Author: Steve

September 1, 2024

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Lectionary Texts

Song of Solomon 2.8-13 —The voice of my beloved! “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.”

Psalm 45 — A wedding ode to a prince marrying a foreign princess, extolling both his personal loveliness and his nobility as a ruler.
Alternate: Psalm 72 — God guide the king, that he may defend the cause of the poor, and that he may prevail over the enemies of justice.

James 1. 17-27 — • Everything is a gift from God. • We are children of God’s truth, and clear expressions of God’s creativity. • Be quick to listen and slow to speak, and slow to anger. • We do not just hear the Word of God; we do it. • Religion is to care for the needy and stay “unstained from the world.”

Mark 7. 1-8, 14-15, 21-23 — “You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” … “It’s nothing outside you, but what comes from within, that defiles you.”

Preaching Thoughts

Song of Solomon
       Oh, we’ve tried so hard to make this a theological allegory, but face it: it’s ancient Near Eastern erotic poetry. Check out 7.7-8: “ You are stately as a palm tree, and your breasts are like its clusters. I say I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its branches.” Allegorize that all you want. It’s still erotic poetry. Let it be that! For one thing, let it celebrate the joy and mystery of erotic love, of romance between two people. That experience is not devoid of God. Find the divine there!
       And, just to get theological: no matter how you allegorize or assign parts, this makes it clear that God’s love for us is erotic love: God’s desires us, because we’re beautiful to God. God wants us. Whatever we think of as erotic love, as physical as it gets, is how God loves us. God wants physical intimacy with us just as deeply as two human lovers do. What might that mean? Maybe finding God in our bodies… in our relationships… in all forms of love… in forms of body-prayer… in embodying God’s love in whatever ways we are given to do so…And maybe we discover the erotic love of God: loving God simply because God is desirable, beautiful, attractive, and dear to us. The Song of Solomon lets our full passion flower: God is our Heavenly Lover.

James
       Preaching on James, you have to pick a verse or two; there are several topics in a small basket.
A parallel between James, the song of Solomon and the Gospel is the connection between inner and outer. Real faith is both inward and outward: both the passion of love and its embodiment, both hearing and doing the word, both inner and outer “cleansing,”? both prayer and justice. It means both being quick to listen and also caring for the orphan and widow, that is, the needy.
      To “remain unstained by the world” doesn’t mean to avoid getting our hands dirty. It means to avoid letting the values of the world determine who we are and how we live. It means even when we’re immersed in a culture of consumerism, capitalism, violence, selfishness and all that, it doesn’t stick to us: we’re moved by compassion, trust, the presence of Christ, and the energy of the Holy Spirit.

Mark
       In Jesus’s culture cleanliness really was “next-to-Godliness.” Jesus’ critique isn’t to diminish ritual cleanliness, but to attach it to its deeper meaning: outer cleanliness should reflect inner commitment, and inner commitment should bear fruit in outward actions. All our “bad stuff,” our theft, murder, adultery, slander and so on, come from within. How does what you do reflect what’s in you? Whatever is in your heart—joy or anger, resentment or mercy, fear or love, meanness or loveliness—that’s what will spill out onto others. No matter how you try to disguise it, your heart will make itself known. So work on what’s in our heart, and work on harmonizing your outward words and actions with what you really believe in.
       It’s what comes out of our mouth that defiles us. How much of our public discourse and private conversations are laced with trash talk, meanness and judgmentalism! As much as it makes us feel superior to judge others, Jesus says it defiles us. Watch out.
       Whatever is in you is what spills out to others. Imagine the incense of your heart burning all the time. Whatever it is will suffuse the air around you. If what’s in your heart is the burning tires of anger and resentment, your neighbors will smell it. If it’s the jasmine of forgiveness and mercy, they’ll know. Attend to what is within, for it will come out.
       It’s not what comes from outside us that defiles us. Boy, do we need to hear that. There’s a part of us that has a hard time trusting that. When bad stuff happens we think, “What have I done to deserve this?” We’re not much more enlightened than believers in Bronze age superstitions when we think God punishes bad behavior with bad experiences, when we think what happens to us reflects who we are. Sure, sometimes we bring consequences on ourselves. But there’s a difference between natural consequences and divine punishment. Victims of abuse or relationship violence need to hear this over and over. What somebody else does to you does not defile you. Think of Jesus on the cross: treated as less than human, scorned, rejected, condemned—but none of that diminished his loveliness, his goodness, his dignity. One reflection of Jame’s statement that true religion is to care for the needy and “remain unstained by the world” is to keep our gentleness and generosity intact even when those around us accuse us, judge us and even despise us, to remain humble and compassionate even when others encourage us to be resentful, vengeful or defensive. We don’t let others decide how we’re going to live.

Call to Worship

1.            [Song of Solomon 2.10-13]
Leader: Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
All: O Beloved, we hear your voice, and awaken.
For now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.
God of love, our souls, enclosed, emerge
to you like small green things in spring, seeking your light.
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come.
O Beautiful One, our spirits sing love songs to you.
The voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
You whom we desire above all, our hearts join all Creation in praise.
The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
O Lovely One, we open to the sunlight of your grace,
that we may bear the fruit of love.
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
Yes! We love you. We come—to be with you,
to worship, to revel in your love.
Heavenly Lover, we are yours.

2.
Leader: A Mystery Beyond us calls to us.
All: A Beauty from deep within beckons.
Our busy minds can’t perceive it.
Our human traditions can’t contain it.
But it calls to us and we must answer.
It rises in us like a song, and we must sing.
So, Holy One, we gather to worship you.
We gather to listen and wonder
and blossom with your grace. Amen.

3.
Leader:  Muddy water swirls, clouded and opaque.
     All:  Still water settles out, and becomes clear.
God has called us to this time and place to be still in God’s grace.
     We come to rest in God’s presence, that what is within may become clear.
God desires truth in the inward being.
     Holy Spirit, clarify our souls, cleanse our hearts,
     and renew within us the desire to do your will,
     in the name and grace of Christ.

Prayer

1.
God of grace, you give us your law not to restrict us but to set us free.  Help us by your grace to hear and understand, to listen and discern; to know and choose wisely.  By your Holy Spirit, your Word in Christ, alive in us, guide us in the way of your Wisdom.  Amen.

2.
God of truth and power, we observe many traditions, we meet many expectations, we follow many habits. But now in this moment, free of past or future, there is no one to judge us or to compare; there is only you, hidden in your Word. Help us to listen for your presence, to hear what is True, to be changed by your Word. Our hearts are open vessels. Pour yourself in, and we will receive you. Amen.

3.
Eternal God, we are hungry for your truth. Feed us with your Word. Clear our minds; open our hearts; ready our hands: to receive your Word and to digest it, to hear your Word and to do it, to love your Christ and to follow in the deep joy and compassion of the life you give. Speak, for our hearts are listening. Amen.

4.
God of love, we acknowledge the selfishness and fear that come from within us, the things that hinder our perfect love. Heal our wounds and fears; wash us clean of our faults, so that what comes from us offers love to all, in the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Pastor:  Friends in Christ, we desire to be in harmony with God,
who desires truth in the inward being.
     All: We confess what is within us is a mix of love and fear.
God, open to us our inward lives, that we may see clearly, and be made new.
     Help us see clearly what within us is born of love,
     and what is born of our wants and fears.
     By your grace transform our inner desires,
     that what flows from our hearts may be love and healing,
     and the grace of Christ.
[Silent prayer  …   Words of grace]
    
2.
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.
God, You who are truth,
You who dwell within me:
You see me as I am; and you receive me as I am.
Help me to shed all attachment to outward appearances,
to see myself truthfully,
and to let myself be filled from the inside out
with your grace, your forgiveness,
your blessing, your love.
[Silent prayer   ..   The Word of Grace]

Listening Prayer

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

We look within,
to what is deeper than we can see,
deepest in our hearts,
where only you can perceive,
and where you bless.
There in the darkness,
heal us; wash us;
love us; hold us.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.         [James 1.17-27]
   With gratitude we affirm that every good thing is a gift of God, the Mother of stars, the Father of lights, whose love is not shadowed or changing.
   We give thanks that Christ, the Word of God, the word of truth, has given us birth so that the wonder of Creation might blossom in us.
    By the Holy Spirit we seek to be doers of the word, not hearers only, to live by the perfect law, the law of liberty. We seek to rid ourselves of selfish desires, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save our souls.  By the Spirit’s grace we seek to persevere, to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. We devote ourselves to care for those who are vulnerable, to do justice and act mercifully, and to serve God in all we do, in the name of Christ.  Amen.

2.
        We trust in God, whose Word creates all that is, whose Wisdom is life itself.
        We follow Jesus, God’s Word made flesh, who taught and healed, who loved and liberated, and who continually renews in us the ways of God’s love. In love he gave himself and was crucified; in love he was raised from the dead. Christ will come again and again to give us wisdom and guide us in the ways of God.
       We live by the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s loving Wisdom alive in us. By God’s Spirit, as the Body of Christ, we live in the way of Jesus, choosing love and forgiveness, healing and justice. To this we give our lives, praying that always God will unite us, redeem us, guide us and empower us in the name and Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

[After the introduction, the body of the prayer may be read responsively with the presiding leader(s) and congregation, or by the leader(s) alone.]

God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
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, Beloved, we thank you. We love you. We desire you.
We gather at your table, drawn by your love and your beauty.
In your grace and mercy you are like a gazelle,
leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills.
You create us as the image of your love.
You claim us as your Beloved.
You set us free from all that oppresses us.
You Spirit calls to us, “Arise, my love, and come away.”
We leave all our worries and judgments, and come to you.
We come in thanksgiving. We come because we love you.
Our Heavenly Lover, you are beautiful, and we desire you.
So we come to feast on your presence,
singing your praise with all Creation.

            [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,
the body of your loveliness.
He is our Beloved, who does not merely speak of you;
he draws us into delight in you.
In him we fall in love with you.
In Christ we taste of your goodness;
we die for love of you and rise in the ecstasy of faith.

     (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, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves as a living and holy sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as 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,
wildly in love with you, and with your world.
In these gifts of bread and cup, and the gift of this gathered community,
we draw near to you.
Arise, Love, and fill us with your beauty,
that we may go into the world radiant with your Spirit,
in the name of Christ.

     [Spoken or sung]
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 / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
By your Spirit may the grace that is in our hearts shine out through our words and actions and all our choices. Send us into the world to share your love for the sake of the redemption of the world, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Song

(Click on title to see on the music page.)

Be Thou My Wisdom   (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

Be thou my Wisdom and grant me your sight. 
Help me to see by your love’s perfect light.
Love, be my compass, my balance, my Way:
guide from within what I choose day by day.

Grant me the wisdom to seek and to learn,
to pray for your leading and wait and discern.
Help me to listen with all of my heart,
listen for all of the Truth you impart.

Grant me your Wisdom: a heart that’s made pure,
courage to follow a love that is sure.
Led by your Spirit, listening still,
help me to know and to follow your will.

August 25, 2024

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Lectionary Texts

1 Kings 8.(1, 6, 10-11) 22-30, 41-43 — The Ark is brought into the newly built temple. Solomon’s prayer.

Psalm 84 — “How lovely is your dwelling place … even the sparrow finds a home.”

Ephesians 6. 10-20 — We are not struggling against other people, but against the power of evil. “Put on the armor of God.”

John 6. 56-69 — Again, Jesus as the bread of life: “Eat my flesh, drink my blood.” Some followers quit. “Do you, too, want to leave?” “To whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Preaching Thoughts

1 Kings
       Thick darkness. When the Ark is brought into the temple God comes in, cloaked in a dark cloud. The lectionary cuts v. 12, where Solomon says “The Holy One has said that they would dwell in thick darkness.” I usually include it. Here’s a contrasting image to all the light we get in scripture. Turns out God is both light and dark. It’s a corrective for our dualistic judgment that light is good and dark is bad. (As in “this present darkness” in Ephesians) Sometimes there’s such a thing as too much light (think of sunglasses, sunscreen, overexposed photos, highway glare, a winter whiteout…) And our deep racism lets us think of dark skin as inferior to light skin. So here’s a welcome balance: God dwells in darkness. Even “the glory of God” is dark! Darkness doesn’t always signify gloom or doom; sometimes it means richness (coffee, chocolate) or mystery (The Cloud of Unknowing, being “in the dark”). Explore all the ways we might discover God in darkness.
       “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built!” Yes, God will be present, but not just, or even primarily, in one place. God will be everywhere. God is greater than all of Creation. God is infinite and there is nothing beyond or outside God; and the universe is finite… so all of Creation exists inside God. The temple is not the unique locus of God, but the locus of our prayers.
       “When a foreigner prayers toward this house…” Solomon’s prayer is all-inclusive: for all who enter or “pray toward” the temple, even foreigners. God is accessible to everybody. The conviction is repeated in the prophets: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (Isa. 56.7).

Psalm
    “Your dwelling place” is not just the temple; it’s wherever God is, which is everywhere. It’s God’s presence with us. The song invites us to live in God’s presence, in God’s “house.” All of us, even wild creatures as insignificant as sparrows, are at home in God.

Ephesians
       “Our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh…” This is the heart of nonviolent resistance. We are not against people who do injustice; we are against the injustice. The people themselves we bless and pray for. After all they too are caught up in the evil of the system, the “cosmic powers of this present darkness, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” The heavenly places are both in our hearts and in the political, economic, cultural and even religious systems we create and sustain. Though there are individuals who employ power in evil ways, the “enemy” is beyond any one person. This doesn’t let tyrants off the hook— justice demands that tyrants be removed- but it reminds us that getting rid of the tyrant doesn’t solve the problem. The evil lies deeper and broader than in any one person. It’s hard to keep in our minds and hearts in a fraught political climate, but essential for justice.electing the good one instead of the bad one is only a small step in the struggle against evil.
       The armor of God. It’s sad how often in our sinful anxiety we take this lovely image and turn it backwards and weaponize our faith. To put on the armor of God is to renounce the usual ways we protect ourselves—through violence, coercion, defensiveness and assertion—and instead entrust ourselves in vulnerable nonviolence to love, faith and the grace of God. Instead of shielding yourself with defensiveness, take up the shield of trust. Instead of domination, take the sword of the Spirit. It’s specifically non-violent.

John
       “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” Yeah, by now we’re with the disciples: enough of this gory talk about eating your flesh, Jesus! And for that matter enough of these teachings that are just plain too hard—either too hard to understand or, worse, the ones we do understand and they’re too hard to follow. Se can understand the people who quit. But don’t we all? Now and then, or a little bit all the time? We don’t really, fully follow Jesus 24/7. We’re continually asking for the strength and trust to hang in there. Not just to remain “good Christians,” but to keep on with the work of healing and justice, to stay non-violent in a hostile atmosphere, to get free of the grip of an addiction, to keep forgiving our enemies, to know the right thing to do in an abusive relationship, to continue to care for Creation in the face of climate change and corporate destructiveness—to keep going when it would be such a relief to just quit. We are all at times asking, hungry, even desperate, for the faith to continue.
       And what gives us the faith to continue? Divine Presence. The life-giving grace of God. Jesus hanging in there with us even when we falter. The Bread of Life, offered to us when we’re hungry. Eat and be satisfied. Our preaching needs to point people toward the hope they’re searching for, the trust and courage they need to keep on.
      “Do you also wish to go away?” Jesus is the Bread of Life. He’s also the Truly Human Human Being being human. As people drop away, Jesus turns to his beloved and asks—not just as as a theological challenge or a test of discipleship, but as a guy who doesn’t like to feel lonely or like a failure: “Do you also wish to go away?” So human, so personal, so poignant. It reminds us we have a choice to make, and that Jesus cares about that choice. It also suggests that Jesus wants you. He needs you. He wants you by his side. He’s counting on you when things get tough—for him. As in Gethsemane, it’s not a demand for our faith, it’s a personal request: Jesus asks us to be with him. Maybe that;’s most of what faith is not necessarily strong conviction but simply hanging in there with Jesus so we’re there when he needs us.
       “To whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Peter’s response to Jesus is equally poignant. There’s almost a sense of homelessness, of being refugees. Where else can we go? When life in the church gets nasty, when the institution seems to embody the “rulers and authorities and the cosmic powers of evil,” we may be tempted to jump ship. But where else to we receive life like we do from Jesus? This may be not just about leaving or staying with the church, but about what we let go of and what we hang onto, about the ongoing process of refining our faith, letting go of old, non-life-giving stuff and seeing things in a new way. Sometimes we do need to “go away,” at least from certain beliefs, habits or practices. And we need to stay true to where we hear the words of eternal life, where we are deeply connected with the Divine in a life-giving way.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader:  God of love, we are hungry for your grace.
         All:  You feed us the bread of life, and we thank you.
We are thirsty for your presence.
         You give us drink from the well of eternal life, and we rejoice.
We hunger and thirst for true love.
           We feast on your grace, and we worship you.  Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Creator God, many voices in this world would claim our attention.
 All:  But to whom can we turn?  You have the words of eternal life.
You form us in your image.
 We are in awe.  We worship you.
You beckon us like a loving parent.
 We are in love, and we come to you.
You enfold us in your grace and fill us with your transforming Spirit.
 Alleluia!  Receive us, Heavenly Lover!
 Heal us, Risen Brother!
 Make us new, Spirit of Life!  Alleluia!

