Worship resources for:
OT 12 – Pe +4 (June 20, 2021)
Lectionary Texts
1 Samuel 17. 1-49 tells the story of David and Goliath. Little David defeats the giant warrior not by strength, but by relying on God.
Psalm 9. 11-20 praises God, who hears the poor and the afflicted. The nations and those who abuse others are trapped by their own evil. But God remembers the needy.
In 1 Corinthians 6. 1-13 Paul says God offers salvation today, not later. So don’t sit and let it go by you! Paul then describes the difficulties of his ministry and pleads that it not be in vain. “Open wide your hearts.”
In Mark 4. 35-41 the disciples go through a storm at sea, while Jesus sleeps in the boat. In their anxiety they rouse him and he calls for peace and calm.
Call to Worship
1.
Leader: God of love, you hear the cry of those who suffer.
All: We cry out with all who are in anguish.
Gentle Christ, you walk with those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.
We walk with you among those who suffer.
Holy Spirit, we often despair as we face the troubles of the world.
We open ourselves to your presence, so we need not fear.
Calm our hearts, and give us courage to serve with you.
2.
Leader: God of Creation, we are in awe of your work.
All: Thanks, we cry, and adoration!
God of mystery, our fears swirl about us.
Save us, we cry. Have mercy!
God of grace, your healing sustains us.
Bless you, we pray, and we worship you.
3.
Leader: Creator God, the sea is so wide and my boat is so small!
All: Be good to us.
Loving Christ, the storms are great and our hearts are weak.
Be with us.
Holy Spirit, you are the wind and you are the waves.
Give us courage.
God of life, bring us through the storm.
Give us faith.
Come, Spirit of Life, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!
Collect / Prayer of the Day
1.
God of love, the storms of life frighten us. But you are in the boat of our lives with us. Speak to us and give us peace. Call to us, and give us courage. Awaken us with your Word, so we may serve you without fear. Amen.
2.
God of mercy, your Word alone has power to create, power to save, power to heal. Amidst the howling storm of society’s anxieties and the cries of our inner fears your voice comes to us, soft and steady. Help us to listen and be still, to trust with all our hearts. Speak to us, God of life. Amen.
3.
God of all Creation, sometimes the storms frighten us and we cry to you. Sometimes our challenges are great and we tremble. Sometimes the storms are around us, and sometimes they are within. Speak your word of peace to us, so that we may endure our storms and face our difficulties with peace and faith. We open our hearts to your grace. Amen.
Readings
(For two readers.)
Reader 1: Jesus says: Let us go over to the other side.
Reader 2: The other side… of what? The tracks?… The argument?
The unseen? The shadow side of myself?
[….silence…]
Follow me.
The rowing is hard. I am tired.
Come, to me, you who are weary, and I will give you rest. [….silence…]
The wind is against me, and I am afraid.
The wind blows where it will. So it is with those who are born of the Spirit. [….silence…]
The waves are high. How can you be asleep?
Peace, be still. [….silence…]
Do you not care that we are perishing?
Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains a single grain.
But if it dies it bears much fruit.
We have gone down into the deep baptismal waters
and now we are born again.
Even the wind and the seas obey the Beloved. We too shall follow.
Response / Creed / Affirmation
1.
We trust in you, God of Mystery, Creator of all that is and all that is to come.
We follow you, O Christ, voice of God, Word made flesh, love embodied. Your love and healing cast out demons and called forth justice. You died in and rose in the peace of God. Your mercy calms the storms in our hearts and calls us into a new community of hope.
We live by your grace, Holy Spirit, your life in us that is not afraid, but at peace with all that is. Trusting in the gift of forgiveness, the power of resurrection, the mystery of eternal life and the gift of our unity with all living beings as the Body of Christ, we live in peace and nonviolence; we work for justice; we fearlessly share your love with all. In your Peace, Holy One, we live as disciples of Christ for the healing of the world. Amen.
2.
Creator God, you are the sea and the wind; you are our boat, you are the mysterious depths and the far shore. We give ourselves to you.
Loving Christ, you are the peaceful presence, you are the calming voice, you are the One who is in the boat with us always. We trust you, and we turn to you.
Holy Spirit, you are the wind that carries us onward, even when we are afraid. You are the power that raised Jesus from the grave, and that rouses us from death. You make us one Body; you give us trust in your grace; you give us courage in all things. Grant us the faith to continue in our journey with Christ, to love and serve the world, trusting in the power of forgiveness and resurrection and the present reality of eternal life. Amen.
3.
We give our hearts to God, Creator of all, whose Spirit is in the wind and in the calm, in our little boats and in the seas about us.
We follow Christ, who is with us in the storms of life; who holds the power of all Creation in his hands; and who gives us peace by his resurrected presence. He bids us to trust, to love and to wonder in his name.
We live by the power of the Spirit, who gives us peace in all our difficulties and courage in all our endeavors. Since even the wind and the seas obey, we too obey God, the Holy One. We devote ourselves to accept the grace of God, to minister with Christ, to live resurrection, and to serve in love, for the sake of the healing of all Creation, in the name of Christ. Amen.
Listening Prayer
(suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to intercessions)
God of Peace, your Word calms storms.
You are at peace, even in chaotic times.
Though we are afraid, Jesus is at rest
in the little boat of our hearts.
Speak your Word now. We will be still.
Prayer of Dedication / Sending
1.
Gracious God, we give you our lives, symbolized in these gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. Trusting your saving presence and the peace of your grace, we go into the world to heal, to do justice and to proclaim your good news, for the sake of the wholeness of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.
2.
Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. Send us into the world with trust in your presence and courage in our hearts and hands, to go where you lead us, to love as you enable us, to serve as you command us. In the name of Christ, our Safety and our Peace, bless us. Amen.
3.
Eternal God we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Take them and do your will with them. Through our giving and our service, reach out to those who struggle through the storms of life and offer rest and safety to them. Help us to be a source of peace, present to them so that they may know your love. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Suggested Songs
In the Boat – see music store.