Proper 19 / Ordinary Time 24 / Pentecost 17
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook, Series IV, Cycle C
Soul Motion
Object:
If we love the Lord with all our hearts, minds, and strength,
we are going to have to stretch our hearts, open our minds,
and strengthen our souls ... God cannot lodge in a narrow mind;
God cannot lodge in a small heart. To accommodate God they must be palatial.
-- William Sloan Coffin, Credo
Call To Worship
Leader: This is sanctuary! We've been busy all week losing and finding things, feeling successful and feeling inadequate!
People: We are glad to be here! We're expecting to rest and relax, to be real, open, and receptive to divine grace.
Leader: What shall we do to accomplish your expectations?
People: Sing. Pray. Speak. Listen.
Leader: Then, let us be fully engaged -- mind and body -- with Holy Presence.
Prayer Of Thanksgiving (Leader)
Innovative God -- you've made us in your mold, like yourself! Thank you for all the opportunities to be creative and ingenious that come to us. Thank you, too, for setting precedence for "sabbath." As we take respite, here, from our daily activities, our psyches rest and are nourished. Move among us with bright clarity; illuminate our thoughts and illustrate our experiences. Amen.
Call To Confession (Leader)
In today's Hebrew scriptures, the theme is judgment. Human behaviors do have consequences within ourselves and for our communities. "God will get you" is the prophet's challenge. However you visualize your personal responsibility, make this moment one of microscopic reflection. What needs to be changed for you to feel clean, free, and empowered? Pray with me and then have your private conversation with God.
Community Confession (Unison)
God of Insightful Silence -- we've settled in with one another.
We want to feel settled in with you.
We want to be nestled into your breath so we may be free from distractions.
When we stray from your best for our lives, bring us back.
When we get lost in the morass of politics, open our minds to the way out.
When Holy glow around us dims, brighten the path you set before us.
When we let go of what is vital to our souls, sweep away the dust so we can see the real thing. Amen.
Sermon Idea
Though the lyrics to an old gospel song, "The Ninety And Nine," are dated, the melody with some verbal interpretation makes a moving dance. The agricultural images are rarely vital for city dwellers and the image of a real violent city in our world with judgments made 4,000 years ago barely preaches. Nevertheless, the themes of "lostness" and external judgments and internal habits speak loudly for twenty-first-century human development savants. The common good is only as good as the people who comprise the group. What is society's responsibility to those lost, left behind? Is it appropriate for the church to assume responsibility for the ineptness of governments to be honest and compassionate? Is it appropriate for the church to educate people to participate in a particular culture? What is vanishing from the American dream that might have been a light to other nations? Do we as Christians want to find what has been lost? Who would describe what is missing from our national life? What would be the cost? Who in America could use Jeremiah 4:23-29 as a dramatic reading? Who in the congregation? Temper the vitriolic condemnations with Luke 15.
Contemporary Affirmation (Unison)
We believe God cares for the cosmos that has been created;
we believe God cares about creatures and us.
We know that Jesus of Nazareth incarnated divine wisdom
as he lived and taught at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea
2,000 years ago.
We experience the Holy Spirit coaxing us into relationship with the Holy One;
we trust that the Spirit finds us when we are wandering among
the culture's idols seeking satisfying days and nights.
As a community of faith, as friends, we encourage one another to listen for
God's voice and to respond to it. We enjoy companionship and conversation
about our journeys with Great Mystery. Together we explore ways to
manifest Christ in our town and throughout the global village. Amen!
Offertory Statement (Leader)
We experience goodness in the midst of violence and suffering; one way to demonstrate gratitude is to find ways to continue goodness here and elsewhere. We do that with our time, our skills, and our money.
Doxology
Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow, tune: OLD HUNDREDTH
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God above, you heavenly hosts --
Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost. Amen!
Prayer Of Thanksgiving (Leader)
Thank you for finding us when we stray from your Spirit. Use us and our resources to manifest your love and hopes for this world. Amen.
