You can watch today’s service here.
If you are watching our live stream this morning, you are invited to find a candle, so that we can all light candles at the same time.
CALL TO WORSHIP (written by Sarah Are for A Sanctified Art LLC)
One: Through Moses, God said,
All: “Let my people go.” (Ex.9:1)
One: In scripture, the law declares:
All: “In the seventh year, you must cancel all debts.” (Deut.15:1)
One: With grace, Jesus said:
All: “Give one coat away.” (Luke 3:11)
One: With honesty, Jesus taught:
All: “Sell what you have, give that money to the poor.” (Matt. 19:21)
One: Faith has always involved letting go, releasing, setting free,
Dropping our nets, giving to others, and following.
All: So in this hour of worship, may we release that which binds us.
May we worship with open, untamed, and porous hearts, so that we can walk freely with God.
One: Let it be so.
All: Amen.
OPENING PRAYER
Almighty God, you created the heavens and the earth, and humankind in your image. Teach us to discern your hand in all your works and to serve you with reverence and thanksgiving; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
CALL TO CONFESSION
God offers us grace, and yet we grumble. God hears our grumbling and provides, and yet we want more. God’s generosity knows no bounds, and yet we begrudge God’s goodness. Recognizing the many ways we miss the mark of discipleship, we come to a time of confession, grateful that God’s loving kindness persists even in the face of our ongoing sin.
Please join me in the prayer of confession, followed by a silent personal prayer.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (written by Sarah Are for A Sanctified Art LLC)
Gracious God, we admit to holding tight to that which we know and understand. We put you in a box to avoid the shades of gray that come with faith. We put worship in a box to avoid the discomfort of change. We put ourselves in boxes labeled with gender expectations and societal norms. We put others in boxes labeled “worthy” and “unworthy.” We put all that we have in a box and pray we won’t run out. So in this moment, we confess to holding tight to fear, greed, and worldly structures. Forgive us for missing the point. Open our eyes to a new way—to a holiness found in open boxes, unclenched fists, shades of gray, and holy release. Gratefully we pray, amen.
Moment of silent prayer–people of God, what do you confess this week?
Assurance of Pardon
The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Jesus Christ came not for the righteous, but to save sinners. Therefore, we can believe the good news that we are in fact forgiven and even now made new creations in Christ.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Lord, the days run together and our ability to discern your voice through all the world’s noise grows difficult. Recognizing that you still speak, no less than to Moses or Mary, we ask you to send your Spirit that we might hear the word you have for us this day. In Christ’s name we pray, amen.
FIRST SCRIPTURE READING
Matthew 20:1-16
‘The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the market-place; and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?” They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.” When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.” When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?” So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’
Consider:
- Do you find yourself thinking you will or should get more?
- Why do we begrudge God’s generosity?
- How do we attempt to live lives that are relational rather than transactional? What is the difference between these two understanding of life?
SECOND SCRIPTURE READING
Deuteronomy 15:1-11
Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of debts. And this is the manner of the remission: every creditor shall remit the claim that is held against a neighbor, not exacting it from a neighbor who is a member of the community, because the Lord’s remission has been proclaimed. From a foreigner you may exact it, but you must remit your claim on whatever any member of your community owes you. There will, however, be no one in need among you, because the Lord is sure to bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession to occupy, if only you will obey the Lord your God by diligently observing this entire commandment that I command you today. When the Lord your God has blessed you, as he promised you, you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.
If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted towards your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be. Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near’, and therefore view your needy neighbor with hostility and give nothing; your neighbor might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt. Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.’
You can listen to Pastor Leia’s sermon, “Release Your Burdens in the Seventh Year,” here.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE (JILL DUFFIELD)
Lord, we find ourselves weary, wondering if we will dwell in this season of uncertainty and stress forever. Everything feels unsettled and upended. Tasks that used to be accomplished without much thought require planning and additional energy that we do not have to spare. Children attend school in their homes or in buildings with multiple protocols for distance and safety. Parents attempt to work even as they contend with limited or non-existent childcare, helping with online learning and the anxiety of tending to multiple and competing needs. Many among us now face not only unemployment but the end of unemployment benefits. Others struggle with illness or feel overwhelmed with grief. In our worries, we call out to you for help, knowing you hear the cries of your people and respond with compassion.
