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Call to Worship (adapted from Psalm 81)

L: Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob.
P: For the LORD is God; it is the LORD who freed us from bondage.
L: O that God's people would listen to Him, that Israel would walk in the Lord's ways!
P: The Lord will feed us with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock He will satisfy.
L: Come, let us bow down before the LORD and worship Him with a sincere heart!

 

Call to Worship: (Read Responsively)
by pulpitt in nd

Guests, angels, visitors and friends...
Jesus tells a parable about class or the lack of it.
Guests come, some have been invited, and some have wandered in,
Still others wonder what it’s all about here.
Confused yet certain that our invitation is valid;
We come to worship full of grace and truth.
 

Invocation

Sisters and brothers, called to freedom in Christ: Grace, mercy, and peace be with you all.

And also with you.

Let us pray. God of all creation, you reach out to call people of all nations to your kingdom. As you gather disciples from near and far, count us also among those who boldly confess your Son Jesus Christ as Lord. Amen.

 

Prayer of Welcome: (Read Together)
by pulpitt in nd

The place we sit says something about who we are. We’re somewhat habitual when it comes to where we sit. There is some comfort knowing that this place is always here. To be moved up is to acknowledge that we have somehow changed from what was to what could be. Bless us as we find comfort in the familiar, yet challenge us to be faithful to your call to change the status quo. Amen.

 

Dedicating our Gifts: (Read Together)
by pulpitt in nd

We’re no longer charged a certain price for our spot in church. Like God’s grace and love, it is priceless. Still, we give so that others might understand the meaning behind Jesus’s parables of old. It is in giving that we receive. Accept these gifts and use them so that others may experience your life changing moments in their lives. Amen.

 

Prayer of Confession

Almighty God, we confess that we are so often swept up in the tide of our generation.  We have failed in our calling to be your holy people, a people set apart for your divine purpose.  We live more in apathy born of fatalism than in passion born of hope. We are moved more by private ambition than by social justice. We dream more of privilege and benefits than of service and sacrifice. We try to speak in your name, without relinquishing our glories, without nourishing our souls, without relying wholly on your grace.
Help us to make room in our heart and lives for you.  Teach us to live in the intricate balance between faith and works, between being and doing, being nourished and serving others.  Forgive us, revive us, and reshape us in your image. Amen.

 

Prayer of the Day:

God of Wisdom, God of Love we celebrate your faithful  presence in our lives.  You are near us by day and night; you never fail to greet us each new morning.  Though we often turn away from you, you are ever concerned with our well-being.  Teach us, Lord, to live our lives in the wholeness of your eternal values.  We need your guidance and grace to be able to live in harmony with one another, show hospitality to the strangers among us, and to minister to the needy.

By your spirit enable us to live a life in purity of thought and action, in humility of heart and generosity of giving. Help us never to forget that it was your unmerited grace that lifted us from a lowly and sinful state;  may we never fall into the fallacy of the Pharisees who thought higher of themselves than of others.  Enable us to follow in Jesus' footsteps and embrace those the world considers last, least, and lost. Amen.

 

Prayer for Holiness-- by St. Ephraim the Syrian

“O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of idleness, faint-heartedness, lust of power, and vain talk. Instead, give to me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love. Yes, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brother, for You are Blessed from all ages to all ages.” Amen.

 

Prayer of Humility (Korea 20th Century)

O God, just as we look into a mirror to see any soiled spots on our face, so let us look to you
in order to understand the things that we have done amiss.
We are like a reed shaken in the wind;
we are inexpressibly weak.
Leave us not to ourselves,
but dwell in our hearts and guide our thoughts and actions.

 

Prayer for a New Heart:

Thou who art over us,
Thou who art one of us,
Thou who art:
Give me a pure heart, that I may see thee;
a humble heart that I may hear thee;
a heart of love, that I may serve thee;
a heart of faith, that I may abide in thee.  Amen.

 

Sending Forth: (Read Together)
by pulpitt in nd

We are sent forth now to invite the least and the lost, the greatest and the found. Use us this week as we entertain friends and strangers with the care of your love. We ask this in the Spirit’s name who makes us one. Amen.