Unfolding Light – Page 66 – Daily Reflections and Worship Resources

Creation- Centered Resources

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Eternal God, whose breath is the universe, whose Word is the world—
All: amazed, we praise you.
Creating God, who with delight and play, with wisdom and beauty
fashions every creature—
in love, we thank you.
Loving God, you weave us into the great web of life,
which is our shared home, our common body, our one belonging.
Grateful, we worship you.

2.
Leader: ”The heavens are telling your glory, God;
and the firmament proclaims your handiwork.
All: Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares your Word.”
The stars have lit their candles
The dawn puts on its robe and begins the procession.
The great organ of the wind and the choir of the sea sea lift up their music.
The trees and mountains stand in awe of you.
The whales and the meadowlarks sing their praise.
The rivers flow with their offerings.
And even the continents, ever so, slowly, dance with joy.
And we, your creatures, gather with all our sibling creatures
to glorify you, to hear your Word., and to worship. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: The land holds us.
All: Sky breathes in us.
Trees stand around us alike ancestors.
Birds sing to us like friends.
Rivers flow with tears of joy.
Living beings feed us and walk with us.
In the end the earth receives us.
All Creation is God’s love poured out;
we receive it with joy, care for it with gratitude,
and in unity with all Creation we worship God. Alleluia!.

4.
Leader: Creator of the universe, you have made us, and we are in awe!
All: You have saved us and we are grateful!
You inspire us and we are full of your love.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Creating God, the rising sun proclaims your goodness.
All: The flowing river speaks of your grace.
The fruit of the earth feeds us with your love.
We worship you with humble gratitude.
Bless us that we may live in harmony with all living beings,
as members of the Body of Christ, one in your Holy Spirit,
to your glory and delight. Amen.

6.
Leader: Eternal God, maker of all things, all Creation dances before you.
All: 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.
Every living thing is a song of praise to you.
And our hearts sing with thanksgiving.
Alleluia! We worship you with joy and reverence. Alleluia!

7.
Leader: Creator, O Mystery, Our Source, we praise you.
All: You have made one great Creation and we are part of it.
The harmony of all living things, woven together, is the hymn of your praise.
Our oneness is your will. Our belonging is our inheritance.
With stars and microbes, ocean currents and nerve fibers, we are one.
We dwell in the ecosystem of heaven.
We are your microbiome, O God.
We who have thought ourselves separate return.
We who have acted as if we are alone, rejoin you.
We worship you as the Body of Christ.
May our harmony with you, with one another and with all Creation
be our praise and our worship. Amen.

8.
Leader: All of Creation surrounds us, the great Circle of Life.
All: We are a part of the circle. We give thanks to you, O God our Creator!
God has blessed us with all living things, and with the gift of love.
Christ, our Teacher, lead us in the path of love, the Way of Life.
Every living thing bears glory to God.
Come, Holy Spirit, and fill us with your grace,
that we may bear fruit and give glory to God,
in our worship now, and in all of our lives. Alleluia!

Prayers

1.
Eternal God, in the beginning was the Word, and all things were created in the Word. All Creation is your Word made flesh. Speak your Word to us now, that our flesh may become your Word. We open our hearts to your presence and your grace. Amen.

2. Leader: Creator God, we celebrate your gift of Earth, your gift of all Creation.
All: We give thanks that you embodied your love in Jesus,
made your compassion real with the dust of the earth,
and so blessed our lives, our breath and our bodies.
Loving Creator, we renew our reverence for your gift.
We look to Earth not as a “resource,” for our use, but a temple of your presence,
a living being that we are part of and in relationship with.
God, we, praise you; we confess our self-centeredness.
We open our hearts to your Spirit, that we may love as you have loved us.

3.
God, you spun the stars out of the Word, you molded planets with your hands, you brought forth green living things with your breath and birthed every creature with love. The winds praise you, the mountains stand in awe, and the birds sing hymns of gratitude. We share the thanks of the waving grasses, the joy of the leaping dolphins, and the reverence of the seas. We belong to your Creation; may we honor your work, live peaceably with all living things, and work for the healing of the wounds of the earth. Amen.

4.
Creator God, we are grateful to be a part of your Creation. We give thanks for the gift of life around us, and we open our hearts to your gift within us as well. Speak your creating word to us, that re-weaves us in the web of life, that we may bear fruit, fruit that gives life, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Creator God, we confess we have not honored your Creation;
we have not loved it as you have loved us.
We have thought ourselves separate, not part of your Creation.
Forgive our ignorance and arrogance,
our greed and destructiveness.
Bring us again into the oneness of your Creation;
forgive us, heal our fears and transform our desires,
and shepherd us to be good stewards
of the gift of life.

2.
God of love, we are a broken people. 
The fabric of life is tattered in our hands; 
the web is torn. 
Even as we wound the earth we dream of its wholeness. 
Even as we deplete Creation we marvel at its abundance. 
Even as we separate ourselves from the natural world
 we long to rejoin it,  to reclaim our sacred belonging  in the Body of Christ. 
We have starved ourselves of your grace, O God. 
Though we have tuned away, forgive us. 
Heal us and renew us. 
Deepen our hunger for unity.
 Renew in us the gift of your Spirit 
that we may truly be branches of one vine,
 all Creation, bearing the fruit of your love. 
Amen .

Response
Leader: People of God, children of the earth, 
know that the God of Life forgives all our sin, 
and heals our brokenness. 
As the earth receives us at our death, 
God receives us and includes us.  
As spring renews the face of the earth, 
God renews the Holy Spirit in us, 
that we may have life, and have it abundantly,
 in the great ecology of grace. 
By the grace of God, in the name of Christ,
 the oneness and the blessing and the beauty of all Creation are yours,
now and forever. Amen.

Readings

1. [from Psalm 104, paraphrased]

Sung Response: Praise be to God, the Almighty, who rules in Creation.

