Proper 28 / Ordinary Time 33 / Pentecost 26
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: Good morning! I'm glad we're here together on this November Sunday. There's excitement in the air as we make family plans for Thursday and continue the countdown to Christmas Day.
People: We're here to enjoy each other and to praise God for life!
Leader: Have you brought your guitars? Harps? Trumpets? Flutes?
People: No! But we have brought our voices and we can make fascinating harmonies. We can sing new songs to God!
Leader: Sing with joy to God! Sing with enthusiasm. Clap your hands!
People: Let the whole neighborhood hear our rejoicing!
Prayer Of Thanksgiving (Leader)
Energy of the Cosmos -- eagerly we expect to sing and pray; joyfully we express our appreciation for life and its beauty. Expectantly we listen for your voice. Refresh us for this day and the week ahead. Inspire us to be gentle and hospitable every day within our own households as well as at work and at play. We are alert for your Spirit's movement. Amen.
Call To Confession (Leader)
In the hush of these few moments, we can survey our attitudes and actions. Anything that impedes godly behavior can be noted and transformed. The printed community prayer can lead us into our private conversations with God. Pray with me.
Community Confession (Unison)
Loving God -- we work hard every day -- work at our relationships, our homes, our jobs, and here at church.
Yet something is missing.
Search us until we know ourselves intimately; shine in us until we see the attitudes and hesitations that block your creativity in us.
Satisfy our hearts with abundant gifts of Spirit; free us from guilt and shame.
Satisfy our minds with fresh insights from the life of Jesus.
Flow through our bodies as hope and justice for our world. Amen.
Sermon Idea
Isaiah, centuries before Jesus, looked forward to forgetting about the horrors of his nation's past trauma in the violence of war and exile. He dreamed of Jerusalem, God's city, being free and full of happy people. Isaiah heard God say that elements of nature would become compatible. History repeats itself; cities come and go in power and prestige. The gospel writer had the disciples in conversation with Jesus about the temple (in Jerusalem). Jesus talked about the beauty being destroyed and about hard times to come. He went on to say that they should decide to trust his Spirit for wisdom to defend themselves. The sermon might explore the current global political situation with the intent of being grateful for the beauty of autumn and winter, for dependable food supplies, for the opportunities to communicate long distance with family and friends, for adequate water and fertile land. Perhaps the question might be: Is human nature so flawed with self-aggrandizement that we can only dream of peace on earth, only imagine Jerusalem undivided and tranquil, only hope for honesty in American politics, and wise education for our children? Jesus' teachings about the kingdom of God -- heaven on earth -- seem to be the antidote for cynicism, incivility, religious violence, racial strains, and sexual biases. Thanksgiving time and on through the New Year holiday is opportunity to notice the real aspects of biblical hopes within our homes, church, and nation.
Contemporary Affirmation
Leader: How do you pray?
People: We pray believing the Creating God responds by listening to and inspiring us.
Leader: Do you experience the Holy Spirit empowering you, creating through you?
People: God's Spirit enthuses and inspires us to do what needs to be done, to speak truthfully, to appreciate our companions, to care for the earth, and to share what we have with individuals who seek food, shelter, and clothing.
Leader: Are your words consistent with your behavior?
People: We aspire to embody the "commandments" of Jesus of Nazareth: we love God; we love ourselves; we love our neighbors; and we are learning to value our enemies. Day by day, we speak and act hospitably, graciously, and honestly within our homes, church, and communities.
Leader: How do you express your relationship with God?
People: We sing and pray; we dance and draw; we listen and converse! We make music and write poems; we snuggle babies and massage grandparents.
Leader: Are you thankful people?
People: Yes! We thank God:
for the planet and we are respectful of its systems;
for the sky, air, land, water, and fire;
for the varieties of wholesome foods;
for children and their curiosity;
for the generations before us;
for the freedoms our country promotes;
for Jesus whose teachings give eternal life.
Leader: Amen!
Offertory Statement (Leader)
Thankful people are generous people!
Doxology
Now Thank We All Our God (v. 1), tune: NUN DANKET ALLE GOTT
Now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things hath done, in whom this world rejoices
Who from our mothers' arms, hath blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
Prayer Of Thanksgiving (Unison)
Eternal God -- thank you for your Spirit working among us. We give you ourselves. With our best and our not-so-good, create a global village where your creatures can live together in peace. Amen.
Intercessory Prayers (Leader or Readers)
(This list could be distributed among the congregation.)
Creating God -- like men and women through time, we pray for:
* peace within ourselves and in the world.
* strength sufficient for each day.
* relief from pain and disease,
* safety for our children,
* wisdom for our parents,
* enough food and water for every creature, and
* wise leaders in every country.
Amen.
Benediction (Leader)
Go from this place with a song on your lips,
with gratitude as your dominant attitude.
Go with a lilt in your step and a sparkle in your eyes!
Feel the Spirit of the Living God
guiding you each step and each word along the way!
Be content at least part of each day.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Music
Come Down, O Love Divine
Words: Bianco of Siena (15th century); tr. Trichard F. Littledale, 1867, alt.
Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906
DOWN AMPNEY
Creative God, You Spread The Earth
Words: Ruth Duck, 1991
Music: Trad. English melody; harm. Ralph Vaughan Williams
KINGSFOLD
Gather Us In
Words and Music: Marty Haugen, 1981
GATHER US IN
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
Words: Walter Chalmers Smith, 1867, alt.
Music: Welsh folk melody
ST. DENIO
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
Words: Henry van Dyke, 1907, alt.
