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Proper 27 | OT 32 Worship Resources

Worship
Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44
Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - B
H. Burnham Kirkland
Lectionary Worship Aids
Series VI, Cycle B
First Lesson: Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17
Theme: Happy Ending

Call To Worship
The story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz is one of love, loyalty, and responsibility. As we gather together to worship God Almighty, the Father of us all, let us receive his love, renew our loyalty, and accept our responsibility for our families, loved ones, and neighbors.

Come, let us worship.

Collect
Almighty God, we give you thanks for lives set free from despair when things go wrong. Enable us to see clearly one another's needs so that we may be a ministering community. Give us strength to do your will and courage to accept our responsibility for others. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Prayer Of Confession
We confess, Lord, that sometimes when we put our trust in you we use that as an excuse for doing nothing ourselves. Wake us up, we pray, that we may seek your will and then plan and strategize to carry it out. Amen.

Hymns
"Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee"
"God Will Take Care Of You"

* * *

Second Lesson: Hebrews 9:24-28
Theme: Christ Takes Away Our Sins

Call To Worship
Christ died once and for all time to remove the barrier of sin that keeps us from God, and to demonstrate the forgiving and loving nature of our Heavenly Father. Christ continues to stand at the doorways of our hearts, pleading for us to let him enter and thus accept God's love.

Come, let us worship our merciful God made known to us through Jesus Christ.

Collect
O God, our help in ages past and our hope for years to come, we graciously accept your merciful and forgiving love. May your Holy Spirit inspire our prayers as we worship you in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer Of Confession
Good Lord, save us from halfheartedness in our service to others. May our commitment to do your will be complete, and may we find joy in the full use of all that we are and have in the service of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hymns
"Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
"How Like A Gentle Spirit"

* * *

Gospel Lesson: Mark 12:38-44
Theme: Sacrificial Giving

Call To Worship
If our actions do not agree with our teachings then we are in trouble. Jesus warned us about giving out of our abundance to gain recognition, when he calls us to give sacrificially of our time, talents, and money in order to serve him.

Come, let us worship God who provides for our needs and asks us to provide for the needs of others.

Collect
Almighty God, what we give to you is nothing compared to the sacrifice of himself that Jesus made upon the cross for us. Bless this time of worship, we pray, that it may be a time when we rededicate ourselves that we may be used by you in the building of your kingdom, and in sharing the Good News of your forgiving love with those who do not know you. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Prayer Of Confession
Yes, Lord, we, too, have been guilty of contributing to the work of your Church the crumbs left over after our feasting. We have not known the joy of giving because we have felt no pain in letting go such small amounts of our blessings. May your Spirit inspire us to give not what we think we can afford, but what we know in our hearts we ought to be giving for your work. Amen.

Hymns
"Take My Life, And Let It Be"
"I Would Be True"
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John Jamison
Object: This message is a role play. You can do this with only two children playing the parts of the two women, but if you have more children, you could have two more playing the parts of the children, another playing the part of the synagogue leader, and another playing the part of the country’s leader. You can also add any other roles you might want to add to make it interesting. Also, I have created places for your characters to speak, but you can add more of those to make it all more fun and memorable.

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The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Christopher Keating
Nazish Naseem
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
For August 24, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Wayne Brouwer
C. Knight Aldrich, a medical doctor and the first chairperson of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Chicago (1955-1964), was a keen analyst of the motivations for our behaviors. He worked with the social services agencies of Chicago for a time, particularly spending hours with teenagers who had been arrested for shoplifting or other theft. Aldrich interviewed them to find out how they had come to this. He also talked with the parents, attempting to discover how they had handled the problem from the first time they knew about it.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Jeremiah 1:4-10 and Psalm 77:1-6

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“We have questions about your conduct as our pastor,” Carl announced as soon as Pastor John sat down at the hastily called board meeting. “We have received complaints about you from the congregation.”

“Complaints?” Pastor John frowned. “From whom and about what?”

“Mrs. Finnigan saw you coming out of what she politely described as ‘A Gentleman’s Club’ last Thursday night when she was driving downtown.” Bruce scowled. “Do you deny this?”

“Not at all,” Pastor John said. “I did have to go to that place on Thursday evening.”

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
Jesus was aware of people's deepest needs and what prompted their actions. In our worship today let us consider how we can discover people's deepest needs and the motives for their actions.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes we see only the surface and condemn without real understanding.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we are afraid to get sufficiently close to other people to see their inner needs.
Christ, have mercy.

SermonStudio

James Evans
(See Epiphany 4/Ordinary Time 4, Cycle C, for an alternative approach.)

The old saying, "experience is the best teacher," could serve as a subtitle for this psalm. Written as a prayer for help in a time of distress or oppression, the psalm subtly hints at a recognition and awareness that only comes with time. There is a track record, so to speak, that the psalmist is aware of: God's record of dependability. Based on God's proven record of saving power and grace, the psalmist is able to pray for salvation, but at the same time celebrate the certainty of its arrival.
Lee Ann Dunlap
Carrie's1 high school guidance counselor noticed she had been acting out a bit in school recently. She had appeared depressed and had been having some authority issues over rules and such. The guidance counselor set Carrie up with a local pastor who had been volunteering a few hours each Friday after a teen suicide a few months before. Most of the other students who came to see the pastor just needed someone to listen to their usual teen issues and heartaches. But, shortly into their time together, Carrie began to open up about some real grown-up problems.
Kirk R. Webster
It's a typical Sunday morning at St. Stephen Presbyterian Church in Orlando, Florida. The people file in and sit down in plush pews. Their attention is drawn to the chancel where they see choir members calmly seated, robed in dark blue and white. The mahogany altar table is draped with a silk parament. Two bronze candleholders stand guard at the table edges.
R. Robert Cueni
As was his custom, Jesus went that Sabbath morning to the synagogue for worship. As he was preaching and teaching, he happened to glance toward the fringe of the crowd where he saw a very crippled woman. She was bent over and was unable to stand up straight. When he inquired, Jesus was told the woman had been that way for eighteen years.
John H. Will
Call to Worship
Indeed, this is a day of rest and gladness.
This is God's Sabbath, created for our reflection and renewal.
Let us then not profane it, but keep it holy.
We do this as we honor God and commit ourselves to the well--being of God's creation.
Each of us individually needs a personal rejuvenation of spirit.
Together we seek a strengthening of community, a community that continues to build itself in love.
So do we come as one people to worship God, our Maker and our Sustainer.

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