Bless the Holy One, O my soul.
          O Holy One, my God, you are great.
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
           wrapped in light as your robe.
You stretch out the heavens like a tent;
           You make the winds your messengers,
           fire and flame your ministers.
You set the earth on its foundations,
           and dress it with oceans and land .
You make the springs bubble forth in the valleys;
           they flow between the hills,
           giving drink to every wild animal.
By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation;
           they sing among the branches.          R

You cause the grass to grow for the cattle
           and plants for people to use,
to bring forth food from the earth,
           and wine to gladden the heart.
oil to make the face shine,
           and bread to strengthen the human heart.
The trees of God are watered abundantly;
           in them the birds build their nests.
O God, how wonderful is your working!
           In wisdom you create this whole miracle.
Every living being looks to you to give them their food in due season;
           when you open your hand they are filled with good things.
When you take away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
           when you send forth your spirit they are created,
           and you renew the face of the ground.
May your glory, O God, endure forever.
           I will sing to God as long as live.
           I will sing praise to God while I have being.      R

2. [From Psalm 148]
Praise God! Praise the Holy One from the heavens;
       praise God in the heights!
Praise God, sun and moon;
       praise God, all you shining stars!
Let them praise the name of the Creator,
       who commanded and they were created.
Praise the Eternal One from the earth,
       you sea creatures and all deeps!
Fire and hail, snow and frost,
       stormy wind fulfilling God’s command!
Mountains and all hills,
       fruit trees and all cedars!
Wild animals and all cattle,
       creeping things and flying birds!
Rulers of the earth and all peoples!
       People of every gender, age and race together!
Let them praise the name of the Loving One,
       for God’s name alone is exalted.
God’s glory is throughout earth and heaven.
       Praise God!

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
       We believe in God, Creator of all, who is creating even now, bringing all things into existence, whose Word is made flesh in all Creation, whose presence is embodied in all living beings.
       We follow Christ, who perfectly embodied God’s love. He taught and healed; he fed the hungry and embraced the outcast. He was at one with all Creation: even the seas upheld
him, and the wind and the waves listened to his voice. He was crucified, but even in death life blessed him: God raised him from the dead, the Ruler of Life.
       We live by the Holy Spirit, the breath of life in us and all creatures: the power to love, to forgive, to create, to give life. We trust in this grace that makes us one with all Creation. And by the power of that Spirit we devote ourselves in covenant faithfulness to humble reverence and grateful service to all Creation, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
           We praise you God, for your Creation of all that is, of galaxies and toadstools, of earth and all its wonder and goodness.
           We thank you, O Christ, for you have embodied God’s love among us. You healed people in mind and body; you touched those who were rejected and laid your hands on those who were broken. You fed the hungry with the gifts of the earth. You created a new community that embodied God’s vision of justice. You have shepherded us in green pastures of love, through the deepest valleys, to a place of feasting and hospitality. You laid down your life for us, and God raised you from the dead, redeeming all flesh, making holy all living things.
           We belong to you, Holy Spirit. You make us one Body with one another and with all Creation: one divine, living ecosystem of love. You empower us as stewards of life, to care for Creation, to lead all living things toward wholeness. Holy One, we belong to you; and we give our lives for the sake of life. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

An Offering verse (Tune: This Is My Father’s World)

This is your world O God, a gift of love from you.
We pray that we may faithfully serve you in all we do.
Since all we have is yours, and bears deep love from you,
Bless us with care to gladly share your love as you would do.

All Things Bright and Beautiful
[ Words: Refrain and v. 1 Cecil Alexander; vv. 2-4 Steve Garnaas-Holmes]

(Refrain) All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful: the Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colors, and made their tiny wings.

The animals that guide us and bear our heavy loads
remind us of the God who walks with us on all our roads. (Refrain…)

The creatures who befriend us and love us faithfully
make God’s pure love, that never tests, so clear and plain to see. (Refrain…)

With many kinds of glory, all fish and bugs and birds
call forth our thanks and wonder and praise beyond all words. (Refrain…)

Heavens Are Telling        (Tune: Morning Has Broken)
[Ps. 19.1]

Heavens are telling, galaxies singing,
your Word compelling, “Let there be light.”
All living beings shine with your glory;
all we are seeing is your delight.

God, your love flows in every direction,
filling and blessing every dark place.
Even the shadows shine with your presence,
even the darkness hums with your grace.

Everything moving moves by your Spirit:
flight of the birds and dance of the stars,
migrating whales and flow of the river;
breath of the wind is breath that is ours.

Bless every creature, bright with God’s glory;
bless every feature, fin, fur and wing.
Each is completing God’s wondrous story;
each is God’s greeting; praises they sing.

Join in the Circle     (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

God, we are one with the water and land,
made from the dust of the earth by your hand:
one in your Spirit that in us all sings,
one with Creation, and all living things.

Giver of Life, God, our Source and our Womb,
in selfish greed we abuse and consume.
Heal us, forgive us, and bring us new birth;
bring us back home to our place in the earth.

Maker, Sustainer and Healer of all,
Servant of Love, may we honor your call:
“Join in the circle, and flourish and live:
take, bless and share, now, this life that I give.”

O Great Creating God     (Tune: This Is My Father’ World)

We sing in awe, O God: each wondrous, living thing,
earth, stars and sun you made as one, and all your praises sing.
O great creating God, creating still, in grace
these gifts you give, and let us live on earth, this holy place.

We breathe as one, O God, one Body with all earth,
one flesh, one blood, one common good, one love that gives us birth.
O great creating God, your cry goes out, unheard,
for when we bruise or we misuse your earth, we scorn your Word.

We cry in grief, O God. Creation’s wounds we mourn:
by war and greed, disease and need, the web of life is torn.
O great, creating God, forgive our prideful sins
for we have scarred your earth and marred the gift where life begins.

We live in hope, O God, and bear your holiness:
in Christ we turn our hearts and learn to heal and serve and bless.
O great creating God, in grace creating still,
may we renew this world with you, in peace with your good will.

The River of God (Original Song)

[A dialogue between cantor/song-leader and congregation]

Cantor:
Praise is due to you, O God, our Beloved.
To you alone we devote our lives.
O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.

Congregation (Refrain):
The river of God is full of water.
Praise to you, O God!

