Month: February 2022

April 6, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Isaiah 43.16-21 — “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”

Psalm 126 — May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy

Philippians 3.4-14 — I regard everything as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death…. I press onward…

John 12.1-8 — Mary anoints Jesus.

Preaching Thoughts

Isaiah
       The prophet imagines a new exodus and even a new creation. Trusting what God is doing, what God has been doing all along, we let go of what is, and what we have, in order to be open to what is coming.

Psalm
       Both our sorrow and our joy, sowing and reaping, are part of life, and gathered up into God’s blessing. Our present suffering will pass.

Philippians
       All the stuff we value, our status and credentials, our accomplishments—even our faith!—we let go of to draw closer to Christ. As Isaiah says, trusting what God is doing, we let go of everything for what will be given to us, new.
       The catch is that “drawing close to Christ” means sharing in Jesus’ suffering. It means identifying with and standing with the poor and powerless, the suffering, the outcast. Echoing Jesus’ desert temptations, we let go of our comfort, our desire to make things turn out right, our status and esteem, and allow God to be our power, our security, our belonging, our life.

John
       Sometimes in our homiletical rush toward the cross we overlook the poignancy of the story of Mary anointing Jesus. Powerful people are out to get Jesus. He faces a certain death, he knows. His disciples clearly don’t get it. How lonely he must feel! But Mary gets it. She understands death. She’s seen her bother Lazarus die, and she’s seen Jesus share her grief. And she knows what he faces. So she does something extraordinary: she does something kind for Jesus—the only kind thing anybody does for him. Certainly there is much in her action that is dramatic: the extravagance of the gift, the fragrance of the perfume, the radical intimacy of the gesture. There is some heavy theological symbolism in her act: preparing him for burial, accepting the cross, honoring him as the ruler of her heart. Anointing has rich associations with healing, with baptism, with prophetic charge. Her act is pretty loaded. But maybe what’s most remarkable is simply its kindness. Maybe faith is not as complicated as all that theological stuff, but simply being kind. Maybe the fragrance of our kindness fills the house where Jesus is.
       Mary’s act may reflect not only her kindness toward Jesus but also her sorrow, knowing she’s going to lose him. But that too, is something Jesus receives as a gift. Imagine that your brokenheartedness is a gift Jesus gladly receives. Part of what our sharing in his cross might mean is our grief: for him, for ourselves, and for the world. (“The gift you desire is a broken and contrite heart, O God”– Psalm 51).
       The Philippians passage invites us to share Jesus’ suffering. A barrier that keeps us from taking up our cross more faithfully is obviously our fear of pain, powerlessness, loss and suffering. Mary shows us you don’t need to get yourself tortured to death to join in Jesus’ suffering. Start by offering up your vulnerability, allowing yourself to be brokenhearted for Jesus—for the hurting and oppressed and rejected.
       Mary’s act may be a bit of foreshadowing of the cross to come; and it is also a gift that shapes Jesus’ ministry: a few days later he gatherers his disciples for the Passover, and he does what he has learned from Mary: he washes their feet. Kindness received becomes kindness given.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: God of life, when life is broken,
All: we turn to you.
Loving Christ, when hearts are broken,
you come to us.
Holy Spirit, this broken world needs us;
flow through us to all the world.

2.
Leader: Creator, in our joy we call out to you!
All: Christ, in our sorrow we call out to you!
Holy Spirit, you cry out in us with the cry of all humanity.
You anoint us with your grace, as we worship you.

3.
Leader: Eternal God, as we wander in the wilderness, you are with us.
People: Open our hearts to your comforting presence.
Living God, as we sit with Mary at the feet of Jesus, you welcome our gifts.
Open our hearts to your transforming love.
Compassionate God, as we come to your table, you share yourself with us.
Open our hearts to your extravagant grace. Pour your blessing on us. Amen.

4.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
You alone are holy, and we worship you.
Glory be to you, O God of all Creation.
Thanks be to you, O Christ, for our salvation.
Christ, you accompany us in our suffering;
you pour out your life so that we may live.
Gather us in your loving arms,
and transform us by your grace.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Loving God, as Mary anointed Jesus with perfume, anoint us with your Word, that we may hear your good news. Anoint us with your Spirit, that we may bear your healing word into the world with courage, love, and joy. Amen.

2.
Comforting God, anoint us with the oil of your healing. Honor us with the perfume of your grace. Transform us with the anointing of your Spirit. Wash us with your Word, and steady our hearts in you. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, you receive us in your gentle arms. You anoint us with your healing presence. Help us to be mindful of your mercy, your deep compassion for the wounds of the world, and your willing presence with those who suffer. Grant us your Spirit, that as your scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed, we might listen to you now and hear your healing voice. Amen.

Listening Prayer

(suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to prayer)

Jesus,
you who face death in love for us,
we kneel before you
and pour out the perfume of our hearts.
Your feet, that carry you to us,
we anoint.
May the fragrance of our love for you
fill your house.

Eucharistic Prayer

Go here for musical responses to the Eucharistic prayer—Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen—set to familiar tunes suitable for Lent.

[The body of the prayer may be read responsively by the pastor and congregation or by the presiding leader(s) alone.]

God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your heart.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

Jesus came to Bethany six days before Passover,
the celebration of our liberation from slavery in Egypt.
God, you have delivered us from bondage to sin,
established your Covenant with us,
and set us free to serve you all the days of our lives.
Jesus went to the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
God, you have raised us to new life,
transforming us in the Spirit of Christ
so that we may live in love and not fear.
In Bethany they gave a dinner for Jesus.
You gather us at your table, God
to remember Jesus, your Christ.
He taught and healed, he forgave sinners,
he shared the sufferings of the poor,
he called us to repentance,
and he ate with outcasts.
He shows us your love, God,
by giving of his own.
         [ The Blessing and Covenant…]

Receiving the Body of Christ, we become the body of Christ
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
Dying, Christ destroys our death.
Rising, Christ restores our life.
Christ shall come again in glory.
Mary took a pound of the finest perfume,
anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair.
We bring our finest gifts to you, O God,
the gifts of our hearts and our hands,
that through our faith all people may be fed
by this holy meal.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts, O God,
that they may be for us the Body and Blood of the crucified and risen Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
and let its fragrance fill the house.
Gather us in your love, together with all who share in this meal.
Renew your Holy Spirit within us,
that anointed by your love, we may be made holy,
set apart for your purposes in the name of Christ.
Jesus said that Mary had prepared him for his burial.
may we be unafraid of suffering in the cause of love.
By your grace, through our faith, may we bring grace and healing to all.
God of all Creation,
may your Word be made flesh
by all your holy Church,
in the love of Christ
and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

____________
* The Blessing and Covenant
[I usually don’t print the words. I want people to be looking at the bread, not their bulletins.]

On the night in which he gave himself for us
Jesus took bread, blessed it,. broke it, and gave it to his disciples,saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup,
blessed it with thanks and gave it to them, saying,
“Drink of this, all of you. This is my blood,
poured out for you and for many, in a new Covenant,
which is the forgiveness of sin.”
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending

Gracious God, we thank you that you have poured yourself out for us, and given us your Spirit, that we might pour ourselves out for others, that we might bless them and serve them in your name. Send us into the world, accompanied by Christ, for the sake of the world. Amen.

Prayer after Communion

Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have anointed us with your Spirit, laid your healing hands on us, and prepared us for all that is to come. Send us into the world unafraid to suffer for the sake of love, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view, and hear audio clips, on the Music page)

Anointing (Tune: What a Friend We Have in Jesus)

Jesus, as we try to follow on your journey toward the cross,
we ourselves will come to suffer weakness, loneliness and loss.
But in love you turn to heal us: you let go all goods and powers,
gently sharing all our troubles, making them your own, not ours.

Jesus, in your grace and mercy, you share all our pain and tears.
You anoint us with your love and heal our wounds and calm our fears.
So, like Mary with her perfume, we bring gifts of love to you,
sharing death and resurrection, trusting lives will be made new.


At Your Feet (Original Song)

Jesus, at your feet I bow.
I am yours completely now.
By your mercy show me how
to be loving.

Jesus, Master, you who save,
you have served me as a slave.
This, the perfect gift you gave:
to be loving.

In each hurting one I meet
it is you, O Christ, I greet.
Make my faithfulness complete,
to be loving.


I Take Up My Cross
(Original song; a dialogue between soloist and congregation)

Letting go, I am held. I take up my cross and follow.

Jesus, you call to me, and draw me into your life.
Christ, I leave all behind, to follow you in love.
I yield my life to you, for you alone are God.
Loved with your costly love, I’ll suffer for the sake of love.
Christ, make my one desire to be to serve you in love.


Woeful Cross (Original song)

Woeful cross, saddest wood, death in me of all that’s good,
I confess. Mother/Father, bless. Mercy.

Holy cross, mystery, love from fear of death set free.
Sin’s dark lie. Here I die. Mercy.

Gentle Christ on the cross, for our life your own life’s loss.
You forgive, and we live. Mercy.

Our own cross calling us to your love and gentleness:
may we live, as you give, mercy.


Your Healing Cross (Tune: The River Is Wide)

Dear gentle Christ, in love you died; for us you wept, were crucified.
and through your pain, the blood they drew, we see the love that carried you.

