.

L: But we hear the call of Jesus to come away with him and rest.

P: May we hear his gracious invitation, and center our lives in the refreshing presence of God.

L: Be still and know that God is.

P: God was, also, in the beginning.

L: And when all human striving has ceased, God will still be.

P: From everlasting to everlasting, God is God, and alone is worthy to be worshiped.

Invocation or Prayer of Approach

Still our spirits, O God, as we gather in this sacred space to join in worship. May the quietness of your presence bring us back to the center of life, so that we may be ready to receive your mission, and be refreshed by your Spirit to carry it out. This we pray through Christ our Lord (who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”)

Pastoral Prayer – Prayers of the People – Intercessions

Loving and Holy Spirit of God, we pray:

that we and all people may increasingly work together to establish on earth the rule of the kingdom of heaven;
that the resources of the world may be gathered, distributed, and used with unselfish motives and scientific skill for the greatest benefit of all;
that beauty may be given to our towns and cities, and left untarnished in the countryside;
that children may grow up strong in body, sound in mind, and trained in spirit;
that there may be open ways, and peace, and freedom, from end to end of the earth;
and that people everywhere may learn to live in love through keeping the company of Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose great name we pray.

(Prayers from the Book of Common Order, Church of Scotland, on oremus.org)

God of Sun and Moon, Star and Sky, your wonder is beyond our imagining. We thank you for the gift of this world we share, and for the common bonds that we share as your children.

Bless us God, as we seek to find a way toward the peace you invite us to share. Guide us God as we walk that delicate line between being faithful to our own relationship with you, and yet remain understanding of those whose path is vastly different from our own. Remind us often that being faithful does not require that we close ourselves off from the faith of others.

Open our hearts, minds and spirits to people of every faith and culture. May the Mystery of your ways be the bridge that draws all of your people together in prayer for peace in our time.

We pray for those who are in special need of your grace and healing today. For those who live in fear of violence; for refugees everywhere; for political prisoners and for those who imprison them; God, we ask for peace. For those who are grieving, or hungry, or in despair; for the lonely, and all who are ill or suffering, for any who struggle with addiction, and for all who live with chronic illness.

God, we trust in your power to be present with the suffering. We trust in your Spirit’s power to bring comfort, faith and strength where it is needed. We pray, bring your radical, scandalous peace into our midst, and touch us all with your love, for we ask it in the name of the One who calls us ever forward, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayers from Common Worship*

Collect

Almighty and everlasting God,

by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church

is governed and sanctified:

hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people,

that in their vocation and ministry

they may serve you in holiness and truth

to the glory of your name;

through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Post Communion

Grant, O Lord, we beseech you,

that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered

by your governance,

that your Church may joyfully serve you in all godly quietness;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Additional Collect

Almighty God,

send down upon your Church

the riches of your Spirit,

and kindle in all who minister the gospel

your countless gifts of grace;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Collect of the Day (from Book of Common Prayer, 1979**)

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our

necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have

compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those

things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our

blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son

Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the

Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Luke 10:38-42

The faces that we meet, O God,

confront our toil, our hard anxiety,

and lure us from the worry

we entertain as ours.

Beyond our snaring toil, O God,

our labors to prepare,

remind us of the faces, Lord,

the faces and the hearts

that they find you in our relief.

Service of Table

Offertory / Invitation to Give

What is right for each of us to give has always been our own decision. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that all must do as we have made up our minds, not reluctantly or under obligation, for God loves a cheerful giver.

God who made the earth has filled it with good things. Every good and perfect gift, we are told, comes down to us from the Father of Light, with whom there is no shadow or threat of turning. May we offer to God’s care the gifts with which we have been entrusted, that the mission of Christ may go forth from this place, and that in all things God be glorified.

Offertory Prayer

Accept, O Lord, the offering we seek to make, of ourselves and our money; and grant that we may ever work and pray to build a world of peace and joy and freedom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(Prayers from the Book of Common Order, Church of Scotland, on oremus.org)

With grateful hearts and open hands, O God, we receive freely from you, and are moved by your Spirit to freely give. Bless the works of our hands that they may accomplish your purposes in our world, through the spirit of Christ who calls us forth in mission. Amen.

Invitation to the Table

Christ’s table is spread for all of us—a place of gathering, of fellowship and of praise. Let us rejoice as we respond to God’s gracious invitation to receive these gifts of Christ’s body and blood that we may be strengthened to live as faithful disciples.