Intercessory Prayers (Leader or Readers)
Shepherding God -- sheep and goats need flocks to belong to; they need to be guided to places, which can nurture them and provide fresh water. We're like that, too. Move among us healing and soothing, motivating and energizing. See where we hurt, where wounds don't heal, where joints ache, and hearts are scarred. See where we struggle to be our best selves in circumstances that do not encourage our decisions to be loyal to you. Strengthen us with your Spirit and with godly friends.
Fathering God -- like our ancestors, we pray for peace; we pray for an end to hatred. We pray for global leaders who compromise and collaborate to end tribal disputes; we pray for renewed vision of neighborliness and hospitality. We long for wise men and women who will not enhance themselves at the expense of others. Empower us to be peace-makers, peace demonstrators, here on this street.
Mothering God -- children and adults on every continent need care and protection from evil and abuse. Children and adults in every nation need nurture and healthy foods. Work among politicians and us to provide these basic necessities of life for those in need.
Beckoning God -- we want to participate with your Spirit in ways that establish beauty and justice for all peoples. Use our hands and feet, our voices and our minds as instruments of wholesomeness in every sphere of life. Amen.
Benediction (Leader)
As you leave here --
Keep in mind the tranquility of this place;
Hold in your mind the ideas that inspire you;
Remember those with whom you have shared this hour.
May the creating God guide you to surprising places in the days ahead.
Go gently; feel generous and be infectious with joy!
Amen!
Music
Amazing Grace
Words: John Newton, 1779; st. 4, anonymous
Music: Virgina Harmony, 1831; harm. Edwin O. Excell, 1900
NEW BRITAIN
God Of The Sparrow God Of The Whale
Words: Jaroslav J. Vajda, 1983
Music: Carl F. Schalk, 1983
ROEDER
Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth
Words: Jean Janzen, 1991, based on the writings of Julian of Norwich (14th century)
Music: Brent Stratten, 1994
JULIAN
A Woman And A Coin
Words: Jaroslav J. Vajda, 1990
Music: Carl F. Schalk, 1990
NYGREN
Your Love, O God
Words: Anders Frostenson, 1968; tr. Fred Kaan, 1972
Music: V. Earle Copes, 1963
VICAR
we are going to have to stretch our hearts, open our minds,
and strengthen our souls ... God cannot lodge in a narrow mind;
God cannot lodge in a small heart. To accommodate God they must be palatial.
-- William Sloan Coffin, Credo
Call To Worship
Leader: This is sanctuary! We've been busy all week losing and finding things, feeling successful and feeling inadequate!
People: We are glad to be here! We're expecting to rest and relax, to be real, open, and receptive to divine grace.
Leader: What shall we do to accomplish your expectations?
People: Sing. Pray. Speak. Listen.
Leader: Then, let us be fully engaged -- mind and body -- with Holy Presence.
Prayer Of Thanksgiving (Leader)
Innovative God -- you've made us in your mold, like yourself! Thank you for all the opportunities to be creative and ingenious that come to us. Thank you, too, for setting precedence for "sabbath." As we take respite, here, from our daily activities, our psyches rest and are nourished. Move among us with bright clarity; illuminate our thoughts and illustrate our experiences. Amen.
Call To Confession (Leader)
In today's Hebrew scriptures, the theme is judgment. Human behaviors do have consequences within ourselves and for our communities. "God will get you" is the prophet's challenge. However you visualize your personal responsibility, make this moment one of microscopic reflection. What needs to be changed for you to feel clean, free, and empowered? Pray with me and then have your private conversation with God.
Community Confession (Unison)
God of Insightful Silence -- we've settled in with one another.
We want to feel settled in with you.
We want to be nestled into your breath so we may be free from distractions.
When we stray from your best for our lives, bring us back.
When we get lost in the morass of politics, open our minds to the way out.
When Holy glow around us dims, brighten the path you set before us.
When we let go of what is vital to our souls, sweep away the dust so we can see the real thing. Amen.