And so for you, we gladly live, our love, our hearts we freely give.
We neither fear despair nor death, but trust your grace in every breath.

As one with you who died and rose, we give our hearts and hands to those
who suffer need, or pain or loss; in love we bear your healing cross.


Your Will Be Done (Original song)

Father, take my willfulness.
I surrender it to you grace alone.
Mother, be my willingness.
I can only ask: Your will be done.

Jesus, take my brokenness.
I surrender it to you grace alone.
Jesus, heal my brokenness.
I can only ask: Your will be done.

Spirit, take my empty hands.
I surrender them to you grace alone.
Spirit, with my empty hands
I can only ask: Your will be done.

March 30, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Joshua 5.9-1: The wilderness wanderings ended, Israelites settle and eat food that they have raised on the land; the manna ceases.

Psalm 32: When I was not honest about my sin it ate at me, but when I confess, I am forgiven. God, you protect me and guide me.

2 Corinthians 5. 16-21: If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. The ministry of reconciliation.

Luke 15.1-3, 11-32: The parable of the lost sons

Preaching Thoughts

       Today’s texts touch on the theme we heard last week: our hunger for God, reflected in the manna and then the Israelites’ locally grown food, and in the younger son’s hunger in Jesus’ parable.

2 Corinthians
       From now on, we regard no one from a human point of view. We see everyone through God’s eyes. Everyone: friends and neighbors, the annoying co-worker, the struggling student, the criminal, the homeless, the terrible politician, even ourselves. We see everyone as God’s beloved, redeemed people, who may or may not see themselves that way or act like it. Everyone is someone who God is seeking in love… like the father in Jesus’ parable
       “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation.” The way Paul says it, “there is a new creation” means the person is made new, but also all of Creation is made new—there is a new one now! Everything has been made new.
    “We are reconciled to God through Christ.” God is not reconciled with us; we are the ones needing to be reconnected. Though our relationship with God is broken and messed up, God has a perfect relationship with us anyway—and draws us into that relationship in Christ. God wants to heal our broken relationship with God. God does this in Christ and his forgiveness. Changed by such love, we extend that reconciliation to others, too.
      For our sake God made Christ to be sin
      who knew no sin,
      so that in Christ we might become the righteousness of God.
In interpreting “God made Christ to be sin” avoid suggesting that God planned the crucifixion. We planned the crucifixion. It’s our sin and injustice, not God’s scheming. But God acts in the crucifixion with grace, by entering into our broken state with us. In the crucifixion we see what separates us from God: we see our sin. And yet in what appears to separate us from God, God stays connected with us in love. We are the subjects of God’s good relationship, and so we “become God’s righteousness.” (Remember righteousness doesn’t mean obedience to laws; it means right relationship.) Despite our bad relationship with God, God, in loving grace, makes our relationship good anyway. Just as Jesus was sinless but treated as if he were sinful, we are treated as if we are righteous: we are given a perfect relationship with God. By God’s grace in us we not only receive God’s righteousness, we are God’s righteousness!

Luke:
       We sometimes preach that we shouldn’t be like the younger son… but in fact we are the younger son, recklessly wasting God’s grace. God takes us in anyway. No matter what. No one, no one at all, is “not good enough.” This is a story about truly unconditional love.
       Unfortunately many preachers paint the younger son as the bad one, and ignore the older son. Both of them are equally at fault. This is a parable of two lost sons. The older son distances himself from his father just as much as the younger son. (In fact at least the younger son comes to apologize and attempt some kind of reconciliation with his father; the older son doesn’t.) Note the parallels:
• Both sons have, in a sense, run away, and the father has to leave his home and go out into the field to welcome both sons back inviting them both to the feast. (In fact we assume the younger son assents; so far the older son has refused. Hm…)
• The younger son intends to say “treat me like one of your hired servants.” The older son says “I have worked for you like a slave.” The father has to overcome both son’s image of themselves as slaves rather than children and heirs.
• Both sons also distance themselves from each other and the family. The younger son runs away physically; the older son runs away emotionally. He says “that son of yours” and the father has to correct him: “this brother of yours.”
• The younger son doesn’t seem to be motivated by love for his father, but hunger. The elder son doesn’t seem to want his father’s love, but, despite the fact that he has everything the father has, complains, “you didn’t give me even so much as a goat.” Both of them don’t want the father’s love—just his stuff. How much of our “faith” is really just wanting stuff from God? (Blessing, healing, good luck, forgiveness… it can all be selfish if it isn’t aimed toward loving God and neighbor.) This a story about turning to God in love instead of self-interest.
       The younger son is usually the focus of our preaching; but the climax of the story is not in his return but the older son’s reaction. Like him we easily assume we are the “good people” who have obediently followed the rules and been good Christians, and we deserve more of God’s grace than “those bad people,” whoever we think they are. We are like the older as well as the younger! This is a story about how, for God, there is no “deserving,” but only love.
       The word “prodigal” does not mean disobedient, but recklessly extravagant. The younger son has certainly wasted his wealth in extravagance, but so has the older son. Even though everything the father has is his, that generosity is wasted on a resentful, self-centered son. It’s the father who is prodigal with forgiveness and mercy. Independent of our deserving we are given grace like the manna that sustained the Hebrews in the desert.The story is not about how we ought to be like one son or the other, but an invitation to be like the father, extravagantly generous with love, forgiveness and mercy.

Call to Worship

1. [Or may be used as an invitation to communion.]
Leader: God of love, when we wander away
it is your grace that calls us back to you.
All: You receive us with mercy, and we give thanks.
Loving Christ, when we are lost and lonely in a far land,
you accompany us in love, and guide us home.
You receive us with grace, and we give thanks.
Holy Spirit, your joy in us calls us, blesses us, and revives us.
We celebrate, for we who were lost are found! We who were dead are alive!
By your invitation we come to your table to feast in joy.

2.
Leader: Loving God, giver of Creation, we turn to you.
All: Beloved God, Mother and Father of us all, we thank you.
Christ our brother, you bring us home to God, and we praise you.
You give us to one another, and so we praise you.
Holy Spirit, your love burns in us for all the world.
You make us beloved kin, and so we open our hearts. Our love is your praise.

3.
Leader: Glory be to you, O God of all Creation.
All: Thanks be to you, O Christ, for our salvation.
Though we have wandered, you he welcomed us.
Though we have separated ourselves, you have joined us.
Gather us into your love, and change our hearts, so that we shall love others.
Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Amen.

4.
Leader: God, we are hungry for you.
All: We have lived on the manna of your grace, and we thank you.
Sometimes our hunger is deep and unmet.
Like the “prodigal son” our spirits are starving for your grace.
So we come to you, to the abundance of your table.
You welcome us, and you feed our souls.
We feast at the banquet of your grace.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of love, we hunger for your grace. When we distance ourselves from you we long for your embrace. We have sought many things, but we were truly hungry only for you. Receive us, lonely and weary, bless us with your mercy, and feed us your grace. Amen.

2.
God of love, speak your word to lead all who are lost and seeking the way. Speak your healing word to all who are hurting and alone. Speak your reconciling word to all who are not at peace. Speak your life-giving word to us, and bring us close to you. Amen.

3.
Merciful God, though we turn away from you, still you are near; you claim us and embrace us and bless us. Bring us home and speak to us. We turn to you to hear your word, to receive your grace, to become again your faithful children. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, you are the loving father who gives us life, the strong mother who guides us in this world. We hear many voices that call to us, that would lead us stray. We come now to hear your voice alone, to return to the home of our hearts in you. Speak to us, claim us, name us, and bless us as we listen for your living Word. Amen.

5.
Gracious God, we who have wandered return to you. We come to surrender to the embrace of your love, to enter the house of your mercy, to feast on your Word, and to be made again part of your loving family. Change our hearts, so that we may become more like you. Amen.

6.
Gracious God, your truth is our home, and your love is our place of deepest belonging. We want to come home to your love. Open our hearts to find welcome in your Word, to receive your love, and to become again glad members of your holy family. Amen.

Listening Prayer

Loving God, you are our home and our belonging;
you are our parent and our provider.
We do not live by bread alone
but by your every word.
We hunger for your grace.
We come to you.
Receive us. Feed us.
Make us your new creations.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Gentle God, we have wandered away from you,
from your love, and from what gives you deepest delight in our lives,
so our lives become hollow and hungry, lost and lonely.
We return to you.
Receive us, accept us, forgive us, nourish us and bless us.
May we always be yours. Amen.

2.
Gentle God, your love for us is perfect.
But we confess that our love is small and feeble;
we withhold it from you and from others
Forgive us, restore us, and fill us again with your Spirit,
so that we will love more perfectly
in the spirit of Christ. Amen.

Response to Confession

[Psalm 103.8-14]
Leader: God is merciful and gracious,
All: slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
God will not always accuse,
or keep fierce anger forever.
God does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is God’s steadfast love toward those who turn to God;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far God removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Holy One has compassion for those who fear God.
God knows how we were made, and remembers that we are dust.