By mighty deeds you deliver us.
You are the hope of all people on earth. …Refrain

Morning and evening resound with joy.
We are silent in awe. —Refrain

You bless the earth and water it,
granting the blessing of bountiful growth. …Refrain

Meadows and wilderness overflow,
wearing their finest in joy. …Refrain

When the depth of our sin overwhelms us,
you forgive all our transgressions.
How blessed we are, O God,
that you hold us near your heart. …Refrain

Born

You must be born again.
—John 3.7

To be as involved in you as a fetus
As with you as a child on your hip

Swaddled in you
borne again and again

To be this small,
curled in your hand

My only world your eyes
my only land your arms

To have no style yet, no works
only breath

Utterly dependent
nursing at your miraculous breast

To learn to walk, to speak, to begin
and then tomorrow begin again

day after day
new, innocent, unknowing

Every day a precipice of discovery
of you, of me, of how to be

toddler-eyed at the wonder
of this world unfolding into me

the realm of the real again each day
as if for the first time amazed

Never to leave this umbilical faith
never to outgrow you

__________________
Listen to the audio version:

Born

Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (727.6KB)

Subscribe: Spotify | RSS

So loved

A child plays on the banks of a mountain stream.
He slips, falls into the icy current.
His mother’s heart falls also—crashes—yet leaps,
with a parent’s deep love-panic.
She rushes down the bank, out into the water.
Of course she will endure the rocks, the cold, the danger,
she will grab her child and bring him to safety.
She doesn’t care how disobedient he was to go there.
She doesn’t care that he told her he hated her.
Doesn’t care he ruined the couch yesterday,
woke her three times last night, and is going to need braces.
Without reserve she plunges in and holds him tight.
Of course. Because she loves him no matter what.
This is how God so loved the world,
not in sending a rep, not in working a deal,
but by rushing down, diving into the pain,
saving us from ourselves, and holding us
without judgment or condemnation
because she will never abandon her flesh and blood,
never.

__________________
Listen to the audio version:

So loved

Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (653.8KB)

Subscribe: Spotify | RSS

A Lenten discipline: Beginning

           You must be born again.
                           —John 3.7

In the season of Lent Jesus invites us
to practice the discipline of beginning.

God, give me grace to let go of who I have been,
what I have done and not done,
all pride of accomplishment and guilt over failure—
and start over.
Give me such trust in your absolute, profound forgiveness
that I am free to begin anew.
Help me to let go of having it all figured out,
to be a rookie. Beginner’s mind.
To be a learner, attentive each moment,
free of old habits and assumptions,
seeing as if for the first time.
To ask for help and be willing to be led,
as utterly reliant on you
as a newborn infant in my mother’s arms.

Breath prayer:
                            Begin … anew

__________________
Listen to the audio version:

Lenten discipline: Beginning

Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (687.2KB)

Subscribe: Spotify | RSS

How to be born (again)

1. Someone wants you. Conceived you. Is waiting.

2. There is a very thin boundary between you
         and what nourishes you, embeds you,
         becomes you.

3. There is no coming to life without pain,
         no awakening without surrender,
         no struggle without hope.

4. Through the valley of the shadow of death,
         Red Sea, gaping tomb, birth canal,
         life draws you, knowing.

5. Let the Beloved push you out of her
         into her lap. It is with love
         that she lets you go.

6. Breathe in. Breathe out.

7. Shed the sac of all the awful things.
         Let the cord of your shame and suffering be severed.
         Each breath, you are delivered
         into the new world.

8. Beneath the slime you are beautiful. You are new.
         Allow yourself, naked, flawed and bewildered,
         to be perfect, to be held, to be adored.

9. In this moment, the Holy One gives you life.
         The Holy One alone.
         Stay here.

10. Breathe in. Breathe out.

11. Each moment her sweet umbilical breath.
         Receive this life,
         and bear her love into this day.

12. Breathe in. Breathe out.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Born again

You cannot get life, earn it,
keep it, or store it up like money.
It is breath, Spirit.

You receive it.
Then you release it,
and become open to receive again.

You cannot hold it.
You must receive it.
God gives it to you.

Let go of your life,
accomplishments and mistakes,
all you deserve — good and bad —

and instead receive it anew from God
in this moment,
a single breath.

Let your repentance
be simply to breathe,
to receive and let go.

All the things you have to do
and all the things you want to do
disappear into the breath.

It is a death and resurrection.
Let yourself disappear into the breath,
the spirit, and be born again.

Go slow enough to live in the breath,
to surrender the life you build and hoard,
and to live the life God gives you.

Falling and rising, your breath
is the gift of life from God,
made new in every moment.

Breathe gently.
Breathe deeply.
Breathe life.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

God so loves the world

God so loves the world
that she gives herself,
gives the love of her life,
the child of her heart,
gives of her own flesh,
so that everyone who trusts,
who receives grace,
who puts their heart
in the embodiment of love,
will be rooted in life,
and be given life,
life that is stronger than death,
life that can’t be taken from them.

Love doesn’t bind or distance us
or violate our belonging,
but saves us
from our splintering from the world,
from the layers
between us and what is within us.
Love doesn’t throw us away,
but salvages us for love.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Stewardship Resources

Preaching Thoughts

Why do we give to the church? Here are some thoughts.
      —Giving is commanded.
      — Giving is a spiritual discipline: we are trying to become more Christlike, which includes becoming more generous. Giving—especially disciplined, regular, committed giving—is like exercising our generosity muscles.
      —It’s not our money. It’s God’s, and we ought to spend it as God would have us spend it.
      — Giving is a way to break our addiction to possessions. An addiction is anything we think we can’t be happy without. People who say they’re not attached to their money actually are attached until they give it away. Otherwise they’re the the alcoholic who says “Oh, I could quit anytime.” Oh, yeah? Well then do. Tithing is a way to break the habit.
      — Giving is a way to be happier. When we claim we can’t give more because we’re worried about our financial state we’re just locking our anxiety in place. When we practice regular stewardship we confront our fear—and live through it— and learn that we’re not so close to the edge of misery after all.
      —Giving also makes us happier because it creates gratitude. We often think that when we receive something, we feel grateful and then we respond with generosity—but it’s the other way around. We receive abundantly all the time, but aren’t always particularly grateful. It turns our gratitude is not just a feeling in response to receiving, but a practice. And the way we practice gratitude is by giving thanks. Giving generates gratitude, which generates more giving, which generates more gratitude, which is way more fun that waiting to feel grateful.
      — Giving is a way to keep our priorities straight. People often say they “wish” they could give more. No, they don’t, or they would., They give as much as they wish. (Pretending to be close to poverty is a ruse. Few people in middle class churches are anywhere near tithing themselves into poverty.) Giving is a way to literally put our money where our mouth is. Even if we have a hard time with it, it’s a practice that shapes us. Our priorities move to match our behavior. “Where your treasure is, there your hearts will be also.”
      — Giving teaches humility. We’re likely to think that our money is best spent the way we want to spend it because we know best, and we are more important than others. Giving our money away helps us practice humility: others’ needs and priorities are just as valid as ours.
      — Giving gets us out of the habit of expecting something for nothing. God’s grace is free. But running a church isn’t. Doing justice isn’t. Healing the neighborhood isn’t. We give simply to bear our fair share of the load.
      — Giving is a way to make the world a better place. Sure, the the church spends money on furnaces and staff salaries. But it also carries out some aspects of healing that no one else does.
      —

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: God of abundance, you provide every good thing!
All: In gratitude we thank you.
Loving Christ, you bear our forgiveness to us with wounded hands and a generous heart.
In gratitude we praise you.
Holy Spirit, you fill us with your love and courage, your deep desire for justice and mercy.
In gratitude we serve you.
In gratitude, with our whole lives, we worship you. Alleluia!