3.
Leader:  God’s love is made known to us in Christ.
 All: We come to hear the good news.
We are hungry for God’s grace.
 We come not merely to listen to Jesus,
 but to consume him: to “inwardly digest,”
 to make his love part of who we are.
In that holy hunger, we praise, we pray, we worship.
 Alleluia!  Come, Christ, and feed our souls.  Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Creator God, you speak to us the words of eternal life.
All: Loving Christ, you are the Bread of Life.
And yet, God, your Word disturbs us.
O Christ, your wisdom challenges us.
And yet here we are.
And yet we choose to follow you.
Speak to us then, and change our hearts.
Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
          All: You alone are holy, and we worship you.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Holy One!
Even the sparrow finds a home in you.
          We come to you, and pour ourselves out to you;
          for you have the words of eternal life.
New every morning is your love, God of life,
and you are working for good throughout the day.
            Alleluia!  Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

6.
Leader: Creator God, how lovely is your dwelling among us!
How desirable is your presence with us.
How deeply we are attracted to be with you in intimacy and safety.
Alleluia!  Holy Spirit, you invite us to take your grace into ourselves,
and so we come to you.
Fill us, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

7.
Leader: In this quiet hour may our spirits be renewed.
All: May there be joy in our coming together this day.
Let there be truth in the words we speak and the thoughts we hear.
May there be help and healing for our disharmony and despair.
May there be silence for the voice within us and beyond us.
May there be joy in our coming together,
for you are at our center.

8.
Leader: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Holy One.
All: Our souls long for your presence.
Even the sparrow finds a home in your shelter.
Joy is ours, to dwell in your grace.
God of love, you bring us into your presence.
We come in song and silence,
into the dark mystery and the warm light,
into the sanctuary of your grace.
Loving Mystery, bless us.
Faithful Lover, hold us, as we worship you in praise, in thanksgiving, in awe.
Alleluia!

9.
Leader: God of Mystery, you call us. We come.
All: God of Darkness, you surround us. We attend to you.
God of Grace, you hear our prayers. We cry out to you.
God of Silence, you enfold us. We wait for you.
God of Eternity, we are always with you and within you.
Open our hearts to be aware of your loving presence.
God of love, you hear the silent prayers of all peoples.
In gratitude, we listen for your grace. Amen.

10.
Leader: Sweetness of Heaven, all around!
All: Honor and beauty before us!
We are silent in wonder and humility.
We praise you in gratitude and joy.
We who hunger for life come with trembling lips and open hands.
Bread of Life, you feed us. Fountain of healing, you renew us.
!Bread of Life, we feast upon your grace
Alleluia! We worship you. We consume you. We become you. Alleluia!

11.
Leader: Generous God, you have provided shelter for us in your love,
and a sanctuary in your arms.
All: As we enter your house we give thanks for your grace,
and pray that we may always be at home in your love.
A day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
Alleluia! Happy are those who trust in you. Alleluia!

Prayer

1.
God of life, we hunger for your love, and you give us Christ, the bread of Life.  So we come to feast on your Word, to listen and “inwardly digest,” and to be changed, that we too may be bread for the world.  Feed us with your grace.  Amen

2.
Gracious God, we have been promised that no one will be turned away who comes to Christ.  We come to you now, to know your presence, to hear your Word, to be transformed by your grace.  Speak to us, touch us, and take our lives as your own.  We pray in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit.  Amen.

3.
God of Silence, God of the Word, your Christ, Jesus, has the words of eternal life. They are challenging words, sometimes frightening.  We sometimes want to go away.  Help us now to stay near, to listen with courage and with open hearts, so that your Word may live in our souls and transform us by your grace.     Amen.

4.
Leader: God of Mystery, you call us. We come.
All: God of Darkness, you surround us. We attend to you.
God of Grace, you hear our prayers. We cry out to you.
God of Silence, you enfold us. We wait for you.
God of Eternity, we are always with you and within you.
Open our hearts to be aware of your loving presence.
God of love, you hear the silent prayers of all peoples.
In gratitude, we listen for your grace. Amen.

5.
Eternal God, we are hungry for your truth. Feed us with your Word. Clear our minds; open our hearts; ready our hands: to receive your Word and to digest it, to hear your Word and to do it, to love your Christ and to follow him in the deep joy and compassion of the life you give. Speak, for our hearts are listening. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

O mysterious darkness,
open yourself to us.
O sacred silence, speak.
O Word of God, disturb us.
O broken heart of heaven,
invite us in.
Feed us the words of eternal life.

Prayer of Confession

1.
God of mercy, we confess to you
that we have struggled against other people—
     but we have ignored the struggle against our own evil.
We confess that we have taken on the armor of this world:
     we confess our domination and defensiveness,
     our willingness for others to be hurt to protect our comfort.
We confess that we have closed ourselves off from you:
     we confess the armor of our ego,
     our apathy and our distrust.
     Closed off, we have failed to love you with all we are,
     and to love our neighbor as you have loved us.
We open our hearts to you,
that we may undefended from your grace.
     Forgive us, heal us, and grant us the spirit of your mercy.
    Clothe us with the armor of your love.
[Silent prayer…]

Beloved of God, receive the good news gladly:
that in Christ we know that all our sin is forgiven entirely
and we are set free to live by the Spirit of God, in faith and love.  Amen.

2.
Pastor: The grace of God is 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, for all that we have done that diminishes life,
     that separates us from you and from others,
     we are sorrowful.
     We give to you our broken hearts.
     Receive us, bless us, and heal us.
     Forgive our sin, and restore in us
     the image of Christ.
[Silent prayer    …    the Word of grace….]   

3.
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, healing God:
     for all that is not well in us we seek your healing;
     for all that is in disharmony with your grace
     we seek your transformation;
     from all that is a burden in us we seek relief;
     for all that is broken between us and you, and others,
     we seek your forgiveness, your healing grace,
     and a new way of living.
    Accepting what is. God, we open ourselves in your grace
    to what may be.
[Silent prayer    …    the Word of grace….]   
   

A Prayer for the Sanctuary

God, you who are our dwelling place, we ask your blessing on this Sanctuary.
May it glorify you; may it point us toward you; may it serve you.
May it beckon all who seek you, and welcome all who draw near.
May our worship in this place bring us deeper into your heart.
As we gather in this place may we know your presence with us,
and the presence of all your Beloved on earth and in heaven.
In this place may we love one another, and be strengthened to serve the poor.
Gracious God, hear the prayers of all who pray here.
Bless all those who have worked in this place, and who ever draw near.
May your house be a place of safety, healing and blessing,
a refuge of grace in this world.
God, you who are our dwelling place, we ask your blessing on this Sanctuary.
Amen.

Reading

Psalm 84 – a paraphrase

O God, you who are All and Infinite,
how lovely it is to sit in the living room of your presence.

This yearning I feel, this hunger,
is to be close to you.
Will I listen to my heart cry out,
and my body tremble
to feel you, alive, beside me?

Even the sparrow finds a home,
a swallow finds a place of belonging
to nestle her tender young
near your altar,
O God, Provider of all things.

Blessed are they who live in your house;
their very living is praise to you.
Blessed are they who have no power
except your breathing in them.
Their lives are continual movement toward you.
As they pass through tearful valleys
they make them places of springs,
lush with pools from autumn rains.
They become more and more themselves
until they are wholly present, with you.

I am simply here, God.
Listen to the silence of my heart.
See me as I rest here
in the blessing of your grace.

In this moment, mindful of your presence,
I have nowhere else to be.
I would rather be with you in simplicity
than elsewhere, seeking power.

You are the Source of all light. You bestow favor and honor.
You are generous with good things
to those who open to you.
Lord, Spirit of all life,
happy are those who trust in you.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
            We trust in God, creator of all that is, provider of every good thing to eat.
            We follow Jesus, the Bread of Life, who embodied God’s love, made grace available to all, and gave himself in love for us.  He was crucified and died, and was raised from the dead.  We feast on his grace, and his love becomes the substance of our lives. In Christ we are all made one, as grains united in one loaf.
            We live by the Holy Spirit, the Yeast of God in us, who unites us, nourishes us and gives us strength to love our neighbors.  Graced by the power of forgiveness, the promise of resurrection and the mystery of eternal life; protected only by the armor of God’s grace; we serve in the name of Christ for the sake of others, that in the power of the Holy Spirit we may be bread for the world. Amen.

2.
            We give our hearts to God, Creator of all that is, and all that is to come, who is revealed in Word and deed, in light and in darkness, and who is yet mystery; yet whom we know as love and the source of life.
            We follow Jesus, though his teachings upset our ways and his miracles upend our world, for his words are the words of life and his love is the light of life.  He was crucified and was raised, and lives among us still, speaking to us, present with us, drawing us to him with alluring power.
            We live by the Holy Spirit, God’s power within and among us, which enables us to follow Jesus, to live lives of love, forgiveness, justice and healing, trusting in the power of grace and the mystery of eternal life.  In the unity of the Spirit we live as one Body, the Body of Christ, devoted to self-giving service to the world in the name of Christ. 

3.
            Creator God, how lovely is the dwelling you have made for us!  You who create all things, we gladly awaken in your presence.  You are our maker, our host, and our home.
            Risen Christ, how lovely is your dwelling with us!  You invite us to feast at your table: to be nourished by your wisdom, to be healed by your grace, and to share in this banquet of life with all the other poor sinners of this world.  You who taught and healed, you who died and were raised, you who are the Bread of Life, feed us with your presence, fill us with your spirit, and lead us by your Word. We desire with all our heart and mind and strength to die and live with you in the mystery of eternal life.
            Holy Spirit, love of God, how lovely is your dwelling within us!  Sophia, Wisdom of God, how gracious is your invitation to feast at your table. You make of us one body, the Body of Christ.  We give our hearts to you, that by your grace we may devote ourselves to lives of compassion, justice and joy, for the sake of the transformation of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

4.
       We live in God, Creator of all that is and all that shall be: all of Creation is within God, who is infinite: there is nothing beyond God.
        We follow Jesus, who embodied God’s love, who taught and healed and proclaimed a new vision for the world. God was in his life and ministry, and even in his death. Therefore he was raised from the dead, and lives among us still, awakening us to the indwelling presence of God.
        We give thanks for the Holy Spirit, God living within and among us. We trust in the grace of God, the power of forgiveness, the reality of resurrection, the gift of eternal life, and our unity in the Body of Christ. We devote ourselves to lives of compassion for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Eucharistic Prayer

[After the introduction, the body of the prayer may be read responsively with the presiding leader(s) and congregation, or by the leader(s) alone.]

God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
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.

O Sacred Mystery, O gleaming darkness,
you who we can only love but not comprehend,
we praise you.
O Loving Presence, Heart of Heaven,
you who comfort and disturb, who invite us in,
we thank you.
You create us; you hold us; you free us.
You call us your own; you feed us the words of infinite life.
We gather at your table to feast on the presence of Christ,
the Bread of life.
In harmony with all Creation, we thank you and sing your praise.

            [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, the Bread of Life.
We give thanks that he taught the curious, fed the hungry,
healed the broken and loved the unlovely.
He disturbed the comfortable with words of death and resurrection.
And he offered himself in a life of death and resurrection.
Though his teachings unsettle us, we do not leave him,
but we stay to feast on the words of eternal 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, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves as a living and holy sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as 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.
Having been fed the words of eternal life,
may we become bread for the hungry.
May we remain with Jesus, at his side, in his healing work,
doing justice, enacting kindness, embodying resurrection,
in his name and by the power of your Spirit.,
for the sake of the wholeness of the world.

     [Spoken or sung]
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 / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
May we continually feed on your presence and become bread for the world. Send us in Jesus’ name to serve and to love, to bless and to heal, in the power of your Spirit, to the ends of the earth. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
You have fed us the Bread of life, the words of eternal life. Send us now, unafraid to follow Jesus, into the dark and unknown places, into disturbing places, knowing you dwell in the darkness, knowing you offer, always, the mystery of eternal life. Amen.

3.
… Bless us by these gifts that we might always shelter your love in our hearts, and bear it into the world with gratitude, trust and compassion. We pray as we are devoted to live: in the name and the Spirit of the risen Christ, who is always with us. Amen.

4.
… Bless us with grace and use us according to your will, so that we may serve you more faithfully. May our lives praise you with their beauty. May our actions serve you, for the sake of the healing of the world. We pray, as we give you ourselves, in the name of Christ and in the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

A Safe, Healing Place (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

God of all living, we truly are blessed:
you are our home and our soul’s gentle nest.
Even the swallows shall find in your arms
safety and beauty and rest from all harm.

As you have welcomed us into this space,
help us find others who long for your grace,
those who seek shelter and all those who roam.
Make of our living a warm, welcome home

You have forgiven and blessed us today,
healed us and raised us to go on our way:
send us in courage with trust in your grace,
to make of this world a safe, healing place.

Food for the Body (Original song)
A dialogue between leader and congregation.

All: (Chorus)Food for the body, food for the soul,
making us new again, making us whole.
Grateful we are that you faithfully give
the Spirit of love, the power to live.

Cantor:
1. Remembering Jesus, we thank you for all that he’s done.
He gives us his Spirit, and feeds us, and makes us all one
in love, in faith, in you. (Chorus):

2. The body of Jesus, broken and risen to live,
you give us to eat, by your grace to become and to give
to all, for all to live. (Chorus):

3. The Spirit of Jesus arises in us like a dove,
to give us the courage to live every moment in love
in you for you, forever. (Chorus)


The Heart of Heaven         (Original song)

There’s a heart in heaven that knows you,
and speaks your name in love from heaven’s throne,
that has laughed and labored here beside you,
and says, “I know your journey as my own.”

There are eyes in heaven that adore you,
and weep with joy at the beauty of your soul,
for they see the courage of your living,
and share your deepest yearnings to be whole.

There’s a tear in heaven that remembers,
there’s a deep, weary sigh that understands;
there are gentle, wounded hands that know the struggle
to do the work of God with human hands.

There’s a voice from heaven within you,
a spring of life-giving water flowing free.
Let it flow, let grace and peace shine in you
with heaven’s loveliness for all to see.

Oh, the heart of heaven is within you,
the universe embraces you in love,
for the humble One who walks beside you
is the One who rules the sun and stars above.



How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place   [Psalm 84]   (Original song)
A dialogue between leader and congregation.

Congregation:
How lovely is your dwelling place.
We find a home in you, O God.
Even the sparrow finds a place
in the perfect sanctuary of your grace.

Cantor:
1. My soul cries out to be with you.
My heart and flesh sing out to you. Our love is in you.

2. Blessed are they who live in you,
who put their trust in you alone. Our hope is in you.

3. You bless your pilgrims on their way.
You turn our hearts to living springs. Our strength is in you.

4. A day within your house, O God,
is better than a year without. Our joy is in you.

5. I’ll be a servant in your house,
rather than riches on my own. Our heart is in you.

6. There’s nothing good that you withhold
from those who live each day in you. Our home is in you.

Sanctuary (Original song)

Arms of healing, hands of peace, be my sanctuary.
Heal me, bless me with your grace, in your sanctuary.

All are welcome, all are safe, in your sanctuary.
All are given blessed life in your sanctuary.

May we offer, by your grace, holy sanctuary,
be your loving hands and face, be your sanctuary.

August 18, 2024

---

Lectionary Texts

1 Kings 3. 3-14 — Solomon asks for wisdom.

Psalm 111 — Praise! God provides food…shows power… The fear of the Holy One is the beginning of wisdom.

Ephesians 5. 15-20 — Make the most of the time… discern God’s will…. be filled with the Spirit… make melody to God in yo0r hearts….

John 6. 51-58 — “I am the living bread. Eat my flesh; drink my blood.. and live forever.”

Preaching Thoughts

1 Kings
       Solomon asks to be able to govern well and discern right from wrong. God, pleased that Solomon has not asked for riches or long life or power, promises to give Solomon riches and honor anyway. Don’t let the “happily ever after” ending of this tale distract you from the real point, which is to seek wisdom and not expect reward at all. Wisdom is its own reward.