Reading

Psalm 32, a paraphrase

How blessed we are that you forgive us so completely!
       We know our sinfulness—
       yet you treat us as if we had none.
When we try to deny our brokenness
the wound eats us up from within.
       But when we get honest with ourselves, and with you
       and confess the failure of our love,
       you forgive us! You forgive us entirely!
So we learn to trust you deeply, and we turn to you.
Despite our distress, the flood of anxiety won’t reach us.
       God, you are a safe place for us, a shelter from trouble.
       You enfold us in songs of healing.
You say, “I will lead you in the way you should go.
I walk with you; I see you from the inside out.”
       Oh, folks, do you hear this? Rejoice in God’s love!
       Sing thanks. Belt it out for the Beloved!

Response / Creed / Affirmation

We love and trust you, God, creator of all things. You have made all people in your image. You are our home, and the loving parent of all humanity.

We follow your Christ, who embraced all people, who created hospitality for all who are rejected, and who by his grace made a place for us and for all in the Household of God. Though he too was rejected and killed, he was raised again, and in his resurrection creates a place for us in eternal life.

We live by the power of the Holy Spirit, who joins us into one household, one people, one Body. By the power of that Spirit we devote ourselves to the hospitality of Christ, to welcome the outcast, to serve the poor, and to live lives of forgiveness, healing and reconciliation, in order to embody resurrection, for the sake of the healing of the world. Amen.

Invitation to Communion

1.
God of grace God, we have wandered away from your love,
but you receive us with gentle mercy.
We have turned from your grace,
but you come to us again and again,
and enfold us in the welcome of your heart.
By your grace, we who are lost are found;
we who were dead are alive again!
Let us come in to your house, then,
and feast upon your grace and delight in your joy.
Gather us in your loving arms, O God,
and transform us by your grace.

2.
Leader: Blessed God, in the spirit of compassion you have called us here.
All: Creator God, loving Father, life-giving Mother,
you are the home of our souls.
Crucified and risen Christ, you are the brother who walks with us on all our roads.
You are our Way, and our homecoming.
Holy Spirit of love, you are the wisdom deep within us that leads us.
You lead us out, and you bring us back.
You strengthen us in departing, open our hearts us in our journeys,
and guide us in our returning.
We come now to you: to your grace, to your love for us,
and to your celebration of our unity.
We thank you, God, and we come gladly to your table.
Receive us, nourish us, and make us yours once again. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

Go here for musical responses to the Eucharistic prayer—Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen—set to familiar tunes suitable for Lent.

[The body of the prayer may be read responsively by the pastor and congregation or by the presiding leader(s) alone.]

1.
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your heart.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

Blessed are you, O God. You have created us in your image,
claimed us as your children, called us as your people,
and embraced us in your holy Covenant.
Though we wander from you and turn away from your grace,
your steadfast love is faithful;
when we are lost and alone, still you are with us.
You forgive our sin and restore us to ourselves;
and you reconcile us to yourself and to each other.
Therefore you call us to this feast to celebrate our new life in Christ.
For we once were dead and now are alive;
we were lost, and now are found.
And so with all your people on earth we praise you with one voice:

Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and love,
all Creation shimmers with your presence.
Amazing and beautiful! You save us!
Blessed are they who come in your love.
Amazing and beautiful! You save us!
       [or other version]

Blessed are all who come in your name, and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
With love and forgiveness he taught and healed,
he ate with sinners and embraced the lonely.
He set us free from our judgments
and invited us to the table of your grace,
where all are included, and all are one, and all are beloved.

[… The Blessing and Covenant …]

God of love, in this meal we hear your gracious word:
“You are always with me, and all that I have is yours.”
In humility and gratitude we offer ourselves as a glad gift,
in union with Christ’s gift to us,
as we proclaim the mystery at the heart of our faith:

             [Memorial Acclamation, spoken or sung:]
        Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
                     —or—
        Dying, Christ destroyed our death. Rising, Christ restores our life.
        Christ will come again in glory.
             [or alternative]

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the Body and Blood of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the body of Christ.
At this table God, you set a feast of joy, for we are again whole.
You unite us, neither sinner nor righteous but family.
Fill us with your gracious love, to accept and embrace all,
to forgive and to welcome all, as beloved family.
May our lives be a feast of joy for your grace,
offered to all the world in the spirit of Christ.

            [sung or spoken]
Amen.

2.
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your heart.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

God, we thank you, for you are the source of our life,
our home, our womb, our earth.
We are your family, and kindred with one another.
When we deny our kinship, when we run away
from you or from one another,
you gather us back and bring us to the table of your joy.
Therefore with all the family of Creation
we sing your praise with one voice.

            [Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
        Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
        heaven and earth are full of your glory.
        Hosanna in the highest.
        Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
        Hosanna in the highest.
               [or alternate version]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who was brother to the wandering, and kin among the hungry.
He embraced us with your love and forgiveness,
and gathered us as one around the table of your grace.

     (The Blessing and Covenant)*

As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
In this meal we who were lost are found;
we who were dead are alive again;
we who were apart are brought together.
Therefore in thanks we proclaim the mystery of our faith:

             [Memorial Acclamation, spoken or sung:]
        Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
                     —or—
        Dying, Christ destroyed our death. Rising, Christ restores our life.
        Christ will come again in glory.
             [or alternative]

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
fed by your love, made whole by your grace,
made one with you and with each other,
one with all people and with all Creation,
kindred in your Spirit.
May all of life be a celebration of your love.
May we gladly invite all who wander or are hungry
to the feast, in the name and the love of Christ.

          (sung or spoken)
Amen.

____________
* The Blessing and Covenant
[I usually don’t print the words. I want people to be looking at the bread, not their bulletins.]

On the night in which he gave himself for us
Jesus took bread, blessed it,. broke it, and gave it to his disciples,saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup,
blessed it with thanks and gave it to them, saying,
“Drink of this, all of you. This is my blood,
poured out for you and for many, in a new Covenant,
which is the forgiveness of sin.”
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.

Prayer after Communion

Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have fed us at your table with a joyous feast, receiving each of us as we are, delighting in our presence, and making us all one family. Send us into the world to seek and welcome others, and invite them to feast at the table of your grace, in the name of Christ, to your delight and glory. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view, and hear audio clips, on the Music page)

Always New (Tune: Gift of Love [“The Water Is Wide”]
                                or Tallis’ Canon)

O God, you make me always new.
Each breath I breathe is life from you,
a gift of love that sets me free.
Beloved, breathe new life in me.

O Christ, you call me to new birth
like God’s creation of the earth,
to leave the things I’m fastened on
and walk into the rising dawn.

O loving Spirit, live in me.
Forgive my sin and set me free.
Give me new birth, life from above,
that I may live in your deep love.


God of Mercy (Original song)

God of mercy, you forgive me,
may I myself forgive.
Now confessing, I ask your blessing.
By your grace I shall live.

God, heal my sin, brokenness deep within.
Too often I bear pain I make others share.
Set me free from what I have been.

God of mercy, you forgive me,
may I myself forgive.
Now confessing, I ask your blessing.
By your grace I shall live.

You are gentle with me; gentle I learn to be.
You touch me and heal; deep in my soul I feel
burdens gone, and I am free.

God of mercy, you forgive me,
may I myself forgive.
Now confessing, I ask your blessing.
By your grace I shall live.
By your grace I shall live.


Into the Light (Original song)

God, I come into the light of your mercy and grace:
may I receive your forgiveness, your loving embrace.
You know my brokenness better than I, and my sin.
You love me perfectly, setting me free once again.

All of myself I now humbly bring into your light:
wash me, renew me, forgive me and set me aright.
God, I surrender myself to your life-giving love:
may I be born by your Spirit, anew, from above.

God, you have loved us so much that you even would give
Jesus, your Son, the Beloved, so that we would live.
Help us to live so we bring your good news into sight.
Help us to trust in your grace and come into the light.


Kindred (Tune: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling)

God, we bring our gifts, rejoicing in your love, your love so great!
For you call us to your table,* all as one, to celebrate.
Though we turn away, you hold us. We who once were dead now live.
Blest, received, adored, forgiven, now in gratitude we give.

Joyful, then, we come to feast on all the gifts that you provide,
reconciled as holy kindred, celebrating side by side,
by your grace, O Father, Mother, loving enemies as friends,
freely blessing one another, share your joy that never ends.

* [In a service without communion: “For you call us all as kindred…”]


Make Us Merciful (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)

Merciful, gentle God, prodigal with grace and love,
calling your children through your pain:
forgive as we confess. Heal all our brokenness,
so we may never leave again.

Gentle and gracious Christ, loving Lord and brother,
you walk with us though we turn away.
Here in your sweet embrace, fill us with your deep peace,
that we may live your gentle way

Spirit, enfold us now. May our hearts grow wide and kind,
loving, no matter what others do.
Help us receive and bless, steadfast in gentleness.
Lord, make us merciful as you.


Prodigal Grace (Tune : Amazing Grace)

As once a wandering son, disgraced, was welcomed home anew,
as Christ was raised, so by your grace, we have new life in you.

In joy for one once dead, who lives, a banquet you prepare.
We bring the gifts the Spirit gives, with all the world to share.

Forgiven, reconciled as one, we answer to your call,
to serve in love with Christ, your Son, to share your love with all.


Return, My Soul (Tune: Finlandia)

Return, my soul, from all your hungry wandering,
your fearful search for comfort and control.
Let go my grasp of things apart from God,
for God alone can heal and hold my soul.
Return to God, for God alone will love me,
and give me life, and bless and make me whole.