2.

Leader: Creator God, you give us life, and we thank you!
All: Risen Christ, you bless us with your grace, and we praise you!
Holy Spirit, you give us the power to create and to work, to love and to bless.
You have given us such rich and wonderful gifts!
We come to you joyfully, grateful for your generosity
Earth is generous with food and air, with color and beauty.
You are generous with grace and blessing, with love and grace.
Teach us, God, how to be generous.
Tell us again the story of your grace, so that we may become a part of it.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Gracious God, we empty our hearts out before you. Receive us, and bless us with your Word. Fill us with your grace, that we may perfectly reflect your glory. As the scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed, help us to hear, and to be changed. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, among the ways of the world our hearts have wandered. Bid them come home and be still, now. We rest in the blessing of your grace, upheld by the abundance of your gifts to us. May our hearts be calm, and desire nothing but you. May our appetites be stilled, so that we might see the riches you have given us. May our fears be healed, so that we might trust the grace you offer us. We throw open the windows of our hearts, that the warm light of your Word may flood in and change us. Bless us, God, that as the scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed we may hear with joy what you are saying to us today. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Gentle God, trusting in your tender mercy, we confess our sin to you with one another.
We confess that we forget you.
We are so concerned for our own comfort that we forget our neighbors.
We are so attached to our own will that we forget yours.
We are so aware of our need, we forget our calling.
We are so pleased with our possessions that we forget that they are yours.
Bring us back to mindfulness, God. Forgive us, and be generous with your grace.
Heal our hearts, restore your Spirit in us, and re-create us in your image.
Awaken us to your gifts in us, that we might live by them with trust and courage.
Lord, have mercy on us, and grant us your peace.

2.
Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, we open ourselves in honesty to God.
We confess our sin; we confess our need for God’s grace and mercy.
For letting fear and anger guide us, for all selfish thoughts,
we need your mercy, God, and we pray for your grace. …
For our wounds and weakness, for our sorrow and despair,
we need your mercy, God, and we pray for your grace. …
For our divisions as a nation, for judging and excluding whole groups of people,
we need your mercy, God, and we pray for your grace. …
For those whom we blame and judge, for the sake of their wholeness
we need your mercy, God, and we pray for your grace. …
For hope in the face of despair, for courage in the face of injustice,
we need your mercy, God, and we pray for your grace.
We pray in the name of Jesus, who healed the sick,
who loved the outcast, who forgave the sinner.
Forgive us, God, in your mercy.
Heal us with your grace. Make us whole, Lord. Make us one.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending

Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. Send us into the world to share all that we have, knowing that it is yours, with joyful and trusting generosity, 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)

See all songs with “Giving” tag, especially these:

All of the Gifts I Have (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)

All of the gifts I have, all that is within me,
you give to me, O God, with care;
all of my prayers and skills, passions and energies
you grant to me to freely share.

Here are my hopes and dreams, attitudes and deepest loves,
all of the treasure to which I cling.
I will not hold them in, stilling my ardent song,
but serving you I’ll freely sing.

In all I keep or give, may I do my very best
in everything I say and do,
in harmony with you, only to love and bless,
with joy, to serve and honor you.

All That We Hold in Our Hands (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.

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.

Giving Heart (Tune: The Water is Wide- Gift of Love)

O God of grace, you set us free
and feed us all abundantly,
so help me trust the gifts you give,
with giving heart and hands to live.

Come, Spirit, come, and set me free
from all I cling to fearfully.
Come heal my heart, my fears relieve,
so I may give as I receive.

Your Bread of Life transforms us, Lord,
so we become your living Word.
Our lives no more are ours to hold,
but yours to share with all the world.

The Giving Song (Tune: DOVE OF PEACE — I Come with Joy)

God, send me out into the world to share all I possess.
My generosity shall be the faith that I confess,
the faith that I confess

For you have given me such gifts, grace infinite and deep,
that I can only share them all. There’s nothing I will keep,
there’s nothing I will keep..

And let my giving change me, Lord, to make me more like you:
to let your blessing flow through me, creating me anew,
creating me anew.

My life will not be known by what I have, but how I share,
courageously, with trust in you, with love and joy and care,
with love and joy and care.

God, We Give You All Our Gifts (Tune: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling)

God, we give you all our gifts, for they have come by grace from you.
Take them, bless them, use them for the work that you intend to do.
We are grateful for your blessings, grace you give a million ways.
May our gratitude resound through all our lives with joyous praise.

All that you entrust to us is meant for all the world to share;
we are stewards of your grace to scatter wide your loving care.
All our gifts are yours, not ours, and meant for us to humbly bear
to the world, in trust that in our grateful giving you are there.

Take our treasure, all our earnings, all our silver and our gold;
take in grace the things we cling to, those possessions that we hold.
In our giving may we find release from fear and trust in thee,
love for all, not just ourselves, for all the whole community.

Take our prayers, our loving presence; let compassion be our creed;
help us be there for each other and for those in greater need.
Take our many, varied, gifts, our works and service, God, employ;
let our lives bear witness to your grace, with thanks and boundless joy.

The Harvest of Your Grace [2 Corinthians 9.6-15]

God scatters abroad, and gives to the poor, and fills the hungry with good things.
Alleluia! O God, we rejoice in the harvest of your grace.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Reign of Christ Sunday

November 26, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Ezekiel 34.11-24 — God will shepherd us, rescue the lost, and save them from the fat, oppressive sheep.

Psalm 100 — We are God’s people, and the sheep of God’s pasture.

Ephesians 1.15-23 — “May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened” that you may know the greatness of God’s power, which raised Christ from the dead to be head of the church and all things. (See my paraphrase of the book of Ephesians.)