People of God, what do you pray for this week?
Your generosity to us is evident even in our anxiety. You give us a community of faith that upholds us in our weakness, encourages us when our hope lags and makes your love tangible when we feel alone. When we struggle to see your providence, you sustain us with your Spirit. When we fear you have forgotten us, you seek us out and enlist us for your work, giving us purpose and meaning no matter our circumstances. When we are overwhelmed by the pain of the world, you reveal your glory in the beauty of creation. When we want to turn away from suffering, you send your Son, showing us your resurrection Word cannot be silenced.
People of God, what do you give thanks for and rejoice in this week?
Confident in your mercy and grace, we boldly pray for your people desperate for manna in the desert, relief in the wilderness, a respite from their burdens.
We pray for those reeling from natural disasters; especially we ask you to provide for the victims of the wildfires raging in the West.
We pray for those facing economic scarcity, those worried about meeting their basic needs. May those of us with two coats give one away and those who have more than their daily bread, share with those who have none, in order that all may know your manna appears new every morning.
We pray for the peacemakers and justice-seekers, the prophets and the policy-makers, the caregivers and the activists. Enlist us all, Almighty God, to work in your vineyard in ways that participate in your will and ways so that all may experience the abundant life your Son came to give.
People of God, how are being called to follow God this week?
We pray in the name of your Son, our Savior, 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.
HYMN Come, Labor On
1 Come, labor on.
Who dares stand idle on the harvest plain
while all around us waves the golden grain?
And to each servant does the Master say,
“Go work today.”
2 Come, labor on.
Claim the high calling angels cannot share;
to young and old the gospel gladness bear.
Redeem the time; its hours too swiftly fly.
The night draws nigh.
3 Come, labor on.
Cast off all gloomy doubt and faithless fear!
No arm so weak but may do service here.
Though feeble agents, may we all fulfill
God’s righteous will.
4 Come, labor on.
No time for rest, till glows the western sky,
till the long shadows o’er our pathway lie,
and a glad sound comes with the setting sun,
“Well done, well done!”
INVITATION TO OFFERING
God provides for us, giving us manna in the wilderness, extending mercy when we fail to follow Jesus, granting grace instead of condemnation. In response to such generosity, we offer our gifts for the sake of making God’s love of creation evident to those in need of knowing that the Lord hears their cries and responds with compassion.
MORNING 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.
PRAYER OF DEDICATION (written by Sarah Are for A Sanctified Art LLC)
Holy God, it is not always easy to give what we have. We count pennies. We weigh the pros and cons. We calculate what we have given before, and we remind ourselves what we are giving to now. We all have our money stories. And yet, even though it can take work for us to practice release, we trust that you can take these gifts—however freely or reluctantly given—and use them to build a more beautiful world. For that is who you are: you are forever building castles out of sand, disciples out of people, and new life out of cautious gifts. We believe; help our unbelief. In Christ’s name we pray, amen.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (written by Sarah Are for A Sanctified Art LLC)
We believe that on the first day,
God released love and creativity over a void;
and that void became mountains and rivers, sunsets and starry nights.
We believe God released
God’s people from the grips of slavery,
liberating us day in and day out.
We believe God laid down with death
and was released from its grip,
knowing suffering and freeing us from this fragile life.
And we believe God invites us—
day in and day out—
to release our fears,
let go of assumptions, tear down walls,
throw open the doors, and walk closer to love.
May it be so.
Amen.
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May God’s face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
May God’s countenance be lifted upon you and give you peace.
Remember that God is with us all and loves us equally
no matter what time we came to the field.
God has seen us through times of uncertainty and loss and fear before
and God will see us through again.
From wherever you are, serve the Lord: Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit.
VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUR
If you are using this page to follow along with today’s worship service while it is being live streamed, please join us for virtual coffee hour! Turn on your video camera and join us after the benediction with this link. You could also join over the telephone by dialing (312) 626-6799 and entering the meeting code 146 874 134, followed by the password 075003.