John
      “Eat my flesh.” Did Jesus really say this? Probably not. This is really John talking. But take it seriously. John invites us not simply to have opinions about Jesus, but to “eat his flesh,” to let him get into our insides and become a vital part of who we are. In this way we know real life, life that is connected to God, which Jesus calls eternal life. Explore what it might mean to “eat his flesh.” Certainly there are eucharistic layers of meaning. What else? ..To absorb his presence… to imagine his suffering as part of you, and his healing power as part of you, too… to “take in“ his forgiveness and his life-giving energy… to let him live in your actions and words…. I don’t think it’s off point to think of a mother saying to her beloved toddler, “Oh, I love you so much I could eat you.” Whatever that means, it’s what Jesus has in mind.
       Exactly what Jesus (or at least John) means by his “flesh” is open to interpretation. He probably doesn’t mean his physical body. So then what? Maybe the embodiment of his love. Maybe his real presence. Paul talks about the Body of Christ. And for Paul the Body of Christ isn’t Jesus’ physical body, it’s the community. We are all members of the Body of Christ. John, writing his gospel, may or may not be thinking of Paul’s language, but maybe he’s making the same point. Maybe by “my flesh” Jesus means his love, enlivened by his Spirit, embodied in the community. Jesus’ love for us is not abstract. It’s embodied among us. In our lives, in our community, we can actually taste and touch Jesus—not in his physical flesh and blood but in the flesh and blood his love has moved into, in the experiences in our lives in which Christ is really, physically present.
      “Those who eat my flesh live forever.” I don’t think Jesus means living an infinitely long time. I think he means living as part of something that never dies. When we’re deeply connected with God we participate in the eternal life of God. It’s not the perpetuation of our ego, our own individual self, but our oneness with the Infinite Mystery of Love that is God. It’s love, not your individuality, that is eternal.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Gracious God, we are hungry for life.
All:  You are the Bread of Life.
We are thirsty for love.
You are the fountain of grace.
We come to feast upon your abundance.
We come to drink of your wisdom.
Alleluia!  We thank you.  We praise you.  We worship you. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: God, Creator of life, bless us.
All: Christ, bread of life, feed us.
Holy Spirit, breath of life, give us new birth.
Christ, bread of life, the aroma of your love draws us in.
The sweetness of your mercy fills us.
The hearty goodness of your presence is our hope.
We worship you, hungry for your grace.
We worship you, to feast on your love.

3.
Leader: God of our Life, we come to you!
All: Christ, the Bread of God, we hunger for you.
We come to feast on your presence.
We come to feast on your grace.
You offer yourself, and we take you in.
Feed our spirits; nourish our souls.
With the sweetness of your love on our tongues,
we praise you. We thank you. We worship you.

4.
Leader: Sweetness of Heaven, all around!
All: Honor and beauty before us!
We are silent in wonder and humility.
We praise you in gratitude and joy.
We who hunger for life come with trembling lips and open hands.
Bread of Life, you feed us. Fountain of healing, you renew us.
Bread of Life, we feast upon your grace
Alleluia! We worship you. We consume you. We become you. Alleluia!

Prayer

1.
God of abundance and grace, we are hungry for life and love, but we divert our desires to other things.  Redirect our hunger, O God, and transform our desires. Stir up our deep hunger for you, our thirst for truth, our deep desire for wisdom and compassion.  Our mouths water for your Word.  Speak to us, God of Love, and give us the bread of life.   Amen.

2.
O God, like the aroma of baking bread, the love of Christ draws us to you.  Like the nourishment of a hearty loaf, the love of Christ strengthens us.  Like the sharing of delicious bread, your Word brings us together.  God, your grace feeds the deepest hunger of our souls. We come to the table of your wisdom, the feast of your love.  Feed us your grace, O God.  Amen.  

3.
God of love, we do not ask you for riches or honor; we seek your wisdom, the wisdom of compassion and grace.  Feed us with the wisdom of Christ, the Bread of life,  that we may feast on your grace and serve you in faith, for the sake of all who are hungry for life.  Amen.

4.
God of life, we are hungry for life.
Feed us the bread of life.
Spirit of breath, we live by each breath.
Help us to breathe deeply of you.
Love of God, we release our desires for comfort and ease;
we pray for your wisdom alone.
Christ, presence of God among us, we give our hearts to you.
Help us to listen, to feast upon your presence, and to enter into eternal life.   
Amen.

5.
Wisdom of God, we come to you. You have spread your table for us; grant us now to sit at the feast of your grace and nourish our souls. O Christ, bread of life, we open our hearts to you. Enter us, become us, and transform us. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Christ, Bread of Life,
we reach out for you;
we take the bread of your Word
and break it open, hungry for you.
We taste of your grace.
Nourish us; become us.
Bread of life, feed us with your love.

Reading

Psalm 111 – a paraphrase

God! You! Glory!

I thank you in my deepest guts,
         echoed by the whole tribe of God!

Your magic amazes me,
         confounds anyone who tries to understand.
Your miracles, brilliant and vast,
         come from such tender, loving hands!
The universe shimmers with grace,
         glows with your gentle mercy.

We are in awe: you feed us;
         you are steadfastly thoughtful toward us.
We see your grace in all that you do,
         mighty Creator, tender nursemaid.

Your love and justice sing through the world.
         When we hear it we know how to dance.
The song is eternal.
         To live is to sing it, sing it out loud,
         with eyes closed.

The bound ones you set free;
         the abandoned ones you marry.
This is your holiness,
         what sets you apart.

(Wisdom is rooted in awestruck wonder,
         overwhelmed by God.
Practice wonder,
         and you will know what you need to know.)

Lovely One, the universe is your praise.
         Infinite Beauty!
         Infinite Glory!

Prayer of Confession

1.
Leader: Creator God, we confess that we have turned from you.
All: You offer us life; but we have sought life elsewhere.
In our hunger we have been fearful and greedy,
selfish and and hurtful; and we have turned away from you.
God of love, have mercy.
Our hunger has only fed us death.
God of grace, forgive us.
Teach us that our hunger and thirst is for you alone.
Teach us to turn to you and receive life in each moment.
God of life, have mercy.
Christ, you are the Bread of Life.  Come and feed our hearts and souls.
Alleluia!  Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

2.
Gracious God,
you are the flower I have walked upon,
for I was in a hurry;
you are the ripe berries I have eaten without gratitude or wonder,
for I was hungry;
you are the stranger I did not help,
for I was afraid.
For all the sins that I know and that I do not know,
forgive me, God.
Heal me, make me new,
and help me, by your Spirit, to walk in your ways. Amen.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

        We trust in God, the Creator of all things, our Heavenly Parent.
        We follow Jesus, who loved and healed, who offered himself for the sake of others. He was crucified, but God raised him from the dead.  Risen, he is the food of our souls.   We feast on him as the Bread of Life.
        We live by the Holy Spirit, the energy of Christ in our bodies and souls. Each moment, each breath, we commune with God in Christ.  We desire always to draw closer to Christ, and to be more loving in the Spirit of God, trusting in the power of forgiveness and the mystery of resurrection, so that we ourselves are the Body of Christ, his flesh and blood.  God help us to more freely, deeply and boldly be your people.  Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

[After the introduction, the body of the prayer may be read responsively with the presiding leader(s) and congregation, or by the leader(s) alone.]

God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
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 said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.”
We thank you, God, for you have fed us in many and miraculous ways.
You give us every good plant for food.
You fed our ancestors in the wilderness,
when you delivered them from slavery.
You have sustained us on every journey,
whether or not we knew it was you.
And so we come to feast on your love,
giving thanks with all your Beloved.

            [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 said, “Those who eat my flesh
and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.”
We come to be part of his life.
We partake of his mercy;
we take into ourselves his healing grace.
He said, “Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.”
Therefore we are one with his love, and even his suffering.
For as he was crucified yet raised,
we too are raised with him by 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.
Therefore, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves as a living and holy sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as 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,
Jesus said, “Just as God sent me, and I live because of God,
so whoever eats me will live because of me.”
As we consume this bread, enter into us;
strengthen your life in us, that we may live in you,
and live for you, for the sake of the world,
in the name and the Spirit of Christ.

     [Spoken or sung]
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  /  after Communion

1.
God of love, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.  You feed us with your Word and strengthen us with your grace.  Deepen our hunger for you, and grant us faith to feast richly on the grace of Christ. Offer us now as bread for the world, in the name and the spirit of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. In the bread, in the Word, in our prayer, and in one another, we have feasted on your presence here. And we know your presence in every act of love in our lives. Keep our hunger for your love keen, our taste for grace always on the tip of our tongues. God of abundant love, every moment we thank you with our mouths full. Send us out into the world feasted, strengthened, and generous in love, as the Body of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

          Based on 1 Kings:

Be Thou My Wisdom (Tune: Be Thou My Vision )

Be thou my Wisdom and grant me your sight.
Help me to see by your love’s perfect light.
Love, be my compass, my balance, my Way:
guide from within what I choose day by day.

Grant me the wisdom to seek and to learn, to
pray for your leading and wait and discern.
Help me to listen with all of my heart,
listen for all of the Truth you impart.

Grant me your Wisdom: a heart that’s made pure,
courage to follow a love that is sure.
Led by your Spirit, listening still,
help me to know and to follow your will.

Wisdom (original song)

Wisdom, you are my sister;
let us talk together hand in hand.
Teach me the ways of your heart;
help me to understand.

               Based on John 6:

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.

God, help us die and rise, by your grace, by your grace,
by Christ alive in us, die and rise;
for when we finally do surrender all to you,
you give us life anew, by your grace, by your grace
you give eternal life, by your grace.

Food for the Body (Original song)
A dialogue between leader and congregation.

All: (Chorus)Food for the body, food for the soul,
making us new again, making us whole.
Grateful we are that you faithfully give
the Spirit of love, the power to live.

Cantor:1. Remembering Jesus, we thank you for all that he’s done.
He gives us his Spirit, and feeds us, and makes us all one
in love, in faith, in you. (Chorus):

2. The body of Jesus, broken and risen to live,
you give us to eat, by your grace to become and to give
to all, for all to live. (Chorus):

3. The Spirit of Jesus arises in us like a dove,
to give us the courage to live every moment in love
in you for you, forever. (Chorus)

The Harvest of Your Grace (Original song.
Includes Eucharistic responses to this tune.)
A dialogue between cantor and congregation.

Leader:
1. God scatters abroad, and gives to the poor, and fills the hungry with good things
     All: Alleluia! O God, we rejoice in the harvest of your grace.
2. How blessed the poor, and all those that mourn. “You do to me as to them.”
      Alleluia! We offer our gifts for the harvest of your grace.
3. Now come to the Feast. Our cups overflow. With grateful hearts we remember.
      Alleluia! We come now to work in the harvest of your grace.
4. God’s grace will abound, in seed and in bread. In joy then sow as you reap.
      Alleluia! God, gather from us the harvest of your grace.
5. You will receive, so that you can give, and yield a harvest of good hearts.
      Alleluia! God send us to share in the harvest of your grace.


Risen Bread        (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

You laid your life down like sowing a seed;
once dead and buried, from death you are freed,
rising like wheat in the warmth of the sun!
Christ you are risen! New life has begun!

Christ, you are risen, but not far above:
you live among us in each act of love,
in every deed of compassion you rise,
living in flesh we can see with our eyes.

Christ, we are blest as we gather to dine,
strengthened for love by the bread and the wine.
This is your Body, now entering ours,
strong with your loving, miraculous powers.

Gathered like wheat from the fields in the sun,
once we were scattered but raised we are one.
We are the body of your love and grace,
your blest community, your real human face.

Jesus, you feed us, then bid us to leave,
sharing with others the love we receive.
We are your Body, sent by your command,
making love real as the bread in our hands.

Note:
Third verse may be omitted if there is no communion.
Final verse may be included with previous verses
or as a blessing at the end of the service.


We Feast On Your Love        (Original song)

Chorus: We drink from your presence.
We feast on your love.
This is the banquet we’ve been dreaming of. (Repeat.)

You gather us: no one’s unworthy,
and no one is “greatest” or “least.”
You multiply what we offer,
so multitudes may feast. — Chorus

We hunger and thirst for your spirit,
we open ourselves to your grace.
In flows the mercy you offer
in every time and place. — Chorus

We taste the sweet wine made from water,
our bread is your body you give.
“Drink of the water I give you,
so you may truly live.”

You Feed Us, Gentle Savior   (Tune: O Sacred Head Now Wounded)

You feed us, gentle savior, the bread that makes us whole,
the wine of your compassion poured out into our soul.
the food of your own presence, your spirit, strong, within,
the grace that heals us deeply and overcomes our sin.

You bind us, gentle savior, and weave us into one,
one flesh and blood, made holy, the Body of your Son.
We gather here in hunger, one hunger, all the same;
and with one grace you bless us together in his name.

You call us, gentle savior, and send us in your name.
You teach and heal and show us how we can do the same.
So strengthened by your Spirit and nourished by your grace,
we go to be your presence in love, in every place.

August 11, 2024

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Lectionary Texts

2 Samuel 18.5-33 — Absalom’s rebellion and death.

Psalm 130 —“Out of the depths I cry to you.” We wait for God’s grace.

Ephesians 4.25 – 5.2 — Speak the truth, be angry but do not sin, share with the needy, speak only what builds up, be kind: imitate God.

John 6. 35, 41-47 —People resist Jesus’ self-description as the bread of life. He says, “Stop criticizing. No one comes to me unless God draws them.”

Preaching Thoughts

2 Samuel 18.5-33
       A tragic scene worthy of Shakespeare. Absalom is not just a rebellious kid. David has played a part in the conflict, too. Now David is perhaps beginning to see his folly, but it’s too late. The poignancy of his sorrow is full of such mixed feelings— love and grief and anger and regret and self-reproach. What a tellingly human portrait: “Oh, Absalom, my son!” The scene speaks to those who regret their hurtful actions, especially who have hurt their loved ones. It speaks to parents who maybe don’t feel like they’ve been good parents, or who have lost a child in any way. It speaks to all of us who feel both complicit and powerless in things like racism or climate change, and who long for another way forward.

Psalm
       If you use the Psalm, give folks a way to really dwell on it—in it. Go slow. Read it responsively, with the reader pausing significantly between lines. Let it be a prayer of confession.

Ephesians
       Lessons on how to live in community. A huge part of it is loving truth-telling. Even when we’re angry, we can speak the truth in love. It takes forgiveness, both to set aside what keeps us from loving the other and also to accept what is painful in ourselves, including accepting our having been hurt or wronged without needing for it to be “fixed” or atoned for. That’s what forgiveness is: not condoning the hurtful act, but letting go of it needing to be fixed. We can be loving toward ourselves and the other; it may not diminish our hurt or anger but we hold those things in the context of love. What a lovely image: like Jesus, be a “fragrant offering” for God.

John 6. 35, 41-47
       “I am the bread of life.” Jesus was pretty provocative about God, but it’s hard to know if he was really this provocative abut himself. Just a few verses previously he avoided people who wanted to make him king. So now he’s making bold claims about himself? (Next week, in verses 53-55 he’ll push it farther: “Eat my flesh, drink my blood.) Did he really say that? Well, that’s not what matters. Regardless of whether he actually said stuff like this, Jesus is saying this to us, now. Work with this. What does this mean? “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” What might it mean to feed on Jesus, to be nourished by him? To feast on his love? To let his being become part of you like bread that you digest and it becomes part of your body? Of course you can save this question for next week when Jesus is even more pointed about it.
       Unfortunately the lectionary skips v. 37, which you might want to include: “Anyone who comes to me I will never drive away.” There’s a mic drop for you.
       “No one can come to me unless drawn by me.” This isn’t about predestination. It means that God is in us, drawing us, even before we know it. Even our doubts, our hesitations, our un-faith, is the Spirit moving in us. Trust it. It also means we can’t judge another person’s faith. God is moving them in their own way, in their own direction, at their own speed. You not only shouldn’t judge, you can’t. You can’t see into that mystery.
       “I will raise that person up on the last day.” Well, there are shades of the rapture here, but more significantly, “the last day” isn’t just some date on the future calendar when all the special effects kick in. It’s “in the end,” or “when all is said and done,” in other wards, ultimately. Regardless of our judgments, Jesus’ judgment is to raise people up. To honor their worth and dignity, and to draw them closer to God, no matter what.
       “Whoever believes has eternal life.” Eternal life isn’t a (future) reward for getting the answer right. It’s the infinite life God gives us right now, life that can’t be taken from us, that we tap into simply by trusting—which is what John means by “believing.” Whoever trusts the love of God has that infinite love flowing through them, filing them with God’s infinite life. In v. 51 he says, “Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.” This doesn’t mean people won’t die, obviously. I also don’t think it means we’ll live for billions of years. (Whew.) I think it means when we love we become part of something eternal. It’s not about our own little selves (how arrogant and selfish!). It’s about participating in the infinite life of God.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader:  God of stillness, we come from busy lives, and surrender them to your grace.
    All:  You are the home of our hearts.
We come with all our memories and feelings, alliances and attachments.
    You are the home of our hearts.
We come amidst all our swirling desires and emotions to find ourselves.
    You are the home of our hearts.
Here we find ourselves in you, every part of us, and all of us together.
    You give yourself to us, and we give ourselves to you.
    In joy we worship you.  Alleluia!

2.
God, we did not come here on our own.  You have drawn us us.
    We come led by the hunger of our hearts.
Jesus, Bread of Life, you offer yourself.
    You feed the hunger of our hearts.
Bread of Heaven, nourish us, that we may serve you.
    All hearts are hungry for you.
    Fill us with yourself, that we may be bread for the world.

3.
God of Grace, you have drawn us from nothingness into life.
    We praise you.
You have drawn us to this day, in this place.
    We thank you.
You draw us ever deeper into your love.
     Alleluia.  Draw us deeper, God of life.

