June 21, 2026

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 21.8-21. Abraham and Sarah, unable to conceive an heir, have used Sarah’s servant Hagar as a concubine to produce a child, a son named Ishmael. But once Sarah has a son of her own she comes to resent Hagar and Ishmael, and has Abraham send them away. But God cares for them.

Psalm 86. We rejoice in God’s steadfast love and pray for an “undivided heart:” for singular mindfulness of God’s presence, undistracted by other things. We seek to walk in God’s ways.
       —or:
Psalm 17. The psalm cries out, as Hagar might have, for God’s compassion.

Romans 6.1-11. We were buried with Christ by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of God, so we also might walk in newness of life. We are dead to sin and alive to God.

Matthew 10.24-39. The disciple is like the teacher. They malign me, and so they will you. Have no fear of them. What you hear in the dark, proclaim in the light. Fear not those who kill the body, but the soul. Not a sparrow falls outside God’s attention. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than sparrows. I have come to bring not peace but a sword. Find you life and lose it; lose your life and find it.

Preaching Thoughts

Genesis        
      Here’s the ugly side of our culture and even of our faith: we exclude, or even
use and discard people for our own benefit, and attribute it to God, or at least to “the way it ought to be.” We perpetuate a triple evil: we use people selfishly and exclude them and cause them suffering; we blame it all on them as if it is all their choice, their wrongdoing; and we attribute it all to God’s will! From a self-serving stance we might claim this story is about God continuing to preserve Abraham’s genetic line—but that’s exactly the sin we should confess: pretending that God wills other people’s suffering for our sake. It’s the shadow side of the notion of “election,” that God has chosen Israel for a specific purpose in human history. “Election” is not “preference.” Israel is not chosen because they’re better or more important than other nations but because God has a specific task for them, which is for the world to be blessed by them (Genesis 12.3). Our error—our temptation—is to believe our mission or survival is more important to the world and to God than other people’s. It taps into the basic human sin of “pride”— thinking it’s all about us. It gives rise to unjust systems of privilege and exclusion. It’s the thinking that justifies slavery and war and rape and unfettered capitalism and all kids of evil.
        Delores Williams points out in her book Sisters in the Wilderness: The Challenge of Womanist God-Talk that Hagar’s experience matches that of black enslaved women in America. She writes, “Hagar’s predicament involved slavery, poverty, ethnicity, sexual and economic exploitation, surrogacy, rape, domestic violence, homelessness, motherhood, single-parenting and radical encounters with God” (p.4). Of course such experiences are familiar to contemporary Black women in America.More broadly, Hagar is everyone who is used and abused, who is discarded, judged, excluded or looked down upon, who is blamed for her troubles: victims of domestic abuse, the working poor, immigrants and refugees…. It takes some moral numbness to avoid seeing the image of Hagar and Ishmael wasting away in refugee camps, o rin the desert trying to cross the US border. Where are the Hagars in your world?
      From Sarah’s perspective the story ends with Hagar and Ishmael disappearing into the desert. But that’s not how the story ends, does it? God accompanies them, hears them, tends to them, and promises the same thing that God promises Abraham: to make a great nation of them. As Delores Williams points out, God does not enact liberation for Hagar, but God does offer survival and quality of life. How might God be calling us to join in God’s promise and help care for the Hagars and Ishmaels of our world, to accompany the desert wanderers, to be the ones who hear and have compassion, who encourage and equip people to become great?
      This story isn’t exactly about domestic violence but it brings it up. It’s a story about a household that is not safe. It’s about one person’s will dominating another’s well-being.
       Click here for Domestic Violence worship resources.

Romans
      “Should we continue to sin?” Believe it or not, I’ve actually been asked, “Since everybody is saved, why be good?” Seriously? Why be bad? The thing is, God’s love changes us. When we know how deeply we are loved we don’t want to sin. God’s grace is so life-giving we want to live in harmony with it. We want to be loving.
        When I really absorb God’s love it changes me. Like when you take a cup of hot water and add tea, it’s no longer water; it’s tea. When God’s love is poured into me, it’s as if my old self-centered self becomes a new love-centered self. The old one dies (buried with Christ by baptism into death), and a new, different one is resurrected instead.
       Baptism is an invitation to that change. Baptism doesn’t magically change us, but it reminds us of God’s promise to give us new life when we give God our old ones. Baptism symbolizes the life-cycle of faith: our little self-enclosed self drowns in God’s love, and God gives us a new self made out of pure love. Resurrection isn’t just the after-life, it’s the now-life, the new-life: when we surrender our lives to God in love, God gives them back to us as a gift. This death-and-resurrection cycle isn’t a one-time thing: we go through it every day, every moment, continually giving our life to God and receiving life anew. Like breathing. (This doesn’t call for re-baptism, but renewal of our baptismal vows. God has already claimed us. We’re the ones who need to renew our faithfulness, breath by breath.)

Matthew
       Jesus warns us that if we imitate him the people who criticize him will also criticize us: “How much more will they malign those of his household!” (But remember, it’s not about us.) The sword Jesus brings certainly isn’t physical violence: he’s talking about controversy and opposition. I think of Hebrews 4.12: “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart..” It’s the sword of discerning truth from falsehood, love from fear. It’s not a weapon of aggression, or even polarization, but the sword of refusing to “go along to get along,” standing for what we stand for even when others oppose us. In fact the sword might even be our radical insistence that we are one despite other people’s desire to polarize!
       If we boldly take the side of truth and love and mercy, others, even those close to us, will oppose us. Never mind them, Jesus says. Stay true. God, who cares for even the birds, will watch over us. Don’t worry about people who threaten you. Worry about what can bring death to your soul. If we are willing to let go of our place in society—if we take up our cross—if we lose that form of “life”—we will be given even deeper life. Having died and risen, as Paul suggests, we are free from fear for our physical or social well being, and have the courage to do justice, love radically, and serve boldly. We’re really alive.

