Mustard Seed . . . Mustard Tree Twenty-Seventh Sunday In Ordinary Time ☩ Proper 22 ☩ Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost World Communion Sunday The Festival of St. Francis October 2, 2022 A Liturgy For Worship and Meditation OPENING WORDS The God, who brought us to this place, accepts the hymns and words we share here, and in God's love that joins us in this worship we remember who and whose we are. CALL TO WORSHIP How shall we sing God’s song in a land of suffering? We shall sing of courage and the strength of the Holy, Almighty, Immortal One. How shall we sing the God’s song when we feel so lonely? We shall sing of unity and faithfulness, of reconciliation and hope, of a community that is unity in diversity. Come, let us sing the God’s song this day. Let us praise God in all our ways forever. SONG—All Creatures of Our God and King (Click Here For Music) Author: St. Francis of Assisi Tune: Lasst Uns Erfreuen Arr: The Mormon Tabernacle Choir All creatures of our God and King, Lift up your voice and with us sing, Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou burning sun with golden beam, Thou silver moon with softer gleam! O praise ye! O praise ye! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou rushing wind that art so strong, Ye clouds that sail in heav’n along, Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice, Ye lights of evening, find a voice! O praise ye! O praise ye! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou flowing water, pure and clear, Make music for thy Lord to hear, O praise Him! Alleluia! Thou fire so masterful and bright, That givest us both warmth and light. O praise ye! O praise ye! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! And all ye one's of tender heart, Forgiving others, take your part, O praise ye! Alleluia! Ye who long pain and sorrow bear, Praise God and on God cast your care! O praise ye! O praise ye! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Let all things their Creator bless, And worship God in humbleness, O praise ye! Alleluia! Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son, And praise the Spirit, Three in One! O praise ye! O praise ye! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! PRAYER FOR THE FESTIVAL OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI Almighty God, our great Creator, yours are the praise, the glory, the honor and all blessings! To you alone do all things belong. Be praised for giving us the animals, birds and fish which fill your world. May we think of you and thank you when we play with and care for our pets. Be praised for making us so happy to have our pets and to have them to play with. We ask you, O God, that we may be good to our pets always, so that they may be happy also. Help us always to take care of them so that they will be healthy. O God, your world is wonderful. May we all come into your even greater world of the Kin-Dom of heaven where we shall see even more wonderful things and where we shall live and love forever. This we ask to your eternal praise, and to our blessing. Amen. SONG This Is the Feast (Click Here For Music) Translator: John W. Arthur (1970) Tune: Setting 4 Lutheran Book of Worship This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia! Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God. Power and riches and wisdom and strength, and honor and blessing and glory are his. This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia! Sing with all the people of God and join in the hymn of all creation. Blessing and honor and glory and might be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen. This is the feast of victory for our God. For the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign. Alleluia. Alleluia! PRAYER FOR WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY O God, bread of life, cup of deliverance, throughout the world today, Christians are sharing in the Eucharist. We come together as a people whose caretaker who prepares a table for us in the presence of the threats that are known in every community. Help us to receive the elements of bread and wine for the nourishment of our souls and for the strengthening of our witness to your love for us. For we share one loaf in which we are all one, and drink from one cup which is the balm for our common brokenness. This we ask in the One who commanded us to keep the feast and has redeemed us all from all that would separate us from God. Amen. PRAYER OF CONFESSION AND BROKENNESS Faithful One, we confess that our faith wavers and falls apart. We confess that at times the world seems to work against us, and at times the world runs us over. We confess our wounds. We confess that at times we unintentionally harm others because of the spiritual and emotional injuries inflicted upon us. Forgive us, and help us to find healing with each other. Grant us Your peace and mercy in our lives. Help us to find hope and to trust in Your faithfulness, that when we fall apart, we will be put back together into something new; for You are our God, and make all things new, including us. Amen. (A BRIEF TIME FOR SILENT MEDITATION) WORDS OF ASSURANCE (from Lamentations 3:22-23) The steadfast love of God never ceases; God’s mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Great is the faithfulness of God, whose mercies never end. May you know God’s mercy and steadfast love in your life. May you know forgiveness, healing and hope. May you share that love, grace, and mercy with one another, and the peace of God will be with you, now and always. Amen. SONG Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow (CLICK HERE FOR MUSIC) Author: Thomas Ken (1674) Adapter: Gilbert H. Vieira (1978) Tune: Lasst Uns Erfreuen Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise God all creatures here below. Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise God the Source of all our gifts. Praise Jesus Christ whose power uplifts. Ptraise the Spirit, Holy Spirit. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleliuia! PRAYER In you, O God, do we trust; in your love we delight, for there is no other to whom we can turn, who knows our needs before we ask, reads our hearts and answers our requests. In you, O God, do we trust; in your peace we depend, for there is no other to whom we can turn, who calms our souls, brings release, and, when we are weary, in whose arms we rest. In you, O God, do we worship; in your majesty we exalt, for there is no other to whom we can turn, who in mystery and awe, stirs our imagination, and, when we are so inspired, you restore our sense of dignity and the sacredness of all life. In you, O God, we are and shall be forevermore. READING FROM THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES—Lamentations 1.1-6; 3.19-26 1 How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces has become subject to forced labor. 2 She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers, she has no one to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies. 3 Judah has gone into exile with suffering and hard servitude; she lives now among the nations; she finds no resting place; her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distress. 4 The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to the festivals; all her gates are desolate; her priests groan; her young girls grieve, and her lot is bitter. 5 Your foes have become your oppressors, and it is your enemies who are at ease— for YHWH has made you suffer because of your many sins! All of your children are gone into exile, prisoners of war in the hands of your enemies. 6 From daughter Zion has departed all her majesty. Her princes have become like stags that find no pasture; they fled without strength before the pursuer. ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ 19 The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! 20 My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. 21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of God never ceases, God's mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “God is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore my hope will be in God.” 25 The Most High is good to those who hope in God, to all who seek God’s presence. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of God. SONG OF PSALMODY—Psalm 137 1 By the rivers of Babylon— there we sat down, and there we wept when we remembered Zion. 2 On the willows there we hung up our harps. 3 For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” 4 How could we sing our God’s song in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither! 6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy. 7 Remember, O God, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem’s fall, how they said, “Tear it down! Tear it down! Down to its foundations!” 8 O daughter Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall they be who pay you back what you have done to us! 9 Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock! READING FOR THE EPISTLES—2 Timothy 1:1-14 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 2 To Timothy, my true child[a] in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the triune three-in-one Trinity. 3 I urge you, as I did when I was on my way to Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach different teachings 4 and not to occupy themselves with myths and endless genealogies that promote speculations rather than the divine training[b] that is known by faith. 5 But the aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. 6 Some people have deviated from these and turned to meaningless talk, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make assertions. 8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately; 9 this means understanding that the law is laid down not for the righteous but for the lawless and disobedient, for the godless and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their father or mother, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who engage in illicit sex, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching 11 that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I was entrusted. 12 I am grateful to the Beloved and Anointed One, Jesus, who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful and appointed me to his service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our God overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. READING FROM THE GOSPELS—Luke 17:5-10 5 The apostles said to Jesus, “Increase our faith!” 6 Jesus replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. 7 “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? 8 Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me; put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? 9 Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’ ” Being Honest With Our Feelings "O daughter Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall they be who pay you back what you have done to us! Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock!" Wow! Such brutal words. Such an extreme babies against a rock? Such anger. Such hatred. Such a seemingly — "I can't go there expression". I mean really, dashing babies against a rock? It sounds horrendous. The whole idea is heinous at best. But, what will be do with these words of Scripture? The first thing we might consider is the degree of cruelity the armies of Babylon have used in conquering the Hebrew people and bringing them to exile in this foreign land. War is never a pleasantry fought with good manners and common niceties. The Babylonians are a warring people who destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. They have decimated the center of the Hebrew people's connection with God. It was not just a physical act. It was an act that had deep spiritual implications. How can the Hebrew people sing songs that herald their Zion now a devastated point of God's presence and refuge? And, who such they were taunted! Secondly, we do well to consider the natural human response to such atrocious and barbaric actions have been dealt the Hebrew people by the armies of Babylon. We tend to domesticate the real and extreme feelings that our conscience is uncomfortable with. What humane people would entertain the thoughts and desires so grievous as these. Our core desire to love and be loved teters on the fulcrum of what is acceptable and what is not, especially when it comes to killing an enemies children in a violence that is more than cruel. Nevertheless, if we be honest and true to our emotions, our hearts and minds can conceive of some pretty awful stuff. Placing ourself in the context of the Hebrew people, we can begin to understand how such a wish is not only possible, but desired. Thirdly, there is a distinction that must be made. It is one thing to actually take a baby and thrust it against a rock, killing the child in such an appalling act, and another to feel the feelings and think the thoughts. Centuries later the acts of Herod killing all the children three years old and younger in order to defeat an possible threat to his kingship at the announcement of a Royal One being born still brings chills to our heart of hearts. Why would the Hebrew people not consider such thoughts as these? Finally, the core distinction that defines these words are the difference between actually committing the act and lifting one's innermost self to God including such a desire. Our prayers need not be filtered so that they are void of the harsh and rash realities that arise within us. It would be one thing to act on such thoughts and feelings and quite another to express them in grief to the God who understands and accept the full spectrum of human passions and sentiments. Therefore, in the end one does well to ask themself what thoughts and feelings they harbor against another person or hyuman system of injustice and consider them to be OK — OK for us and OK with God. We dare not act upon those inclinations that would harm another. Yet, our true feelings and honest wishes can and should be shared with God. For our God is One who desires the complete integrity and truthfulness that we can muster. Such prayer is not only a cathartic act, purging things not to be held on to, but also a movement of faith, trusting that God can and will deal with it in a way that brings healing and reconciliation. I am reminded of the words of an old, favorite hymn: What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer... Thou wilt find a solace there. PRAYER O God who gathers into one all who yearn to feast with you, and makes that celebration beam with a brightness that can overcome any gloom: reveal to us anew to the radiance of your love. We commit ourselves to You, O God of our salvation. By calling us you have placed upon your faithful people the serving the world with the tender compassion and peaceful justice of your Kin-dom. Amen. PRAYER OF INTERCESSION God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, may we allow our tiny seeds of faith to renew our spirits, rekindle the gift of You living within us, and place our trust and hope in You. of ☩ God of Salvation We commit ourselves to You God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, remove evildoers and perverted judgment from the chambers of all who govern on this Planet, in this Nation, and in this Community, that all victims of violence, poverty, and bigotry be met by righteousness and justice. We pray especially for the the rights of women, the acceptance and affirmation of people in the LGBTIA community, and the plight of the poor. ☩ God of Salvation We commit ourselves to You God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, grant ease to all who live with distress in body, mind, or spirit, and give rest to the hearts of those who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need especially those who are suffering in illness or injury, those in places of warfare and violence, and those children who go to school each day wondering if there will be a shooting or other violence. ☩ God of Salvation We commit ourselves to You God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, may the joy of our loved ones, now freed from earthly bondage, shine brightly in the immortal life and light of the glory of Christ. We pray especially for those who mourn and are in grief, that they may know comfort, strength and peace. ☩ God of Salvation We commit ourselves to You God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials for those who have gone on before us and gave an example in which to follow, yuour gifts of the Sacraments that make us one, and the gift of faith that may grow to do wonderful things for your praise. ☩ God of Salvation We commit ourselves to You God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, we lift up all who are appointed as Your heralds, that with the help of the Holy Spirit, they may hold to the standard of sound Gospel teaching, guarding the good treasure of your love and proclaiming the Gospel of working for justice and peace here and now. ☩ God of Salvation