4.
Leader: Creator God, you form us in your image.
All: We are in awe, and we worship you.
You beckon us like a loving parent.
We are in love, and we come to you.
You enfold us in your grace and fill us with your transforming Spirit.
Alleluia! Receive us, Heavenly Lover!
Heal us, Risen Brother!
Make us new, Spirit of Life! Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Christ, Bread of life, we come, hungry for your presence.
All: Feed us with your grace, and strengthen us with your Word.
May your love nourish us and become part of us
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Prayer

1.
God of grace, we hunger for the bread of life that is Jesus.  Feed us with your grace.  Nourish your Holy Spirit in us, that through deep trust, we may enter into the life of your Beloved, Jesus, who promises to raise us up on the last day. Amen.

2.
Jesus, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,
and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
    Jesus, we hunger for you.
“No one can come to me unless drawn by God.”
    Jesus, you draw us in.
“Whoever trusts has eternal life.”
    Jesus, help us trust, and enter into the life of God.
    Amen.

3.
Gracious God, though we hunger for many things, they do not give us life.  You alone are the bread of life.  Help us to turn from these things and to seek you alone: to look to your presence and attend to your Spirit, to listen for your Word and to feast on your grace. Grant us that holy hunger, so that as your scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed, we will listen to your Word and trust it with faith.  Amen.

4.
Gentle God, we bring you all that is in our hearts: our feelings and memories, our hopes and fears and desires. You receive each of us in our wholeness. Speak your Word; bless our hearts and all that is in them; and in your love transform us more fully into the image of your love. We open our hearts to the grace of your Spirit, in the name and the presence of Christ. Amen.

5. [John 6.37]
Gracious God, Christ has promised that anyone who comes to him he will not turn away. We come to you now, to know your presence, to hear your Word, to be transformed by your grace. Speak to us, touch us, and take our lives as your own. We pray in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

6.
Gracious God, though we often hunger for many things, you alone are the bread of life. Grant us a holy hunger, to turn from things that do not give us life, and to seek you alone. Help us to look to your presence and attend to your Spirit, to listen for your Word and to feast on your grace. Amen.

7.
Christ, Bread of life, we feast on your grace. The sun of the fields warms us from within. The rain of your grace falls upon us and nourishes our growth. We surrender to the swing of the scythe, our willingness to be given over for you. As grain is gathered into one loaf, you make us one. You draw us to your heart like the warm aroma of bread baking. The sweet taste of your mercy fills our mouths and awakens our senses. You fill us, that we may become life-giving bread for others. Break open the bread of life, God, and let us feast. 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.
God of life, you draw us toward you, and toward life.
But we pull away.
Many fears and desires tug at us,
and we distance ourselves from you, and from life.
Draw us into your heart now by your grace.
Forgive us, heal us, and make us new.
Help us always to surrender to the flow of your grace in us,
and to fall always, gently, into your arms.
    …   [silent prayer] …
People of God, by the grace we know in Christ, I proclaim to you
that all our sins are forgiven entirely, and we are set free
to live by the love and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God.

2.
Pastor: The grace of God is 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, for all that we have done that diminishes life,
that separates us from you and from others,
we are sorrowful.
We give to you our broken hearts.
Receive us, bless us, and heal us.
Forgive our sin, and restore in us
the image of Christ.

3.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us open our hearts to God with one another.
Gentle God, ever present and loving,
here are the times I have been close to you,
And here are the times I have been distant.
Here are my moments and my days.
I offer them all to you.
Help me to remember those moments of intimacy, and return.
Forgive the times I have spurned your invitation to come closer.
Help me to be mindful, to draw ever nearer to you and to life,
to feast on your grace at your table, in the home of your heart
      Silent prayer… The word of grace

Listening Prayer  

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

Bread of Life, feed our souls. 
River of God, ease our thirst. 
Bread of Heaven, enter us;
fill us with eternal life.
Amen.

Readings

1.    Psalm 130 – A paraphrase

Out of my sea depths
         a cry, a wordless noise.
You hear, like a sound through the earth,
         Like my spine hears me.

If you measured, I would disappear.
         All of us would be too small.
But you allow us to fill you.
         So we fill you.

I hold open a space for you,
         emptiness in me that widens
like sky waiting for dawn,
         like the whole sky waiting,
and the dawn, rising,
filling the whole sky.

We, your people, of your making,
         even, even in our clutter,
we are your open space
         where your light appears.
In your spaciousness
          we become new.

2.

                 Jesus

I am hungry for God.
Jesus makes my mouth water.

Jesus is my rabbi, my lover, my wonder, my dawn.
Jesus is not mine.   I am his.
He is the one who points out the bird I did not see.
He opens my eyes, opens my heart.
He accompanies me; he precedes me.
Jesus is the one with whom I sit in any silence.
He comes to others in ways I will never recognize.
I want him to be my clothes, by body, my breath,
the thought of my words,
the nerve of my muscle.

He is a trickster,
fooling me into salvation against my will
again and again.
He has grabbed me by the heart
and hauled me into myself.
I am the grave he has died in,
I am the life he rises in.

I follow him.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

 1.
       We give our hearts to God, Creator of all that is, who is still creating, from whom we receive life in each moment, in every breath; the Divine Lover who is constantly drawing us closer to God’s own heart.
        We give our hearts to Jesus Christ, the fragrance of God, the presence of God, the embodiment of God’s grace among us.  His teaching and healing and his dying and rising draw us nearer to God.
        We live by the Holy Spirit, God’s urging within us.  The Spirit leads and empowers us to live lives of forgiveness, love and service, to give of the gifts we have been given, and to embody God’s presence, each in our own way.  In the Spirit we are the Body of Christ, devoted to building up one another, the church and the Reign of God, trusting in the power of resurrection and the mystery of the Life that God gives us.

2.
       We give our lives to God, Creator of all that is and all that shall be, who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, who relents from punishing and who receives all her children.
       We follow Jesus, the Bread of Life, full of God’s Spirit, born of Mary, who embodied God’s love, who taught and healed and forgave, and whose dying revealed God’s perfect and infinite grace. He was raised from the dead and lives among us still, calling us to come to him, and to follow him.
       We live by the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s love living in us, that empowers us to imitate Christ, to love with courage, and to live in deep gratitude and trust for the gift of eternal life, the power of forgiveness, the mystery of resurrection, and the unity of the Body of Christ. We devote ourselves to live each moment as an act of worship, for the sake of of healing and justice, in the name of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

3.
       God, Creator of all, we entrust ourselves to you, that your infinite love may hold us always.
       Christ, Bread of Life, you have fed the hungry, healed the broken, and given life where there was despair. We entrust ourselves to you and feast on your grace, that your infinite love may become part of us.
      Holy Spirit, rising of God within us, as there is one loaf you make of us one body. You empower us to be bread for the world. We entrust ourselves to you, that your infinite love my flow through us for the sake of the wholeness of the world, in the name of Christ/ Amen.

4.
       We give our hearts to God, Creator of all that is, who is still creating, from whom we receive life in each moment, in every breath; the Divine Lover who is constantly drawing us closer to God’s own heart.
        We give our hearts to Jesus Christ, the fragrance of God, the presence of God, the embodiment of God’s grace among us. His teaching and healing and his dying and rising draw us nearer to God.
        We live by the Holy Spirit, God’s urging within us. The Spirit leads and empowers us to live lives of forgiveness, love and service, to give of the gifts we have been given, and to embody God’s presence, each in our own way. In the Spirit we are the Body of Christ, devoted to building up one another, the church and the Reign of God, trusting in the power of resurrection and the mystery of the Life that God gives us.

Eucharistic Prayer

[After the introduction, the body of the prayer may be read responsively with the presiding leader(s) and congregation, or by the leader(s) alone.]

1.
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
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.

We thank you, Holy One,
for you have created this good earth, and all living things.
You have made sun and rain to fall upon us,
and given us every good thing to eat.
We gather around this bread, the body of your grace.
The warmth of the sun gathers here,
and we are washed in the blessing of the rain.
As the scythe harvests the grain, so we are taken up into your love.
As many grains are made into one loaf,
you make us one in your love.
Your grace is as real as bread; it gives us life that can’t be taken away.
You feed your people; you strengthen the poor.
You judge the forces of oppression and call us to share the bread of justice.
So we gather at your table to feast on the Bread of Life,
giving thanks with all of Creation:

            [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, the Bread of Life.
He fed the hungry, healed the broken,
nourished the weak and forgave the mistaken.
He taught with words and deeds of life-giving power,
with love that nourished souls and strengthened hearts.
Crucified on account of his love, he was raised in love,
and he made himself known in the breaking of bread.

     (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, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves as a living and holy sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as 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,
bread for the hungry and a feast for those who thirst for justice.
May your eternal life flow always through us, by the grace of Christ,
in the power of your Holy Spirit.

                      [Spoken or sung]
        Amen.

______________

2..
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
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 made the earth and all that fills it;
you have given us every good thing to eat.
When we wandered in the wilderness you fed us.
When we hunger for your grace you bring us to the feast,
the feast of grace in Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.
By your mighty judgment you have overthrown the powers of evil;
and you have set us free.
The rich go away empty, but the hungry you fill with good things.
You provide manna in the wilderness, bread for the people;
you open your hand and feed every living thing.
Therefore with all Creation we sing as 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, the Bread of Life,
who strengthens our bodies and nourishes our souls;
who ate with the poor and the outcast,
and fed the multitudes by the power of your Spirit.
As Jesus shared the loaves and fishes, trusting you to provide,
so we feast with faith in the abundance of your Spirit and your grace.

(… The Blessing and Covenant …) *

Christ is our Passover from want to abundance,
from powerlessness to victory, from death to life.
             [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,
imperishable food that sustains us for eternal life
and strengthens us for service in your name.
Pour out your Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
gathered in your Spirit and brought forth in your love,
as bread for the hungry.
As the grains are made one in this loaf, we are made one in your Spirit.
Raised by the yeast of your love, we give thanks.
We offer ourselves in union with Christ’s sacrifice for us,
so that, trusting in the abundance of your grace,
we may give freely, serve boldly, and love abundantly.
Oh bread of life: take, bless, break, and give us,
as your bread of blessing in the world.

     [Spoken or sung]
       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 / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]

1.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
You have fed us the Bread of Life. You nourish us in the grace of Christ. You make of us one Body. You fill us with the mystery of your eternal life. Send us now, a fragrant offering for you, as bread for the hungry, in the power of your Spirit, and in the love and generosity of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
Bless us that we may always hunger for the true bread of life, and never work for what does not lead us to eternal life.  Send us into the world to be bread for others, so that all of your children might taste the bread of life.  We pray in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Bread of Justice
      Tune: HOLY MANNA
          Alt. Tunes:
       BEECHER (“Love Divine all Loves Excelling”)
       CONVERSE (“What a Friend We Have in Jesus”)
       ODE TO JOY (“Joyful, Joyful”)

God of justice and compassion, you who freed the Hebrew slaves,
you who feed the poor and powerless, you whose great forgiveness saves,
now you feed us, poor in spirit, through the grace of your dear Son;
now you call us, now you send us. May your loving will be done.

Feed us, God, the bread of justice: give us hearts to see and care.
We are one with all who suffer. They are yours; now send us there.
Knowing not if we shall triumph, give us faith to never cease;
give us strength to boldly witness, seeking justice, making peace.

Feed us, God, the wine of courage, faithfully to do your will.
Now we drink of resurrection, facing death but steadfast still.
To this world of heartless plunder, send us in a different vein:
by our fearless, gentle healing, bearing witness to your Reign.


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.

God, help us die and rise, by your grace, by your grace,
by Christ alive in us, die and rise;
for when we finally do surrender all to you,
you give us life anew, by your grace, by your grace
you give eternal life, by your grace.

Drawing Me (Original song) (John 6.44)

Holy One, Mystery, how will you keep drawing me
nearer to the heart within the heart?
Nearer still, falling in, closer to the heart within,
draw me God. I fall into your love.
Lover, you are calling, you are drawing,
I am falling into you in love.

Deep in me there’s a voice, there’s a hunger, there’s a choice,
seeking something vital that is you.
By your grace drawing me, may I fall eternally
nearer to my center deep in you.
Lover, you are calling, you are drawing,
I am falling into you in love.

Food for the Body (Original song.)
A dialogue between leader and congregation.

All: (Chorus)
Food for the body, food for the soul,
making us new again, making us whole.
Grateful we are that you faithfully give
the Spirit of love, the power to live.

Cantor:
1. Remembering Jesus, we thank you for all that he’s done.
He gives us his Spirit, and feeds us, and makes us all one
in love, in faith, in you. (Chorus)

2. The body of Jesus, broken and risen to live,
you give us to eat, by your grace to become and to give
to all, for all to live. (Chorus)

3. The Spirit of Jesus arises in us like a dove,
to give us the courage to live every moment in love
in you for you, forever. (Chorus)

The Harvest of Your Grace
(Original song. Includes Eucharistic responses to this tune.)
A dialogue between cantor and congregation.

Leader:
1. God scatters abroad, and gives to the poor, and fills the hungry with good things
     All: Alleluia! O God, we rejoice in the harvest of your grace.
2. How blessed the poor, and all those that mourn. “You do to me as to them.”
    Alleluia! We offer our gifts for the harvest of your grace.
3. Now come to the Feast. Our cups overflow. With grateful hearts we remember.
     Alleluia! We come now to work in the harvest of your grace.
4. God’s grace will abound, in seed and in bread. In joy then sow as you reap.
     Alleluia! God, gather from us the harvest of your grace.
5. You will receive, so that you can give, and yield a harvest of good hearts.
    Alleluia! God send us to share in the harvest of your grace.

 

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

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 God, you forgive.

I wait for you, O 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, O hope in the Lord.
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.


Risen Bread (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

You laid your life down like sowing a seed;
once dead and buried, from death you are freed,
rising like wheat in the warmth of the sun!
Christ you are risen! New life has begun!

Christ, you are risen, but not far above:
you live among us in each act of love,
in every deed of compassion you rise,
living in flesh we can see with our eyes.

Christ, we are blest as we gather to dine,
strengthened for love by the bread and the wine.
This is your Body, now entering ours,
strong with your loving, miraculous powers.

Gathered like wheat from the fields in the sun,
once we were scattered but raised we are one.
We are the body of your love and grace,
your blest community, your real human face.

Jesus, you feed us, then bid us to leave,
sharing with others the love we receive.
We are your Body, sent by your command,
making love real as the bread in our hands.

Note:
Third verse may be omitted if there is no communion.
Final verse may be included with previous verses
or as a blessing at the end of the service.

We Feast On Your Love (Original song)

Chorus: We drink from your presence.
We feast on your love.
This is the banquet we’ve been dreaming of. (Repeat.)

You gather us: no one’s unworthy,
and no one is “greatest” or “least.”
You multiply what we offer,
so multitudes may feast. — Chorus

We hunger and thirst for your spirit,
we open ourselves to your grace.
In flows the mercy you offer
in every time and place. — Chorus

We taste the sweet wine made from water,
our bread is your body you give.
“Drink of the water I give you,
so you may truly live.”


You Feed Us, Gentle Savior   (Tune: O Sacred Head Now Wounded)

You feed us, gentle savior, the bread that makes us whole,
the wine of your compassion poured out into our soul.
the food of your own presence, your spirit, strong, within,
the grace that heals us deeply and overcomes our sin.

You bind us, gentle savior, and weave us into one,
one flesh and blood, made holy, the Body of your Son.
We gather here in hunger, one hunger, all the same;
and with one grace you bless us together in his name.

You call us, gentle savior, and send us in your name.
You teach and heal and show us how we can do the same.
So strengthened by your Spirit and nourished by your grace,
we go to be your presence in love, in every place.

August 4, 2024

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Lectionary Texts

2 Samuel 11.26-12.13 — Nathan’s parable about David’s transgression with Bathsheba.

Psalm 51 — A prayer of repentance. Have mercy… You desire inward truth… Create in me a clean heart…

Ephesians 4. 1-16 — There is one body and one Spirit… We’re given various gifts (apostles, pastors, teachers…) to equip the saints for ministry… Speaking truth in love, we grow up into Christ, in whom the whole body builds itself up in love.

John 6.24-35 — “I am the Bread of Life.”

Preaching Thoughts

2 Samuel
       We love some good comeuppance…as long as it’s not about us. Nathan does the prophetic thing, which is to stick his neck out and tell the truth. Part of how he gets away with it is he disguises the story so David doesn’t see himself in it till it’s too late. Sometimes that’s what we need. Our defenses are too high; we resist seeing the truth about ourselves. So we have to see it in someone else, judge it clearly—then realize it’s about us. Pray for the wisdom to see in yourself what you judge in others.

Psalm
       The focus is not on self-loathing but self-awareness, not on God’s punishment but God’s grace. The psalmist’s posture is not one of groveling but openness. Repentance is a conversation, a three-step flow between us and God: we get honest about our brokenness with openness to God (“you desire truth in the inward being… wash me “); God responds with grace (“have mercy on me… wash me…let the bones you have crushed rejoice”), and the result is transformation (“put a new and right spirit within me”). Readers of John Wesley will recognize his description of the prevenient, justifying and sanctifying nature of grace.

