Proper 23
Worship
Lectionary Worship Aids, Cradled in God's Heart
Series VIII, Cycle A
Object:
Greeting
One: This is the day God has made.
All: Let us rejoice!
One: This is the day Christ rose from the dead.
All: Let us rejoice and be glad.
One: This day is the gift the Spirit offers to us.
All: Let us rejoice, and be glad in it.
One: And again, we say,
All: Rejoice!
Call To Worship
One: Who can tell of God's wonderful workings in our world?
All: Those who know they have been blessed
beyond their wildest imaginations.
One: Who can sing God's praises
to everyone they meet?
All: Those who have not forgotten
the joy of God's never-ending love in their lives.
One: Who can rejoice in God's presence,
this day, and in all the days to come?
All: Those who seek to grow in faith
and those who seek to share their gifts with God's people.
Prayer Of The Day
Serene God,
take all the distractions of our lives
and set them to the side,
so we may focus on you;
silence the noise we have carried in with us,
so we may hear you;
unlock our closed hearts and minds,
so we may learn what it is you want to teach us.
Joyous Christ,
you tell us stories
not to make us feel guilty,
but to call us to servanthood;
you are as near
as the person sitting next to us,
as eager, as they,
to be our sister or brother.
Gentle Spirit,
fill us with your fire,
so we are aflame for justice;
fill us with your wisdom,
so we will know the deepest needs of others;
fill us with your compassion,
so our lives may be broken,
for our sisters and brothers.
Then we will rejoice in you always,
God in Community, Holy in One,
even as we pray as Jesus has taught us, saying,
Our Father ...
Call To Reconciliation
Sin -- according to the Bible -- is the human condition. We sin, as did those who went before us and as will those who come after us. We do wrong, we hurt people, and we turn our backs on those who need us most. But God is able to turn our weeping into rejoicing, and sinners into servants. Join me as we confess our sins to God, praying together, saying,
Unison Prayer Of Confession
Catering God, you would gather us at your banquet, but our hectic lives prevent us from attending. You encourage us to be gentle, but so often we are harsh toward those closest to us. What we have learned, we have forgotten; what we have received, we have misplaced; what we have heard and seen of you, we have ignored.
Forgive us, Table-Setting God. You pull out a chair for us, that we might feast on all that is true, all that is just, all that is honorable, all that is commendable -- all your gifts served to us with joy and grace by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Silence is kept
Assurance Of Pardon
One: In baptism, God lays hands of love and blessing on us -- and never takes that tender touch from us. All around us are the wonders of creation, reminding us of God's grace and love.
All: God invites us to the Wedding Feast with all its fullness, all its joy, and all its hope. This is good news: for each of us, for all of us. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Charge
One: You are children of God.
All: We will rejoice always;
we will pray continually.
One: You are disciples of Christ.
All: We are called to be caught
in acts of stewardship.
One: You are heirs of the Spirit.
All: We will keep on doing the things
we have learned and received
and heard and seen.
One: This is the day God has made.
All: Let us rejoice!
One: This is the day Christ rose from the dead.
All: Let us rejoice and be glad.
One: This day is the gift the Spirit offers to us.
All: Let us rejoice, and be glad in it.
One: And again, we say,
All: Rejoice!
Call To Worship
One: Who can tell of God's wonderful workings in our world?
All: Those who know they have been blessed
beyond their wildest imaginations.
One: Who can sing God's praises
to everyone they meet?
All: Those who have not forgotten
the joy of God's never-ending love in their lives.
One: Who can rejoice in God's presence,
this day, and in all the days to come?
All: Those who seek to grow in faith
and those who seek to share their gifts with God's people.
Prayer Of The Day
Serene God,
take all the distractions of our lives
and set them to the side,
so we may focus on you;
silence the noise we have carried in with us,
so we may hear you;
unlock our closed hearts and minds,
so we may learn what it is you want to teach us.
Joyous Christ,
you tell us stories
not to make us feel guilty,
but to call us to servanthood;
you are as near
as the person sitting next to us,
as eager, as they,
to be our sister or brother.
Gentle Spirit,
fill us with your fire,
so we are aflame for justice;
fill us with your wisdom,
so we will know the deepest needs of others;
fill us with your compassion,
so our lives may be broken,
for our sisters and brothers.
Then we will rejoice in you always,
God in Community, Holy in One,
even as we pray as Jesus has taught us, saying,
Our Father ...
Call To Reconciliation
Sin -- according to the Bible -- is the human condition. We sin, as did those who went before us and as will those who come after us. We do wrong, we hurt people, and we turn our backs on those who need us most. But God is able to turn our weeping into rejoicing, and sinners into servants. Join me as we confess our sins to God, praying together, saying,
Unison Prayer Of Confession
Catering God, you would gather us at your banquet, but our hectic lives prevent us from attending. You encourage us to be gentle, but so often we are harsh toward those closest to us. What we have learned, we have forgotten; what we have received, we have misplaced; what we have heard and seen of you, we have ignored.
Forgive us, Table-Setting God. You pull out a chair for us, that we might feast on all that is true, all that is just, all that is honorable, all that is commendable -- all your gifts served to us with joy and grace by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Silence is kept
Assurance Of Pardon
One: In baptism, God lays hands of love and blessing on us -- and never takes that tender touch from us. All around us are the wonders of creation, reminding us of God's grace and love.
All: God invites us to the Wedding Feast with all its fullness, all its joy, and all its hope. This is good news: for each of us, for all of us. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Charge
One: You are children of God.
All: We will rejoice always;
we will pray continually.
One: You are disciples of Christ.
All: We are called to be caught
in acts of stewardship.
One: You are heirs of the Spirit.
All: We will keep on doing the things
we have learned and received
and heard and seen.