Music: Ludwig van Beethoven, 1824; arr. Edward Hodges, 1864
HYMN TO JOY
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: Good morning! I'm glad we're here together on this November Sunday. There's excitement in the air as we make family plans for Thursday and continue the countdown to Christmas Day.
People: We're here to enjoy each other and to praise God for life!
Leader: Have you brought your guitars? Harps? Trumpets? Flutes?
People: No! But we have brought our voices and we can make fascinating harmonies. We can sing new songs to God!
Leader: Sing with joy to God! Sing with enthusiasm. Clap your hands!
People: Let the whole neighborhood hear our rejoicing!
Prayer Of Thanksgiving (Leader)
Energy of the Cosmos -- eagerly we expect to sing and pray; joyfully we express our appreciation for life and its beauty. Expectantly we listen for your voice. Refresh us for this day and the week ahead. Inspire us to be gentle and hospitable every day within our own households as well as at work and at play. We are alert for your Spirit's movement. Amen.
Call To Confession (Leader)
In the hush of these few moments, we can survey our attitudes and actions. Anything that impedes godly behavior can be noted and transformed. The printed community prayer can lead us into our private conversations with God. Pray with me.
Community Confession (Unison)
Loving God -- we work hard every day -- work at our relationships, our homes, our jobs, and here at church.
Yet something is missing.
Search us until we know ourselves intimately; shine in us until we see the attitudes and hesitations that block your creativity in us.
Satisfy our hearts with abundant gifts of Spirit; free us from guilt and shame.
Satisfy our minds with fresh insights from the life of Jesus.
Flow through our bodies as hope and justice for our world. Amen.
Sermon Idea
Isaiah, centuries before Jesus, looked forward to forgetting about the horrors of his nation's past trauma in the violence of war and exile. He dreamed of Jerusalem, God's city, being free and full of happy people. Isaiah heard God say that elements of nature would become compatible. History repeats itself; cities come and go in power and prestige. The gospel writer had the disciples in conversation with Jesus about the temple (in Jerusalem). Jesus talked about the beauty being destroyed and about hard times to come. He went on to say that they should decide to trust his Spirit for wisdom to defend themselves. The sermon might explore the current global political situation with the intent of being grateful for the beauty of autumn and winter, for dependable food supplies, for the opportunities to communicate long distance with family and friends, for adequate water and fertile land. Perhaps the question might be: Is human nature so flawed with self-aggrandizement that we can only dream of peace on earth, only imagine Jerusalem undivided and tranquil, only hope for honesty in American politics, and wise education for our children? Jesus' teachings about the kingdom of God -- heaven on earth -- seem to be the antidote for cynicism, incivility, religious violence, racial strains, and sexual biases. Thanksgiving time and on through the New Year holiday is opportunity to notice the real aspects of biblical hopes within our homes, church, and nation.
Contemporary Affirmation
Leader: How do you pray?
People: We pray believing the Creating God responds by listening to and inspiring us.
Leader: Do you experience the Holy Spirit empowering you, creating through you?
People: God's Spirit enthuses and inspires us to do what needs to be done, to speak truthfully, to appreciate our companions, to care for the earth, and to share what we have with individuals who seek food, shelter, and clothing.
Leader: Are your words consistent with your behavior?
People: We aspire to embody the "commandments" of Jesus of Nazareth: we love God; we love ourselves; we love our neighbors; and we are learning to value our enemies. Day by day, we speak and act hospitably, graciously, and honestly within our homes, church, and communities.
Leader: How do you express your relationship with God?
People: We sing and pray; we dance and draw; we listen and converse! We make music and write poems; we snuggle babies and massage grandparents.
Leader: Are you thankful people?
People: Yes! We thank God:
for the planet and we are respectful of its systems;
for the sky, air, land, water, and fire;
for the varieties of wholesome foods;
for children and their curiosity;
for the generations before us;
for the freedoms our country promotes;
for Jesus whose teachings give eternal life.
Leader: Amen!
Offertory Statement (Leader)
Thankful people are generous people!
Doxology
Now Thank We All Our God (v. 1), tune: NUN DANKET ALLE GOTT
Now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things hath done, in whom this world rejoices
Who from our mothers' arms, hath blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
Prayer Of Thanksgiving (Unison)
Eternal God -- thank you for your Spirit working among us. We give you ourselves. With our best and our not-so-good, create a global village where your creatures can live together in peace. Amen.
Intercessory Prayers (Leader or Readers)
(This list could be distributed among the congregation.)
Creating God -- like men and women through time, we pray for:
* peace within ourselves and in the world.
* strength sufficient for each day.
* relief from pain and disease,
* safety for our children,
* wisdom for our parents,
* enough food and water for every creature, and
* wise leaders in every country.
Amen.
Benediction (Leader)
Go from this place with a song on your lips,
with gratitude as your dominant attitude.
Go with a lilt in your step and a sparkle in your eyes!
Feel the Spirit of the Living God
guiding you each step and each word along the way!
Be content at least part of each day.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Music
Come Down, O Love Divine
Words: Bianco of Siena (15th century); tr. Trichard F. Littledale, 1867, alt.
Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906
DOWN AMPNEY
Creative God, You Spread The Earth
Words: Ruth Duck, 1991
Music: Trad. English melody; harm. Ralph Vaughan Williams
KINGSFOLD
Gather Us In
Words and Music: Marty Haugen, 1981
GATHER US IN
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
Words: Walter Chalmers Smith, 1867, alt.
Music: Welsh folk melody
ST. DENIO
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
Words: Henry van Dyke, 1907, alt.
Music: Ludwig van Beethoven, 1824; arr. Edward Hodges, 1864
HYMN TO JOY