Ephesians
       “God is above all and through all and in all.” God is not some guy up in heaven, but the Life force, the Love force, that creates us and fills us, inside of whom we live.        One body and one Spirit. The writer (probably not Paul) picks up on Paul’s image of the Body of Christ. There’s one spirit, making us one body: all of us organically members of each other, inter-being. As in 1 Corinthians, the emphasis is on unity that is not uniformity. The various body parts are different. This passage is often adduced among others in listing “the spiritual gifts,” as if it’s the twelve day of Christmas and there are a certain number. There are infinite gifts. Some have names (even if they’re hard to define) like “apostleship.” Some don’t have such lofty titles, like a sense of humor, or a passion for justice. And some spiritual gifts are ineffable, unnameable, pure mystery, like the gift of bearing a certain peace and innocence even after suffering greatly with a kind of lightness that somehow sets us free. End the end, even being is a spiritual gift. Your being alive is a gift of the Spirit.
       The purpose of all spiritual gifts is “to equip the saints for the work of ministry.” They’re not for our own sake but for the sake of others who have a calling. Your calling is not to save the world, but to help others who are saving the world. (Don’t worry; if your calling really is to save the world, others will help you do it.) How do your gifts help “build up the body of Christ?” Many folks who are not show-offs like me need opportunities to see how their gifts build up the body. Help them see.
       We come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. This doesn’t mean we all think alike. It’s not talking about knowledge about Jesus, but knowledge of Jesus—that is, knowing Jesus, being in relationship with Jesus. Our unity is not homogeneity of belief; it’s companionship in trust of Jesus. It’s being made into one body by Jesus’ love. Unity of faith means I trust you, whose spiritual gifts, and maybe whose theology, are different from mine, but whose trust, like mine, is in Jesus and the God Jesus shows us. I rely on you and your gifts and perspectives, different from mine, the way fingers of the same hand rely on each other in their various positions to do a task.
       We come to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. Wow. The author has high expectations of us. We’re not just admirers of Jesus, we ourselves attain the full statue of Christ. All of us, together as a body, become Christ—the whole thing, the real deal. Not because we’re so great but because Christ is in us, incarnate in us, making us Christ’s body. That’s what we’re aiming for: to become as much the real live healing, miracle-producing presence as Jesus himself. And remember Christ isn’t just Jesus. It’s the cosmic Third Person of the Trinity, Embodied Love of God mystery that Jesus inhabited. We become an active part of God. (Which we always were, anyway, because the Spirit is in us.) Sheesh. What a cosmic vision! What might that look like for your congregation? What might it look like for you to attain the full stature of Christ? I dare you to think as big as Ephesians.
       The whole body…builds itself up in love. I love how visceral this is. The way we’re “joined and knit together.” The “ligaments” we have with each other. The importance that “each part is working properly.” And how we “promote the body’s growth in love.” All of us should ask ourselves : How do my faith and actions, my words, my contribution build up the church in love? What’s the difference between getting my way and building us up in love? How about not just in the church but in society? How do I use my gifts to build up the culture in love?

John
       Looking for Jesus. The Gospels often portray people “looking for Jesus.” How often do you actually seek him out—or do you just wait for him to come by on Sundays? There are ways to go looking. It might look like something else—but what would it be like to do it looking for Jesus? What if you read scripture as a way of seeking Jesus? Or pray? What about taking a walk… sitting quietly… or even people watching at the mall!? If you’re actually looking for Jesus, you’re likely to see him.
       Food that endures. The people keep getting hung up on their physical hunger, but Jesus speaks of a deeper hunger, and invites us to “believe,” that is, to open ourselves to what is given. How much spiritual junk food we gorge ourselves on! Most of us at some time to some degree are either spiritually anorexic, starving ours souls of what they need, or overindulging in self-congratulations or self-judgment—still not nourishing our souls. The food that endures to eternal life, the nourishment that connects us with the Divine flow of life, is loving presence. God gives us that love; we still need to take it in. (I love the Book of Common Prayer’s phrasing, that we might “read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” God’s Word.) What feds you? What empowers you to connect with the Divine flow of life Jesus called eternal life?
       That you believe in him whom God has sent. For Jesus “believe” doesn’t mean think. It means trust or at the very least to reach out. (The word “believe” comes from Old German, belieben, to love. It means to give your heart.) Jesus invites us to open our hearts to the mystery he offers us, regardless of our religious opinions. To believe in the one God has sent is to open your heart to God’s love.
       “I am the bread of life.” One of the “I am” statements. Bold, seemingly blasphemous, certainly cocky. Skip trying to imagine if the earthly Jesus really said this and thought of himself in this way. regardless, John said it in his gospel. Let that be enough. Imagine the resurrected Jesus, the eternal Christ, saying this. Jesus, embodying God’s love, is the gift, like manna, that we survive on. Plain, simple, and everybody gets enough. No matter what we think gets us through, it’s actually Jesus’ love that sustains us. Feast on this bread and you’ll never go hungry.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
     All:  Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
     Moment by moment you create us, and give us life.
We confess that we have sought life elsewhere,
but this hunger has only fed us death.
     God of Creation, have mercy.
We confess that in our hunger we have betrayed life.
     God of grace, forgive us.
Teach us that our hunger and thirst is for you alone.
Teach us to turn to you and receive life in each moment.
     God of life, have mercy.
Christ, you are the Bread of Life.  Come and feed our hearts and souls.
    Alleluia!  Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: God of life, we taste your glory.
All: Alleluia! We savor your love.
Christ, our loving companion, we drink deeply of your grace.
Alleluia! We linger in your presence.
Holy Spirit, we feast on your abundance.
Alleluia! We give you thanks and we worship you. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: God of love, we are hungry for your grace.All: You feed us the bread of life, and we thank you.
We are thirsty for your presence.
You give us drink from the well of eternal life, and we rejoice.
We hunger and thirst for true love.
We feast on your grace, and we worship you. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: Loving God, Infinite One, you are present in all things.
All: Your truth shines in all of Creation.
We awake to your presence.
We open our eyes to your glory.
We open our hearts to your Word.
Alleluia! God of love, we worship you,
that we may be your praise. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Holy One, Fountain of Goodness, Wine of Mystery,
we thirst for your presence. Flow in us.
All: Jesus, Bread of Life, feed us with your grace.
Bread of goodness, satisfy our hunger for justice.
Bread of the earth, root us in your love.
Bread of strength, empower us.
Bread of beauty, delight us.
Bread of the table, bring us together.
Jesus, Bread of Life, risen as one with you,
we give thanks; we praise; we worship. Amen.

5.
Leader: Gracious God, we are hungry for life.
 All:  You are the Bread of Life.
We are thirsty for love.
      You are the fountain of love and grace.
We come to feast upon your abundance.
      We come to feast upon your grace.
      Alleluia!  We thank you.  We praise you.  We worship you. Alleluia!

Prayer

1.
God of life, we are hungry for life.
Feed us the bread of life.
Spirit of breath, we live by each breath.
Help us to breathe deeply of you.
Christ, sign of God among us, we give our hearts to you.
Help us to listen, to feast upon your presence, and to enter into eternal life.   
Amen.

2.
God of abundance and grace, we are hungry for life and love, but we divert our desires to other things. Redirect our hunger, O God, and transform our desires. Stir up our deep hunger for you, our thirst for truth, our deep desire for wisdom and compassion.  Our mouths water for your Word.  Speak to us, Lord of Love, and give us the bread of life.   Amen.

3.
Eternal God, Life-Giver, you who create all things, who establish the bounds and set the laws of all Creation, who are infinite and unknowable—yet who come among us in faithful presence: we worship you. You feed us what gives us life. Speak to us; nourish us. May we taste the flavor of your grace, and lose ourselves in your beauty. Amen.

4.
God of life, we hunger for your love, and you give us Christ, the bread of Life. So we come to feast on your Word, to listen and be changed, that we too may be bread for the world. Feed us with your grace. Amen.

5.
Gracious God, we desire wisdom. Therefore we open our hearts to you in words and silence, in music and prayer, that we may hear your Word, that we may be shaped by your voice, that we may live your truth in all things. Speak to us, for we are listening. Amen.

6.
Holy God we do not always understand your call for us. We hesitate, we falter and we make mistakes. But we always know that as a child of yours we will be comforted and forgiven. Teach us. O God to trust in you, to listen to your voice and to know that your chosen path for us will always lead us to peace, joy and fulfillment. Amen.

7.
Without thinking we seek food that perishes.  But here in this silence we open ourselves to the food that endures for eternal life. There are no signs.  There are no requirements. Only this, that we entrust ourselves to you, the Bread of Life.  We come to you. Feed us, that we may never hunger for anything but you, never thirst for anything but your grace.

Listening Prayer  

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

1.     [John]
Jesus, Bread of Life,
we feast on you.
Enter us, become part of us,
that we may become part of you.

2.     [ 2 Samuel]
God of truth,
you desire truth in the inward being.
Tell us what we need to hear;
show us what we’re missing.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Pastor: The grace of God be 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, we lift up all in us that is loving, and give you thanks.
We lift up all that is not loving, and ask your forgiveness.
By your grace in Christ, perfect your love in us.
….Silent prayer … the word of grace

2.
Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God of mercy,
we do not know the ways we have betrayed your love.
Enfold us in your faithful compassion now,
that we may see ourselves truly,
abandon what is false in us,
and return to your grace. ….Silent prayer … the word of grace

3.
Leader: God, forgive our sins as we stand before you asking to be cleansed.
All: We are not worthy of your unending grace.
We stand before you weak and empty.
Fill us, God, with your forgiveness and love.
Help us, through your love, to do your works here on earth.

Reading

                 Psalm 51 — A Paraphrase

Be gentle with me, O God,
         hold me in your constant love.
With your abundant mercy
         free me from my sins.
Wash away the grime
         that covers your image in me.
I know I don’t live the life you give me;
         you know the difference.
My love is not perfect;
         this you see.

But you lead me to live in harmony
         with my inner truth,
to be transparent
         to your presence within me.

Purge me with your love,
         that I may be pure love.
Fill me,
         that I may be pure light.

Deep within me, in your light,
          I discover joy,
gratitude even for bones broken
         to be reset.
When you look at me you don’t see sins;
         you see love.

Create me all over again, O God;
         breathe your life-giving breath in me.
Hold me close
         and give me your loving spirit.
You are the joy that sustains me;
         you give me my willing heart.
O Beloved, when I open my lips,
         my mouth will sing praise, only praise.

I can’t offer a thing to please you,
         can’t determine your love for me.
What delights you is just me,
         this broken heart,
         this true, simple heart.
Use me as I am to love the world.
         That will be gift enough for both of us.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
           We trust in God, creator of all that is, provider of every good thing to eat.
           We follow Jesus, the Bread of Life, who embodied God’s love, made grace available to all, and gave himself in love for us.  He was crucified and died, and was raised from the dead.  In him we are all made one, as grains united in one loaf.
           We live by the Holy Spirit, the Yeast of God in us, who unites us, nourishes us and gives us strength to love our neighbors.  Graced by the power of forgiveness, the mystery of resurrection and the gift of eternal life, we serve in the name of Christ for the sake of others, that in the power of the Holy Spirit we may be bread for the world.

2.
     We trust in God, the Creator of all things, the Divine flow of love that is our life.
     We follow Jesus, who loved and healed, who offered himself for the sake of others. He was crucified, but God raised him from the dead. He invites us into the flow of God, the life that is eternal. Risen, he is the food of our souls. We feast on him as the Bread of Life.
     We live by the Holy Spirit, the energy of Christ in our bodies and souls. Each moment, each breath, we commune with God in Christ. We desire always to draw closer to Christ, and to be more loving in the Spirit of God, trusting in the power of forgiveness and the mystery of resurrection, so that we ourselves are the Body of Christ, his flesh and blood. God help us to more freely, deeply and boldly be your people, that we may be bread for the world. Amen.

3.
[from Ephesians 2.14-22; 4.11-16]
Christ is our peace.  In Christ God has made us into one flesh.  and has broken down every dividing wall between us.
     In Christ God has created one new humanity, making peace, and reconciling all to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death all hostility through it.
     Jesus came and proclaimed peace to those who were far off and peace to those who were near. In Christ all of us have access in one Spirit to God.  So we are no longer strangers and aliens, but citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone.
     In Christ the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom we are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.
     God has given us various gifts to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Beloved of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
    So we  grow up in every way into the one who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Eucharistic Prayer

God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
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 made the earth and all that fills it;
you have given us every good thing to eat.
When we wandered in the wilderness you fed us.
When we hunger for your grace you bring us to the feast,
the feast of grace in Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.
By your mighty judgment you have overthrown the powers of evil;
and you have set us free.
The rich go away empty, but the hungry you fill with good things.
You provide manna in the wilderness, bread for the people;
you open your hand and feed every living thing.
Therefore with all Creation we sing as 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, the Bread of Life,
who strengthens our bodies and nourishes our souls;
who ate with the poor and the outcast,
As Jesus shared the loaves and fishes, trusting you to provide,
so we feast with faith in the abundance of your Spirit and your grace.

                  (The Blessing and Covenant) *

Christ is our Passover from want to abundance,
from powerlessness to victory, from death to life.
Therefore 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 Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
Feed us with yourself, imperishable food that sustains us for eternal life
and strengthens us for service in your name.
As the grains are made one in this loaf, we are made one in your Spirit.
As Christ multiplied the loaves and fishes by the power of your Spirit,
multiply our gifts to serve you so that none may go hungry.
We offer ourselves in union with Christ’s sacrifice for us,
so that, trusting in the abundance of your grace,
we may give freely, serve boldly, and love abundantly.
Oh bread of life: take, bless, break, and give us.
May we be your bread of blessing in the world.

     [Spoken or sung]
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 / after Communion

God of grace, as Jesus offered himself for others as nourishing bread, we give of ourselves, that we may be bread for the world, to feed the hungry, to strengthen the weary, to gladden the hearts of the hopeless, to bring about justice and mercy in the name and the Spirit of Christ.  Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

                Based on John 6:

Communion Song: Bread of Life (Tune: HOLY MANNA)

Christ, you are the Bread of Life, who gives us strength and nourishes.
Here we feast on love and beauty, here your people flourishes.
In our sharing you are present, in our feast you enter in,
we become your Body, risen: we your servants, we your friends.

As you bless the bread and break it, as you give it out to share,
we are broken, blessed, and given, sharing blessing everywhere.
May we be the yeast of justice; may we be the grain of love;
that your children all be fed, that grace and mercy all may have.

Food for the Body (Original song)
A dialogue between leader and congregation.

All: (Chorus
)Food for the body, food for the soul,
making us new again, making us whole.
Grateful we are that you faithfully give
the Spirit of love, the power to live.

Cantor:
1. Remembering Jesus, we thank you for all that he’s done.
He gives us his Spirit, and feeds us, and makes us all one
in love, in faith, in you. (Chorus):

2. The body of Jesus, broken and risen to live,
you give us to eat, by your grace to become and to give
to all, for all to live. (Chorus):

3. The Spirit of Jesus arises in us like a dove,
to give us the courage to live every moment in love
in you for you, forever. (Chorus)

We Feast On Your Love (Original song)

Chorus: We drink from your presence.
We feast on your love.
This is the banquet we’ve been dreaming of. (Repeat.)

You gather us: no one’s unworthy,
and no one is “greatest” or “least.”
You multiply what we offer,
so multitudes may feast. — Chorus

We hunger and thirst for your spirit,
we open ourselves to your grace.
In flows the mercy you offer
in every time and place. — Chorus

We taste the sweet wine made from water,
our bread is your body you give.
“Drink of the water I give you,
so you may truly live.” — Chorus

                Based on 2 Samuel / Psalm 51:

God of Mercy       (Original song)

Chorus: 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. (Chorus)

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. (Chorus)


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.


God, You Have Searched Me (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

God, you have searched me; you know from within
all of my beauty, my wounds and my sin.
Deep in my heart—I’ve not spoken a word—
you know my soul, and my thoughts you have heard.

You who have made me and always are near,
help me to shed my illusion and fear.
Help me be truthful, and truthfully see,
humbly transparent to your grace in me.

Your loving presence within me each day
go with me, guide me, and show me your way.
Give me the eyes of your mercy and grace,
to walk in love in each moment, each place.

July 28, 2024

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Lectionary Texts

2 Samuel 11. 1-15 — David rapes Bathsheba and arranges her husband Uriah’s death.

Psalm 14 — People do evil, thinking that there is no God who is aware of their deeds. But God defends the poor and powerless.

Ephesians 3.14-21 —May you be strengthened in your inner being, rooted in love; may Christ live powerfully in us. God is able to do more than we ask or imagine.

John 6. 1-21 —Jesus feeds a crowd with a tiny bit of food, and then walks across the lake to the disciples in the boat. They are afraid but Jesus says, “I am. Do not be afraid.”