Call to Worship

1. [Matthew]
Leader: In this world of struggle and conflict we turn to God.
All: God of love, we need you.
Friends, not a sparrow suffers without God knowing,
and you, beloved, are worth more than many sparrows.
God of love, we trust you.
Those who cling to their life will lose it,
and those who lose their life for Christ’s sake will find it.
God of love, we give ourselves to you.
Receive us, transform us, and fit us for your service,
in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

2. [Genesis]
Leader: Glory be to you, God of all people,
you who have made us as siblings in one family.
All: Thanks be to you, Christ of compassion:
when we were lonely and cast out, you claimed us as your own.
Praise be to you, Spirit, for when we were in danger you saved us.
Come again, and make us your own.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

3. [Matthew]
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
Alleluia! Christ, you call us to follow,
through difficult times and choices.
Grant us faith and courage. Alleluia!

4. [Psalm 86]
Leader: Listen, O God, for we are poor and needy.
All: Save us, for we rely on you.
We open our souls to you. Give us joy.
For you are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who turn to you.
Be gracious to us and give us your strength.
For you are merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Alleluia.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Gracious God, giver of life , lover of all beings, we live within your embrace, and our hearts are filled with wonder at your presence. We set aside this gentle time to listen to you, and to rest in your care. Speak to us, and shape our hearts by the power of your Word. Amen.

2.
Loving God, you have baptized us into Christ’s death and resurrection, so that we may live new lives. Death no longer has dominion over us. Remind us again. As we tell the story of your love, let us die to sin so that we may freely and fully live for your sake, not for our own ease. As we worship, speak your good news to us, so that we may follow Jesus with faith and courage, in the power of your Spirit. Amen.

3.
God of love, may your grace give us faithfulness.
Christ, may your love give us courage.
Holy Spirit, may your presence give us trust.
Loving God, in a world that is afraid of love,
help us to be loving. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Like Hagar under a tree in the wilderness,
in solitude and need,
I sit with the infant of my hopes.
Hear the voice of my heart
and speak to me.
Lead me to the well of your love.

Prayer of Confession

Most merciful God, we confess our sin
we have not been the people you created us to be.
We have suppressed wonder and gratitude;
we have withheld love;
we have lived by fear.
Receive us, forgive us, and heal us,
that we may truly be your children,
and truly be sisters and brothers of all people,
in the name and the Spirit of Christ.
Amen.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
       We trust in God, the maker of all things, source of all life and Mother of all children. Our life is in God, and in God we are one with all beings.
        We follow Jesus, the Christ, the Revealer of God, who taught us to love, who gave us courage to trust God’s grace, and who bid us to take up our cross and follow him. In his life and ministry and his death and resurrection, he has shown us that in losing our lives we find them. He who was crucified is the Ruler of the Universe.
        We rely upon the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, the communion of saints, the unity of the church, the forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of the body, and the reality of eternal life.
        Therefore we devote ourselves to disciplined practice of the Way of Jesus in our daily lives, so that we may grow in faithfulness, and serve God in humble, confident love for the sake of the healing of the world. Amen.

2.
         We love and trust God, Creator of all things, heavenly father and mother, of infinite love, wisdom and power, ruler of all that is and all that is to come.
        We follow Christ, God’s chosen one, who loved and served humbly, who chose to die rather than kill for the sake of the healing of all Creation, and who was raised by God to new life. We believe that he calls us to humbly follow him and obediently serve him for the sake of proclaiming God’s grace. We trust that he accompanies us and will help, guide, heal and defend us through all difficulty and suffering.
        We believe the Holy Spirit guides us, empowers us and sustains us as servants of God’s grace. We live as the body of Christ, in the power of forgiveness and the reality of resurrection, and the light of eternal life. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

             Songs addressing domestic violence:

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.

June 14, 2026

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 18. 1-15. Three visitors to Abraham and Sarah tell them that they will have a son—news so preposterous that Sarah laughs.

Psalm 116. A song of thanks to God: “When I was brought low God saved me.”

Romans 5. 1-8. Since we are justified, we have peace with God. Suffering leads to hope because God’s love has been poured into us. While we were yet sinners Christ died for the ungodly.

Matthew 9.35 – 10.8 Jesus goes about healing. The harvest is plentiful; the laborers are few. The sending of the twelve.

Preaching Thoughts

Genesis
      Like a TV series that ends each episode with a cliff-hanger leading you on to the next episode, Genesis gives us a cliff-hanger in each generation: will God fulfill the covenant to give Abraham descendants? Here’s the first. Abraham and Sarah are old, and—dun dun dun—still no children. The visitors announce otherwise. What angels announce hope in your world? Who are the visitors we might host and “entertain angels unawares?” What signs do you see that God continues to uphold a covenant of mercy despite how messed up the world is? Sarah laughing reminds me of the family of the dead girl who laugh at Jesus before he raises her. What good news might we tend to laugh at that maybe we should take seriously?