Return, my soul, from all the things that dull me,
that soothe my sense, but leave my sin in place.
My broken heart, return from tricks and bargains;
turn to the One who meets me face to face.
Return to God. Each moment turn again;
receive unending love and life and grace.

I turn, O God, to you who love with patience.
You walk beside me, though I cannot see.
You are my life in dry and weary deserts,
my spring of life that flows eternally.
I turn to you, from false desire and grasping,
and letting go, I find that you hold me.


Your Will Be Done (Original Song)

Father, take my willfulness.
I surrender it to you grace alone.
Mother, be my willingness.
I can only ask: Your will be done.

Jesus, take my brokenness.
I surrender it to you grace alone.
Jesus, heal my brokenness.
I can only ask: Your will be done.

Spirit, take my empty hands.
I surrender them to you grace alone.
Spirit, with my empty hands
I can only ask: Your will be done

March 23, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Isaiah 55.1-9 — Why spend your money for what is not bread? … Seek God while God may be found… My ways are not your ways. As the rain and snow water the earth, my Word goes forth and accomplishes what I sent it for.

Psalm 63 confesses, “My soul thirsts for you,” and also rejoices: “My soul is feasted when I think of you.”

1 Corinthians 10.1-13 warns that simply “being a Christian” will not satisfy our hunger and thirst for righteousness, any more than simply being with Moses and eating the divinely provided food was enough to save the Hebrews on the way to the Promised Land. We have to truly change our ways.

Luke 13.1-9 — The Galilean victims of Pilate … The parable of the fig tree.

Preaching Thoughts

Isaiah
       We traditionally “give something up for Lent;” the real purpose of that is not necessarily self-discipline, but feeding on the “rich food” that really nourishes our souls instead of the junk we often consume, giving up the activities that drain us and turning to ones that feed us. It’s a turning the corner: “my ways are not your ways.” Maybe instead of fasting for Lent we should feast. What is the bread that satisfies? What truly nourishes your soul? Have some!
       “Let the wicked forsake their way, and return to God, who will abundantly pardon.” The repentance of Lent is not some miserable groveling exercise, but turning to receive the grace and forgiveness that God years to give us, and we yearn to receive but have denied ourselves. Part of our sin is our self-sufficiency. We resist coming to God in humility, because we want to have been right. We don’t want to need forgiveness, so we don’t ask for it. Repentance is inner surrender, giving up our fear of needing God’s grace, and allowing ourselves to be truly, deeply, lovingly forgiven. When we can allow God to love us we receive what we’ve been craving all along.

Luke
       “Were they worse offenders?” Nope. Jesus opposes the belief that God punishes sinners with suffering. We might think of God’s “punishment algorithm” as kind of a archaic idea, but how often have you heard or said, “What have I done to deserve this?” How often have you heard people describe their suffering as God’s punishment? It’s still with us. The popular image of God is a law-giver. The law-giver demands obedience, and reward or punishes our performance. It’s a relationship based on demand and fear. But Jesus knows God as a life-giver. The life-giver certainly wants us to love one another (as described in God’s laws) but our love is a fruit of our being loved. It’s a relationship of gratitude and trust. God’s response to our disobedience is not punishment but more love, until we bear fruit. God is like a patient gardener who will give an unfruitful tree more nutrients and another year to produce. God does not punish sin, Jesus says, but gives life. Since it is God who gives life, unless we repent, that is, turn to God, we will perish. To bear fruit, first we ourselves need to be nourished. Repentance is a matter of allowing God to love us out of our sinful ways.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Creator God, we come before you in humility and awe.
All: You receive us with love; you bless us with grace.
Loving Christ, you invite us to your table. We come with hunger and gratitude.
You welcome us gently; you feed us abundantly.
Holy Spirit, you work in us to re-shape us according to your will.
We open our hearts to your gracious work.


2. [Adapted from Psalm 63… also, obviously, it may be used for the Psalm reading]

Leader: O God, you are my God. I seek you. My soul thirsts for you.
All: My flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land without water.
So I gaze at your glory, your presence in every moment.
Your steadfast love is better than life. This is what I hunger for.
My soul feasts on you as on a rich banquet, a divine dessert.
I meditate on you all day, and in the dark hours of night.
I will bless you as long as I live.
Your strong hand upholds me.
My soul clings to you, and my lips will praise you.
In the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
Because your steadfast love is better than life
I will sing for joy.

3. [Based on Isaiah 55.1-3]
Leader: Listen! You who are thirsty, come to the waters!
You that have no money, come, take, and eat!
All: We have spent our money on that which is not bread,
and labored for that which does not satisfy.
Listen carefully to God, and you’ll have good nourishment.
You’ll delight yourselves in God’s gourmet fare.
We come to you, God. We are listening.
Hungry for grace, we gladly receive your Word that gives us life.

4.
Leader: O Holy Love, food of our souls, living spring of the water of life,
we worship you.
All: Our souls thirst for your presence; and we hunger for your grace.
O Christ, Bread of Life, sown and harvested, blessed and broken for us,
we thank you.
You have nourished our spirits and renewed our strength.
Our souls have feasted on your love.
O Holy Spirit, wine of new life, we have drunk deeply of your grace,
and we come to receive again.
Our cups overflow with your presence.
Fill us, become us, and transform us. Amen.

5.
Leader: Creator God, you made us, and you are with us in every breath.
All: We worship you, and open our hearts to you.
Jesus, you heal us and teach us, you change us and you love us.
We thank you, and we sing your praise.
Holy Spirit, you give us new hearts and fill us with the power of your love.
Create in us a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right Spirit within us. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of love, you call us to repentance: you offer us love we decline to receive and fail to share with others. Help us reclaim your love in our hearts. By your loving spirit re-shape us as vessels of your love. You are the vinedresser; we are your vine. In the Spirit of Christ, speak to us and make us new. Amen.

2.
God of grace, we are hungry for your presence and thirsty for your Word. Yet you are present with us always, and speaking to us in the silence. Open our hearts to you now, that we may behold you, that we may hear you, that we may know your life-giving grace. Amen.

3.
God of love, we are hungry for your Word, thirsting for your grace as in a dry and weary land. Speak your Word to us, your Word of life that cleanses us, renews us, and sets us free. Speak your Word in which you give yourself to us. Speak your Word that gives us back ourselves, radiant with your love. Speak to us; for we are hungry and thirsty for you. Amen.

4.
God, we do not live by bread alone, but by the Word that comes from you. We are hungry for your Word. We are thirsty for your peace. Speak to us, nourish our souls, and revive us with your love. Grant us grace and wisdom. Our hears are open. Amen.

5.
Loving God, our hearts grow hard so easily. We forget you, and we care about lots of things other than you. Our hearts fill up with fear instead of trust and selfish desires instead of compassion. So change our hearts. Speak your Word to us that changes our hearts into hearts of love. We pray in the name of Jesus, who is with us, and in the power of your Spirit, who is within us. Amen.

Listening Prayer

(Suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to prayer)

Our souls are rooted in you, O God.
Dig as you will; expose what you must,
prune what you must.
Feed the soil of our souls.
Let the power of your grace
flow up through our roots
and bear fruit in our love.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God of gentle mercy,
we confess our sin,
for even the brokenness we don’t see
keeps us from loving perfectly.
Forgive us, God; in your infinite grace forgive us;
receive us, heal us,
and give us new life.
…Silent prayer … The Word of Grace

2.
Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God of love, help us to see ourselves with the eyes of love.
By your grace we look at all in us that bears good fruit, and we give thanks.
…[Silent reflection]…
God of love, we thank you for your grace
We behold what in us does not bear the fruit of love.
Dig around the roots of our hearts, God,
and perfect your love in us.
…[Silent reflection]… THE WORD OF GRACE

3.
Life-Giving God, we have spent our lives on that which does not feed our souls,
and labored for that which is not life.
We have starved ourselves and others of your love.
We open ourselves to your presence, your forgiveness and your love.
Feed us life, that we may truly live,
and bear the fruits of your grace.

4.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
Loving God, you alone are our life.
But we have not rooted ourselves in you,
and so our souls are hungry; our lives dry and thirsty.
We confess our hunger, and we return to you.
Forgive us, feed us, and grant us life in the flowing stream of your grace. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

[Go here for musical responses to the Eucharistic prayer—Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen—set to familiar tunes suitable for Lent.

[The body of the prayer may be read responsively by the pastor and congregation or by the presiding leader(s) alone.]

God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your heart.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

Holy One, our lives are rooted in you, and we give you thanks.
We hunger for life; and often look in the wrong places,
but you feed us what nourishes our souls.
So we come to your table, hungry, and glad,
singing your praise with all Creation.

     (Sanctus)

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who has fed us the bread of life,
who has dug, even with painful strokes,
at the roots of our hearts,
to nourish us that we may bear fruit.
Even as he faced his death at the hands of our injustice
he offered only life.

     (The Blessing and Covenant) *

As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Therefore with him we offer ourselves
as we proclaim the mystery at the heart of our faith:

     (Memorial Acclamation)

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
rooted in you,
nourished by your Spirit,
and bearing the fruit of your love
for the sake of the healing of the world.
      (Amen.)