Preaching Thoughts

2 Samuel
       There’s no nice way to handle this story. Rape and domestic violence are ugly and brutal… and common. It’s an issue. More of the women than you expect (and maybe some men) in your congregation will have experienced rape or domestic violence. And they don’t talk about it. It’s a tough call to preach about this instead of the feeding of the multitudes, but sooner or later you need to address it. Don’t fall for the shiny happy veneer of churches as a place of nice people where domestic violence or rape couldn’t happen. It does. Deal with it.
                        (Click here for Domestic Violence worship resources.)
       This story makes it clear that rape is not really about sex. It’s sexualized—but what it is is violence. It’s about power. Conquest. Domination. (That’s why rape is often a tool of war.) The story reeks of David’s abuse of power, to take Bathsheba and to arrange for Uriah’s death, and to carry on unquestioned. It also reeks of our tolerance and even justification of domination.
       Can we dare to see ourselves in David? Can we recognize the ways power cloaks cruelty; authority can mask abuse; and our social systems, power structures and even church procedures can be used to deny the ways we hurt vulnerable people? Do we dare name the kind of power, and masculinity, that “gets what it wants,” at others’ expense? It’s important that we males, especially those of us in positions of power or authority, like pastors and preachers, acknowledge that is is our problem.
      One of the most important things about this story is what’s not in it. We never hear from Bathsheba. It’s like she’s a prop in the story but not a person. There’s not a word about Bathsheba, her experience, her side of the story. She experiences sexual assault, the murder of her husband, and being forced to marry her rapist. We hear not a word of her pain, her terror, her grief, her shame. She is silenced. So it is with so many women, with so many of the abused and powerless in scripture and in our own lives. This is the reason for the #MeToo movement. The story gives us pause to slow down and listen to the voices of those who suffer. Listen to those who cry out. Listen to those who protest. Listen to those we overlook, think of as unimportant in our own search for comfort and power and belonging.
       For silence protects violence. Victims feel forced into silence, either by the perpetrator’s threats or by the fear of shame. The rest of us keep silent out of fear—out of our own shame! We don’t talk about it… and nothing changes. So a bold act of justice, and one of the first things we can do to address sexual abuse and domestic violence, is to break the silence. Talk about it. Including in the pulpit.
       Be aware that if you open up the subject of rape or domestic violence (which sooner or later you should) it will touch a lot of nerves. You might want some pastoral resources in place—people to talk to (not just male, empowered pastors), or other ways to address the pain you’re going to touch. At the very least the worship service ought to include some gentle opportunity for honesty and healing.

Ephesians
       Oh, goodie, another blessing salad. Savor each tidbit:
       That you may be strengthened in your inner being. Faith is not just something you “have,” but who you are, in the inner core of your being.
      That Christ may dwell in your hearts. It’s not only that Jesus is your friend, just that you “have a place in your heart for him,” but that the embodied love of God is expressed in you, lives through you, wouldn’t exist in this way without you.
      You are being rooted and grounded in love. Love is what feeds you and what motivates you. It’s where you come from. Love is what steadies you and strengthens you. You sink your roots deep in the love of God, and draw from that dark, unseen blessing. Love is what you’re all about.
      That you may comprehend the breadth and length and height and depth… and to know the love of Christ. It’s infinite. Allow yourself to get lost in it. And let yourself actually know it, “in the biblical sense,” intimately, in your guts.
       That you may be filled with the fullness of God. God is not far off in “heaven,” but in you, and not just in some pious part, but in all of you, filling you. The life of faith is the process of letting all that wants to replace God drain out of us, and let God fill us entirely.
       God is able to do far more than we ask or imagine. Oh, we ask so little. Sometimes we get stuck asking for favors: fix this problem, cure that disease. But what God can do is so much greater: to bless the whole of us, disease or not, to bless the world, to change the world. We have to keep asking what we really want. What do we want more than that? And even more than that? That’s where God is at work, able to do more than we ask or imagine.

John
       Jesus knew what he was going to do. So often in our struggles we don’t know what to do but Jesus is already doing it.
       A boy with five barley loaves and two fish. Barley is the grain of the poor. They weren’t “loaves” as we see in the grocery store, but more like buns. And the fish? Little sardines. It was his lunch. And the lad offers what he has. Of course your gifts are inadequate, even if you’re a genius or a billionaire. Only in God’s hands do they become something. Take all you have and put it in God’s hands. All of it. Trust this.
       As much as they wanted. Like manna, no? We can exhaust ourselves wondering: did they all actually have bread but wouldn’t share till the pattern was set? Or did everybody decide one nibble was enough? Or is it a parable, a purely symbolic story meant to remind us of Elisha in 2 Kings 4.42-44? Or did Jesus really make 5000 lunches appear out of thin air? Doesn’t matter. It’s not a story about culinary magic. It’s about abundance. There’s more than enough. In all our worries, in all our struggles, hoping for grace, there’s more than enough. Repeatedly Jesus encourages us to forsake the blasphemy of scarcity. When we put everything in God’s hands there’s always more than enough.
       “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” Even God’s leftovers are precious. Even the crumbs that fall from the master’s table are worth something. Even our useless acts of love aren’t useless; our wasted efforts are not wasted. John repeats the theme of “nothing lost” in 17.12: “I protected them in your name that you have given me, and not one of them was lost.” Like the crumbs, we ourselves, all of us, even the most “lost” loser wasting away on drugs under a bridge somewhere, is gathered up and not lost. This is the promise. You will not be lost.
       Jesus goes up the mountain by himself. Note his consistent commitment to solitude, as we saw last week. And note how often he sends his disciples off ahead of him. Sometimes when you feel like you’re in a tough situation imagine that God has actually put you there for a reason. Sure, maybe you just got yourself into trouble for no good reason, or trouble found you. But maybe your being there is because, in some mysterious way, you’ve been sent.
       Jesus walking on the sea. Don’t trouble yourself with how literally to take this. Let it be a metaphor you trust. How do you see this in your life? What seas does Jesus walk across for you? What fears, difficulties, doubts, guilt, anger or whatever does Jesus have to walk across to get to you? Maybe the Red Sea parts and you walk on dry ground; maybe you walk over the water, but somehow God gets you through.
     “It is I; do not be afraid.” Actually in the Greek Jesus says, “I am. Don’t be afraid.” As in, I AM. This isn’t always included in the “I am” sayings in John, but there it is. God is present with us right in the most frightening situations. In fact sometimes God Godself is exactly what frightens us. God so totally exceeds our expectations and understanding that it really freaks us out. How mysteriously our fear and our salvation are wrapped up in one.
       And immediately the boat reached the land. Sometimes when we meet our fears head on, that is the only problem we needed to have solved, and we’re suddenly at our destination.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader:  God of abundance, you provide Creation, overflowing with life and beauty.
      All:  In awe we praise you.
Christ, you accompany us in our deepest struggles with infinite love and grace.
      In gratitude we thank you.
Holy Spirit, you fill us with all the gifts we need to serve you with compassion and power.
      In trust, we open ourselves to your presence.  Alleluia!

2.
Leader:  In our need and hunger, God —
      Congregation:  you feed us abundantly!
In our fears and struggles
      you bear us through the storms!
God of grace, you bring us to a place of peace.
       We thank you. We worship you.  We open our hearts to you. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: God of grace, we praise you.
   All: God of love, we worship you.
In what we thought was barrenness you have hidden abundance.
   In the ordinary you have created the miraculous.
In what was threatening you have accompanied us.
   Your presence is astounding. You shake us up.
   And you deliver us.
   We open our hearts to you. Feed us with your grace. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Steady God, life whirls around us.  Life demands so much of us.  So we turn to you, calm and generous.  Your grace flows freely.  We open ourselves in word and silence, in prayer and song, in meal and companionship, to the overflowing abundance of your presence and your grace.  Hungry and trusting, we open ourselves toy you.  Amen.

2.
God of love, the grace that nourishes us is more abundant than we know; the mercy that bears us through our struggles is deeper than we think.  And you are more present than we suspect, here and now.  We open our hearts to your grace.  In the little loaves and fishes of this moment, multiply your grace. In the little boat of our prayer, carry us across. 

3.
Leader: Hungry for God, we gather.
But where will we find what will nourish us?
      All: We have but five little loaves, and two fish.
Jesus takes our lives, and multiplies them.
      We struggle against the wind and waves of our lives.
Jesus calms us, and brings us to a place of peace.
      Jesus, feed us.  Bear us through the storm.
      Grant us your peace.  Amen.

Listening Prayer  

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

Jesus, you take the little loaves of our faith
and multiply them with grace.
You walk across the rough seas of our fears
to be present with us.
We welcome you
into our little boat of prayer.

Healing Prayer

O Infinite Love,
we pray for all who are wounded,
who are abused or terrorized.

O Crucified Christ,
we pray for all who are made victims
by violence, by pride, by greed,
by overt acts and subtle systems.
O Holy Spirit, may those who hurt
find true freedom and joy.
For those who hearts and bodies
bear scars seen and unseen,
we pray for healing.
For spirits shadowed by fear
we pray for peace and courage.
Sustain them who must carry grief or fear,
who feel they must pretend.
Your mercy surround them,
your Spirit strengthen them,
your hope guide them.
For those among us who bear such pain
may we offer welcome, safety,
and the end of shame.
For a culture that nods at violence
we ask your forgiveness,
seek repentance,
and pray that we may become a people
of gentleness, justice and joy.
Amen.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

        God, Creator of all, we rejoice that you are a God of abundance.  In faith we pledge to live lives of abundant generosity.
        Christ, we rejoice that you are the bread of life, who accompanies us in our deepest struggles. In faith we entrust ourselves to you, even in times of struggle. You who have died and been raised rom the dead, bear us through the storms and bless us with your presence.
        Holy Spirit, we rejoice that you grant to us the power of sharing, the courage of faith, and the peace of your grace.  In faith we give ourselves to your care and guidance, that in all things we may do your will, trust your grace, and share you love, in the name of Christ,  Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

[After the introduction, the body of the prayer may be read responsively with the presiding leader(s) and congregation, or by the leader(s) alone.]

God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
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, you create a world teeming with abundant life
in so many forms and manners.
With overflowing generosity
you nourish us with food, with love, with beauty.
With infinite compassion you heal our hurts and forgive our sins;
and you judge the forces that oppress
and set free all who long for liberty and wholeness.
Generous with your grace and your presence,
you walk with us into new life, life that is freely given.

            [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.
He taught and healed, he fed the crowds,
he loved without holding anything back.
He multiplies our gifts and makes our lives miraculous.
He shows us the abundance of grace you have given us,
not for our own sake, but for the sake of the world.
He walks across the seas of our troubles
and brings us your steadfast presence.
He passes through the waters of death itself
to bring us to a place of life.

               [The Blessing and Covenant…] *

As often as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection until he comes again.
Remembering these, 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 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.
Take us in your hands and multiply the grace in our hearts,
that we may be nourishment for the world.
Send us, trusting in the abundance of your grace,
overflowing with your love,
generous with our lives, for the sake of the world.

     [Spoken or sung]
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 / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]

1.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
You give with such infinite generosity; help us so to be grateful, trusting and generous with our love, with our time and goods, with our blessing, for the sake of the world, in the name and Spirit of Christ.   Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
Source of all abundance, you have provided for us generously. Miracle of life, you have graced us more than we could ask or imagine. Multiply the faith in our hearts and the gifts of your Spirit, that those who are hungry we may nourish, those who are hurting we may comfort, and to those who seek justice we may bring hope, in the power of your Spirit and the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

          Based on John:

All that we Hold (Original song)

What do we hold in our hearts?
The hopes of a hungering people,
longing for you, and for bread,
and to truly be free.
What can we do, who are small?
The power is not ours at all:
God, you have hidden such grace
here in our hands.

What do we hold in our hands?
Nothing we have is unworthy.
An everyday gift you can use
in miraculous ways.
All that we hold in our hands
you’ll use if we give it to you.
Use what we hold in our hands
for what you will do.

What do we hold in our hands?
In it you’ve hidden the wondrous,
fishes and loaves you can use
to feed thousands with love.
All that we hold in our hands
we give in the name of your Son:
more than we ask or imagine,
may your will be done.

What do we hold in our hands?
Grace is abundant, not lacking.
Look now and see what we have
and find power and life.
All that we hold in our hands,
all that we have or can do,
all that we are by your grace
we give now to you.


Five Loaves and Two Fish (Original song)

Five loaves and two fish are enough
to offer the blessing of God.
Open your hands. See what you have.

The gifts that you have are enough
to shine with the glory of God.
Open your hands. See what you have.

The love that you have is enough
to offer the healing of God.
Open your hands. See what you have.

The courage you have is enough
to work for the justice of God.
Open your hands. See what you have.

Five loaves and two fish are enough
to offer the blessing of God.
Open your hands. See what you have.
See what you have. See what you have.

Food for the Body (Original song)
A dialogue between leader and congregation.

All: (Chorus)
Food for the body, food for the soul,
making us new again, making us whole.
Grateful we are that you faithfully give
the Spirit of love, the power to live.

Cantor:
1. Remembering Jesus, we thank you for all that he’s done.
He gives us his Spirit, and feeds us, and makes us all one
in love, in faith, in you. (Chorus):

2. The body of Jesus, broken and risen to live,
you give us to eat, by your grace to become and to give
to all, for all to live. (Chorus):

3. The Spirit of Jesus arises in us like a dove,
to give us the courage to live every moment in love
in you for you, forever. (Chorus)

We Feast on Your Love       (Original song)

Chorus: We drink from your presence.
We feast on your love.
This is the banquet we’ve been dreaming of. (Repeat.)

You gather us: no one’s unworthy,
and no one is “greatest” or “least.”
You multiply what we offer,
so multitudes may feast. — Chorus

We hunger and thirst for your spirit,
we open ourselves to your grace.
In flows the mercy you offer
in every time and place. — Chorus

We taste the sweet wine made from water,
our bread is your body you give.
“Drink of the water I give you,
so you may truly live.”

        Based on Ephesians:


       Based on 2 Samuel:

For Households (Tune: Blest Be the Tie that Binds…
downloadable file also includes a version set to
DETRIOT, Forgive Our Sins As We Forgive.)

For homes where love is shared we give you thanks, O Lord,
where all your children hear your grace and know they are adored.

We pray for homes where fear and hurt and loneliness stay.
For those abused, unsure, not free, your blessing, God, we pray.

As when from Egypt slaves escaped and crossed the Sea,
God, make a way and go with those who are becoming free.

God, give us hearts to speak, to break the silent shield
that covers the hurt, protecting the sin: so violence may be healed.

God help your church to be a home, a healing place,
where all are free and whole and blest and honored in your grace.

When Fear Lives Close (Tune: GIFT OF LOVE / The Water Is Wide)

We pray for those who live in fear,
where secret hurt and shame live near,
that they may know your loving grace,
and find their way to freedom’s space.

And God of love, we pray for those
whose inner darkness overflows,
that those who wound, control or use
may be healed, too, their demons lose.

We pray, O God, that we may be
your gentle ones who set them free,
with deep respect, with love and prayer,
create a world of gentle care.

July 21, 2024

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Lectionary Texts

2 Samuel 7. 1-14 — David aspires to build a temple, a house for God. But God says, “No, I will live in a tent among my people as I have always done.”

Psalm 89.20-37 — God’s covenant to uphold David and his reign; “his line shall continue forever.”

Ephesians 2. 11-22 — Christ has broken down the division between Jews and Gentiles in the cross. We are all citizens, members of the household of God.

Mark 6. 30-34, 53-56 — Jesus invites the disciples to retreat to a solitary place. But they are followed by people seeking Jesus, “like sheep without a shepherd.” Here and on the other side of the lake Jesus heals and teaches.

Preaching Thoughts

Ephesians
       Christ eliminates the division between all insiders and outsiders: Jew and gentile, Christian and not, fundamentalist and progressive, black and white, red and blue. Christ is our peace. In the cross God “puts to death that hostility.” It’s significant to acknowledge that our protection of “insider” status is not just pride; it’s hostility, it’s aggression against our fellow humans. We can see that hatred in white supremacy; it’s a little better disguised, but no less judged, in our smugness that Christians are the “good guys.” We find those insidious insider-outsider dividing walls even in our churches. (we almost all have them. Where’s yours?) The cross makes us one: Jesus died for all of us as a group, not some of us. So then you are no longer strangers but members of the household of God. Sibling rivalries aside, you’re part of the family. Your ultimate belonging is not in question. You belong. Whatever you do to distance yourself from others or God, or what others do to distance you, we’re a\still all siblings in Christ.
       In Christ the whole community grows into a holy temple, a dwelling place for God. Here’s Ephesian’s response to David’s plan to build a house for God: God will live in us, not a building!

