PROPER 23
Worship
LECTIONARY WORSHIP AIDS
Series III, Cycle A
CALL TO WORSHIP
My friends, all that is true, all that is noble, all that is just and pure, all that is lovable and gracious, whatever is excellent and admirable--fill your thoughts with these things.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Universal Sovereign, Universal Prince, Universal Spirit, you provide us spiritual riches in great abundance. You are rightly insulted by our indifference to your invitation to celebrate the union of Christ and the Church. We are undeserving of your gracious invitation, and often scandalized that you would accept others we consider even less deserving. Forgive the rude treatment that we have given your emissaries, and our indifferent preparedness when we do heed your invitation. Grant us time to reconsider our priorities, to push aside more mundane things, and, in giving place to your rule, escape the judgment that would otherwise await us. God, have mercy on us; Christ, have mercy; Holy Spirit, be merciful to us. Amen.
DECLARATION OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS
Hear the Good News! The peace of God, which is beyond our understanding, will keep over our hearts and our thoughts, in Christ Jesus. Friends, believe the Good News. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
EXHORTATION
Put into practice all that you have received from the Christian tradition:, what you have heard and what you have seen done by the Christians who have set a good example for you.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Attending Spirit, prepare us for fellowship with the Son of heaven and our royal Parent, so that, clothed in the beauty of holiness, we may enjoy the heavenly feast that celebrates the victory of Christ over sin and death. Amen.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
God of Moses and of Miriam his sister, you are worshipped not only in Psalms, hut in tambourine and dance,for you free the enslaved and bring them out to freedom. Christ Jesus, founder of the church, we rejoice that the names of all who struggle in the cause of the gospel are in the roll of the living. Timeless Spirit, you bring together into one people those who fight at Sinai and Philippi. We rejoice that you can make community of those who have been in conflict, both in the process of time and the climax of history. Your name, O God, endures forever. Amen.
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
As we stand in your house, O God, we present these tokens of our servant hood. We would serve you both in worship and in the cause of human justice with Jesus Christ, who practices what he preaches. Amen.
PSALM 106:1-6, 19-23
Praise the LORD! O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Who can utter the mighty doings of the LORD,
or declare all his praise?
Happy are those who observe justice,
who do righteousness at all times.
Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people;
help me when you deliver them;
that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
that I may glory in your heritage.
Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly.
They made a calf at Horeb and worshiped a cast image.
They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass.
They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,
wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
Therefore he said he would destroy them - had not Moses,
his chosen one, stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
My friends, all that is true, all that is noble, all that is just and pure, all that is lovable and gracious, whatever is excellent and admirable--fill your thoughts with these things.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Universal Sovereign, Universal Prince, Universal Spirit, you provide us spiritual riches in great abundance. You are rightly insulted by our indifference to your invitation to celebrate the union of Christ and the Church. We are undeserving of your gracious invitation, and often scandalized that you would accept others we consider even less deserving. Forgive the rude treatment that we have given your emissaries, and our indifferent preparedness when we do heed your invitation. Grant us time to reconsider our priorities, to push aside more mundane things, and, in giving place to your rule, escape the judgment that would otherwise await us. God, have mercy on us; Christ, have mercy; Holy Spirit, be merciful to us. Amen.
DECLARATION OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS
Hear the Good News! The peace of God, which is beyond our understanding, will keep over our hearts and our thoughts, in Christ Jesus. Friends, believe the Good News. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
EXHORTATION
Put into practice all that you have received from the Christian tradition:, what you have heard and what you have seen done by the Christians who have set a good example for you.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Attending Spirit, prepare us for fellowship with the Son of heaven and our royal Parent, so that, clothed in the beauty of holiness, we may enjoy the heavenly feast that celebrates the victory of Christ over sin and death. Amen.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
God of Moses and of Miriam his sister, you are worshipped not only in Psalms, hut in tambourine and dance,for you free the enslaved and bring them out to freedom. Christ Jesus, founder of the church, we rejoice that the names of all who struggle in the cause of the gospel are in the roll of the living. Timeless Spirit, you bring together into one people those who fight at Sinai and Philippi. We rejoice that you can make community of those who have been in conflict, both in the process of time and the climax of history. Your name, O God, endures forever. Amen.
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
As we stand in your house, O God, we present these tokens of our servant hood. We would serve you both in worship and in the cause of human justice with Jesus Christ, who practices what he preaches. Amen.
PSALM 106:1-6, 19-23
Praise the LORD! O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Who can utter the mighty doings of the LORD,
or declare all his praise?
Happy are those who observe justice,
who do righteousness at all times.
Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people;
help me when you deliver them;
that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
that I may glory in your heritage.
Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly.
They made a calf at Horeb and worshiped a cast image.
They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass.
They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,
wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
Therefore he said he would destroy them - had not Moses,
his chosen one, stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