Romans
     Watch out for the old Puritan notion that suffering is good. Suffering is not inherently good—but like everything it is a locus of grace. Paul invites us to look beyond our immediate pain to the greater story we’re part of, and trust it even when we’re in the middle of a hard chapter. Remember, hope isn’t wishing, not belief that “everything will be OK, “ but trust in the Goodness of God, “the love that’s been poured into our hearts,” regardless of how things turn out for us. It’s the big picture of God’s love that is our hope, and that doesn’t disappoint us. Jesus makes that love for us accessible to us, in that he dies for us even though we might think of ourselves as “unworthy.” When we let this grace sink in it allows us to restore our trust in God. This trust sustains us even through suffering.
      “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” God’s hope is not that we will become Christian, but that we will know we are loved. That’s what it means to be “justified.” To save us from the tyranny of our anxious, selfish ego, Jesus dies for us, destroying the notion of being”worthy” or “unworthy, and from being afraid of “the wrath of God.” We’re not saved from God, but from our own fear of unworthiness.

Matthew
       The lectionary continues the theme of our calling into ministry. Jesus’ healing tour looks very different from a “crusade” trying to get people to become Christian. We are sent (the word “apostle” means “sent”) to be the good news of the Reign of God, to cure the sick (heal what is broken), raise the dead (embody resurrection, empower the powerless and bring hope where there is despair), cleanse lepers (embrace outcasts) and cast out demons (confront injustice). It’s for the sake of the healing of the world, not the stuffing of the church. The “harvest” we’re sent out to labor in is not dragging people into the church, but participating in God’s harvest of the gifts God has planted in each person, gifts made fruitful by the Spirit, with our encouragement. Who are the “lost sheep” we’re sent to?
     By the way, don’t think we’re any less lost than those sheep. Jesus inclines us toward humility and dependence. “You received without pay, give without pay.” In verses 9-15, omitted from the lectionary reading, Jesus gives us an image of humble dependency. Take no gold, stay with the people, give them your blessing, accept it when they don’t return the blessing. He also goes on to warn us of the resistance we’ll meet. Working for the mending of the world, working for justice, is no privileged position, but a vulnerable one. But be of good courage; the Spirit will sustain you.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: God, you are in this world with love and grace.
All: You heal us when we are broken and cleanse us of our shame.
You cast out the demons of injustice and embrace the outcast.
You raise the dead, giving power to the powerless and hope to the despairing.
You have called disciples, and sent them into the world in love.
You call us now to come close, and we come. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Eternal God, Spirit of Love, we worship you.
All: Creating God, Renewing God, we worship you.
Transforming God, Bewildering God, we worship you.
Disorienting, Re-orienting God, we worship you.
Come, upset our ways and reshape us according to your Spirit. Amen.

3.
Leader: God of love, we seek healing: wholeness for our bodies.
All: Come to us, enfold us in your grace, and send us forth, renewed.
We seek hope: fruitfulness for our lives.
Come to us, enfold us in your grace, and send us forth, renewed.
We seek courage: power to carry your grace into the world.
Come to us, enfold us in your grace, and send us forth, renewed. Amen.

4.
Leader: Holy One, you claim us as your own and call us to serve you.
All: Beloved, receive us with love.
Living Christ, you send us out to share your grace.
Beloved, transform us with love.
Holy Spirit, you empower us with gifts for healing.
Beloved, send us with love.
The world awaits. May it be for us according to your word. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1. (Genesis)
God of grace and mystery, you hold us faithfully your Covenant. Your love upholds us, your grace moves ahead of us, your mercy comes to us in surprising ways. Open our hearts to welcome the message of your promise, and to trust your blessing. We pray in the name and the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.

2.
(Romans)
Loving God, our deep distrust separates us from you, but you reach out to us in our fear with love and grace. You forgive us; you heal us; you bless us. We open our hearts to your Spirit, that the good news of your love might sink in and change us. Creator God, make us new. Loving Christ, come and speak to us. Holy Spirit, give us new life. Amen.

3. (Matthew)
God of love, you who called disciples and sent them: gather us now, equip us for your service, and send us in your name for the sake of the healing of the world, in the loving presence and the healing spirit of Christ. Amen.

4. (Matthew)
Eternal God, Jesus gathered his disciples, blessed them with his teachings, and sent them out to join in his work of the blessing of the world. Gather us now and transform us by your Word, so that we will be ready to go out into the world to serve you, in the grace of the Hoy Spirit and in the name of Christ. Amen

Listening Prayer

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

As the strange visitors
who bring promise to Sarai and Abram,
you come to us.
We welcome you.
Sit with us,
bring us news from God.

Readings

Psalm 86 – a paraphrase [1-7, 8-13, 14-17]

Sung Response:
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.

Listen to me, God, and speak to me,
         not according to my worthiness but according to your love.
I trust you to give me life.
         It is you my heart longs for all day long.
Give me joy, as I enter into your joy.
         I give you my soul.
For you are good and forgiving,
         abounding in steadfast love.
Hear the secrets of my heart, God,
         the unspoken longings of my soul.
When I am troubled, I turn to you,
         and you are there.                   …Response

O God, you are great, and do wondrous things.
You alone are God.
Teach me your way, O God,
that I may walk in your truth.
Give me an undivided heart,
to be mindful of your presence.
I give thanks to you, God, with my whole heart.
I will live as your glory all my life.
For great is your steady love toward me:
you have saved my soul from its dreary death.     …Response

O God, arrogance rises up in me;
 self-centeredness threatens to take over my life.
But you are merciful and gracious,
         slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
Turn to me and be gracious to me;
give me strength to faithfully serve you.
Show me a sign of your favor,
         to put my doubts to rest—
         for always you have helped me and comforted me.     …Response