Mark
      There are two stories here. (Almost a story-within-a-story.) The first is unfinished. Jesus says, “Come away by yourselves to a place of solitude and rest a while.” So they went away… and then they got interrupted. Before we get to the interruption, pause at that invitation. Jesus invites us into solitude, a place where we’re a soul., that’s all—not doing but being, not producing or accomplishing but abiding. How often are our churches or you, dear pastor, too busy? Coming and going, with no leisure even to eat. Jesus invites us to come away. Yes, it’s hard to let go, sometimes because there’s so much to do and we’re falling behind, sometimes because we’re doing great stuff and don’t want to quit. (The disciples wanted to celebrate all the cool stuff they just did on their mission trips!) Drop it, Jesus says. Take some sabbath time to just be. (“Come to me, you who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest…”) Sometimes churches get so wrapped up in our mission that we forget to pray, or really worship. (Some worship services can seem like a business meeting!) No, just be with Jesus. Seek solitude. Balance doing with being. Even in your worship service, balance words and silence.
       So they go—but the crowd comes and spoils it. Here’s the flip side of the story. Jesus gives up his intention for solitude and has compassion on the crowd. Sometimes churches (or individuals) are so inwardly focused that they don’t notice the people around them in need like sheep without a shepherd. Here’s call to ministry, to reaching out, to mission, to get up out of our building and serve the people around us.
       This story reminds me of parenting. Sometimes you’re tired and you want to take a break but your family is like sheep without a shepherd and you need to be a parent; you need to get to it. And sometimes your kids are rushing around doing what they do—or you yourself are rushing around, too busy— and you just need to stop and sit and be still with them. There’s no magic formula. You just have to pay attention.
       The challenge is how we balance the two, how we seek solitude and nourish our souls and also serve selflessly. We have to learn to balance the journey inward and the journey outward. It may seem heroic of Jesus to sacrifice his solitude to meet the needs of a huge crowd—but he already has achieved that balance! Immediately before this, he has sent the disciples out, while, I imagine, he remained at home, getting his solitude. He’s all rested up. When then crowds show up, he’s ready. Maybe service with others is what feeds you, or maybe you need to be fed first to serve others. There’s no right way… though it’s generally important that you “put on your own oxygen mask before helping others.” The point is, be mindful. Where is God calling you right now?

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Welcome to this holy time and place. 
Bring your hearts into the presence of God.
 All: We have been busy!
Come away.
      What of our triumphs and our struggles?
Come away.
      What of our wish to know and understand?
Come away.
      Gentle Christ, we are here, with you.  It is enough for us.

2.
Leader: “Come away,” Jesus said,
“to a quiet place by yourselves, and rest a while.”
All: Jesus, we come to this quiet place to be with you.
Give us rest. Surround us with the peace in your heart.
Nourish our souls with the bread of your presence.
The needs of the world will come begging soon enough.
In this time and space, we are here. We are yours.
Accompany us as we worship.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of grace, we wander through this life, hungry, like sheep without a shepherd.  But you have compassion on us.  And so we bring to you our hunger and our wounds.  We bring our sick souls on the mats of our prayer.  By your tender grace, touch us, change us, and make us whole.  Amen.

2.
God, you invite us to discover your presence in activity and in quiet, in word and in silence. Help us now, as your Scripture is read and your good news proclaimed, to pay attention, to be mindful of your presence, and to listen for your Word as you speak to us. Amen.

3.
God, sometimes the hungers of the world come rushing at us. We want peace and quiet, but people around us are in need, like sheep without a shepherd. Feed our hearts, rest our souls, nourish our spirits, and renew our compassion, that we may be ready and able to serve with joy and energy, in the spirit of Christ. Amen.

4.
God of love, you call us to tend to our neighbors. But we cannot feed them with what we don’t have. Nourish our souls, so that we may serve others. Heal us and feed us your grace, so that what we can offer them is not ourselves but you.

5.
Leader: Holy God, we leave behind the busyness of our lives;
      All:  we come to you.
We leave behind the noise in our lives and our minds,
      and we come to a quiet place where you are.
We come to a place of solitude, where there are no roles, no expectations:
      we are souls.  And here in this simple place, you are with us.
We let go.  We sink in.  We become present.
      We are happy to be here. 
      Blessing.  
      Alleluia.

6.
Gentle God, you draw us into the stillness of your Presence.  You breathe your breath in us, and we become more deeply aware.  We come into the quiet place in your heart    Speak your Word to us, even if it is silence, and we will listen, even if we do not understand.  Our hearts are open.  Come, Spirit of Truth, and be with us.  Amen.

7.
God, you invite us to discover your presence in activity and in quiet, in word and in silence.  Help us now, as your Scripture is read and your good news proclaimed, to pay attention, to be mindful of your presence, and to listen for your Word as you speak to us.    Amen.

Prayer of Confession:

      Pastor: The grace of God is 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 have not always been present;
caught up in many things, we have neglected the One Thing.
We confess: renouncing all pretending,
letting go of all fear,
we bring ourselves to be with you,
in simplicity, in honesty, in silence.
Receive us as we are.
In your presence and your grace,
we are willing to become again the souls you create us to be.
Amen.

Listening Prayer

Jesus, you are our quiet place.
You are our source of rest.
You are the food that nourishes,
the breath that renews.
We come simply to be with you, that you may be in us.

Readings

                 Come away

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and stop a while.”
      — Mark 6. 30-31

Purify your doing with being.
Come away to a solitary place
where there are no others:
no one watching, judging, comparing, setting examples.
No one to impress, please, satisfy, conform to.
Just you, your body and your soul.

Go to a place where nothing matters, and nothing defines you
but being there,
where you have not achieved or failed at anything.
A stopping place, 
a place where you stop all that you do,
and discover your being,
at the center, beyond all doing.

The Holy One, who said, “I Am Being,” is there,
creating you moment by moment,
breath by breath.
Stop doing, and simply be being created.

You may find such solitude in a quiet park or in a noisy office.
For the place is nowhere out there, but within you.

Come away.
Be yourself.
Stop a while.
Such
a time and place is holy.

         A resting place

Breathe in.  Breath out.
Let go of all you have accomplished.
Step out of what you have done,
the “who” you think you are
that comes from something,
into the who that is I AM.
Be still.

Breathe in.  Breath out.
Set everything down.
The great burden of being yourself,
what everyone thinks, even you,
the work of remembering,
what you must and mustn’t,
let them all go.
Be still.

Breathe in.  Breathe out.
Come to the sabbath place
where nothing, even you,
is fashioned, everything just is.
Come into the rest that is God,
the silence from which your light pours,
the Spirit brooding over the waters.
Here where you are received,
receive yourself.
Be still.

Breathe in.   Breathe out.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
 We give our hearts to God, the Creator of all that is and all that is to come, who is present everywhere and in each moment.
 We follow Jesus, our teacher and healer, who has compassion on all people.  He leads us to seek God in activity and in quiet, in ministry and in solitude, in words and in silence—and in life and even in death.  Though Jesus was crucified, he was raised to new life, and accompanies us still in all things.
 We live by the Holy Spirit, God’s presence in and among us, which makes us the church the Body of Christ.   The Spirit empowers us to live with forgiveness and compassion, and trust in the power of resurrection; to proclaim Christ’s way of living, and to give of ourselves in ministry, for the sake of the healing of the world.

2. [from Ephesians 2.14-22; 4.11-16]
Christ is our peace.  In Christ God has made us into one flesh.  and has broken down every dividing wall between us.
In Christ God has created one new humanity, making peace, and reconciling all to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death all hostility through it.
Jesus came and proclaimed peace to those who were far off and peace to those who were near. In Christ all of us have access in one Spirit to God.  So we are no longer strangers and aliens, but citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone.
In Christ the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom we are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.
God has given us various gifts to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Beloved of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
So we  grow up in every way into the one who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]

Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. Send us from the sanctuary of your heart into the sacred place of the world, bearing with us always your presence and your grace. By your Spirit we never go out from you, but only come more closely toward you, more deeply into your silent heart. By your Spirit, guide us. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Sanctuary (Original song)

Arms of healing, hands of peace, be my sanctuary.
Heal me, bless me with your grace, in your sanctuary.

All are welcome, all are safe, in your sanctuary.
All are given blessed life in your sanctuary.

May we offer, by your grace, holy sanctuary,
be your loving hands and face, be your sanctuary.

With Open Hands (Tune: The Water Is Wide / Gift of Love)

O Love, we come with open hands
for grace we do not understand.
We simply take, and we are blessed
that you receive us as your guest.

We open all our treasure stores
in gratitude that freely pours
from open hearts that you have healed,
so in our love, yours is revealed.

You open wide great heaven’s doors;
your love includes, heals and restores.
We share your feast, and we are called
with open arms to all the world.

July 14, 2024

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Lectionary Texts

2 Samuel 6.1-19 — David brings the ark into Jerusalem and dances with joy and abandon.

Psalm 24 — Who comes close to God? Those who seek truth and live truthfully. Who is the power that rules our lives? It is Yahweh.

Ephesians 1.3-14 — God has chosen us, adopted us as children, forgiven us, disclosed the mystery of God’s will to gather all in love, and given us an inheritance.

Mark 6. 6-29 —Jesus sends out the disciples two by two, while Herod kills John the Baptist.

Preaching Thoughts

2 Samuel
       We don’t know exactly what an ephod is, but it was scanty enough to offend Michal, David’s ex, and daughter of the former king. In these roles she reminds us how we bring family dynamics into church life and into theology.
       And, whether or not her indignation is righteous, among other things this story does touch on the issue that one person’s celebration is another’s disruption. Scripture seems to excuse religious ecstasy, yet would not think well of scantily clad clergy dancing around on Sunday morning. Where do we draw the line? Culture wars aside, there is a theological issue about how our public behavior may or may not convey the gospel, and how our joy may come at others’ expense. It’s not that David was wrong, or Michal was justified… but it does ask us to be aware of our audience.

Ephesians
 [Click here for a paraphrase of the whole book of Ephesians.]
       I say this often: if you’re ever down, read Ephesians. It’s just one blessing after another. You could preach whole sermons on every phrase of it. It uses a lot of language seminary graduates may take for granted but many people in the pews have little good understanding of. Unpack them a bit.
—“God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before God in love.” We’re not chosen because we’re special, we’re special because we’re chosen—and everybody is chosen. God’s “plan” is for us to be perfectly loving. “Holy” doesn’t mean otherworldly or pious, or even better than anybody. It means set apart for God’s purposes. This doesn’t actually set us apart from others, since God chooses every human being for God’s purposes; but our response, our commitment to be loving, does set us apart from what the world wants of us. And, regardless of how well we do it, God hold us as “holy and blameless” no matter what. That’s been established from the beginning.
—“God destined us for adoption.” We don’t just happen to be humans inhabiting God’s Creation. God has chosen us, intentionally committed to us, and claimed us as God’s beloved, God’s children. It’s our destiny.
— “We have redemption through the blood of the Beloved, the forgiveness of our trespasses.” Contrary to popular medieval belief, Jesus’ physical blood has no magical powers. The blood doesn’t represent Jesus’ suffering, but his forgiveness in the face of our evil. Jesus is not “paying the price” for us; this is no mere transaction. In Jesus God is “lavishing” grace on us. It’s a gift! And it’s done. We don’t need to spend our lives trying to be good enough. We’re already deeply beloved. Just live like it.
— “God’s plan for the fullness of time is to gather up all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth.” Stop worrying about going to heaven. Everything will be gathered up in the incarnate love of God. Everything. All our successes and failures, our guilt and our shining, all gathered into God’s love made real.
— “We have been given an inheritance.” God’s love and our deep belonging are not conditional; we don’t have to deserve them or pay for them. We inherit them. They’re ours.
—“You also were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.” The Spirit is God’s presence in you, God’s love alive and radiating in you, connecting you with everyone else, since there’s only one Spirit in all of us. It’s a sign, God’s “seal,” promising that God is serious about this, that it’s really God at work in you. Your love is God’s “signature” in you. So live like it.

Mark
       The story of John’s death is an expose’ of the sordid debauchery of powerful people. It’s great TV material; you can just hear the trailer with the deep male voice-over: “In a world of sex, riches, power, violence and family intrigue, only one man can stand up for the truth…” The story reveals not only the tragedy of evil but also how petty and banal it is, how evil is basically just selfishness. It also paints a significant background to Jesus’ ministry, clarifying the scope and seemingly random nature of danger from political oppression. Truth-tellers like Jesus (or his disciples) could get killed. Mark is both commenting on the corruption of power, and he’s raising the level of suspense: the disciples’ mission is undertaken in the context of serious danger.
       But something else is also going on. Lectionary divisions hide it, but this is another Markan story-within-a-story. In Mark 6.7-13 (last week) Jesus sends out the disciples… in 14-29 (today) John the Baptizer is killed… and in 30 (next week) the disciples return and report their successes. Mark is saying something by sandwiching this story into the story of Jesus sending out the disciples. It’s as if Mark is saying, Yes, evil exists. But it’s surrounded by good, by the incontrovertible power of God, power for life and healing, not death. God gets the first and last word.
       Our preaching can parallel this good news. We can point out both the corruption of those in power, and also the good news that God is at work even amidst evil, violence, selfishness and injustice.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: God of peace, the world is troubled.
All: And you come among us with healing and grace.
God, the world is torn by evil.
And you surround us with goodness and mercy.
Your witnesses for righteousness are scorned.
But you uphold your beloved to do your will.
God of grace, we thank you, and we open our hearts to you.
Even in the shadow of injustice we worship you with joy.
Give us hearts of courageous mercy; give us the faith of Jesus.
Amen.

2.
Leader: Glorious God, as David danced before you, so we come with joy and praise.
      All: We worship you.  We praise you.  We open our hearts to you.
All Creation dances before you.  The stars and planets circle in joy and wonder.
      The seas wave and clap their hands.
The trees sway to the music of your wind.
      And our hearts sing your praise. 
      Alleluia! Glory be you to, now and forever.. Alleluia!  

3.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
     All:  Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
    You are holy, and we worship you.
You send us out into the world to do the work of healing.
But we have not always been healing.  Sometimes we have been hurtful.
     Holy One, have mercy.
We ourselves need healing.
     Christ, have mercy.
Give us power to face the unwholesome spirits in us and in our world.
     Holy One, have mercy.
     Grant us your Spirit, to work for justice and healing.
     Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Eternal God, Life-Giver, you create all things, you establish the bounds and set the laws of all Creation, you are infinite and unknowable—yet you come among us in faithful presence.  We worship you. As David danced before the ark, our hearts rejoice in the presence of your Word.  Speak to us; sing to us.  May we hear the music of your grace, and lose ourselves in your beauty.  Amen.

2.
The human heart is a rich mystery, full of good and evil.
We bring our hearts to you, God:
heal us of our fears,
open our eyes to see ourselves as you see us,
renew your Spirit in us,
and re-create us as the image of your love.
We thank you for your love, we ask your blessing,
and we open ourselves to your grace.  Amen.

3.
Holy One, at times it seems we are surrounded by evil, but it is the other way around. There is evil in the world, but it is surrounded by good. Even the worst injustice is contained within your grace. There is more love than hate or fear. Renew your love in us, O God. Give us the eyes to see injustice, and the faith to act with mercy and grace. Give us the courage to love, and the power to heal. Amen.

4.
God of grace and truth, as David danced before the ark, we come before your Word with joy. Speak to us and let your Word move us to dance your love in all our lives, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

5.
Holy God, you are present here and now. You speak to us. The words of scripture touch your presence, stirring deep within us. You call us to life, to new life, to life in your Spirit. You call us to serve and to witness. Help us to listen, to hear and to be transformed. We open ourselves to your presence and your truth. Amen.

6.
God of grace, in this torn and troubled world you give us power to heal, to proclaim your good news, to anoint with blessing.  Open us to receive these gifts, that we may pass them on.  You send us in poverty of spirit.  Be our guide and companion, our power and our wealth, our journey and our home.

Listening Prayer  

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

Life-giving God,
you who send out healing amidst evil,
pour your power into us,
that we may be vessels of your good
even in this troubled world.

Readings

1.            Psalm 24, a paraphrase

The whole earth, end everything on it,
        belongs to the Holy One.
All Creation and all people are God’s.
        For God made it all—the deep mysteries,
         all flowing life and beauty.
How can we draw near to God?
        How does one witness God’s presence?
By having gentle hands and pure hearts.
         By honoring what is true,
         and not harboring the lies of fear.
In this way the Holy One blesses us;
         our saving God vindicates us.
This is the way of those who seek God,
         the community who seek the God of love.
O gates of life, swing wide with welcome!
         You doors to joy, open your arms:
         let the Glorious One come in and be with us.
Who is the Glorious One?
         The Beloved, gracious and loving,
         whose mercy ends all battles.
O gates of this moment, open to grace!
         You doors of attentiveness, open your arms:
         let the Glorious One come in and be with us.
Who is the Glorious One?
         The Beloved, gracious and loving.
         The Beloved is the glory of life.

2. Ephesians 1.3-14, a paraphrase
               [Click here for a paraphrase of the whole book of Ephesians.]

Blessed be God, who birthed real love among us in Christ,
and in that love has given us the blessings of heaven itself.
Since before Creation, in this love, God intended
that we would be holy, loved, and loving,
God’s own dear children.
In this love, so generously lavished on us,
we are redeemed, and all our wrongs are forgiven.
Stop and wonder at this grace, and give thanks!