____________
* The Blessing and Covenant
[I usually don’t print the words. I want people to be looking at the bread, not their bulletins.]

On the night in which he gave himself for us
Jesus took bread, blessed it,. broke it, and gave it to his disciples,saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup,
blessed it with thanks and gave it to them, saying,
“Drink of this, all of you. This is my blood,
poured out for you and for many, in a new Covenant,
which is the forgiveness of sin.”
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending

God of mercy, root us in your grace; send the energy of your love through us that we may bear the fruit of your love in our lives, that by your grace all the world may feast on your goodness. Send us, as we pray in the name and the spirit and the companionship of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view, and hear an audio clip, on the Music page)

By Your Grace (Tune: What Wondrous Love Is This)

What wondrous love is this O my soul, O my soul,
what wondrous love is this, O my soul!
That you so freely give the bread by which we live,
that you revive our soul, by your Word, by your Word,
and by your life in us make us whole.

Our lives we give to you, by your grace, by your grace,
our lives we give to you, by your grace.
Lord, use the gifts we give to help your children live,
that all may come and feast by your grace, by your grace,
the greatest and the least, by your grace.


Return, My Soul (Tune: Finlandia)

Return, my soul, from all your hungry wandering,
your fearful search for comfort and control.
Let go my grasp of things apart from God,
for God alone can heal and hold my soul.
Return to God, for God alone will love me,
and give me life, and bless and make me whole.

Return, my soul, from all the things that dull me,
that soothe my sense, but leave my sin in place.
My broken heart, return from tricks and bargains;
turn to the One who meets me face to face.
Return to God. Each moment turn again;
receive unending love and life and grace.

I turn, O God, to you who love with patience.
You walk beside me, though I cannot see.
You are my life in dry and weary deserts,
my spring of life that flows eternally.
I turn to you, from false desire and grasping,
and letting go, I find that you hold me.


Vine and Branches (Original song)
[In Lent you should omit the final verse, “Alleluia.”]

You are the vine and we are your branches,
one with your life and rooted in your heart.
Flowing with grace, with life you fill us,
strengthened that nothing can break us apart.

You are the vine and we are your branches.
Deep in our hearts your life is flowing through.
Rooted in you, we grow and flourish.
You live within us, and we live in you.

You are the vine and we are your branches.
One common blood flows though all of our veins.
We all are part of one another.
We all are branches of one living vine.

You are the vine and we are your branches,
flowing with power greater than our own,
bearing your fruit to all Creation,
till all the seeds of your love have been sown.


You are the soil (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)
[Includes a communion hymn suitable either as a free-standing song
or as Eucharistic Prayer Responses]

God, Holy Presence, source of life and blessing,
you are the soil and we the seed.
By your indwelling grace, we die in your embrace;
you raise us up and we are freed.

Jesus, Beloved One, healer, teacher, guide and friend,
in you we come to die and rise:
buried like seeds in earth, given new, gracious birth,
with your love shining in our eyes.

Spirit, let old forms die. From your soil let new life rise.
From broken seeds bring forth new shoots.
In us let your life grow; not ours but yours will flow,
that we may bear the Spirit’s fruits.

March 16, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 15.1-6, 12-15 — To Abram God promises as many descendants as there are stars. They will be oppressed, but they will also be delivered.

Psalm 27 — God is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not be afraid. Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries.

Philippians 3.17-4.1 — Many have their mind set on earthly things, but our citizenship is in heaven.

In Luke 13.31-35 — “Get away. Herod wants to kill you!” “Tell that fox I am casting out demons and healing. Oh, Jerusalem, how I want to gather you like a mother hen…”

Preaching Thoughts

Genesis
       God promises descendants to Abram—with an asterisk. They will be oppressed for generations, but eventually they’ll be delivered. The promise is not dominion and victory. Oppression is part of our journey, too. But so is deliverance. Knowing that, we stay faithful.

Philippians
       Christians these days are uncomfortable with the reality that we’re not the center of the culture any more. Of course Abram and Jesus and Paul would say, “Well, duh.” We shouldn’t expect to be in charge. In fact we should expect “an army encamped against us,” because part of our ministry is a critique and undermining of the culture’s economic, political and philosophical values. You bet we’ll be on the outside. We are not individual, materialistic beings, but the People of God. It’s knowing our citizenship is not in the empires of this world and we have a higher loyalty, we can maintain values that don’t match this word’s.

Luke
       We tend to think of Lent primarily as a time of repentance, turning from our sins. But it’s also a time of mourning for the world, a time of lament: lament for the damage we have done to the world and its people; lament for the plight of those who, like Jesus are victims of violence, repression, abuse or threat; lament for our own inadequate response to injustice and oppression; and lament for our own complicity—intentional and unintentional, our inability to live purely for love and justice. Jesus mourns with us, and invites us to stand with him, simultaneously mourning for our hurting world, resisting evil and violence, committing to healing and practicing non-violence. Notice the poignant juxtaposition Jesus uses: he calls Herod a “fox” and refers to himself as a “mother hen.” He knows exactly the violence of the world he’s serving, and commits to non-violence. He does so in trust of the grace God gives him. As the United Methodist baptismal vows says, “we accept the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.” This begins with facing our own violence and our cooperation with injustice. As we mourn our own complicity we are strengthened to resist—not from a place of judgment, but from the strength of honest lament. For it’s in lament that we know our own powers to be faulty, and knowing that, we put our trust entirely in God and God’s Spirit working through us. And God’s spirit is not subject to death.
       As Jesus serves humbly and faithfully in the face of violence, we are given courage to carry on. In the face of political opposition and social pressure, under the domination of economic oppression, in the shadow of war and climate change and racism, and honest about our own limits—even if we fear the end of the world—still, with faith and hope, we carry on, because this is the hurting world we’re sent to mend. “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.”

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: God of love, this world is deeply broken and in need of your grace.
All: We cry out to you.
Loving Christ, we are often lost and lonely, and we need your gentle companionship.
We cry out to you.
Holy Spirit, the struggle for healing and justice is long and hard. We need your help.
We cry out to you. We open our hearts to you. We worship you.

2. [Adapted from Psalm 27]
Leader: God is my light and my salvation;
of whom should I be afraid?
All: Though violence rise all around me
I will not be drawn into fear.
One thing I asked of God, that will I seek after:
to live in the presence of God all the days of my life,
to behold the grace of God,
and to inquire in God’s temple.
I believe that I shall see the goodness of God
in the land of the living.
Wait for God;
be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for God!

3. [From Psalm 27]
Leader: One thing I have asked of God, that I will seek after:
All: to live in the presence of the Holy One all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Beloved and to wonder in God’s presence.
Hear us, O God, when we cry out to you.
Do not hide yourself in times of trouble.
Teach us your way, O God, and lead us in paths of peace.
Wait for your God. Be strong, and let your heart take courage.
I believe I shall see the goodness of the Holy One in the land of the living.
Wait for God!

4.
Leader: In the face of violence…
All: healing!
In the face of fear…
love!
In the face of our despair…
hope!
In the face of death.
Life!
God, we thank you for the gift of Jesus,
and for the gift of his Spirit in us.
We praise you, and we worship in peace and in hope.

5.
Leader: Holy One, you create life full of light and darkness, joy and suffering.
And your blessing is in it all.
All: With humility we wonder at the mystery of life, and we thank you.
O Crucified One, you are present in our joy and in our suffering.
All: With gratitude we receive the mystery of life, and we greet you.
O Spirit of Life, you give times of sowing and times of harvest,
and through it all you bring forth your fruits.
With love we bear forth the mystery of life, and we praise you.
Come, Holy Spirit, and sow your Word in us now. Amen.

6.
Leader: Creator God, our Source and our Home, we belong to you.
All: We praise you, and we gather to worship you and give our lives to you.
Living Christ, you establish justice, overthrow the power of evil,
and offer blessing to the downtrodden, even at the price of your own life.
We thank you, and we gather to join in your ministry of healing.
Spirit of mercy, it is you who give us courage and compassion
to work for justice, to enact healing, to bear witness to your grace.
We open our hearts to you, and we gather to be changed by your power.
Transform us by your grace, that we may serve you
in humility, gentleness and courage, in the name of Christ. Amen.

7.
Leader: God of grace, you are our light and our salvation. Whom shall we fear?
All: Hear us, O Lord, when we cry aloud;
be gracious to us, and answer us.
Teach us your way, O God,
and lead us on a level path.
As a hen gathers her brood,
gather your children, God, in your loving arms
and transform us by your grace.

8.
Leader:We seek you, O Lord while you may be found.
We thirst for you as in a dry and weary land.
All: We turn to you, that you may have mercy on us;
we come to you alone, for you abundantly pardon.
Our soul is satisfied as with a rich feast.
Christ, you are the water that satisfies, the bread that gives life.
Gather us in your loving arms,
and transform us by your grace.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of love you are our only strength, our only refuge, our only hope. Amid all the voices of fear in this world we turn to you for your grace. Speak to us and bring us safely under your wing. We pray in the name of Christ, our gentle savior. Amen.