Matthew 25.31-46 — The final judgment of sheep and goats. “What you have done to the least of these…”

Preaching Thoughts

Ezekiel
       The promise of God’s grace doesn’t come in a vacuum, but in the context of a world of hurt, evil and injustice. So the tending of God’s vulnerable ones includes saving them from the ravages of the selfish ones. Viewed socially, it’s a political outlook. How do we support the weak and vulnerable, and hold the rich and powerful to account? The “Reign of Christ” isn’t just a religious idea; it’s a vision for the real world, the way God intends for us to live together. How do we shape our laws, policies, economy and social structures to reflect God’s care for the weak, the marginalized, the dehumanized, the silenced and the exploited? To fail to do this is to give license to the “fat sheep” and their various systems of privilege and exclusion, and the resulting oppression and exploitation.

Ephesians (Click here for my paraphrase of the book of Ephesians.)
       If you’re ever feeling blue, read Ephesians. It’s just one blessing after another. (One hint that it’s not Paul writing but a follower, is that it never lapses into legal arguments. Just blessings.) As is often the case, pretty much every phrase in this passage is the seed of a good sermon. Among the gems:
   • “May the eyes of your heart be enlightened.” May you see through the lens of God’s love.
   • “The hope to which God has called you.” Trust that God’s will for you is good.
   • The power God exercises toward us is the power that raised Christ from the dead. The spirit of resurrection. Strong stuff.
   • Christ is above all human hierarchies and power structures. Love is more powerful than governments.
   • Christ is the head and the Church is the body, which embodies the fullness of God’s love.

Matthew
       The kingdom of God is not the afterlife. Jesus was intently interested in this life. The Kingdom of God is the world as God intends it, and the image of Jesus as “king” or sovereign means Love reigns over this world, and is the greatest power, even as greed and fear exert their will. When Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God it was s a real-world alternative to the Kingdom of Herod, the Lordship of Caesar, the Empire of Rome. “Jesus is Lord” is a political statement. Reign of Christ Sunday celebrates that Christ is as Ephesians says “far above all rule and authority.” Jesus is Sovereign over a real, actual, worldly Empire of Grace, a real-world alternative—subversive, treasonous, even—to consumerism, Christian nationalism, capitalism, white supremacy, and all our hierarchies and power structures.
       The parable of the great judgment lets us glimpse something of what that Empire is about: compassion is the law of the land. In the Realm of God everybody gets what they need to thrive as members of the Body. That means special attention to the folks who are most harmed by our systems of privilege and exclusion. So God takes the side of the poor and powerless and marginalized, and commands us to do the same. Honoring Jesus as our king means committing to obeying his command to care for the poor and hurting.
       The reign of Christ means that Jesus is sovereign not only over the powers of the universe, but also over us and our own inner worlds. To claim Jesus as ruler of our lives is to make him the center of our rule of life, our intentional discipline, our way of living. A piece of paper is aligned with the use of a ruler. If Jesus rules our lives, our lives are arranged and measured with Jesus as our template, the ruler that provides straight lines of justice and righteousness. For Jesus to reign over our lives means we are willing to suffer for the sake of love and justice, to be faithful to God and in harmony with God and God’s grace, no matter what. So it’s not just Christ’s demand over us but Christ’s rule within us us that leads us to care for the poor.
       For those who believe in a literal hell, this story in Matthew is one of two stories Jesus tells specifically imagining such a thing—the other is the rich man and Lazarus. In both cases, the way you end up hell is not based on your religion, your creed, your faith, or even your prayer life, but ignoring the poor. It’s a great passage to begin with when discussing with “literalists.” Our true Sovereign is not found among the trappings of power, but among the poor. God does not just care about the poor; God is among the poor. To obey the sovereign of the Empire of Grace, we share the ruler’s passion and compassion for the poor.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Eternal God, you are the light of the minds that know you.
All:You are the joy of the hearts that love you,
the strength of the wills that serve you
Grant us so to know you that we may truly love you,
And so to love you that we may gladly serve you,
now and always. Alleluia! Amen!

2.
Leader: Creator God, you reign over all the universe with love and justice.
All: Glory! We thank you with love.
Christ, you reign over all human history with mercy and grace.
Glory! We thank you with love.
Holy Spirit, you reign in our hearts with beauty and power.
Glory! We thank you with love. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: From the Spirit who was, the Rock who is,
and the Strong One yet to come, grace and peace to you!
All: To the Love that reigns over us, the love that walks beside us
and the love that guides us from within, be praise and thanksgiving!
We come before God with humble joy, that we may learn to obey
the Sovereign of Love, the Ruler of mercy.
Alleluia! Let us worship God.

4. [from Ephesians 1.15-23]
Leader: God, glorious Mother and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we praise you.
All: You raised Christ from the dead
and seated him at your right hand, at the heart of all things.
Christ is far above all rule and authority, power and dominion,
above any title that can be given,
not only in the world we see, but in the unseen as well.
You have made him sovereign over everything,
and made him the head of the church, which is his body.
God, we pray for a spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we may know you better.
Alleluia! May the eyes of our hearts be opened.
Come, Spirit of Life, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Christ, Divine presence, Living Word,
God has put you at God’s right hand,
and you rule in power above all things.
Rule over our hearts, and work your infinite power within us.
Raise us to life, and direct us by your Spirit.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Jesus Christ, you have taught us that what we do to each other, we do to you. Make us quick to help and slow to hurt, knowing that in our neighbor it is you who receive our love or our neglect. Shape us by your love, and fit us for your Realm of grace. Amen.

2.
O God of Love, you have put all things under the rule of Christ, the Lord of Love. Bring us under your sway, that we may be faithful citizens of your Empire of Grace, and obedient to the spirit of love you birth within us. Speak your Word to us, and make us yours, in the name of Christ, our friend and our Sovereign. Amen.

3.
Eternal God, you have set Christ to rule over all the earth. He reigns with mercy and grace. Under his glorious and gentle rule, help us as we read your scriptures and proclaim your good news, to listen with humble hearts and to devote our lives to your service. We pray in the name of Christ, our sovereign. Amen.