May God give you the wisdom and wonder
to appreciate the mystery of God’s pleasure,
God’s design for all Creation,
which is to always be gathering everything,
seen and unseen, into the body of love.
When first heard this wonder, that you are part of the world’s salvation,
when you first opened yourself to this love,
it poured into you. God’s Spirit changed you.
Now you yourself are part of God’s promise.
The Spirit in you is the first bit of God’s redemption of the world.
That is God’s glory. Doesn’t it make you want to praise God?

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / After Communion

1.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
Help us to be a force for good in the world, and to join you in the work of healing and justice for the sake of the blessing of all Creation, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives.  Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will.  We go now into the world filled with your joy, graced with your presence and dancing in your Spirit, in the name and the love of Christ. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
Send us into the world to witness for justice, to pray for peace, to work for healing, in the name and the Spirit of Christ.  Amen.

4.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
We go out to face the powers of injustice, sustained by the power of your love. Help us, guide us and empower us even to dance with love and joy in the face of evil, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on title to view on the Music page.)

Bread of Justice         (Tune: HOLY MANNA
…or Love Divine, All Loves Excelling…or Joyful, Joyful…
or even What a Friend We Have In Jesus)

God of justice and compassion, you who freed the Hebrew slaves,
you who feed the poor and powerless, you whose great forgiveness saves,
now you feed us, poor in spirit, through the grace of your dear Son;
now you call us, now you send us . May your loving will be done.

Feed us, God, the bread of justice: give us hearts to see and care.
We are one with all who suffer. They are yours; now send us there.
Knowing not if we shall triumph, give us faith to never cease;
give us strength to boldly witness, seeking justice, making peace.

Feed us, God, the wine of courage, faithfully to do your will.
Now we drink of resurrection, facing death but steadfast still.
To this world of heartless plunder, send us in a different vein:
by our fearless, gentle healing, to bear witness to your Reign.

Send Us, Jesus (Tune : All Through the Night)

Send us, Jesus, in your spirit, held in your love,
to this world so torn and troubled, held in your love.
When despair and pain have found us,
still your mercy wraps around us,
giving hope that may astound us,
held in your love.

Send us, Jesus, bearing witness, held in your love,
present with the poor and broken, held in your love.
Evil looms, so cruel, deceiving,
leaving victims shorn and grieving;
still we will not cease believing,
held in your love.

Send us with the power of healing, held in your love.
Give us courage, strength and wisdom, held in your love.
To the selfish powers, oppressing,
may we stand, your love expressing,
facing fear with grace and blessing,
held in your love.

Send us for the sake of living, held in your love.
Give us grace to be forgiving, held in your love.
Facing evil’s vile rejection,
fearless love is resurrection.
May we be your best reflection,
held in your love

July 7, 2024

Lectionary Texts

2 Samuel 5. 1-5, 9-10 — David is anointed king of the united northern and southern kingdoms of Israel.

Psalm 48 — The “City of God” on Mt. Zion, an image of God’s strength and glory.

2 Corinthians 12. 2-10 –— “Someone” (Paul himself?) is “caught up into heaven.” His “thorn in the flesh”… “Power is made perfect in weakness.”

Mark 6.1-13 — Jesus bombs in his home town. He sends out his disciples proclaiming, healing and blessing.

Preaching Thoughts

2 Corinthians
      We don’t know what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was: a physical ailment? A mental challenge? A troubled relationship? Whatever it was, I can imagine Paul had some classic “why me?” prayers. But God’s answer: You don’t need to be otherwise than who you are to be fruitful in love. Whatever you think your ailment, shortcoming, disability or fault is, it really doesn’t matter to your love. Just love. There’s power there. Not in your comfort, abilities, or adherence to cultural expectations.
       This is one of Paul’s constant themes: that we are mere vessels for God’s power. When we can manage to get our attachment to power out of the way—the human power of control and influence, the power we imagine resides in status, success, beauty, skill and “being right”—when we can empty our hands of that false power, we become clean, empty vessels for the real, life-giving, miracle-producing power of love. Only when we are wiling to appear weak by the world’s twisted standards do we bear the strength of love.

Gospel
       Like Naaman in 2 Kings 5, sometimes we expect God’s truth to come with special effects. We’re blind to grace in ordinary, everyday things and people. It’s often said an expert is someone who comes from a distance away. And often they say what some locals have been saying all along. We especially don’t want to see or hear the good stuff coming from people we consider beneath us. And we all have folks we consider beneath us. But lo and behold, God keeps entering the world through the basement, the back door, the servants’ entrance. It’s a constant biblical theme: God hides wisdom and glory in the lowly. Get used to it. Even better, develop wonder and and open eyes for such mystery!
       By the way, the people say, “But isn’t Jesus that builder, the son of Mary?…” In Greek it doesn’t say “carpenter,” it says “builder.” Centuries ago German interpreters assumed a builder was a carpenter because their builders were carpenters, and we’ve continued the assumption ever since. But there are not wooden houses in Israel, then or now. It’s all stone. Jesus was more likely a stone mason. Make of that what you will.
       One moral of the story of Jesus in Nazareth is that cynical people don’t easily experience healing. On one hand, that’s a comfort when it seems our message is not widely received or our preaching bombs: maybe it’s not our fault. But also: we all know cynical people we’d like to point to as examples—but maybe the first thing is to check our own cynicism. Where is our awareness closed to grace; who are the people we don’t think capable of bearing divine goodness? Watch out.
       There’s an interesting theological angle to Jesus’ inability to heal the cynical people in his hometown. It seems his healing is a mutual event, requiring both his power and the person’s willingness. This is not to suggest that if people are unhealed it’s their own fault. But it does suggest that regardless of the power of God’s grace, we also have power, power to accept or deny, to receive or to turn away. It reminds me of one thing that divides those of us of a Wesleyan tradition from the Calvinists. The latter, based on Augustine, would say God’s election is all God’s and there’s nothing we can do about it; God’s grace can’t be refused. We Wesleyans, following Arminius, say God’s grace is a cooperative thing: we have power to work with it or not. Jesus’s experience would seem to justify the Wesleyans. The question of faith is not whether God’s grace is present and at work; the question is what we’re doing with it.
       As if to demonstrate the biblical theme of God’s upending of our power structures, Jesus, who can’t seem to get any healing going, sends out his ragtag disciples to heal—and they’re successful! Whoa. Especially in Mark’s telling, in which the disciples are the Twelve Stooges, we didn’t see that coming. See? There’s our own cynicism rearing its nasty head. Even the disciples—who are always at a loss, not getting it, a step behind, showing up for a baseball game with tennis raquets—they get it right! They cure the sick and cast our demons! Because the power is not theirs, but God’s. Power is made perfect in weakness.
       And there we are. There is the church, being sent out to do what Jesus can’t do, to heal and proclaim good news in our own places, in our own ways, with our own gifts, partial and sloppy though they may be. The calling is ours. But the power is God’s.

Call to Worship

1.
God, you are among us.
Open our eyes to see you.
You are doing miracles every day.
Open our hearts to receive you.
You empower us to do miracles, too.
Open our hands to serve you.
In gratitude and trust, we worship you.

2.
God of grace, you perform miracles , though we do not often see them
Help us to look and to see, to trust and to receive.
Give us faith, that we may be open to your truth and your grace;
make us worthy vessels of your love to all the world.
Our power is nothing, but your power is infinite;
our abilities come and go but your ability is eternal.
Help us to trust in your power alone, O God.
Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: Holy God, Creator of the universe, we worship you.
All: Living Christ, Sovereign of all, we honor you.
Holy Spirit, above and within every power and people, we give thanks for you.
You alone are God, and we worship you. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Gracious God, you are here today. You are not far off. You are here. In this place. This moment. This breath. We come to be present for you, you who are infinitely present for us. Open our hearts to you. Grant us a listening faith, a trusting and seeking and receiving faith. By your Spirit, open us to your grace. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, Jesus sent out his disciples to preach and to heal. We are among those whom he sends in your name, and in the power of your Spirit. But we cannot preach unless we know your good news. We cannot heal unless we know your power. Speak to us, heal our hearts, and fill us with your grace, so that we can faithfully bear witness to your Word in the name of Christ. Amen.

3.
Holy God, prophets may lack honor in their hometown, but we ask you to make your home in our hearts anyway. Help us to honor your Word and not take it for granted. Move us to hear the freshness of your Spirit within words that may be familiar. Help us to honor you by paying attention to how you speak to us today. Teach us to respond to your call, so that we may be ever more faithful disciples. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, we remember those who received no miracles because they were not willing. We surrender our superior knowledge, and the resistance of what we know. We open ourselves to the mystery of your Word and the miracle of your grace. Speak to us, touch us, and change us. Amen.

5.
Good and life-giving God, you send us out to heal and bear light in a hurting world. Teach us in the wisdom of your Word. Shape us by your grace. Fill us with the power of your mercy. Set the match of your love to the torch of our hearts, that we may bear your light into the world. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Gentle God,
sidestep our doubts,
penetrate our disbelief,
and open our hearts to your grace.
Let your glory and wonder come to us
where we did not expect.
Even when we are not confident,
let your power flow through us for healing.
We are open.

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.
God, we confess that our hearts have been closed to you.
We have judged one another, and so we have not been able to hear your truth.
Holy One, have mercy.
We have been absorbed in our expectations instead of your grace,
and so we have not witnessed your miracles.
Christ, have mercy.
We have not loved our neighbors and so we have not received love.
Holy One, have mercy.
Forgive us, heal us, and create us anew. Amen.
            Silent prayer… The word of grace

2.
Gracious God, our sins nag at us.
Our faults and failures haunt us.
What we are afraid to see, shamed to name,
and even unable to look at clearly,
we lay at your feet.
Know us… Forgive us… Make us new.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
       We give our hearts to God, Creator of all that is and all that is to come, who is creating in each moment. We open our hearts and minds to God’s grace and presence in all things.
       We follow Jesus, our teacher and healer. We are open to God’s grace and power in him. For he was open to God’s leading, and so he gave himself in love. He was killed by fear but raised by love, and still is present with power and truth.
       We live by the Holy Spirit, God’s presence in us and an all things: the power that unites us as the Church, the Body of Christ, and that enables us to trust resurrection and to live with mindfulness and forgiveness, and to serve God in love for the sake of the healing of the world. We trust that this power in us is made perfect in our weakness: not in our own strength or ability, but in our reliance upon God’s grace. It is God’s Spirit, not our wisdom, that enables us to discern truthfully. For these blessings we give God thanks, and we devote our lives.

2.
      We trust in God, Creator of all things,
who is pure compassion,
who loves us unconditionally,
who is present with us in good times and bad,
who is our salvation.
      We trust in Christ, the embodiment of God’s love,
the love and healer of our sols,
who saves us, forgiving our failures,
washing away our betrayals,
who teaches us life’s deepest things:
how to pray, how to love,
how to be gentle with each other.
       We trust in the Holy Spirit, God’s power flowing in us,
that comforts the faithful,
empowers us to love as we have been loved,
and joins us together as the Body of Christ.
We believe we are sent in that Spirit
to heal, to forgive, to do justice,
to radiate the love of God, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Eucharistic prayer

[After the introduction, the body of the prayer may be read responsively with the presiding leader(s) and congregation, or by the leader(s) alone.]

God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
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, you create all things, and nothing is beyond your power.
You form all people in your image, and no one is beyond your love.
You judge the forces of oppression and set us free,
and no force or nation can overpower your grace.
You make us your people, and no boundaries can divide us.
You gather us to your table, not by our deserving but by your grace,
and no one is unworthy; no one is excluded.
Therefore with people in every nation, in every language,
we sing your praise:

            [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, who work for justice,
who pray for healing, who proclaim your grace.
Blessed is Jesus, who embodied your love.
He taught and healed;
and he gathered a community that crossed all boundaries.
For his witness he was opposed; he was convicted and executed.
But in the power of your grace he rose again.
He has set us free, and so we give you thanks.

      … 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, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves as a living and holy sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as 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.
Send us out as agents of healing,
as bearers of good news.
May your power be made perfect in our weakness,
for the sake of the wholeness of the world,
in the name and the Spirit of Christ.

     [Spoken or sung]
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 / after Communion

1.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
You gather us into your Empire of Grace, uniting us with all people Send us into the world to bear witness to our unity, to work for justice, to embody your grace, in the name and the Spirit of Christ, who with you reigns over all nations forever. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
As Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to his beloved, so take us, bless us, break us, and give us to the world; that by your grace in us you may bless all the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
Bless us that we might serve you faithfully, not because of our great powers or abilities, but by our openness to your grace. Use your power through us, so that by our ministry you might transform the world into your blessed Realm. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view on the Music page.)

Be the Living Word (Tune: HOLY MANNA)

As you go to serve Creation bear the Word of God with you,
Word that brings forth light now dwelling in your heart and shining through.
Do not merely say the words: become the Word. Embody grace.
Be the living Word and give the love of God a human face.

To the poor in spirit go, and give them bread for which they long.
Nourish them for love and justice. Feed their souls and make them strong.
Be the hearty bread that’s taken, blest and broken day by day.
Be the bread of love made real, bread that Jesus gives away.

Do not try to serve with only your own passion to impart.
Let the love of God flow through you from the Source, from Heaven’s Heart.
Pass along God’s deep forgiveness, flowing freely from the Lord.
Be the wine of God’s great feast, the wine so generously poured.

By the Spirit living in you, be the hope you hope to preach;
be the peace you long to witness; be the truth you want to teach.
Let your living be the Word that words alone cannot convey.
Be the Word of love embodied; be the flesh of Christ today.

Before My Eyes        (Tune: For the Beauty of the Earth)

Prophets plainly speak your Word, but are silenced and not heard.
Miracles will pass us by, hidden by the jaundiced eye.
Spirit, help me realize: you are here before my eyes.

Acts of courage, though unseen; in forgiveness hearts washed clean;
deeds of love, though they are small: most miraculous of all!
Spirit, help me realize: you are here before my eyes.

How the outcast choose to live, how the poor in spirit give,
how the ones we ostracize give gifts we don’t recognize!
Spirit, help me realize: you are here before my eyes.

Letting expectations go, humbly knowing I don’t know,
blessing what the moment brings, finding grace in humble things:
Spirit, help me realize: you are here before my eyes.

Help me seek the truth today, set aside what others say,
speak your Word and trust your grace— miracles will then take place!
Spirit, help me realize: you are here before my eyes.

Bread of Justice (Tune: HOLY MANNA)

God of justice and compassion, you who freed the Hebrew slaves,
you who feed the poor and powerless, you whose great forgiveness saves,
now you feed us, poor in spirit, through the grace of your dear Son;
now you call us, now you send us. May your loving will be done.

Feed us, God, the bread of justice: give us hearts to see and care.
We are one with all who suffer. They are yours; now send us there.
Knowing not if we shall triumph, give us faith to never cease;
give us strength to boldly witness, seeking justice, making peace.

Feed us , God, the wine of courage, faithfully to do your will.
Now we drink of resurrection, facing death but steadfast still.
To this world of heartless plunder, send us in a different vein:
by our fearless, gentle healing, to bear witness to your Reign.


Send Us In Love (Tune: Morning Has Broken)

God in your mercy you are forgiving.
Now in our living we give you praise,
bearing your grace that blesses and frees us,
following Jesus all of our days.

Christ, your good news we share in thanksgiving,
gratefully living as you have done.
Make us your Body, faithfully sharing,
loving and caring, serving as one.

Send us in love now, Great Holy Spirit.
All we inherit is ours to give.
Set us to healing, humbly expressing
your gracious blessing that makes us live.

Send Us, Jesus (Tune: All Through the Night)

Send us, Jesus, in your spirit, held in your love,
to this torn and troubled world, still held in your love.
When despair and pain have found us,
still your mercy wraps around us,
giving hope that may astound us,
held in your love.

Send us, Jesus, bearing witness, held in your love,
present with the poor and broken, held in your love.
Evil looms, so cruel, deceiving,
leaving victims shorn and grieving;
still we will not cease believing,
held in your love.

Send us with the power of healing, held in your love.
Give us courage, strength and wisdom, held in your love.
To the selfish powers, oppressing,
may we stand, your love expressing,
facing fear with grace and blessing,
held in your love.

Send us for the sake of living, held in your love.
Give us grace to be forgiving, held in your love.
Facing evil’s vile rejection,
fearless love is resurrection.
May we be your best reflection,
held in your love.


You Are the Nerve (Tune: Finlandia)

O God, your Christ is risen in your people.
On earth Christ has no body now but ours.
We are the flesh and blood of your compassion
:moved by your Spirit, with its loving powers.
God be our heart, and we will be your Body,
serving in love in all our days and hours.

We are your feet, that go with joy to others
to share your love, the gospel we confess.
We are your eyes that see what is and may be,
that see each person’s need and loveliness.
We are your hands, that work with strength for justice,
your hands that shelter, heal and feed and bless.

Love, move in me, and guide me by your Spirit,
even when I don’t see or understand.
My life is yours, to be your living Body,
that I may love and serve at your command.
This is my life, my purpose and my power:
you are the nerve, and I your willing hand.