God’s beautiful creation overflows with beauty and abundance. May we who open our hands at the Table Christ has spread for us be filled to overflowing with thanksgiving and praise in all things, and strengthened by the bread of Christ to do the works that he has called us to do in our day and place.

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)

Holy God, creator of heaven and earth, you formed the universe in your wisdom, and set us in families on the earth to live with you in faith. We praise you for good gifts of bread and wine, and for the table you spread in the world as a sign of your love for all people.

We praise you, Lord, for sending your only Son Jesus to live among us, making you known to all who receive him. Even having taken up his cross and dying that we might live, you raised him from death to still be the friend of sinners. We trust him to overcome every power that can hurt or divide us.

Pour out your Spirit upon us, that this bread and cup may be for us the body and blood of Christ, and that we, and all who share this feast, may be one with Christ and he with us. Fill us with eternal life, that with joy we may be his faithful people until we feast with him in glory.

Gracious God, whose world is diverse and filled with the fruit of creation, we give thanks for this bread and wine – fruit of the earth and work of human hands. Pour forth your Spirit upon us and upon these gifts. May they be for us the bread of life and the cup of salvation, as we remember and give thanks for all of your goodness. Empower us in this meal to be fruitful and forgiving people, open to the others who come our way, and ready to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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…

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.

Common Worship Almanac and Lectionary for the year beginning Advent Sunday 2018. Calendar for 2019

Book of Common Prayer (1979), Public domain.

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Pentecost +5, Proper 10C

Posted in - RCL and other Common Lectionaries, Liturgical Texts: Eucharist, Year C, tagged Proper 10C on July 9, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Pentecost +5, Proper 10C

July 14

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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:

Amos 7:7-17 or Deuteronomy 30:9-14
Psalm 82 or Psalm 25:1-10
Colossians 1:1-14
Luke 10:25-37

Suggested Hymns from Chalice Hymnal

16-Come, thou Fount of every blessing

343-Jesus is tenderly calling thee home

340-Softly and tenderly

614-I’m gonna live so God can use me

491-As grain on scattered hillsides

409-I hunger and I thirst

More hymn suggestions, as well as helpful references for use of the arts in worship, are available from the United Church of Christ website.

On Colossians 1:1-14

Delivered from the darkness now,

rejoice in God’s esteemed delight.

For in the hearing of the word,

the word of Christ, does life arise.

Intent upon exuberance

explosive wonder, rapt delight,

O God, in this enticing life

thy Spirit and thy love are ours.

So urgently is all inspired,

become the buoyancy of joy.

Indeed, we offer to you, Lord,

the sacred awe that’s steeped in joy.

Illustrious, incisive thanks

becomes illumination’s theme

as in the bright inclusion known

we are now understood in truth.

Endurance, patience, wisdom, Lord,

are your enhancement in our days.

We bring thanksgiving, laden joy,

our rapt inheritance in Christ.

LM Suggested tune: Ludborough

Dealing with the Psalm of the Day:

This week: My regrets, but I have nothing to offer.

Call to Worship

L: God calls us together to worship this morning.

P: From our work and play within the world, God gathers us so that we may give thanks for creation’s goodness, for the strength to labor, for the wisdom to relax.

L: From amidst our friends and family God brings us here to participate in a community of faith, Christ’s people, a new family.

P: From everyday talk and chatter, God invites us to speak in truth from the depths of heart and mind, and to pray freely.

L: Let us heed God’s call and rejoice in what God enables.

P: Come let us worship together!

OR from ministrymatters.com

L: The world cries to us in its distress. How shall we answer?
P: We cannot pass by as though nothing is wrong.
L: How shall we answer?
P: We cannot become so focused on ourselves that others mean nothing to us.
L: How shall we answer?
P: We shall be the neighbor in service, reconciliation and compassion wherever we can.

OR from ministrymatters.com

L: Sometimes it seems as though God is far away.
P: There is so much trouble in the world.
L: We look to the heavens and wonder why God doesn’t deal more strictly with the wicked and
more compassionately with the innocent.
P: We are overwhelmed with the needs of others.
L: Come, let us turn to the Lord, whose very heart is compassion and hope.
P: Let us be partners in caring for all who are in need.