4.
Gentle and mighty God, we thank you, that you reign over the world with grace and compassion. You revealed your Realm in Jesus, who embodied your mercy and justice. He healed the sick, raised up the downtrodden, destroyed the powers of oppression, and proclaimed your Jubilee. In his death and resurrection you have brought us out of the realm of darkness and into the realm of your eternal light and life. Holy God, pour out your Holy Spirit on us and on all your church, that we may serve you faithfully in all that we do, in the name and the love of Christ. Amen.

5.
Gracious God, in this season of harvest and thanksgiving, we offer to you our gratitude and praise. For all that you have given us, we thank you. And we give you our hearts. Speak to us now, that we may hear your Word, and become your living Word by the Spirit of Christ living in us. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1.
Holy Love,
you create, you rule, you give life.
Take charge of our hearts.
Bless us that we may be obedient
citizens of your Realm of Grace.

2.
God of love, Ruler of the Universe,
Gentle Christ, Sovereign of our hearts,
your love is supreme,
and we bow to your life-giving power.
May your love, and love alone,
rule our lives.

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.
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you.
Though you have been our sovereign, we have not obeyed you.
We have not let you rule our hearts.
We have not let you direct our thoughts or command our actions.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
You who have power over us, forgive us.
Remake us according to your grace.
Guide us in every step we take.
May your presence be the power in our lives;
may your love control our hearts and minds.
Help us to follow your Way, in the name of Christ,
and by the power of your Spirit in us. Amen.
[Silent prayer… the word of grace ]

2.
… God of love, we bow to the power of your love.
Gentle Christ, we submit to your mercy.
May your compassion cast out our fear.
May your forgiveness overrule our guilt.
May your generosity banish our selfishness.
May your grace supplant our sin.
O Love, rule on our hearts.
Make us obedient to your love.

Readings

Ephesians 1.15-23 — a paraphrase

I pray that the God of our Sovereign Jesus Christ,
the Father and Mother of glory,
who in Jesus has embodied among us
the love that creates and orders our lives
and makes them good and beautiful,
may awaken in you deep awareness
of God’s presence and love.
With the eyes of your heart enlightened
may you have the hope God has for you;
may you live in wonder and trust
of the gifts we all receive as God’s Beloved;
may you come more deeply to trust
the immeasurable power of God’s love.
It is love that raised Christ from the dead.
Christ’s love is the power that orders the universe,
that rules over all human dominion
and all realms before and after humans,
in the visible world and the unseen.
All things are subject to the sovereignty of Love.
And we, the church, are the Body of that love,
love that fills everything, and contains everything.
Everything.
Alleluia.

[See all of Ephesians paraphrased, here.]

Poetry

                The least of these

         Whatever you did to the least of these
                  you did to me.
                           —Matthew 25.40

This is not a simile.
         The poor are not an allegory.
                  God is the poor.

God is not observing them, but in them,
         the lonely and the rejected.
                  God takes the lowest place.

God is the powerless one,
         the misunderstood one,
                  the crucified one.

Under the bridge,
         in the nursing home,
                  in solitary,

this is the throne of the Sovereign,
         the Ruler of the universe:
                  the cross.

Until you see the glory of the divine
         in the street gang, the wheelchair,
                  the power of the heavens in the lifer,

you do not believe.
         Don’t go elsewhere to worship in ease.
                  Bow down, and serve, and know.

         The great judgment

“Lord, when did we see you
shot dead in the street and not cry out?
When did we see you walking in the desert
and not leave water for you?
When did we see you deported
or carted off to prison and not protest?
When did we see you homeless, and not reach out?
When did we see you struggling in the ICU,
or the nursing home, or on the locked ward,
and did not come to you?”

And he will answer…

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
       We believe in God, Creator of all, who is beyond all and in all, whose love and power is unsearchable and yet mysteriously present.
       We place our trust in Jesus, and not in any earthly authority; for Jesus fully embodies the loving presence of God: he taught and healed, and performed prophetic acts of mercy and justice. In his life, death and resurrection he released God’s infinite power for life and healing: grace that is eternal, free from all human authority, power or expectation.
       We live our lives by the grace of the Holy Spirit, God’s loving presence within and among us, which makes us the church, the Body of Christ. We live by the grace of forgiveness, the mystery of resurrection and the gift of eternal life. We rejoice that we are under no human authority, but under the grace of God; we are beholden to no earthly powers, but to the power of love. Therefore we devote ourselves to lives of worship through fearlessly giving the gifts God has given us, and loving and serving others in the spirit of Christ, for the sake of the blessing of the world, to the glory of God. Amen.

2. [Ephesians 1.15-23]
       We believe in God, the glorious Mother and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
       We rejoice that God has put immeasurably great power to work in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at God’s right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every title that can be named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. God has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of Christ who fills everything in every way.
       We pray that God may grant us a spirit of wisdom and revelation, and that we may come to know God more deeply. We pray that the eyes of our hearts may be opened, that we may know the hope to which God has called us, and that we may know the riches of God’s glorious inheritance among the saints, and the immeasurable greatness of God’s power for us who believe. As we give thanks for one another and remember each other in our prayers, may God deepen our faith, and our love for all the saints. Amen.

3. [Corinthians 15.1, 3-4, Ephesians 1.20-23]
Leader: Sisters and brothers, remember the good news
that has been proclaimed to you, in which you stand.
All: We gladly proclaim what we have received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,
that he was buried, and that God raised him from the dead;
and God seated him at God’s right hand in the heavenly places,
above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
and has put all things under his feet.
In Christ all things hold together.
God has made him the head over all things for the church,
which is his body, by which he fills everything with his presence.
We, the Body of Christ, are given the ministry of grace,
that by the power of the Holy Spirit
we may bear witness to the Reign of Christ over all things,
now and forever. Amen.

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.) In gratitude we give you our lives, symbolized in our gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. By your Spirit in us form us as citizens of your Realm, obedient to your law of grace, eager to work for justice in this world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Bread and Justice (Tune: Amazing Grace)
[This can be found in Table Songs, a collection of communion songs.]

Dear Jesus, when we break our bread
with those who are in need,
we then by grace commune with God,
and it is you we feed.

When we sit down and eat with those
who hunger and who thirst,
we know that we are also poor,
and you have fed us first.

So call us to your table, Lord,
your grateful children, call:
where we receive your grace, unearned,
and turn to share with all.

Christ, Ruler of All Things (Tune: ST. ELIZABETH – Fairest Lord Jesus)

Christ, Ruler of all things, what is seen and unseen,
your love reigns; your grace is sure.
Beneath our fear and strife, death fails to conquer life:
your tender mercy still endures.