We commit ourselves to You O God, remind our impatient hearts to take our delight in You and to rely on Your power in our holy calling. Inspire us to nurture the fragments of faith our souls are holding, that we may bloom into the fullness of Your purpose and grace in Your appointed time. For Blessed are You and Blessed is Your Kin-Dom, now and forevermore. Amen. SONG FOR WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY One Bread, One Body (CLICK HERE FOR MUSIC) Songwriter: © 1978, John B. Foley SJ and OCP Publications TUNE: One Bread, One Body by John B. Foley SJ One bread, one body, one Lord of all. One cup of blessing which we bless. And we, though many, throughout the Earth We are one body in this one Lord. Gentile or Jew Servant or free Woman or man No more. One bread, one body, one Lord of all One cup of blessing which we bless. And we, though many, throughout the Earth We are one body in this one Lord. Many the gifts, many the works One in the Lord Of all. One bread, one body, one Lord of all. One cup of blessing which we bless. And we, though many, throughout the Earth We are one body in this one Lord. We are one body in this one Lord. IF YOU ARE CELEBRAING EUCHARIST (CLICK HERE) You will need a bread like food and wine or a fruit juice. THE PRAYER OF JESUS Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Abba God, hallowed be your Name! May your reign come. Give us today Tomorrow’s bread. Forgive us our sins, for we too forgive everyone who sins against us; and don’t let us be subjected to the Test.’” Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible. Sheed & Ward. SONG We Come to This Table Author: Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (2002) TUNE: KREMSER ("We Gather Together") We come to this table, O God, with thanksgiving. We lift up our hearts, we remember, we pray. We hear Jesus' welcome — inviting, forgiving; We know your Spirit's peace as we feast here today. We dine at your table as sisters and brothers, Diverse in our cultures, yet nourished as one. The bread and the cup that we share here with others Are gifts uniting all who are claimed by your Son. We grieve for your world here; we cry, "How much longer?" We pray for the cycles of violence to cease. Yet here, in Christ broken, we're fed and made stronger To labor in his name for a world filled with peace. We rise from this table with new dedication To feed the world's children, to free the oppressed, To clear out the minefields, to care for creation; We pray, O God of peace, that our work will be blest. BENEDICTION May God bless you and keep you! May God’S face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! May God look kindly upon you, and give you peace! Alleluia! Amen.

An Abbreviated Form As I Am On Vacation For the Week Rich Man and the Poor Man Lazarus the Leper Twenty-Sixth Sunday In Ordinary Time ☩ Proper 21 ☩ Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost September 25, 2022 A Liturgy For Worship and Meditation Opening Words Open our lips, O God. And our mouth shall declare your praise! Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O God. Prayer For Worship Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires, known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy Name. Amen. Song Wild and Lone the Prophet's Voice (Click Here For Music) Author: Carl P. Daw (1989 Tune: ABERYSTWYTH (Parry) 1 Wild and lone the prophet's voice echoes through the desert still, calling us to make a choice, bidding us to do God's will: "Turn from sin and be baptized; cleanse your heart and mind and soul. Quitting all the sins you prized, yield your life to God's control. 2 "Bear the fruit repentance sows: lives of justice, truth, and love. Trust no other claim than those; set your heart on things above. Soon the Lord will come in power, burning clean the threshing floor: then will flames the chaff devour; wheat alone shall fill God's store." 3 With such preaching, stark and bold, John proclaimed salvation near, and his timeless warnings hold words of hope to all who hear. So we dare to journey on, led by faith through ways untrod, till we come at last like John to behold the Lamb of God. Prayer For the Day God Eternal, you inspired Jeremiah to buy a piece of land when no one could see a future in it. Grant us such commitment to the future of your people, that you will always have workers for your vineyard and harvesters for your fields. Amen. Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15 32:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from God in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. 32:2 At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah, 32:3a where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him. 32:6 Jeremiah said, The word of God came to me: 32:7 Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, "Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours." 32:8 Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of God, and said to me, "Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself." Then I knew that this was the word of God. 32:9 And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. 32:10 I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales. 32:11 Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy; 32:12 and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard. 32:13 In their presence I charged Baruch, saying, 32:14 Thus says the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time. 32:15 For thus says the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land. Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16 91:1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, 91:2 will say to God, "My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust." 91:3 For God will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; 91:4 God will cover you with pinions, and under God's wings you will find refuge; God's faithfulness is a shield and buckler. 91:5 You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, 91:6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday. 91:14 Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. 91:15 When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. 91:16 With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation. 1 Timothy 6:6-19 6:6 Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; 6:7 for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; 6:8 but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 6:9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. 6:11 But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 6:13 In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of the Anointed and Chosen One, Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 6:14 to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 6:15 which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the Ruler of rulers and Govenor of governors. 6:16 It is Jesus alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to Jesus be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. 6:17 As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 6:18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, 6:19 thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. Luke 16:19-31 16:19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 16:20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 16:21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 16:22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 16:23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 16:24 He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' 16:25 But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 16:26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.' 16:27 He said, 'Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house— 16:28 for I have five brothers--that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' 16:29 Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' 16:30 He said, 'No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 16:31 He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'" Prayer Of Dedication Holy God, you reach out in love through Jesus Christ to save us so that we may live as faithful servants of you alone. Unchain us from our desire for wealth and power so that we may, in turn, release others from the prisons of poverty, hunger, and oppression. Amen. Prayers of the People Holy God, you have invited us into your presence, calling us to prayer for ourselves and one another. In Beloved and Anointed One, Jesus, the great high priest, you have given us an intercessor. It is with the assurance that Jesus himself gives us that we draw near to you, knowing we will be heard, knowing that you will listen, knowing that you want to hear our prayers. We pray for your world, believing that you who created it and sustain it by your spirit, love it still. Where there continues to be violence and bloodshed, year after year, we pray your presence and peace. We pray for all victims of violence, particularly gun violence. For leaders striving for peace and justice, we pray your blessing and your sustenance. We pray for those whom society has forgotten. We pray for those whom we have forgotten: for those experiencing homelessness, the sick, the outcast and marginalized, those who suffer from mental and emotional illness. Open our eyes week after week and disturb us to action in order that we might live lives worthy of the calling to which we have been called. Let us not be complacent. Stir our compassion. We pray for ourselves, merciful God. Where we harbor secret fears, we pray you will grant us relief. Where we are anxious over matters within our control and without, we ask for peace. Where we too are plagued by the same demons we identify in others, we ask for healing. Where we have allowed lesser gods to usurp your claim upon us and our lives, we pray for forgiveness. We pray for those whose troubles are known only to you, O God, that you would guide us to offer a hand of grace in your name to them. We pray for your church, O God, and we ask your blessing. Call us once more and give us a vision to be a light to all people. Make us the community of faith you would have us be. Blessed are You and blessed is Your Kin-dom, now and forevermore. Amen. Song Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart (Click Here For Music) Author: George Croly (1854, alt.) Tune: MORECAMBE, Frederick C. Atkinson (1870) 1 Spirit of God, descend upon my heart; wean it from earth, through all its pulses move; stoop to my weakness, strength to me impart, and make me love you as I ought to love. 2 Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh, Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear. To check the rising doubt, the rebel's sigh, Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer. 3 Teach me to love you as your angels love, one holy passion filling all my frame, the baptism of the heaven-descended Dove, my heart an altar and your love the flame. Dismissal with Blessing The bridging of the chasm is too much for us to do. The good news of the Gospel is that God has already bridged the abyss of our brokenness to bring us into the Kin-Dom's loving embrace. What remains is for us live in the fullness of our humanity to the glory of God. Now may the love, grace, and communion of the triune God be and abide with us all, for this day and forevermore. Amen.