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
         [based on Romans 5.1-8]
Leader: As children of God we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
All: Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God
through the Beloved, Jesus Christ,
who shows us God’s great love for us,
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
God’s love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
We give thanks, and we give God our lives,
that we may live in peace with God and with all people,
in the name of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2.
         We love and trust God, Eternal Creator, the Source of all Being and the giver of the laws of life, whose word of love is unchanging, though our understanding is imperfect and incomplete.
         We follow Jesus, God’s Christ, who embodied God’s love, who taught and healed, who enacted God’s law of love in new and radical ways. He gave himself completely in love; he was crucified; yet God raised him from death, transforming the law, and even life and death. He sets us free and leads us in lives of radical self-giving.
         We live by the Holy Spirit, the living breath of God in us, who empowers us to live lives of grace and compassion, trusting in the power of forgiveness, the blessing of community, the reality of resurrection and the coming of God’s Reign of mercy and justice. In all, we give God thanks, and we give God our lives. 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.

We thank you, God, for your faithful love.
You create us in your image, promise to be with us in love,
and deliver us from all that enslaves us.
When we least expect it you send us signs of your mercy,
angels who remind us of your promise.
You come among us with healing and redemption.
Therefore in gratitude, with all Creation, 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,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who healed and taught, who cast out injustice,
who embodied the Realm of your grace among us.
Opposed by the powers of injustice, he was crucified
but you raised him from the dead, still to be with us in mercy.

     (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,
sent into the world to heal the broken,
to confront the demons of injustice,
and to show through our lives
the coming of your Realm of grace and love,
for the sake of the mending 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.) Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. May this meal call us to mindfulness of your presence, attentiveness to your Word, and readiness to serve you. Send us into the world to bless, to heal, and to proclaim your good news, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

2.
God of love, you gifted Sarah and Abraham with a child to bring into the world. You have given us spiritual gifts to share. As Jesus gave his disciples authority to heal, to proclaim your grace and to confront the demons of injustice, you call us to bear our gifts for the sake of the healing of the world. Send us in the power of your Spirit and the company of Christ., who is with s always Amen.

3.
The gift of God’s promise be within you,
growing and vibrant as a child.
The grace of God’s gifts be within you,
the power to heal and to bless.
The authority of the Word be within you,
the courage to love and to do justice.
The Spirit of God be within you,
the strength to make you serve,
and the joy to make you laugh. Amen

Suggested Songs

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

Three Strangers       (Tune: DOVE OF PEACE – I Come with Joy)

Three strangers came to Abraham and Sarah in their age,
and told them God had plans for them, a promise to engage,
a promise to engage.

So Sarah laughed and Abraham, he knit his furrowed brow:
“How could this come to us?” he said, “How could this happen now?
How could this happen now?”

So God appears and promises new life for us as well,
and gives us joy so that we laugh. Such happy news to tell!
Such happy news to tell!

God promises new life in us, and love and joy to bear,
and gives us gifts and blessings dear, the grace of God to share,
the grace of God to share.

June 7, 2026

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 12.1-9. God calls Abram to go to “a land I will show you.” “I will make of you a great nation.. so you will be a blessing.” (soon to become Abraham) from his native land to the land of Canaan. God promises that Abram will have land and many descendants, and especially that they will be a blessing to all on earth.

Psalm 33.1-12. A song of praise to God, who is the maker of all Creation and the ruler of all nations.

Romans 4.13-25. God’s acceptance of us comes by God’s grace, not our own doing. Faith does not mean being good enough, it means trusting God. Abraham was accepted by God as righteous, not because he obeyed some law, but because he trusted God.

Matthew 9.9-13, 18-26. Jesus calls Matthew. He then heals the woman with a flow of blood and raises the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue

Preaching Thoughts

Genesis
        This is a story about trusting God. A story about how a relationship with God isn’t about “believing in” God but listening to God, and going with God. A story about allowing God to lead us into the unseen, unknown. A story about leaving behind the familiar, adapting to change. A story about how following God changes who we are (even if we don’t get a new name). We become “great”— not significant or powerful but honorable, magnificent even. And about how all this—even our “greatness”— leads to one thing: being a great blessing.