Christ, Ruler of our hearts, come and reign within us.
Make us comrades, siblings, friends.
Your love be our life, our only power,
that gives us life that never ends.

Christ, Ruler of the earth, bring your gentle justice:
your Realm come, your will be done.
Heal all oppression; fill us with mercy,
as faithful as the rising sun.

Christ, Ruler of all things, of what is and is to come,
Risen One, our song we raise.
Rule in our living; guide us with tender love.
Your grace in us will be your praise.

Love Is Enthroned (Tune: Finlandia)

O, risen Christ, who once appeared among us,
you have ascended! Loud we sing your praise.
Though we may see no shadow of your nearness,
you have not gone; your loving presence stays.
You are no longer in one time or place,
but in all things, to radiate your grace.

Christ has ascended, reigning now above.
Love is enthroned at the Creator’s side.
All powers on earth are subject to Christ’s love,
who is our history’s unseen, gentle guide.
Though evil try to make this world its home,
Love is its Lord, and love shall overcome.

Go in the peace of Christ who is our Lord,
and gently heal, amid the fear and strife.
For we who eat and drink the living Word
are now Christ’s Body, and Christ’s earthly life.
We may not see the journey or the end,
but Christ still reigns, our ruler and our friend.

O Jesus, Wounded Sovereign (Tune: O Sacred Head Now Wounded)

Dear Jesus, you who suffer and walk among the poor
whose hearts and lives are broken, whose faith is still unsure:
despised, accused and battered, you do not say a word.
So powerless, yet loving!— you are my Sovereign Lord.

You bear no arms but loving, no threats nor flags unfurled.
You wear no kingly robes, but the sorrows of the world.
Yet your forgiveness conquers each worldly rule and reign,
and rises, whole, undaunted, from evil, death and pain.

While emperors abuse you, and people shrug or stare,
and dark injustice troubles the ones for whom you care,
your mighty grace arises, and hidden from our sight,
enfolds all living beings in your triumphant light.

O Jesus, wounded Sovereign, I pray, give me the nerve
without this world’s armor to love and bless and serve.
My master and companion, rule all eternity
with grace and deep compassion, and, Love, begin with me.

O Sovereign Love
(Tune: O God, Our Help In Ages Past, or Amazing Grace)

Beloved, you who guard and guide and give for every need,
reign in my heart, O Sovereign Christ; direct each thought and deed.

O Sovereign Love, my root, my sun, my purpose and my peace,
I spurn the world’s vain, anxious rule, and trust your Law of Grace.

The Empire of your justice, God, with mercy’s clear command
shall be my home; my loyalty is to no lesser land.

In humble and obedient thanks I pledge my life to you,
to join your work of justice, God, to make the world anew.

Reign in my heart, O Christ, my Rule. In faith I am compelled
to serve you, who by love alone have conquered all the world.

OT 33 – 25th Sunday After Pentecost

November 19, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Judges 4. 1-7 — Deborah, a judge of Israel, gives advice to Barak, a local military leader, about a conflict.

Psalm 123 —We look to God like a maid watches the hand of her mistress.
—or—
Psalm 76 — God overwhelms for forces of war and saves the oppressed.

1 Thessalonians 5.1-11 — Stay awake and be alert for the coming of Christ.

Matthew 25.14-30 — The parable of the talents.

Preaching Thoughts

Judges
       This is a glimpse into the period of the Judges before Israel was really a “nation” yet. But a pretty tiny glimpse. And it’s a paltry attempt to include a little (token?) spotlight on a woman in the history of Israel. It’s not very illuminating. I’d rather offer folks a fuller picture of woman’s leadership than this little snippet of Deborah’s military advice. Why not Tamar, or Rahab? Yes, those stories are “adult content,” but they show women as resourceful, wise, courageous and definitely part of God’s care for Israel.

1 Thessalonians
       As we ramp up toward the big climax of the liturgical year on Reign of Christ Sunday, we hear again about the Second Coming. Whether or not we anticipate an actual incident in our future we can label as the “Second Coming,” it’s clear that in this world torn by greed, violence, hate and oppression, we are clearly in need of divine intervention. As alarming as the images of “sudden destruction” are, that’s not the heart of Paul’s message. (After all, maybe the Second Coming is really gradual!) The message is twofold: the promise that the God of love and grace is not done with us yet, and the importance of “belonging to the day” instead of the night. When we focus on the image destruction our image of God’s judgment becomes destructive. But Paul is clear: “God has destined us for salvation.” The point is to live with God’s light, now, in this long night of evil and injustice. The point is not to separate ourselves into the saved and unsaved, but to “encourage one another and build up each other.”

Matthew
       It’s hard for us in our capitalist society to grasp the truth that nothing is ours, and hard to let go of the idol of personal possessions. The framers of the Declaration of Independence, perhaps influenced by John Locke, considered naming our inalienable rights as “life, liberty and property.” (Other contemporary declarations do.) Jesus knew better. This story suggests that everything that we think of as “ours”—our whole life— is actually God’s, given to us to steward. No matter how hard you think you worked for it, it’s not yours. (Besides, there’s always someone who’s worked harder than you, and they don’t have what you do.) Think of your whole life—your health, your skills and abilities, your possessions, your time, your income, your loves and cares and prayers, all of it—and imagine it’s a plate of fine food the chef has given you, as a waiter, to serve to some customers. It’s not yours, and not for you! It’s for you to share, to act as a steward. How would God spend your life? How might God want you to give away your time, your skills, your resources? A talent is a measure of weight (it works out to about 15 years’ wages), so even one talent, not even two or five, is what we might call “a ton of money.” So the one-talent worker doesn’t have much to complain about. “I was only given a measly million dollars to invest. Poor me.” How much do we have—what spiritual gifts—that we dismiss because others have more skill, fame, talent, charm or luck than we do? It’s all good. How do you focus on what you do have, not what you don’t, and share those gifts?

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Loving God, you create us in your image and claim us as your children.
All: We give you our lives in thanksgiving and praise!
You give us gifts, each different, and bless us with your grace.
We give you our lives in thanksgiving and praise!
Fill us with your Spirit, that we may serve you with love and joy.
We give you our lives in thanksgiving and praise! Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Joy of heaven, you shower us with gifts!
All: Fountain of life, you bless us.
Spirit of abundance, you flower in us.
God of grace, we thank you. We worship you.
We give our lives to you in gratitude and praise. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: What light God has given us,
that we might shine in the world’s darkness!
All: What love Christ has give us,
that we might love with his love!
What gifts the Spirit has given us,
that we might be for the world the good news of God’s grace.
Alleluia! Come, Love, and inspire us
to be your gifts for the world. Amen.

