Worship at Home: August 16, 2020

The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. God will not reject God’s people. Knowing God is merciful and abounding in steadfast love, always willing to hear our prayers and accept our heartfelt confession, we turn to our Lord with boldness, speaking aloud the ways we fail to be the people God calls us to be.

God of Love, in the midst of a world that so often belittles and dehumanizes, you know us, and you delight in who we are. You call us to a love as full and transformative as your own.

Help us see our neighbors in light of love. Help us see ourselves in light of love.

We know that our world does not always give and receive this love in its fullness. At times, we view people through labels we choose to assign, or we pass by neighbors, barely noticing them as they are lonely or in crisis. At other times, we disregard ourselves, forgetting that we have sacred worth and value, and we keep ourselves busy to deflect others from seeing us in need or in vulnerability. Please forgive us and call us again, that we may give and receive the fullness of your love — the very love that forms us and makes all things new. Amen.

Have mercy upon us and hear us, now, as we offer our silent confession…

… Trusting in the sure promise of God, we are God’s beloved, forgiven children.

In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, freed, and made whole.

God of Love, we thank you for the gifts of these sacred texts, filled with stories that invite us more deeply into who you are and how you call us. We pray that you would center us now, that we might receive — not only words alone, but also meaning, and calling, and healing, and belonging. We pray in your name, Amen.

Thus says the Lord:
In a time of favor I have answered you,
on a day of salvation I have helped you;
I have kept you and given you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages;
saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out’,
to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
They shall feed along the ways,
on all the bare heights shall be their pasture;
they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
And I will turn all my mountains into a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.
Lo, these shall come from far away,
and lo, these from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Syene.
Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord has comforted his people,
and will have compassion on his suffering ones.
But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me,
my Lord has forgotten me.’
Can a woman forget her nursing-child,
or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.
Your builders outdo your destroyers,
and those who laid you waste go away from you.
Lift up your eyes all around and see;
they all gather, they come to you.
As I live, says the Lord,
you shall put all of them on like an ornament,
and like a bride you shall bind them on.
Surely your waste and your desolate places
and your devastated land—
surely now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants,
and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
The children born in the time of your bereavement
will yet say in your hearing:
‘The place is too crowded for me;
make room for me to settle.’
Then you will say in your heart,
‘Who has borne me these?
I was bereaved and barren,
exiled and put away—
so who has reared these?
I was left all alone—
where then have these come from?’

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Good and gracious God, so many of your people are hurting. There seems no end in sight to the uncertainty and pain of this season. Parents and caregivers are worried about children’s well-being as the school year approaches and the pandemic persists. Those living in group care facilities yearn to be able to have visitors again and the loneliness of those already isolated grows. The economic fallout from this virus gets deeper and wider as many scramble to find work and put food on the table.

Have mercy on us. Hear our cries. Help us.

We call out for mercy for those on the frontlines of fighting for justice. We call out for mercy for those on the frontlines of fighting this pandemic. We call out for mercy for those grieving the death of loved ones. We call out for mercy for the sick and those who tend them. We call out for mercy for the scared and those who comfort them. We call out for mercy for those without food or housing, medical care or community. We call out for mercy on behalf of those who do not have the strength to raise their own voices. We call out for mercy for ourselves, trusting you know our deepest needs even if we do not have the wisdom to name them.

Hear us, Lord. Heal us, Lord. Help us, Lord.

When we fear you have walked away from us in our desperation, send your Holy Spirit to remind us yet again that God does not reject God’s people, that the call and gifts of God are irrevocable. Embed in us the biblical stories that teach us that even that which we intend for evil, you, Lord God, use for good. Grant us the faith of the Canaanite woman so that we will persist in advocating for the vulnerable and hurting no matter how long it takes for our world to be made well.

Give us faith, Almighty God, to keep focused on our Savior, following the Way, loving you and our neighbors, until the One we worship comes again and come again he will. We make our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught us to say when we pray:

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

No matter how small the gift, how meager our offering feels in the face of such large needs, Jesus receives it with gladness, blesses it, multiplies it and asks us to help distribute it to those who are hungry, weary and hurting. This is the time when we are given the unspeakable joy of participating in God’s miraculous, abundant grace. Let us worship God with our morning’s offering.

If you are able to, please consider mailing your offerings to the church (210 Smith Street). Alternatively, there is a link at the top of this page that will take you directly to a secure page where you can make a one-time donation. We appreciate your generosity as we seek to continue our mission and ministry throughout the community during this difficult time.

God of Grace, we give you thanks for these gifts and every good gift. We pray that these may honor you and we may share them to do your work in the world. We pray in your name, Amen.

We are all held in the hollow of God’s hand,
loved children of the universe,
born from the life which flows from God,
freed to the fullness of God’s creation,
with all its beauty and variety.
We are all worth dying for in Christ Jesus,
all called to risen life in Christ’s rising.
The way of Jesus gives us footprints for our following,
and our trials and longings are known
in the frailty of Christ’s birth among us
and the courage of Christ’s walking with us.
We are called to new things in the Spirit,
in the hope that stirs in unlikely moments,
the home we find in the wastelands of our wanderings,
the warmth we touch in the coldness of our need,
the opening of our hearts to adventures in belonging
and in the gathering in of those without a home. Amen.

Go out into the world in peace. Have courage! Hold fast to what is good. Return no one evil for evil. Strengthen the faint-hearted, support the weak, help the suffering. Honor all people. Love and serve the Lord your God, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. May God bless you and keep you. May God cause the divine light to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May God turn toward you, and grant you peace.