THIRD SUNDAY IN LENTMarch 20, 2022Liturgy For Worship and Meditation |
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CENTERING IN PREPARATION Breathe in peace. Breathe out distress. Inhale. Exhale. Breathe in healing. Breathe out brokenness. Inhale. Exhale. Breathe in gentleness. Exhale irritation. Inhale. Exhale. Breathe in comfort. Breathe out pain. Inhale. Exhale. Breathe in silence. Breathe out distraction. Inhale. Exhale. Breathe in settledness. Breathe out stress. Inhale. Exhale. WORSHIP SONG CALL TO WORSHIP God is near. Come, let us praise the God of our creation. God is merciful and compassionate. Come, let us praise the God of our redemption. God is mighty and beyond our limitations. Come, let us praise the God of our sustaining. God is worthy of our praise. Blessed is God and blessed is God's Kin-Dom, now and for ever. OPENING PRAYER Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One: you created us for yourself and have given us life in your love. Apart from you, there is nothing holy, nothing beautiful, nothing honorable, nothing of value, nor anything of dignity. In you are life and the giftedness we need to live as your people. For you, O God, our hearts yearn. For you, Water of Life, we thirst. For you, O Wisdom and Truth, we seek your way. Guide us through the deserts of our hearts and minds. Lead us from the places of shadow to the illumination of your light. Help us to live as those who have been redeemed by you for the sake of justice and peace—here in this world, as it is in heaven. By your Spirit may we find ways to build community, to foster repentance and reconciliation, to embrace equality and equity in the gift of your Earth and the fruit that is bears. Make us anew to be living instruments of your Kin-Dom. This we pray in the Name that is above all names. Blessed are you, O God, and blessed is your realm, now and for ever. Amen. CONFESSION OF FAITH Looking, only because of the promise of finding, calling out, only because we are sure we are heard, we meet in one another's company in person and online so that we may meet with You, God of love which is richer than life. We look only because we were first sought out, we tell You we are here only because You first came to us. Help us, by Your Spirit, to seek you more, even as we have been fully found. —The Church of Scotland SONG OF PREPARATION There's A Sweet, Sweet Spirit In This Place PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION We seek you in your word, O God, as though we are searching for water in a dry and weary land. By the power of your Holy Spirit, may this word be to us a rich feast, satisfying the soul. Then with our mouths, we will praise you; and with our lives, we will bless you, our Host and our Hope. —Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Year C. Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. READING FROM THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES Isaiah 55:1-12 55:1 “All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, buy food and eat! Come, buy wine and milk, without money, without price! 55:2 Why spend your money for what is not bread, your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you will eat well, you will delight in rich fare; 55:3 bend your ear and come to me, listen, that you may have life: I will make an everlasting Covenant with you— in fulfillment of the blessings promised to David. 55:4 See, I have made of you to be a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the nations. 55:5 See, you will summon nations you never knew, and nations that never knew you will come hurrying to you— for the sake of the God of Hosts, the Holy One of Israel, who will glorify you. 55:6 Seek me, God Most High, while I may still be found, call upon me while I am near! 55:7 Let the corrupt abandon their ways, the evil their thoughts. Let them return to me, says the God of Hosts, and I will have mercy on them; return to me, your God, for I will freely pardon. 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways, my ways,” says the Holy One. 55:9 “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. 55:10 For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the sower and bread for food, 55:11 so will my word be that goes forth from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will carry out my will, achieving the end for which I sent it. 55:12 And you will go out joyfully, and be led out in peace; the mountains and hills before you will break into cries of joy, and all the trees in the countryside will clap their hands. —Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible. Sheed & Ward. PSALMODY FROM THE BOOK OF PSALMS Psalm 63:1-8 63:1 O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 63:2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 63:3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 63:4 So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name. 63:5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips 63:6 when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; 63:7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. 63:8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. READING FROM THE EPISTLES 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 10:1 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 10:2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 10:3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 10:5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness. 10:6 Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. 10:7 Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play." 10:8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 10:9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. 10:10 And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 10:11 These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 10:12 So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 10:13 No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. READING FROM THE GOSPELS Luke 13:1-9 13:1 At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 13:2 He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 13:3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 13:4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them--do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 13:5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did." 13:6 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 13:7 So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' 13:8 He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 13:9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"