Gospel
Matthew.
       As with Abram and Sarai, Matthew the tax collector is called not just to believe in Jesus but to follow him. Go with him. Join him in his ministry. Which, we can imagine, greatly changes who Matthew is.
Eating with sinners.
       Jesus has one single lesson: Trust God and be kind. Trust God to be kind, and trusting that grace, pass it on to everyone else. Everyone. Jesus is especially aware of the hierarchies and power structures by which we determine who we “ought” to love and who we “ought” not to love. He erases those boundaries and dismantles those power structures and hierarchies. (“Do not judge,” he says.) So of course he shows special kindness to the people who are not afforded kindness by their society. And of course the stewards of the hierarchies and power structures, as always, resist that; they like being on top. This is precisely what gets Jesus crucified. Love destroys power structures, and power structures seek to destroy love. This is the real cosmic battle: not some abstract war between “good” and “evil,” but the conflict between universal love and structures of exclusion.
“I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”
       Jesus quotes Hosea 6.6 twice (also in 12.7). I think it’s central to his theology: God doesn’t care if we get religious forms correct, or believe the right things; what God cares about is that we love.
Two healings.
      • This is first of all a story about healing. Imagine what is made whole in the woman’s life besides her body, since she is also considered “unclean:” her relationships, her faith, her self-image (“daughter!”— such a term of endearment!)… I think of the healing of her self-worth: imagine what it’s like for someone who has reason to focus elsewhere to give you undivided time, really pay attention to you, listen to your story. I also think about her “flow of blood,” the restoration of her reproductive (creative, life-giving) powers.
       • It’s also a story about the power of faith—understood not as “belief” but as reaching out. Jesus knows nothing about the woman’s religious beliefs; only that she has reached out to him, not certain of the outcome but trusting the process. How much of our spiritual life is reaching out to God (in one form or another), without knowing the outcome, but trusting the process? The woman seems to have “faith” that Jesus can heal her, while the girl’s family doesn’t. (They laugh at Jesus!) But healing comes equally to both. God’s grace is not dependent on our level of belief. Sometimes faith means reaching out even when we doubt.
       • This is also a story about Jesus’ patience, his willingness to be interrupted on an emergency call by a “diversion,” as if it’s actually not a diversion; his willingness to stop and attend to the woman without hurrying off to a “more important” mission. It’s not enough for him for an impersonal healing to happen; he wants a relationship, even if it takes precious time. He’s also patient with a family who laughs at him for his faith; he offers healing despite their cynicism (and maybe ours).
• It’s a story about hidden grace: hidden in a crowd… a need… a passing opportunity… hidden in a girl we think is dead, in a time when we think there is no hope.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Beckoning God, you call us.
All: Wandering Jesus, you invite us to come.
Moving Spirit, you go with us.
Holy One, we follow you, even into the unknown,
so that we may be a blessing.

2.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you.
All: Risen Christ, we greet you.
Holy Spirit, we welcome you.
You call us to follow you, and we see miracles.
A flow of blood healed, the dead raised.
What is unwell in us is mended;
what is dead is brought to life.
Bless us that we may follow closely.
Shape us by your Word, Beloved.
Make us yours.

3.
Leader: God of life and wholeness,
we come to you broken, and our world is broken.
All: We reach out for the hem of your garment.
We come to you longing for healing.
We open ourselves to your mercy.
You come among us full of grace.
We feel your spirit move in us, and we are healed.
And so we bow before you, and in gratitude, humility and wonder
we tell the story of your grace.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of the journey, God of the unknown, you spoke to Abram and Sarai and called them to a new place. Speak to us now. Call us, and we will follow. Amen.

2.
God of healing, the flow of life in us is disturbed. Heal us. There are parts of our hearts that are dead. Revive us. You have given us gifts that we don’t use. Call us, and we will follow. We pray in the name and the presence of Christ. Amen.

3.
God of love, even as the world presses in on you with all its wants and demands, you walk among us in peace. You radiate your mercy and grace. We open ourselves to your love. We listen for your Word to enter us and change us. We reach for the hem of your garment. Enter our longing, and heal us. Amen.

4.
O God, you who called Abram to leave his country and go with you, who in Christ called disciples to follow him, you call to us now. Help us to hear your voice, to leave behind old lives, and to walk with you in new life in your grace. Help us to hear what you are saying to us today, and to respond, by the grace of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

5.
Gracious God, you called Abram to go to a new land. Jesus called Matthew to follow him. Speak to us now and invite us into the journey of your grace. Open the ears of our hearts to hear you calling, so that we may follow in love, in the loving company and healing spirit of Jesus. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Eternal God, Loving Healer,
we reach out to touch
the hem of your garment.
Trusting your grace,
we reach out to touch.
Trusting, we reach.

Poetry

              The flow of blood

The sacred blood that flowed twelve perfect years
was never stanched—the healing was not such.
Drawn by the Heart most wounded, salved in tears
still flowing and too sacred to be touched,
she surged through calloused throngs; and stained his cloak
and heart with dark, unclotted faith, her true
blood sacrifice, her tithe of pain, that spoke
of life within her flowing, flowing through.
Heart pierced, he blessed his new blood-sister’s flow;
they both the holy mystery revealed
of wounds blood-sanctified, in which we know
that life is uncontained, and we are healed.
The cross thus washed in double flow of blood,
the curse thus hemorrhaged, life renewed its tide,
a welling up, a sea released, a flood
of life her tear-stained face could never hide.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

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 in bad,
who is our salvation.

We trust in Christ Jesus, who is the embodiment of God’s love,
and the embodiment of humanity,
the lover and healer of our souls,
who saves us by washing away our transgressions,
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,
hat comforts the faithful,
empowers us to love as Christ has loved us,
and joins us together as the Body of Christ
in loving service to the world.
We trust in the power of forgiveness,
the reality of resurrection,
and the infinite, eternal life God gives us through love,
to which love we pledge ourselves as followers of Christ.

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, we thank you, for life flows from you,
and power comes from you.
You walk among us with grace and healing.
You bring life out of death and hope out of despair.
You call us to new paths, and make us new people.
Therefore we reach out to you,
to touch the hem of your garment, to receive your grace.
And power flows from you, and we are made whole.
Therefore with all Creation 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,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who healed and taught, who fed the hungry and honored the outcast.
He has brought healing into our lives.
What was dead in us he has brought to life.
Christ, crucified and risen, comes to us in this meal
to reaffirm your covenant to be with us in love forever.

     (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,
the flow of life in us restored,
radiant with the power of love.
As you called Abram and Sarai to follow you,
as Jesus called Matthew to follow,
may this meal call us forth in your love.
May we bear your grace, for the healing 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

[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 gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. By your life-giving Word and your loving presence, lead us into the world to new places, trusting you in the unknown, for the sake of the blessing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

May 31, 2026

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 1.1-2.4. God as Creator, and as Spirit: in the beginning God’s Spirit brooded over the waters….