Sermon Idea
Though the lyrics to an old gospel song, "The Ninety And Nine," are dated, the melody with some verbal interpretation makes a moving dance. The agricultural images are rarely vital for city dwellers and the image of a real violent city in our world with judgments made 4,000 years ago barely preaches. Nevertheless, the themes of "lostness" and external judgments and internal habits speak loudly for twenty-first-century human development savants. The common good is only as good as the people who comprise the group. What is society's responsibility to those lost, left behind? Is it appropriate for the church to assume responsibility for the ineptness of governments to be honest and compassionate? Is it appropriate for the church to educate people to participate in a particular culture? What is vanishing from the American dream that might have been a light to other nations? Do we as Christians want to find what has been lost? Who would describe what is missing from our national life? What would be the cost? Who in America could use Jeremiah 4:23-29 as a dramatic reading? Who in the congregation? Temper the vitriolic condemnations with Luke 15.
Contemporary Affirmation (Unison)
We believe God cares for the cosmos that has been created;
we believe God cares about creatures and us.
We know that Jesus of Nazareth incarnated divine wisdom
as he lived and taught at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea
2,000 years ago.
We experience the Holy Spirit coaxing us into relationship with the Holy One;
we trust that the Spirit finds us when we are wandering among
the culture's idols seeking satisfying days and nights.
As a community of faith, as friends, we encourage one another to listen for
God's voice and to respond to it. We enjoy companionship and conversation
about our journeys with Great Mystery. Together we explore ways to
manifest Christ in our town and throughout the global village. Amen!
Offertory Statement (Leader)
We experience goodness in the midst of violence and suffering; one way to demonstrate gratitude is to find ways to continue goodness here and elsewhere. We do that with our time, our skills, and our money.
Doxology
Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow, tune: OLD HUNDREDTH
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God above, you heavenly hosts --
Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost. Amen!
Prayer Of Thanksgiving (Leader)
Thank you for finding us when we stray from your Spirit. Use us and our resources to manifest your love and hopes for this world. Amen.
Intercessory Prayers (Leader or Readers)
Shepherding God -- sheep and goats need flocks to belong to; they need to be guided to places, which can nurture them and provide fresh water. We're like that, too. Move among us healing and soothing, motivating and energizing. See where we hurt, where wounds don't heal, where joints ache, and hearts are scarred. See where we struggle to be our best selves in circumstances that do not encourage our decisions to be loyal to you. Strengthen us with your Spirit and with godly friends.
Fathering God -- like our ancestors, we pray for peace; we pray for an end to hatred. We pray for global leaders who compromise and collaborate to end tribal disputes; we pray for renewed vision of neighborliness and hospitality. We long for wise men and women who will not enhance themselves at the expense of others. Empower us to be peace-makers, peace demonstrators, here on this street.
Mothering God -- children and adults on every continent need care and protection from evil and abuse. Children and adults in every nation need nurture and healthy foods. Work among politicians and us to provide these basic necessities of life for those in need.
Beckoning God -- we want to participate with your Spirit in ways that establish beauty and justice for all peoples. Use our hands and feet, our voices and our minds as instruments of wholesomeness in every sphere of life. Amen.
Benediction (Leader)
As you leave here --
Keep in mind the tranquility of this place;
Hold in your mind the ideas that inspire you;
Remember those with whom you have shared this hour.
May the creating God guide you to surprising places in the days ahead.
Go gently; feel generous and be infectious with joy!
Amen!
Music
Amazing Grace
Words: John Newton, 1779; st. 4, anonymous
Music: Virgina Harmony, 1831; harm. Edwin O. Excell, 1900
NEW BRITAIN
God Of The Sparrow God Of The Whale
Words: Jaroslav J. Vajda, 1983
Music: Carl F. Schalk, 1983
ROEDER
Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth
Words: Jean Janzen, 1991, based on the writings of Julian of Norwich (14th century)
Music: Brent Stratten, 1994
JULIAN
A Woman And A Coin
Words: Jaroslav J. Vajda, 1990
Music: Carl F. Schalk, 1990
NYGREN
Your Love, O God
Words: Anders Frostenson, 1968; tr. Fred Kaan, 1972
Music: V. Earle Copes, 1963
VICAR