Invocation or Prayer of Approach

Most Holy God, we await the touch of your Spirit with eagerness. We ask that you enter the lives of each one of us today, refreshing and renewing and healing us with the power of your loving Spirit, that we may live with purpose and enthusiasm and courage after the manner of Jesus our Lord (who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”)

God of grace, you have given us minds to know you, hearts to love you, and voices to sing your praise. Fill us with your spirit that we may celebrate your glory and truly worship you; through Jesus Christ our Lord (who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”)

As we worship this morning, O God, we pray that your spirit will be our strength, your word will be our guide, your love will be our comfort, and your promises will be our hope. We gather now to praise you, O God, in the name of Christ our Lord (who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”)

OR from ministrymatters.com

Lord of justice and mercy, we come to you this day seeking your healing and reconciling love. Help us to be open to your word, your presence, your compassion. Clear our hearts of those things which block your will. Keep us focused on your enabling power so that we, having been healed, may more fully serve you. In Jesus’ Name, we pray (as he taught us to pray, saying, “Our Father…”)

Pastoral Prayer – Prayers of the People – Intercessions

We pray for the church gathered today, both here and around the world, that it may encourage all of its members to discover, develop and use all their gifts, those of nature and those of grace.

Prayers from Common Worship*

Collect

O God, the protector of all who trust in you,

without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy:

increase and multiply upon us your mercy;

that with you as our ruler and guide

we may so pass through things temporal

that we lose not our hold on things eternal;

grant this, heavenly Father,

for our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Post Communion

Eternal God,

comfort of the afflicted and healer of the broken,

you have fed us at the table of life and hope:

teach us the ways of gentleness and peace,

that all the world may acknowledge

the kingdom of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Additional Collect

Gracious Father,

by the obedience of Jesus

you brought salvation to our wayward world:

draw us into harmony with your will,

that we may find all things restored in him,

our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Collect of the Day (from Book of Common Prayer, 1979**)

O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who

call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand

what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and

power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ

our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Luke 10:25-37

Exhaustive human presence comes

and we delay, O God.

In our delay for busyness or danger,

we defray our wants with fear.

Yet in the lean simplicity of heart,

as you invite us to remain,

we find our neighbor

where human care accedes.

God, be the welcome in our love.

Service of Table

Offertory / Invitation to Give

The Apostle John says, “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees another in need, yet closes his heart, how does God’s love abide in that person. Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in deed and in truth.” Indeed, here in our offerings, we find deed and truth – our faith lived out. True, abiding, gospel love.

Many gifts have been sewn into our lives, the seeds of God’s generosity and love for the world. We are stewards of them, and are called by the gospel of Christ to spread them abroad, trusting in God’s care to nurture and bring forth the harvest of righteousness. Let us bring forth the fruits of God’s creative, loving care from the gardens of our lives.

Offertory Prayer

May these gifts bring light to those who walk in darkness, hope to those who live in despair, and justice to those who are oppressed. Grant to each giver a sense of participation in the most important opportunity of all time: to share your love with the world. To this end we dedicate our offerings and ourselves. Amen.

With hearts of praise, O Lord, we dedicate to you these gifts as tokens of our lives and work. Use them, as you use us, to the fulfilling of your purposes for creation, that we might give glory to you not only in the hearing, but in the doing of your word.

You, O God, are the giver of all life. In the offerings we bring today are fruits of the lives you have entrusted to us and the gifts you have given. Help us to bring them with joy and offer them freely, as you have offered yourself to us and to the world so freely in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Invitation to the Table

Because of God’s great love for us and for all the world, we have been called to a new kind of living, where gracious hospitality and lavish love combine to offer help to the helpless, strength to the hurting, nourishment to the hungry and thirsty, and life to the dead. Let us prepare to receive out of God’s own hand of hospitality the gift of life eternal, offered for us and for the world in the body and blood of Christ our Savior.

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)

Open our hearts, O God, to see Christ revealed again in all the walks of our lives, but especially in this gracious meal which you have offered, and to which he has invited us and all the world. Send forth your Spirit upon us and upon these gifts of bread and wine, that they may be for his body and his blood; so that as we receive them, we may be renewed to carry forth his mission from you, to bind up the wounds of those who are suffering, to befriend those who are friendless, to care for those who are struggling outside the hope of life as you intend it, and to love as Jesus himself has loved.

Merciful God, we thank you for these gifts of your creation, this bread and this wine. We pray that we who eat and drink them in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit in obedience to our Savior Christ in remembrance of his death and passion may be partakers of his body and his blood, and share with him in eternal glory. Renew us by your Holy Spirit, unite us in the body of your Son, and bring us with all your people into the joy of your eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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…

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.

Common Worship Almanac and Lectionary for the year beginning Advent Sunday 2018. Calendar for 2019

Book of Common Prayer (1979), Public domain.

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