2.
God of mercy, we come to you in a broken world, in broken relationships, with broken hearts. For all that is unwell we seek your healing. For all that is bruised we ask your grace. For all that is wrong we ask your forgiveness. For all that is unfinished we long for your will to be done. For all that seems impossible, we ask for hope. God of love, grant your blessings. Amen.3.Gracious God, in times of trouble we fear; in times of uncertainty we despair. But you are our light and our salvation. One thing we seek: to be close to you, to behold your beauty, to wonder in your presence. Teach us your ways, Beloved, and lead us in your path. In your Spirit, we wait for you, God. We wait for you. Amen.

4.
Still our minds, God, and calm our hearts, so that we may hear the Word that comes from you that leads us in life, that protects us in struggle, that guides us in doing your will, that strengthens us in suffering for the sake of love, that bears us through death, and that leads us to eternal life. Amen.

5.
Gracious God, Jesus gave his life for us, healing and casting out demons even in the face of persecution. We need his grace; and we need to hear his word to us. Bless us as your scripture is read and your good news proclaimed, that we may hear the voice of the Crucified One in our midst. Amen.

6.
One thing we ask of you, God, that we will seek after: that we may dwell in your house all the days of our lives, to behold your beauty, and to inquire in your holy temple. Teach us your way, Love, and lead us on a level path, that we may see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Amen.

7.
God, we are thirsty for life, though we seek it in dry and barren places. We are hungry for grace, yet we work for that which does not satisfy our hearts. So we turn to you now, for you alone give us the Bread of Life; from you alone flow the clear, living waters of eternal life. We feast upon your presence. We look upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory, in awe at your beauty. Satisfy our souls with the rich feast of your Word. Bless us that we may hear. Amen.

Listening Prayer

(Suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to prayer)

1.
Jesus, Mother Hen,
gather us under your wing,
away from the world’s anxieties.
Give us your peace
so that we may be peacemakers.

2
God of love,
in the face of violence,
your grace persists.
In the winds of fear,
your love endures.
In places of brokenness,
your healing continues.
Give us gratitude, and trust.
Amen.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
Gentle God, we con fess that we have tried to protect ourselves from suffering,
and so been unable to love.
Forgive our sin, heal our fear, and renew your Spirit within us,
so that we may be perfected in love
according to the grace of Christ. Amen.
Silent prayer … the Word of Grace

2.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
Gentle God, we confess our abuse of power.
We have tolerated violence and exploitation;
we have excluded and dehumanized people.
We confess our corporate sin,
and ask your forgiveness for your people.
Heal our wounds, and the wounds we have caused,
reconcile us with all people,
and enable us by your grace to live in peace and nonviolence
as healers in the name of Christ. Amen.
Silent prayer … the Word of Grace

3.
Gracious God,
we confess our sin to you,
for we have denied your light in us;
we have betrayed your Holy Spirit in us.
For those sins which weigh upon us,
and those we do not even know
we ask your forgiveness.
Heal our hearts, renew your Spirit within us,
and restore in us the image of Christ,
that by your grace
we may be light for the world. Amen.

4.
Pastor: O people, return to the Holy One your God, who is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
All: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.
Have mercy on us, receive our prayer, and grant us peace.
Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us.
Help us to repent and accept your grace, and by our acceptance
share in the work of Christ in renewing the world. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

[Go here for musical responses to the Eucharistic prayer—Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen—set to familiar tunes suitable for Lent.]

[The body of the prayer may be read responsively or by the presider(s) alone]

1.
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your heart.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

God we thank you, for you create us in love;
you promise us life even when it seems impossible.
You deliver your children from oppression,
and you free us from all the fears and attachments that bind us.
With strong and gentle grace, even in the face of violence,
you lead us toward your Realm of peace and justice.
You are our only power, our only security, our only food.
So at your invitation we come to your table to receive the gift of life,
with all Creation singing your praise.

[Sanctus]

Blessed are all who come in your name, and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
In the face of fear he chose love;
in the face of violence he chose peace.
Though he was given death he only gave life.
You raised him from the dead and still he gives us life.

[The Blessings and Covenant….] *

With gratitude we remember your mighty acts in Jesus Christ.
We offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a living and holy sacrifice
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery at the heart of our faith.

[Memorial Acclamation]

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup
that they may be for us the Body and Blood of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us, that we may be the Body of Christ,
trusting in your grace, moved by your Spirit,
courageous in your love,
following in your way of healing and peace,
in the name and the companionship of Christ,
to your eternal glory.

[Amen]
____________

2.
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your heart.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

God of love, you create us, you claim us and you promise to be our God.
You walk with us, even when we are lost and afraid.
From the fears and attachments that dominate us, you set us free.
From the fear of suffering that quells our love, you set us free.
You come in Jesus to give us hope when we cannot see the way.
You come in Jesus to show us your way of nonviolence.
Jesus remained faithful in the face of threats.,
and gentle in the face of violence.
In love he accompanies us, and nothing will take him from our side.

[The Blessing and Covenant] *

Whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup,
we remember his death and resurrection until he comes again.
Remembering your acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves,
in union with Christ’s offering for us.
In praise and thanksgiving we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that filled with your love, trusting in your grace,
and upheld by the courage of the Spirit,
we may follow your way of love and peace,
despite all darkness and uncertainty,
in the name of Christ. Amen.

3.
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your heart.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

Blessed are you, O God, Creator of all things,
ruler of the world and all that is to come.
You have created us in your image, called us as your people,
and taken us to yourself in your holy Covenant.
Though we reject you, you embrace us,
and you extend your grace to all Creation.
Therefore with all your people on earth we sing as one voice:

[Sanctus]

Blessed are all who come in your name, and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
With love he healed the sick and drove out demons.
In his gentle acceptance he disarmed all earthly powers and authority.
He called us to repentance, offered us your grace,
and bid us to follow him in healing and casting out evil.
At his table he gathers us as a hen gathers her children,
that we may come to new life in your steadfast love.

[… The Blessing and Covenant …]

Receiving the Body of Christ, we become the Body of Christ,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
[Memorial Acclamation]

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts, O God,
that they may be for us the Body and Blood
of the crucified and risen Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
nonviolent even in the face of persecution.
Gather us in your love, with all who share in this meal,
and renew your Holy Spirit within us,
that by the mystery of your grace working within us
through repentance, healing and compassion,
we may join Christ in his work of the redemption of the world.
[Amen]
_______________
* The Blessing and Covenant
[I usually don’t print the words. I want people to be looking at the bread, not their bulletins.]

On the night in which he gave himself for us
Jesus took bread, blessed it,. broke it, and gave it to his disciples,saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup,
blessed it with thanks and gave it to them, saying,
“Drink of this, all of you. This is my blood,
poured out for you and for many, in a new Covenant,
which is the forgiveness of sin.”
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.

Prayer after Communion

God, we thank you for this mystery in which, in facing our violence, you have given yourself to us, in peace and love. May we accept the power you give us to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves, in the name and the company and the Spirit of Christ.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending

1.
God, we thank you for the mystery that in facing our violence, you give yourself to us, in peace and love. May we accept the power you give us to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves, in the name and the company and the Spirit of Christ.

2.
Loving God, when our hearts are heavy and our minds uncertain, you revive us with your gentle grace. Fill us with the courage of your love, to be light in the world and to not fear the darkness, to embody love and not fear. Send us in the name and Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view, and hear an audio clip, on the Music page)

Becoming Whole (Original tune)

We are a broken people becoming whole again.
We are a wounded people being healed again.
We are a hungry people being fed again.
We are a wandering people coming home again.
We are a captive people walking free again.
We are dead and buried, being raised again.
We are a grateful people giving thanks again.

Christ, You have Gathered Your Children (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

Christ, you have gathered your children in peace
here at the table of your loving grace,
just as a mother hen gathers her brood,
giving us shelter and your holy food.

Christ, while dark shadows of death yet draw near,
you go on doing your healing work here.
So the good news of your love cannot fail:
though evil still abounds, your grace will prevail.

Christ, dead and risen, you gather us in,
so that the great Feast of Life may begin.
Spirit, the gifts that you give us we bring,
sharing with joy as your praises we sing.

God, may we dwell in your house all our days,
sharing our gifts as our offering of praise,
humbly beholding your beauty and grace,
and walking with you and learning your ways.

Into the Darkness (Original tune)

Only the seed that has died and is buried
lives to bear fruit, Jesus said.
Lead me then into the darkness and dying,
so you can raise me up from the dead.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

All of my living, my loves and desires,
all of the things that I cling to,
now I surrender to die and be buried.
Raise me in following, serving you.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

Lead me to truth and have mercy and wash me
deep in the dark of my being,
a spirit like bread that is taken and broken:
this is the death that is freeing.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

Give me a clean heart, a heart pure in spirit,
willing and steadfast and made new.
My life I lose; let your cross lift me up now.
One joy restore to me: life in you.
Jesus, help me die and rise.


Raise Up Your People (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

God, you who raised up your Christ from the grave.
Raise up your people and bless us and save!
Help us be mindful our life is in you
when we surrender you raise us up new.

When all the powers of evil assail,
not by our strength but your grace we prevail:
when we are lowly and gentle in love
power is not ours but flows from above.

Give us the faith, God, to fearlessly live,
love with our whole hearts and bless and forgive.
Your Word is borne, God, in all that we do;
in our forgiveness is Christ raised anew.