CALL TO HEALING AND RECONCILIATION To the God who promises that God's mercy and compassion are above and beyond our most daring imagination, we come in prayer seeking the very love and nuture that fulfills its purpose. PRAYER OF BROKENNESS O God, source of everything that is good and of worth, whose holy love goes forth and does not return until the will of God is complete: We acknowledge that our ways are not like your ways. We have not loved you or our sisters and brothers. We have not tended the Earth in stewardship and faithfulness. We have neglected your will by what we have done and by what we have left undone. Our brokenness is quite evident. We grieve it within us. We reveal it in our relationships. Free us, O God of Liberation, from the oppression in which we live and place upon the burden of others. Grant us your Spirit of Truth, your Holy Wisdom, that we may once again live in the ways of life. For we long to be the loving people you have called us to be. Heal us, Holy Physician, Healing Balm of all souls. May we be renewed and enabled to do the work of justice and peace. WORDS OF ASSURANCE AND HOPE In joy you shall go out, and in peace you shall be lead. This is God's promise. Thanks be to God. Amen. (Isaiah 55.12) PRAYER OF INTERCESSION We lift our concerns and needs to God knowing that the God of all Wisdom hears us, and brings Wisdom to our contexts. For the Church that the Holy Spirit will nurture and renew us so that we may bear the abundant fruits of virtue and vibrant discipleship . . . God of all Wisdom, hear us and speak within us your Truth. For transformation of our minds and hearts that we may embrace the Gospel message, be converted from misdirected desires, and embrace our new life in . . . God of all Wisdom, hear us and speak within us your Truth. For a deeper awareness that we may recognize and be attentive to God's presence with us each day and how God is at work bringing us to fuller life . . . God of all Wisdom, hear us and speak within us your Truth. For the grace to experience everything as gift that in knowing God as the source of all existence, we may appreciate each day and each breath as a loving gift from God . . . God of all Wisdom, hear us and speak within us your Truth. For the gift of awe that we may reverence the holy ground on which we stand, the many blessings that we have received, our bonds of friendship, and our community of faith . . . God of all Wisdom, hear us and speak within us your Truth. For openness to God’s presence that we may be open to the surprising ways God is with us and desires to work within us and never limit how God can be revealed to us . . . God of all Wisdom, hear us and speak within us your Truth. For all who are experiencing affliction, particularly in Ukraine—and other place of violence and conflict—that God will hear their cries, relieve their sufferings, and give them strength to remain faithful . . . God of all Wisdom, hear us and speak within us your Truth. For the refugees and displaced persons of Ukraine, Latin and South America, and other regions—that God will guide them to places of safety, provide the resources that they need, and help them to be welcomed and supported . . . God of all Wisdom, hear us and speak within us your Truth. For greater stewardship of creation that we may fulfill God’s commission to care for the earth, water, and air that God has created for the good of all the human family . . . God of all Wisdom, hear us and speak within us your Truth. For all who are ill that the Spirit will renew the gift of life in all who are sick, give them strength to recover quickly, and guide their healthcare providers in making accurate diagnoses . . . God of all Wisdom, hear us and speak within us your Truth. For all students on spring break that God will help them to make good decisions, travel safely, and enjoy their time with family and friends . . . God of all Wisdom, hear us and speak within us your Truth. For all who are homeless that God will open resources for them to find affordable housing, safe neighborhoods, and helpful neighbors . . . God of all Wisdom, hear us and speak within us your Truth. For all government leaders that God will help them hear the cries of those who are suffering, inspire them with new insights to address the needs, and be moved to actions . . . God of all Wisdom, hear us and speak within us your Truth. For all your people that the Spirit will help them recognize both their need for God's transforming mercy and how much God loves them . . . God of all Wisdom, hear us and speak within us your Truth. For an end to war and violence that God will send an angel to challenge those who are using violence, open new opportunities for dialogue between conflicting parties, and help them find ways that will benefit all people with better lives . . . God of all Wisdom, hear us and speak within us your Truth. O God, Shape us and transform us by your grace, that we may grow in wisdom and in confidence, never faltering until we have done all that you desire to bring your realm of shalom to fulfillment. Amen. PRAYER OF DEDICATION AND THANKSGIVING Everlasting, ever-gracious, ever-seeking and ever-calling God, Yours is the offer of life because the gift of life itself is Yours. You call the universe into being and, through myriad interactions space and time come to be, stars and galaxies form, their dust gives potential for life— and we find ourselves here, alive, praising You. We are awe-struck not only at the grandeur of Creation but the miracle of incarnation. You choose, in Jesus the Christ to be born as one of us, living among us, showing Your grace and telling Your love, to be excluded from us, shunned and hated, dying among us, still showing grace and declaring love, to meet us risen, inviting us to listen that we may live. God of endless goodness, we praise You. Amen. —The Church of Scotland SENDING FORTH WITH BLESSING O God, pierce my soul with your love so that I may always long for you alone, who are the bread of angels and the fulfillment of the soul's deepest desires. May my heart always hunger and feed on you, so that my soul may be filled with sweetness in your presence. May my soul thirst for you, who are the source of life, wisdom, knowledge, light and all the riches of your love. May I always seek and find you, think about you, speak to you and do everything for the honor and glory of your name. Be always my hope, my peace, my refuge and help in whom my heart is rooted so that I may never separate from you. —St. Bonaventure, 13th century MUSIC FOR GOING FORTH God Will Make A Way |
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WORSHIP IN INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE AND PROGRESSIVE THOUGHT
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As a clergyperson with a disability now retired, this is my humble attempt to provide a ministry that some will find helpful. I have always focused on be inclusive and have struggled with the church's tradition of referring to God and humankind with masculine names and pronouns. Since the 1970's, thanks to my dear sister-in-law, I have been aware of the discrimination of women and have worked in the parish and community for equal rights with an equity of access to the resources that add blessing to life. I hope this site is of meaning to those who read it and worship with me and others within it. Peace.