4.
Leader: Creator God, eternal Love, we praise you!
All: You bless us with good things.
You surround us with Creation, and bless us with human community.
You give us your presence in Jesus.
You forgive our faults and encourage us in our weakness.
You give us spiritual gifts, and your grace shines in us. Why then would we not trust you? Why would we not be generous, as you are generous?
Alleluia! Fill us with your spirit of giving.
Come, Spirit of Life, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Abundant God, you have given us every good thing, and so we thank you.
All: Enrich in us our spirit of generosity.
You provide for us, so that we may share abundantly in every good work.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of love, you love this world, and you choose to accomplish that love through us. You have given us gifts with which to bless this world, to heal the hurting, to feed, the needy to encourage the downtrodden. Stir up those gifts in us, and give us love and courage to share them, by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit and the presence of your loving Jesus. Amen.

2.
God of abundant blessings, you give us the gift of Creation; you give us the gift of life; you give us the gifts of all that we possess. Everything is a gift from you. We turn to you now to receive the gift of your Word, so that we might be transformed by your grace and filled with your spirit of abundance. We listen for your Word, and we open our hearts to your presence. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, unending source of blessing, unceasing well of grace, we thank you for the abundance of your good gifts. You have laid the treasures of your goodness in our hands. Stir up your grace in us so that we may bear your love and trust gladly into the world, by the power of your Spirit working in us. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Generous God,
you have invested your prayers in us
for the sake of your gospel.
Let your prayers multiply in us
for the sake of the healing of the world.

Prayer of Confession

Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, we confess our sin to God with one another.
God have mercy.
We recall those times when we have invested what you have given to us
in love of others, and we give thanks for your grace.… Silent prayer …
We recall those times when we have kept your riches to ourselves,
and we give thanks for your grace. … Silent prayer …
God, we have seen your love in Jesus Christ.
We give thanks for your mercy.
People of God, by the grace we have seen in Christ we are assured
that our sin is forgiven entirely.
We are forgiven, and set free to live by the power of the Holy Spirit,
to the glory of God. Amen.

Poetry

One talent

Sunrise and its gold,
a single kiss,

the sea that never tires
throwing its beauty at you,

trees scattering jewels,
stars saying their prayers

by candlelight
in their little houses—

such loveliness,
such precious coins.

You can’t say what they’re worth,
there is no measuring them

any more than the one you are,
little star among millions,

generous, infinite Talent
unburied,

mere single radiant
sun.

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.) In gratitude we give you our lives, symbolized in our gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. You have given us each gifts with which to live your gospel and share your grace. Send us, each with our own way of blessing, and together as the Body of Christ, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ and the power of your Spirit. Amen.

2.
…. Having received abundantly, we offer ourselves abundantly. Send us into the world, transformed by your spirit of generosity, to invest ourselves in the mending of all Creation, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

All of the Gifts I Have (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)

All of the gifts I have, all that is within me,
you give to me, O God, with care;
all of my prayers and skills, passions and energies
you grant to me to freely share.

Here are my hopes and dreams, attitudes and deepest loves,
all of the treasure to which I cling.
I will not hold them in, stilling my ardent song,
but serving you I’ll freely sing.

In all I keep or give, may I do my very best
in everything I say and do,
in harmony with you, only to love and bless,
with joy, to serve and honor you.

All That We Hold in Our Hands (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.

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.

Giving Heart (Tune: The Water is Wide- Gift of Love)

O God of grace, you set us free
and feed us all abundantly,
so help me trust the gifts you give,
with giving heart and hands to live.

Come, Spirit, come, and set me free
from all I cling to fearfully.
Come heal my heart, my fears relieve,
so I may give as I receive.

Your Bread of Life transforms us, Lord,
so we become your living Word.
Our lives no more are ours to hold,
but yours to share with all the world.

The Giving Song (Tune: DOVE OF PEACE — I Come with Joy)

God, send me out into the world to share all I possess.
My generosity shall be the faith that I confess,
the faith that I confess

For you have given me such gifts, grace infinite and deep,
that I can only share them all. There’s nothing I will keep,
there’s nothing I will keep..

And let my giving change me, Lord, to make me more like you:
to let your blessing flow through me, creating me anew,
creating me anew.

My life will not be known by what I have, but how I share,
courageously, with trust in you, with love and joy and care,
with love and joy and care.

God, We Give You All Our Gifts
(Tune: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, or Come Thou Long Expected Jesus)

God, we give you all our gifts, for they have come by grace from you.
Take them, bless them, use them for the work that you intend to do.
We are grateful for your blessings, grace you give a million ways.
May our gratitude resound through all our lives with joyous praise.

All that you entrust to us is meant for all the world to share;
we are stewards of your grace to scatter wide your loving care.
All our gifts are yours, not ours, and meant for us to humbly bear
to the world, in trust that in our grateful giving you are there.

Take our treasure, all our earnings, all our silver and our gold;
take in grace the things we cling to, those possessions that we hold.
In our giving may we find release from fear and trust in thee,
love for all, not just ourselves, for all the whole community.

Take our prayers, our loving presence; let compassion be our creed;
help us be there for each other and for those in greater need.
Take our many, varied, gifts, our works and service, God, employ;
let our lives bear witness to your grace, with thanks and boundless joy.

The Harvest of Your Grace (Original Song)
[2 Corinthians 9.6-15]

God scatters abroad, and gives to the poor, and fills the hungry with good things.
    Alleluia! O God, we rejoice in the harvest of your grace.
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.
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.
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.
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.

I Belong to You (Tune: Water is Wide / Gift of Love)

Beloved, I belong to you.
You give me birth; you make me new,
your image formed, by Spirit stirred.
You are the Song; I am your Word.

Whatever pains I may endure,
I still belong. Your love is sure.
Since I am yours, your will I do.
I trust and give myself to you.

I am your coin to richly spend,
so spend me, God, as you intend.
You bless my end; you hold my worth;
send me to love throughout the earth.

Beloved, I belong to you.
Do with me what your love will do.
Bear me, and I, through ease or strife
will find in you eternal life.