Make Us Merciful (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)

Merciful parent, God, prodigal with grace and love,
welcoming children through your pain,
gently receive us all, break down our shame’s dark wall,
that we may never leave again.

Gentle and gracious God, you who love your children,
you take us in though we turn away.
Fold us in your embrace; fill us with peace and grace,
that we may live your gentle way.

God, give us spacious hearts, generous and kind and wide,
no matter what hurtful things folks do.
Help us to love and bless, steadfast in gentleness.
Lord, make us merciful as you.


When Darkness and Unknowing (Tune: O Sacred Head Now Wounded)

When darkness and unknowing weigh down our hearts with fear,
oh, loving gentle Jesus, you draw your dear ones near.
You feed us with yourself, Lord, and dwelling in our soul
you lead us by your light, though we cannot see the goal.

When evil and oppression make threat to bend your will,
you gather your beloved in peace, and gentle still.
You feed us with compassion: your very life you give,
so gentleness will also become the way we live.

Despite our fear and violence, the gentleness you’ve shown,
your mercy in the darkness, becomes our hope alone.
You feed us with your love now, and ban the evil powers,
and give us your compassion, so your peace may be ours.

March 9, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Deuteronomy 26.1-11 — The salvation story. “My ancestor (Abraham) wandered from Aram, we became a nation enslaved in Egypt, and God liberated us.” When we possess the promised land (that is, enjoy the fruits of what God gives us) we should offer tithes (one tenth of our goods) in thanksgiving, and remember this story, for all things come from God.

Psalm 91 — God cares for us in all distress and danger. (Satan quotes it to Jesus in tempting him to jump from the top of the temple om Lk 4.10-11.)

Romans 10.8-13 —All who call upon the name (that is, the power) of God shall be saved. Paul quotes Dt. 30.14.: “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart.” God’s word is not a strange demand you have to learn; it is there in your deepest yearnings.

Luke 4.1-13 — When Jesus is tempted by Satan, his responses are quotations from Deuteronomy 8.3, 6.13 and 6.16, material related to the Shema, the great commandment (Dt. 6.4-5): “Hear, O Israel: Yahweh is our God, Yahweh alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”

Guiding Thoughts

Temptations are not tricks Satan throws at us, but our own deep desire for meaningful life that get distorted.Our temptations are whatever draw us away from union with God. We are one with God, and in God; but when we seek life apart from God, life for our own individual “self,” we cut ourselves off from our divine nature, from God, and from life itself. Our temptations are our enslavement to our ego whose job it is to take care of our self above all else. Distrusting God’s grace, we go off on our own to create, sustain and protect our own lives. We seek power (I can turn stones to bread!), security (I can jump off buildings and not get hurt!) and esteem (the kingdoms of the world are mine!). Our temptations are fears and desires that control us. They are illusions. Satan’s promises are lies. If Jesus jumped off a cliff he would actually get hurt. Satan isn’t actually capable of giving Jesus all the glory and authority of the nations. All temptations are illusions. “If I take this drink it will make me happy.” “If I hurt or insult this person I will feel better.” “I need people to agree with me to be happy.” “Satan” is our addictions and attachments talking. “Stinkin’ thinkin’,” as they say in AA: things we think will make us happy but actually can’t. “Salvation” is not being rescued from being sent to hell; it’s being rescued from our slavery to our ego and the power our fears and desires have over us.

The desires beneath our temptations aren’t bad; they’re just misdirected. We want to experience power, security and belonging in our lives. These are life-affirming desires—if we seek them in God. But we seek them in the wrong places: power in having control and getting our way; security in being protected from pain; and belonging in the esteem and approval of the world. But Jesus knows that love is our only power, that God is our only security, and that God is the true place of our deepest belonging. He also knows that Satan is lying.

We are not evil, any more than Jesus was. The story of Jesus’ temptations invites us to become the good people we are created to be by confronting our illusions and denial, and exposing and renouncing our attachments, what we (incorrectly) think we can’t live without. In fact the one thing we can’t live without is giving and receiving love. So the journey of Lenten repentance is not about self-loathing, but love.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: In the desert, God, all is laid bare.
All: You are our life, our only hope.
With you, O Christ, we face our brokenness.
You are our life, our only hope.
Holy Spirit, lead us through the wilderness, to find springs of water in our hearts.
You are our life, and our only hope. We worship you

2.
Leader: In this season of Lent we journey with Christ in the wilderness.
All: We journey from death to life.
We let go of our fears and desires and embrace God.
We worship Yahweh our God, and serve the Holy One alone.
We turn to you, O God, and surrender our lives to you.
By your grace, grant us life.

3.
Leader: Holy Spirit, great desert wind, you drive us into the wilderness.
All: In lonely, barren places our brokenness is exposed.
We confront our shadows.
Christ, be with us in this testing time.
Walk with us, Jesus, in our wilderness.
Eternal God, whose love for us is vast and wide,
you are the desert; you are the Way.
We come to you and surrender ourselves to you.
We rest in your presence.
Receive our broken lives, and transform us by your grace.
Holy One, Destroying One, Birthing One, whom we worship,
create in us a new heart. Amen.

4.
Leader: Creator God, you gathered up dust from the earth
and breathed into it, and it became a living being.
All: Breathe your Spirit into us now, and give us life.
Beloved Christ, you went into the desert for forty days
and wrestled with your temptations.
Lead us into the wilderness of our hearts,
and help us confront all that keeps us from you.
Holy Spirit, you are the Breath of Life;
you are our companion in the wilderness.
Come, Holy Spirit, breathe life into us,
lead us in truth, and transform us by your grace. Amen.

5.
Leader: Lord, have Mercy.
All: Christ, have mercy.
Lord. have mercy.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.
have mercy upon us, receive our prayers,
and grant us your peace.
We seek You, God, as in a dry and weary land.
We have gone astray, but we turn to you,
for you abundantly pardon.
As a hen gathers her little ones,
as a shepherd gathers his lambs in his arms,
receive us and bless us, O God,.
Receive us in the arms of Christ outspread.
Make us one with you and with each other in your Spirit.
Gather us in your open arms
and grant us your grace. Amen.

6.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
You alone are holy, and we worship you.
Let us return to the Lord our God, who is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.
Have mercy on us, receive our prayer, and grant us peace.
Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us.
With Jesus who confronted his temptations
these forty days in the wilderness, lead us in prayer and repentance.
We give ourselves to you in worship;
create us anew in the power of your Spirit. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of love, as Jesus went into the desert to pray and face his temptations, lead us with him, into solitude with you, into that place laid bare where we may see ourselves through your eyes and reclaim the love you give us. We pray in the love and the company of Jesus. Amen.

2.
God of love, we live not by bread alone but by your living Word, for your Word is the bread of life. Speak life to us now in our hungry wilderness. Speak freedom to us in our secret deserts, and bring us home. We pray with Jesus, who journeys through this wilderness with us. Amen

3.
Gracious God, we live not by bread alone, but by every word that comes from your mouth. We lay aside all that claims to be bread but is only words, and we open our hearts to you. Feed us the bread of life; speak your Word to us. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, we tremble to enter the season of Lent, the desert of our temptation, the valley of our suffering. But you have given us your gentle Jesus to go with us, to face this darkness with grace and healing. Help us, then, to go with him, now and throughout this season: in prayer and simplicity to surrender ourselves to you and your grace. Gather us, God, in your open arms, and restore your image in us by the power of your Word. Amen.

5.
God of wilderness and water,
your Son was baptized and tempted as we are. 
Guide us through this season of Lent,
that we may not avoid struggle,
but open ourselves to your blessing,
and give of ourselves to others in love. Amen.

Listening Prayer

(suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to prayer)

1.
Faithful One,
all our temptations
are rooted in our distrust of you;
fearful, we seek life elsewhere.
But it is you alone we are hungry for.
We do not live by bread alone,
but by every word from your heart.
Bring us back.
Help us trust.
Give us life.

2.
God of love, we do not live by bread alone,
but by the Word of love you give to us as a gift.
Give us faith to receive your grace.
We cannot protect ourselves from suffering;
give us courage to risk hurt for the sake of love and justice.
We do not need the glory of the world:
we are your Beloved.
Help us to trust, and to live in harmony with your grace.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God of love, help us to see ourselves with the eyes of love,
to see all that is in us that is loving, and all that is not loving.
Open our eyes to your love living in us,
and to all those things that hinder that love.
By the grace you show us in Christ,
forgive us, heal us, and perfect your love in us.
           … Silent reflection… Words of grace

2.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
Creator God, we are the dust of earth, breathed into life by your Spirit.
But we have clung to things of dust without Spirit.
Forgive our sin, and re-create us now.
Return us to the earth of our creation, to oneness with all living beings.
Breathe life into us by your Spirit,
that we may live each moment by your breath alone.
     … Silent prayer The Word of Grace

3.
The grace of God be with you.
And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word and deed,
by that we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
Gather us in your loving arms;
have mercy on us and forgive us,
that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways,
by the grace of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen    
       Silent prayer … The Word of Grace

4.
The grace of God be with you.
And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
Gracious God, we confess our sin: we have not loved you with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, nor have we loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. Have mercy upon us: forgive our sin, heal our hearts, and renew your Holy Spirit within us, that being born anew by your grace, we may live in the light of your love, in the name of Christ.
Silent prayers of Confession…
RESPONSE
The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The lord does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is God’s love for us.
As far as the east is from the west, so far does God remove our transgressions from us.
We thank you, O God!
Show us your ways and teach us your paths,
that we may live in the light of your grace. Amen.

