September 1, 2024
CALL TO WORSHIP
Sing to God, sing praises to his Name; lift up a song to the One who rides upon the clouds!
Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.
Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up.
God is our salvation!
OPENING PRAYER
Gracious God, you have called your people together this morning. Through word and table, may your Spirit strengthen us to praise you with our lives and proclaim you with our lips, that others may know you as the hope of the world. We ask this in the Name of your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.
PPRAYER OF THE DAY
O God our Creator, here at the beginning of a new week, our minds turn toward you. We praise you
- for your perfect wisdom and eternal goodness;
- for the depths for your love for us and for all people;
- for the opportunities you give us each day to reach out to others in your Name;
- for the Holy Spirit that fills us with your grace and unites us with our sisters and brothers in Christ.
Hear our silent prayers for ourselves, our loved ones, and the world in which we live.
[A silence is kept.]
Eternal One, may our worship this morning fill us with your light and joy and power. Keep us faithful to you and true to one another. This we pray in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God forevermore. Amen.
INVITATION
The table is prepared and all are invited to the feast. So come to the table, not because you must, but because you may; not because you are strong, but because you are weak; not because you are good, but because it is here that the Lord offers you forgiveness. No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here, where we remember how much God loves us.
COMMUNION PRAYER
O taste and see that the Lord is good!
Happy are all who take refuge in God.
We are gathered in joy, Eternal God, hoping in your goodness. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts, that Christ may be present as we share this meal. And as you bless this bread and cup, bless us also, that this holy meal may nourish our spirits and strengthen our souls.
We thank you for this feast, O God. May we recognize Jesus among us, and may we be raised and restored, ready not to be served but to serve, in the power of the Spirit. Amen.
SONG OF SIMEON
Lord, now dismiss your servant in peace according to your word, for my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all people: A light to shine on the Gentiles, and to be the glory of your people Israel. Amen.
INVITATION
The table is prepared and all are invited to the feast. So come to the table, not because you must, but because you may; not because you are strong, but because you are weak; not because you are good, but because it is here that the Lord offers you forgiveness. No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here, where we remember how much God loves us.
COMMUNION PRAYER
O taste and see that the Lord is good!
Happy are all who take refuge in God.
We are gathered in joy, Eternal God, hoping in your goodness. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts, that Christ may be present as we share this meal. And as you bless this bread and cup, bless us also, that this holy meal may nourish our spirits and strengthen our souls.
We thank you for this feast, O God. May we recognize Jesus among us, and may we be raised and restored, ready not to be served but to serve, in the power of the Spirit. Amen.
SONG OF SIMEON
Lord, now dismiss your servant in peace according to your word, for my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all people: A light to shine on the Gentiles, and to be the glory of your people Israel. Amen.
BENEDICTION
Go forth into the world:
be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger;
be doers of the word, and not merely hearers.
Thus may the + God of wisdom guide you,
the Christ of mercy walk beside you,
and the Spirit of Hope inspire you today and for all time. Amen.
—Presbyterian Church in Canada (adapted)
