Responsibility
Worship
THE WORK OF THE PEOPLE
Liturgical Aids
Call to Worship
God as Creator provides order and abundance.
So are we called to be responsible stewards of God's creation.
God as Redeemer provides forgiveness and newness of life.
So are we called to give thanks to God and to broadcast the good news.
God as Sustainer provides wisdom, courage, and strength.
So are we called to serve others diligently and with compassion.
Let us then worship God as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.
So may our faith reflect good stewardship, an exuberant witness, and humble service.
Invocation
Ever present and active God, you likewise urge us to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. You yourself were not content until the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. Jesus, your Son, through actions and service and sacrifice thereby created those very conditions wherein we might be at peace with you and with those around us. You would thus not only save us, but enable us to be responsible children of the Most High, doers of your Word. Help us so to view life as a means of growing, through a giving of self and through active participation in the well--being of community. May your presence in our worship this day guide us further as Word in truth becomes deed. Amen.
Call to Confession
Words in our culture are cheap. Actions - faithful and responsible actions - are more costly. Many times we opt for the words and shirk the actions. The result is predictable: brokenness, lack of trust, loss of hope. And through it all, do we even sense that we are the culprits? Let us recognize our complicity, our duplicity, and our need for renewal of spirit and a pledging afresh of commitment.
Prayer of Confession
How many times, O God, have we known the right and responsible thing to do, yet have allowed the occasion to pass without the response that was sorely needed? We excuse ourselves by saying that it is too risky to get "involved." Our neighbor thus lacks what we with our God--given talents could have provided. We nod assent to great words of faith, but then beg off when we are asked to apply those words to a lifestyle that is Christ--like. We come to ask forgiveness, yet asking forgiveness, we realize, is but the first step. It alone is too little. We need both forgiveness and a zeal to pursue in deed what we are meant to be. Merciful God, meet with your grace, we pray, both of these needs. Awaken us to opportunities for service that are ever around us, and hold us accountable as children of the Way, the Truth, and the Life. So would we follow Jesus. It is in his strength, the strength of his love at work, that we pray. Amen.
Words of Assurance
"Once you were no people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy - this that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." And more than proclaim, we are to live this same word into deed in our daily living.
Thanks be to God for this challenge, for this further call to service.
Psalter Reading (from Psalm 19)
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
The decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple;
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever;
The ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold:
Sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover by them is your servant warned;
In keeping them there is great reward.
Let the words of my mouth
And the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable to you, O Lord,
My rock and my redeemer.
Offering Sentences
Every Sunday we are presented at this point in our worship with an opportunity to serve - to be a doer of the Word. Our tithes and offerings bring the love of Christ and renewed hope not only to those within the congregation, but to people in need within our community and to folk the world over, this in very concrete and practical ways. How much is enough? Let your heart, your talents, and your commitment to Christ provide the answer.
Prayer of Dedication
As we return this part of your creation to you, O God, we look to your wisdom, your compassion, your righteousness for guidance in its use - this that good news become real in the lives of others, moreover, that understanding, community, and peace emerge in places where heretofore discord, selfishness, and indifference have ruled in the hearts and lives of people. O Christ, let your love break forth wherever humble service is rendered in your name. Amen.
Benediction
Yes, we are responsible - responsible to God, responsible for the children of God around us. Let us then not hesitate, but be doers of the Word of God, accepting gladly the call to be servant, faithful in every way to our neighbor, as we ever expand the definition of neighbor to include all of humanity, indeed all of creation. Amen!
God as Creator provides order and abundance.
So are we called to be responsible stewards of God's creation.
God as Redeemer provides forgiveness and newness of life.
So are we called to give thanks to God and to broadcast the good news.
God as Sustainer provides wisdom, courage, and strength.
So are we called to serve others diligently and with compassion.
Let us then worship God as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.
So may our faith reflect good stewardship, an exuberant witness, and humble service.
Invocation
Ever present and active God, you likewise urge us to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. You yourself were not content until the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. Jesus, your Son, through actions and service and sacrifice thereby created those very conditions wherein we might be at peace with you and with those around us. You would thus not only save us, but enable us to be responsible children of the Most High, doers of your Word. Help us so to view life as a means of growing, through a giving of self and through active participation in the well--being of community. May your presence in our worship this day guide us further as Word in truth becomes deed. Amen.
Call to Confession
Words in our culture are cheap. Actions - faithful and responsible actions - are more costly. Many times we opt for the words and shirk the actions. The result is predictable: brokenness, lack of trust, loss of hope. And through it all, do we even sense that we are the culprits? Let us recognize our complicity, our duplicity, and our need for renewal of spirit and a pledging afresh of commitment.
Prayer of Confession
How many times, O God, have we known the right and responsible thing to do, yet have allowed the occasion to pass without the response that was sorely needed? We excuse ourselves by saying that it is too risky to get "involved." Our neighbor thus lacks what we with our God--given talents could have provided. We nod assent to great words of faith, but then beg off when we are asked to apply those words to a lifestyle that is Christ--like. We come to ask forgiveness, yet asking forgiveness, we realize, is but the first step. It alone is too little. We need both forgiveness and a zeal to pursue in deed what we are meant to be. Merciful God, meet with your grace, we pray, both of these needs. Awaken us to opportunities for service that are ever around us, and hold us accountable as children of the Way, the Truth, and the Life. So would we follow Jesus. It is in his strength, the strength of his love at work, that we pray. Amen.
Words of Assurance
"Once you were no people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy - this that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." And more than proclaim, we are to live this same word into deed in our daily living.
Thanks be to God for this challenge, for this further call to service.
Psalter Reading (from Psalm 19)
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
The decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple;
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever;
The ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold:
Sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover by them is your servant warned;
In keeping them there is great reward.
Let the words of my mouth
And the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable to you, O Lord,
My rock and my redeemer.
Offering Sentences
Every Sunday we are presented at this point in our worship with an opportunity to serve - to be a doer of the Word. Our tithes and offerings bring the love of Christ and renewed hope not only to those within the congregation, but to people in need within our community and to folk the world over, this in very concrete and practical ways. How much is enough? Let your heart, your talents, and your commitment to Christ provide the answer.
Prayer of Dedication
As we return this part of your creation to you, O God, we look to your wisdom, your compassion, your righteousness for guidance in its use - this that good news become real in the lives of others, moreover, that understanding, community, and peace emerge in places where heretofore discord, selfishness, and indifference have ruled in the hearts and lives of people. O Christ, let your love break forth wherever humble service is rendered in your name. Amen.
Benediction
Yes, we are responsible - responsible to God, responsible for the children of God around us. Let us then not hesitate, but be doers of the Word of God, accepting gladly the call to be servant, faithful in every way to our neighbor, as we ever expand the definition of neighbor to include all of humanity, indeed all of creation. Amen!