5.
Gracious God, we confess our sin: we have not loved you with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, nor have we loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. Have mercy upon us: forgive our sin, heal our hearts, and renew your Holy Spirit within us, that being born anew by your grace, we may live in the light of your love, in the name of Christ.

Eucharistic Prayer

[Go here for musical responses to the Eucharistic prayer—Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen—set to familiar tunes suitable for Lent.]

The body of the Eucharistic prayer may be read responsively or by the presiding leader(s) alone.

Beloved, the Holy One is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to our God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One our God.
It is good to give God thanks and praise.

We thank you, God, for you create us in love,
claim us as your own, and make covenant with us to be our God.
You set us free from all that oppresses us outside us and within;
you bring us back to one another,
and journey with us toward your shalom.
You who are thirsty, come and buy drink without money.
You who are hungry, come and eat, and be satisfied.
For your Word is the bread of life; nothing else do we desire.
Therefore we come to your table with all Creation, singing your praise.
         [Sanctus]

Blessed are all who come in your name and bear your love,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He loved and taught, healed and gathered a new community of grace.
Resisting the temptations of power, security and esteem,
he relied solely upon you and so,
in faithfulness he became our leader and model.
Resisting the temptations of worldly power,
he opened to us the Empire of your Grace,
and so, in love, he became our sovereign.
For the sake of love did not defend himself
from suffering, powerlessness or death,
and so, in forgiveness, he became our savior. [The Blessing and Covenant…] *
With gratitude we remember these, your mighty acts in Jesus Christ.
Therefore we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a living and holy sacrifice,
in union with Christ’ offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery at the heart of our faith.
         [Memorial Acclamation]

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the Body and Blood of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us, that we may be the Body of Christ.
By your Spirit lead us in these forty days to turn to you.
May your Word be the bread of our life.
May your grace be our only security.
May the Realm of your Love be our only Empire,
to your glory, now and forever.
          [Amen]

____________
* The Blessing and Covenant
[I usually don’t print the words. I want people to be looking at the bread, not their bulletins.]

On the night in which he gave himself for us
Jesus took bread, blessed it,. broke it, and gave it to his disciples,saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup,
blessed it with thanks and gave it to them, saying,
“Drink of this, all of you. This is my blood,
poured out for you and for many, in a new Covenant,
which is the forgiveness of sin.”
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
e remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.

Prayer after Communion

Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have fed us your Word, the Bread of Life, rescued us from death and offered us the Empire of your Grace. Having fed us the bread of heaven, lead us always to turn from worldly powers and desires to embrace your love; to journey from death to life: in the name and the company of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view, and hear audio clips, on the Music page)

                               Brief (repeatable) prayer songs

Kyrie, Six Versions     (All original tunes. Some are part of Eucharistic settings)
     Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison.
          (Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.)

The Jesus Prayer         (Original song)
        Jesus, Beloved of God, have mercy on me, for I need you.

God, Be Merciful to Me         (Original song)
        God, be merciful to me.
        With empty hands and open
        I turn to you for mercy.

Eucharistic Responses (Eleven sets of Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen set to the tunes of familiar hymns appropriate for Lent.
Two of them also include “table songs” of invitation/preparation for communion.)


Table Song: Feed Us Your Grace (Tune: Finlandia)

You call us, Christ, to take our cross and follow,
but first you bring us here to feast with you.
Our gifts we bring, to celebrate your loving.
Our lives we give, to die and rise anew.
Feed us your grace, your spirit of compassion;
make us your body now, your will to do.


                                  Regular Songs

Becoming Whole     (Original song)
We are a broken people becoming whole again.
We are a wounded people being healed again.
We are a hungry people being fed again.
We are a wandering people coming home again.
We are a captive people walking free again.
We are dead and buried, being raised again.
We are a grateful people giving thanks again.


God, I Surrender      (Original song)

God, I surrender myself to you,
all that I have and all I do.
All my desires I give to you.
Take them from me and make me new.

God, I surrender myself to you,
all that I have and all I do.
Trusting you wholly I follow you
Take my life and make me new.


God of Mercy (Original Song)

Refrain: God of mercy, you forgive me,
may I myself forgive.
Now confessing, I ask your blessing.
By your grace I shall live.

God, heal my sin, brokenness deep within.
Too often I bear pain I make others share.
Set me free from what I have been. Refrain

You are gentle with me; gentle I learn to be.
You touch me and heal; deep in my soul I feel
burdens gone, and I am free. Refrain

Note: The last line of the refrain, “By your grace I shall live,” may be repeated ad lib. As a repeated chant it may also be used separately as a Response to confession, prayer, Eucharist, or other moments.



God, we are broken      (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

God, we are broken, for all flesh is weak.
Grant us the healing and peace that we seek.
For all that pains us, beyond our control,
grant us your healing, our bodies made whole.

God, we are broken; our hearts are not one.
Sometimes it seems that our souls come undone.
Bring us renewal and calm in our soul.
Grant us your healing and make our hearts whole.

God, we are broken: for families and friends
suffer when love fails and faithfulness ends.
May your forgiveness and grace play its role.
Grant us your healing; make covenants whole.

God, we are broken, for many are poor,
and we ignore those who lie by our door.
God, may your justice like great rivers roll.
Grant us your healing; make all people whole.

God, we are broken for hate and all war
wound us so we are not free anymore.
Make us one people from pole to pole.
Grant us your healing, and make the world whole.


Grant Me Your Vision    (Tune: Be Thou My Vision )

Grant me your vision, O God of pure light.
May your deep wisdom and love give me sight.
Help me to see who I am as you see:
lovely and wounded and worth setting free.

Take my illusions, my fear and my lies;
shedding my veil, Lord, I open my eyes,
seeing my beauty, my wounds and my sin,
past all pretending, in truth deep within.

Give me the eyes of your mercy and grace;
help me to see you in each time and place.
God, you who know me, please guide me, I pray,
following Jesus in his loving way.

Into the Darkness – (Original song)

Only the seed that has died and is buried lives to bear fruit, Jesus said.
Lead me then into the darkness and dying, so you can raise me up from the dead.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

All of my living, my loves and desires, all of the things that I cling to,
now I surrender to die and be buried. Raise me in following, serving you.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

Lead me to truth, and have mercy, and wash me dep in the dark of my being.
A spirit like bread that is taken and broken: this is the death that is freeing.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

Give me a clean heart, a heart poor in spirit, willing and steadfast and made new.
My life I lose; let your cross lift me up now. One joy restore to me: life in you.
Jesus, help me die and rise.


O God, Creator of Each Thing
     (Tune: Tallis’ Canon,
    O Love, How Deep,
     or The Gift of Love/The Water Is Wide)

O God, Creator of each thing,
in thanks and praise to you we sing.
In hunger sore we come to you:
Creator God, make us anew.

Our wounds you heal, our sins forgive.
You serve this feast that we may live.
You set us free; you make us new.
In us shines love that comes from you.

How blessed is Christ, who loved and healed,
who by your grace, your love revealed.
For Christ has died. And Christ is risen.
And Christ will come in love again.


Out of the Deepest Depths
(Original song. Includes version for 4-part choir.)      [Psalm 130]

Out of the deepest depths I cry to you, O God.
O listen with your heart, and hear my pleading voice.
If you counted sins, then no one could stand with you;
but Love, you forgive.

I wait for you, my God, for in your word I hope.
I wait for you, Love, more than those who wait for dawn,
yes, more than those who watch for the morning light
I wait for you.

O Hope, O Israel, hope in the Holy One.
For with our God is love, God’s steadfast, faithful love,
and power to redeem; for God is the one
who will redeem us from sin.


Return, My Soul       (Tune: Finlandia)

Return, my soul, from all your hungry wandering,
your fearful search for comfort and control.
Let go my grasp of things apart from God,
for God alone can heal and hold my soul.
Return to God, for God alone will love me,
and give me life, and bless and make me whole.

Return, my soul, from all the things that dull me,
that soothe my sense, but leave my sin in place.
My broken heart, return from tricks and bargains;
turn to the One who meets me face to face.
Return to God. Each moment turn again;
receive unending love and life and grace.


Oasis       (Tune: Fill My Cup, Lord)
     [ A blessing song to sing to each other at the end of the service.
     Can be found in a collection of Blessing Songs
     to several familiar hymn tunes.]

Go in peace now, my dear beloved,
in the grace and presence of the Lord.
In the desert, go with love to all who thirst;
be a spring, an oasis of the Word.



Your Will Be Done (Original song)

Father, take my willfulness.
I surrender it to you grace alone.
Mother, be my willingness.
I can only ask: Your will be done.

Jesus, take my brokenness.
I surrender it to you grace alone.
Jesus, heal my brokenness.
I can only ask: Your will be done.

Spirit, take my empty hands.
I surrender them to you grace alone.
Spirit, with my empty hands
I can only ask: Your will be done.