Psalm 8. How majestic is your name in all the earth! Yet what are humans that you are mindful of them?

2 Corinthians 13.11-13. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

Matthew 28.16-20. Go make disciples of all nations… make disciples, teach and baptize in the name of Abba-God, Son and Holy Spirit.

Preaching Thoughts

        The image of the Trinity does not just describe three different jobs God has, but that God’s essence is in relationship; that God’s nature is beyond any one quality; that God exceeds all our understandings and categories. The Trinity is not a “doctrine” so much as an image. An icon. A koan. A mystery even. We diminish it when we turn it into a scientific formula. In fact what the “doctrine” of the Trinity means is that God can’t be turned into a doctrine.
         The Trinity is not a logical proposition you can either “agree” or “disagree” with. It’s an image, an icon, a symbol. It’s not two men and a bird; it’s about our three-dimensional experience of God. It’s a picture of God as Lover, Beloved and the Love that Flows Between—or Lover, Love, and Loveliness. It’s sort of like E=mc² in three dimensions. It’s an image of the whole world as a “thin place,” where the boundary is thin and porous between physical and spiritual, seen and unseen, finite and infinite.
        The Trinity is not mere division of labor, but an image of God’s
three-dimensionality. To be gender-neutral, we sometimes speak of God as “Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.” This does not mean that each “person” of the Trinity has their assigned task. All three persons are God—one God. One God does all these things. (John Wesley speaks of prevenient grace, justifying grace and sanctifying grace. They’re not three different kinds of grace, but three dimensions of grace.) Think of the Light and the Heat and the Wildness of Fire. We can speak of fire’s heat as a separate “person” of fire from its light, but it’s all one fire. And the fact that it’s a process and not an object, has everything to do with the radiation of its heat and its light. So it is with love. Love is the creating and organizing energy, the Unified Field (logos) of the universe. It’s infinite, eternal, unvarying, unconditional and absolute. And that very Love, the Big Bang of love, comes to us personally, in Jesus and in a million ways. And that same Infinite Love is in us whenever we love. When we speak of Father, Son and Spirit, we mean
the pre-existence of love, the receiving of love, and the embodying of love. It’s all one Love.
         God is Love. God is Mother, Heavenly Lover, source of all Being: “Father.” God’s love is infinite and eternal. When God’s love exists as pure energy we call it “Spirit.” When God’s love is embodied, made finite and mortal, we call it “Christ,” God’s energy appearing as matter, Word made flesh. Jesus fully embodied the Christ, or embodied love, of God. He was not just Jesus of Nazareth, he was Jesus of Christ. He was Christ appearing as Jesus. We too are finite instances of the infinite love of God, just as Jesus was. God’s spirit, which we see in him, is in all of us.
         The Trinity reminds us God is more than we think. It’s a way to keep our images of God slippery so we can’t have just one image. God is This and the Opposite of This and None of the above: God is infinite and also embodied; divine and also human; Father also Son, and also Mother.
       The Trinity is an image of God’s three-dimensionality. God is the Eternal Creator, Infinite Source, Reality Itself, Ground of Being, beyond all knowing or understanding. Yet God also comes to us in real, revealed, embodied form, in spoken Word, as God does in Jesus. And God also is within and among us, neither beyond us nor coming to us but arising from within us as Spirit: whenever we love—that’s God.
         The Trinity is an image of God as relationship. And it’s also an image of God as unity. Even though there seem to be three persons, they are One. And we’re part of that One. “I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (Jn. 14.20). And it’s an image of God as energy. With God one plus one equals three, because you also count the “plus.” God is the “proceeding” of Son from Father, and Spirit from both of them. (There’s a big controversy about whether the Spirit proceeds “from the Father” or “from the father and the Son.” The very nature of the Trinity is that they can’t be separated or distinguished. The Spirit proceeds from their relationship.) The Trinity is not a static organizational chart but an electric field, a living process, a loving flow, a divine dance. The Greek word for it is perichoresis (from peri, which means “around,” and chorein, which means “to give way” or “to make room”). The Trinity is God’s dancing-to-make-room-for-the-other.
         Strictly speaking the “Holy Trinity” isn’t biblical. Both 2 Corinthians 13 and Matthew 28 use what seems to be “Trinitarian” language; but the idea of the Trinity wasn’t developed until long after New Testament writings. However we can read the Trinity into those passages as well as other, right? Well, yes, in fact we can read the Trinity into everything. Which is the point: not that Genesis preaches the Trinity, but that we see the Trinity everywhere we look.

1 Corinthians
Beware of turning the Trinity into mere division of labor, as if God does love, Christ does grace and the Spirit does community. They all do all of it. (After all, they’re all God. They’re all Love.) Paul is just using a rhetorical flourish. He could just as rightly switched them around and said the grace of God, the love of the Spirit, and the community (or Body) of Christ.

