CALL TO WORSHIP
O come, let us sing to the Lord.
Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into God’s presence with thanksgiving.
Let us make a joyful noise to God with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God, and a great Ruler above all gods. In God’s hand are the depths of the earth.
The heights of the mountains are God’s also.
The sea belongs to God who made it,
and the dry land,
which God’s hands have formed.
O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker.
For the Lord is our God, and we are the people of God’s pasture, and the sheep of God’s hands.
O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker.
For the Lord is our God, and we are the people of God’s pasture, and the sheep of God’s hands.
—Ps. 95:1-7
OPENING PRAYER*
Eternal God, as we gather in your presence this morning:
• may your Name be lifted up in our praise;
• may our hearts be laid open in our prayers;
• in the reading of the scriptures, may we hear your word;
• in the meditations of our hearts, may your will be understood;
• and in the faithfulness of our lives, may your love be shown.
We pray this in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Almighty God, Creator of the universe: We have heard the news; we have seen the pictures: Storms have laid waste, floods have overwhelmed, fires burn, wars rage, gunshots change lives. So here we are, seeking assurance that you are with us. May we find you in the prayers we pray, the word we hear, the songs we sing, and in the faces of our sisters and brothers in Christ.
By your Holy Spirit, make your presence known among us. And may that same Spirit work within us, transforming what is old and bitter and stubborn into the image of your Son. Give us new hearts— hearts that are open to his teachings, hearts that both forgive and accept forgiveness, hearts that are strong and courageous.
In the week to come, turn us aside from the path that leads to despair, and show us your way—a way filled with hope. May each day be to us a new avenue service, that we may show our love for you by loving our neighbors more and more.
In the silence now, hear our prayers that we offer in love— prayers for the sick and the grieving, the hungry and the oppressed and the frightened.
COMMUNION PRAYER*
We give you thanks, O God of abundant life, for all your blessings: for sustenance and warmth, for freedom and family and friendship. We thank you for your church and the table around which we gather. And we thank you for the bread and the cup, and the supper in which we know the One who died for us that we might live. We are strengthened by your gifts; and with these signs of your presence in our lives, we are able to be faithful. Continue to nourish us, inspire us, and call us into your service, that we might help make your kingdom a reality in the life of the world. We pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Almighty God, Creator of the universe: We have heard the news; we have seen the pictures: Storms have laid waste, floods have overwhelmed, fires burn, wars rage, gunshots change lives. So here we are, seeking assurance that you are with us. May we find you in the prayers we pray, the word we hear, the songs we sing, and in the faces of our sisters and brothers in Christ.
By your Holy Spirit, make your presence known among us. And may that same Spirit work within us, transforming what is old and bitter and stubborn into the image of your Son. Give us new hearts— hearts that are open to his teachings, hearts that both forgive and accept forgiveness, hearts that are strong and courageous.
In the week to come, turn us aside from the path that leads to despair, and show us your way—a way filled with hope. May each day be to us a new avenue service, that we may show our love for you by loving our neighbors more and more.
In the silence now, hear our prayers that we offer in love— prayers for the sick and the grieving, the hungry and the oppressed and the frightened.
[A silence is kept.]
Thank you for listening to our prayers, O God,
prayers that we have offered in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord,
who with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, God forevermore. Amen.
COMMUNION PRAYER*
We give you thanks, O God of abundant life, for all your blessings: for sustenance and warmth, for freedom and family and friendship. We thank you for your church and the table around which we gather. And we thank you for the bread and the cup, and the supper in which we know the One who died for us that we might live. We are strengthened by your gifts; and with these signs of your presence in our lives, we are able to be faithful. Continue to nourish us, inspire us, and call us into your service, that we might help make your kingdom a reality in the life of the world. We pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
*inspired by Chalice Worship