Matthew
        Jesus says to make disciples. It doesn’t mean to make Christians. Jesus was not creating Christianity; he was revitalizing Judaism. He was teaching people to trust God and to love universally. Making disciples means leading people to imitate Jesus and rely more deeply on God’s grace and become more radically kind.
        Jesus says make disciples of all nations. This doesn’t mean to create “Christian nations.” Christian nationalism is directly against what Jesus taught. Jesus was not about creating political structures. “My ‘kingdom’ is not of this world.” To make disciples of all nations means to create faithful followers of Love throughout the world. Making disciples of all nations means leading people in every nation to be trusting, loving people— who shape their entire nations to be generous and loving. The energy for this (the Spirit) flows from the bottom up, not the top down: rather than a “Christian nation” that somehow enforces a particular belief system, Jesus imagines a whole nation shaped by generosity, kindness, and the embodiment of God’s grace.
       In the Lectionary the theme of our calling as disciples will continue for the next month. Jesus calls us to join him in healing, in witnessing for justice, in the work of the mending of the world. The pattern Jesus sets for us as disciples is not “believers” or even evangelists, but healers.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Eternal God, infinite and invisible Lover: we are in awe.
All: Beyond us, beside us, within and among us, you are our life.
Christ, Beloved, Word made flesh, brother in the journey: we are in love.
Beyond us, beside us, within and among us, you are our life.
Holy Spirit, love of God breathing in us, making us one: we are in you.
Beyond us, beside us, within and among us, you are our life. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: O Great Mystery, Infinite Being: Praise!
All: O Living Love, Word Among Us: Thanks!
O Flame of Life, Spirit of Joy: Awe!
Father-Mother, Giver of Life, we worship you.
Son, Beloved, Chosen One, we adore you.
Spirit, Breath of Love, we open ourselves to you. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: Infinite God, Loving Mystery, Eternal Father, Life-Giving Mother:All: We worship you.
Christ, the Only Begotten, Son of God, Loving Brother, Eternal Word:
We love you and trust you.
Holy Spirit, Breath of Life, Energy of Love Within:
We open our hearts to your grace.
We wonder at your mystery.
We are grateful for your love.
We accept the life and grace you give us.
O Love beyond us, beside us, within us, we give ourselves to you.
Create us anew in you, teach us your way, and breathe us into the world. Amen.

4.
Leader: Abba, Jesu, Spirit, come.
All: Abba, Jesu, Spirit, come.
Great Holy Trinity, heavenly family, draw us to your table.
Great Holy Mystery, heavenly Love, hold us in your heart.
We worship you. We praise you. We open to you. Alleluia.

5.
Leader: Eternal God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
You are present, you are holy, and we worship you.
Glory be to you, O God of all Creation.
Thanks be to you, O Christ, for our salvation.
Eternal God, Holy Trinity, bless us as we worship.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Holy One, Loving Mystery,
we belong in you; we open ourselves to your presence.
We are your Beloved; we open ourselves to your Word.
We are vessels of your Spirit; we open ourselves to be made new in your grace.
Speak, for we are listening. Amen.

2.
Mystery of God, enfold us.
Body of Mercy, lay your hand upon us.
Breath of God, move in us.
Energy of Love, re-create us us.
Word of Truth, speak to us.
Fire of joy, burn in us.
We worship in gratitude and awe.

3.
O Holy Trinity, you open your arms to us and include us in your blessed community. Bless us, that we may enter you; feast with you, and be one with you; that you may live in us, for your sake and the sake of the world. Source of Life, Eternal Word and Spirit of Love, we worship you; Mother, Son and Holy Spirit, we listen for your Word. Amen.

4.
Eternal God, you are present with us, and you are speaking to us. We open the windows of our hearts, so that the light of your Word will stream in and make beautiful all that within us. Speak, for your people are listening. Amen.

5.
Calm our minds, God, and still our hearts.
Bring us to your table, to delight in your presence, and to feast on your Word.
Be with us in speaking and in silence, in understanding and in wonder,
in our time together and beyond. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Eternal One, you contain us.
Loving One, you come to us.
Life-Giving One, you empower us.
In your mystery we open ourselves;
in your presence we listen;
in your love we are ready.

Poetry

       God is also not a rock

but a certain dancing
color under the river
where the light and the water
and the flowing happen
movement mingling
a murmur of curves
indefinite
but certain

outlines surrender and
the stone flows
the color of fish
also where you do not see it
and where the fish is
there is only a ripple
a dapple a shadow
a light

making everything
even later and far away
ocher and purple and blue
and flowing.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
         We live in you, God, infinite and eternal Creator and Source of all: you made us and all Creation out of yourself, made us of love, and made us for love.
         We follow you, Christ, love of God made flesh, our brother and companion. In Jesus of Nazareth, in the Crucified and Risen One, you show us the invisible God; you walk beside us; you heal, forgive and call us. Teacher and Savior, you direct our lives.
         We live by your grace, Holy Spirit: Love flowing in us from your infinite heart to all the world. In our communion in you we are One, the Body of Christ, raised from death to eternal life. By your power in us we live lives of love and justice, healing and reconciliation. Mother, Son and Holy Spirit, we worship you; we follow you; we open ourselves to your grace. Amen.

2.
         We give our hearts to you, O Loving Mystery, Father and Mother, Creator of all that is and all that is to come, unseen yet present in every place and time.
         We love you and trust you, Jesus Christ our brother, embodied Love of God, our savior and our teacher. You enter our life; you share our journey, even our sufferings: you were crucified and raised again, so that sharing our human nature we may share your divine nature.
         We live by your grace, Holy Spirit, breath of God in us, emerging energy of love. You lead us to live lives of compassion, courage, justice and beauty. You make us one with each other and with all living things. You are our Breath, our Life, our Loving. Mother, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we are yours. Alleluia and Amen.

3.
         We believe in God, the Holy Trinity. God is eternal Mystery, infinite and unknowable, who contains and transcends all, creator and ruler of all that is and that ever shall be.
         And God is love embodied in Christ, finite and vulnerable. We see the fullness of God’s love in Jesus, fully human and fully divine. We see God in his loving, his teaching, his gathering a community, in his dying and his rising.
         And God is Holy Spirit, alive in us, empowering us to love and to heal, to live lives of peace and justice, and to make of all nations disciples on the Way of God.
         Holy Triune God, all praise be yours, now and for eternity. Alleluia!

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.

Eternal God, we thank you for the universe you create.
We thank you for your presence in our lives.
We thank you for the gift of salvation.
We thank you for your will for justice,
and your liberation of the oppressed.
We thank you for the gift of Jesus.
Holy Mystery of Love, with all creation 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,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
Word made flesh, love made real.
Conceived and led by your Spirit,
he taught and healed, fed the hungry, and honored the outcast.
Infinite love in mortal form, he was crucified;
but infinitely alive with the Spirit, he was raised.
He comes among us to renew your Covenant to be with us always in love.

     (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,
one in your grace, radiant with your love,
and empowered by your Spirit
for the sake of the healing of the world.
Mother and Father, Son, and Spirit,
we thank you and bless you.

     [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.) In gratitude, we give you our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. Send us into the world, radiant with your mystery, alive with your Spirit, aflame with your love, to be your disciples and to make disciples of others. Be with us always, to the end of the age. Amen.

2.
Eternal One, enfold us in your mystery. Loving One, make us whole in your grace. Present One, empower us for lives of mercy and justice, in the name of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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


God Beyond, Within, Among (Tune: For the Beauty of the Earth)

Holy God, great Trinity, source of all things good and true,
Gracious, Blessed Mystery, now we come to worship you.
God beyond, within, among: hear us sing our thankful song.

God, Creator, Womb of Life, whose eternal love and power
gather Earth and bring forth light, re-create us in this hour.
God beyond, within, among: hear us sing our thankful song.
Christ, our, brother, meet us here; touch our wounded hearts and heal.

Word of God, made close and clear, in your grace your truth reveal.
God beyond, within, among: hear us sing our thankful song.
Holy Spirit, Breath within, Wind of Heaven, gentle Dove,
make us holy, save from sin, fill our hearts with perfect love.

God beyond, within, among: hear us sing our thankful song.
Blessed, Holy Trinity, in your image and your power
we are your community; re-create us in this hour.
Holy God, we worship you! Take our lives and make them new.


God Eternal, Holy Trinity (Tune: Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus)

God Eternal, Holy Trinity, Father-Mother, Spirit, Son,
Gracious Mystery, Loving Family, you have baptized us as one.
Sharing life at your kitchen table, feeding us with generous grace,
send us now into the world, one with all the human race.

Christ, our Brother, Guide and Teacher, Savior, Healer, Living Word:
we are baptized in your dying, in your rising, love out-poured.
You have fed us with the outcast, raised us to new life in you;
send us now to love our neighbors, with your Presence in all we do.

Holy Spirit, Bright Companion, Breath of Life that lives in us,
we are baptized in your power, grace to share your love and peace.
Send us now as your living Body, radiant with your infinite grace.
Lead us, guide us, bless and sustain us. May our living be your praise!


God of Creation, Birthing us Daily (Tune: Morning Has Broken)

God of Creation, birthing us daily,
granting salvation, making things new,
thanks for your blessing gladly we give you,
freely confessing our love for you.

Healing, forgiving, Jesus you touch us.
Bless all our living; grant us delight.
Jesus our brother, help us live gently,
love one another, trust in God’s light.

Grant us our living, great Holy Spirit,
faithfully giving hearts made of praise:
baptized in glory, servants of Jesus,
living your story all of our days.

God our Creator, You Gather Us Here (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

God our Creator, you gather us here,
you who release us from bondage and fear,
you who make all things, and make all things new,
gladly we sing our thanksgiving to you.

Light of the world, Christ, you healed the blind,
freed us from chains of oppression that bind,
died with our dying! Our life is in you:

Spirit, unite us, and make our hearts new.
Help us by grace to live lives that are true,
touch with your healing and see with your sight,
live in your pure love and shine with your light.

(Communion verse:)
Christ, by your Body and Blood, present here,
make of one Body your people so dear,
taken, blessed, broken and given, all free,
so all may have life, and abundantly.

Holy Mystery (Tune: Of the Father’s Love Begotten)

Holy Mystery, we worship you, Holy Three in One,
God beyond our understanding, Mother, Spirit and the Son,
Holy Love, Beloved, and the flowing Love between,
never ending or begun.

God, our infinite Creator, Source of all and ending too,
Holy Lover eternal, all around and in and through,
Love that flows in us, and in whom we all are one:
we find ourselves in you.

Infinite, eternal Love unseen, Love made flesh on earth,
Love that burns within our hearts, in whom all have infinite worth,
Mother, Son and Holy Spirit: we worship y0u in awe,
and receive new birth. Amen.


O Holy Trinity (Tune: Finlandia)

O Holy One, O Mystery beyond us,
we praise you, God, O Grace without a name.
Creator of the universe within you,
source of our life, Thou Infinite Divine,
unseen, unknown, we cannot frame or bind you,
only our wonder and our praise proclaim.

O Loving One, O Love who made the heavens,
you choose to come among us as our own,
the Living Word, in flesh revealed, Companion,
stranger and Friend, whose suff’ring is your throne.
Eternal Christ who humbly dies among us,
your tender mystery in love is known.

O Living One, O Grace who lives in our life,
we can’t contain you, but we can adore.
Spirit of Love beyond, beside, within us,
into our hearts your healing presence pour.
Many and One, O Mystery, Christ and Spirit,
we sing, we live your praise forevermore.