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CENTERING IN PREPARATION
Most Holy God, here in silence, we await the touch of your Spirit with eagerness. We ask that you enter the lives of each one of us today, refreshing and renewing and healing us with the power of your loving Spirit, that we may live with purpose and enthusiasm and courage.
OPENING WORDS
O God of all, you have called us . . .
So here we are gathered in your Presence . . .
We come to worship . . .
Because you are a God Most Holy . . .
We come to praise you . . .
Because you are a God of all Power and Might . . .
We come to thank you . . .
Because you are a God who Provides and Sustains . . .
We come to pray to you . . .
Because you are a God who Listens and Answers . . .
We come to give ourselves to you . . .
Because you are the God of Life . . .
We come to offer our days and seasons . . .
Because you are a God Eternal . . .
Blessed are you, O God, for all your mercies . . .
Blessed is your Kin-Dom of peace, justice, and love, forever.
SONG
God Of Grace and God Of Glory
(Click Here For Music)
—Harry Emerson Fosdick
—Tune: CWM RHONDDA, John Hughes
God of grace and God of glory,
on your people pour your pow’r;
crown your ancient Church’s story,
bring its bud to glorious flow’r.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
for the facing of this hour,
for the facing of this hour.
Lo, the hosts of evil round us
scorn the Christ, assail his ways.
From the fears that long have bound us
free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
for the living of these days,
for the living of these days.
Cure your children’s warring madness;
bend our pride to your control;
shame our wanton, selfish gladness,
rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
lest we miss your kingdom’s goal,
lest we miss your kingdom’s goal.
Save us from weak resignation
to the evils we deplore;
let the gift of your salvation
be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
serving you whom we adore,
serving you whom we adore.
PRAYER FOR WORSHIP
God of grace, God of glory, upon us you have poured your love. You have given us minds to know you, hearts to love you,
and voices to sing your praise. Fill us with your Spirit, that we may celebrate your glory and
worship you in spirit and truth. Blessed and you and blessed is your Kin-Dom, now and forever. Amen.
SONG
The Gift Of Love
(Click Here For Music)
—Hal H. Hopson
—Tune: O WALY WALY, traditional English melody
Though I may speak with bravest fire,
and have the gift of all inspire,
and have not love, my words are vain,
as sounding brass, and hopeless gain.
Though I may give all I possess,
and striving so my love profess,
but not be given by love within,
the profit soon turns strangely thin.
Come, Spirit, come, our hearts control,
our spirits long to be made whole.
Let inward love guide every deed;
by this we worship, and are freed.
SCRIPTURE READING—What A Neighbor Does
Luke 10:25-37
10:25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
10:26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?"
10:27 He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
10:28 And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."
10:29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
10:30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.
10:31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
10:32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
10:33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.
10:34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
10:35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.'
10:36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"
10:37 He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
SONG
What Is the Word Like When God's Will Is Done
(Click Here For Music)
—Adam M.L. Tice,
—Tune: NEW WORLD, Sally Ann Morris
What is the world like when God's will is done?
Mustard seeds grow more than we can conceive:
roots thread the sol;
branches reach for the sun.
This is how God moves us each to believe.
What is the world like when God's will is done?
Witness the wandering child coming home;
watch as the parent breaks into a run.
This is how God longs for us when we roam.
What is the world like when God's will is done?
No more is neighbor just ally or friend;
peace thrives in places where once there was none.
This is how God works when rivalries end.
What is the world like when God's will is done?
Ready for feasting, we watch through the night,
tending our lamps till the new day's begun.
This is how God readies us for the light.
These are the stories that Jesus imparts,
filled with the Spirit who joins us as one.
Born through our voices, our hands, and our hearts,
this is a new world where God's will is done.
SCRIPTURE PRAYER
Ever-Loving God, source and provider of all that love is and will be:
We know we are to love you, to love you fully with heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Help us to be a good neighbor to all with whom we share our days.
May we love them as you have also commanded, even as we love you and ourselves.
And in our love shared freely without exception, may the peace with justice that is born and nurtured
be as your Realm in heaven here on earth. Amen.
PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
As your people, O God, we pray for all people, and your whole creation, saying:
Loving God. hear our prayer.
For the community who call upon your Name: that we may follow Jesus more closely and continue his mission of reconciling others to both You and one another . . .
Loving God. hear our prayer.
For those gathered here: that our deeds of compassion and loving service may be signs of your presence and action in the world . . .
Loving God. hear our prayer.
For openness of heart: that we may allow the pain and suffering of others to move our hearts and spirits to a loving response . . .
Loving God. hear our prayer.
For insight: that You will help us recognize our neighbor in the refugee, the homeless person, and the marginalized of society, and inspire our response to their needs today . . .
Loving God. hear our prayer.
For conversion of our spirit: that God will teach us how to love with our whole heart and guide us in moving our religious ideals from ideas to action . . .
Loving God. hear our prayer.
For freedom of spirit: that God will free us from fear, attachments, and wounds so that we may fully respond to all that You ask of us . . .
Loving God. hear our prayer.
For a new encounter of You: that through prayer and reflection on the scriptures, we may enter a deeper relationship with You, and with Jesus, in whose way we follow . . .
Loving God. hear our prayer.
For all who have been the victims of crime: that God will restore their loss, heal their wounds, and help them to trust others again . . .
Loving God. hear our prayer.
For all who care for those in need: that those working in outreach ministries, housing assistance, healthcare, pregnancy centers, or refugee services may continue to bring Your love and compassion to those whom they serve . . .
Loving God. hear our prayer.
For all who are ill, injured, or recovering from surgery: that they may know the tender touch of Your compassion through health-care providers and those who care for them . . .
Loving God. hear our prayer.
For healing of racism: that we may be instruments of reconciliation, working for justice, and promoting the advancement of all who have suffered prejudice or discrimination . . .
Loving God. hear our prayer.
For growth in respect in civic dialogue: that political leaders may have the discerning wisdom to know Your truth, and in respect protect the dignity of those with different ideas and strive to find a path that will promote the welfare of all . . .
Loving God. hear our prayer.
For better stewardship of Your creation: that being aware that all creation came through your love, may we work to honor and protect it as a sign of love for all people, and the generations yet to come . . .
Loving God. hear our prayer.
For all who are in transition: that God will guide those in times of change providing insight and gentleness. that leaders who are beginning new roles to find effective ways to listen and to cooperate in bringing forth your Realm today . . .
Loving God. hear our prayer.
For peace: that we may turn to You, who alone offers the only peace that endures, to bring an end to violence and bloodshed and give us a new vision for cooperation and justice . . .
Loving God. hear our prayer.
Come to our help, O Love Divine; make haste to deliver us, O Loving Mother and Father. Amen.
THE PRAYER OF JESUS
Our Parent, who is among us, blessed be your Creation.
May your reign be a reality here on earth.
May we become more interested in building your kin-dom here and now than in waiting for it to come down from above.
Let us share our bread with those who hunger.
Let us learn to forgive as well as to receive forgiveness.
Help us through the time of temptation, delivering us from all evil.
For ours are the eternal blessings that you pour upon the earth.
Amen.
—Copyright © by J. Manny Santiago, 1999. From the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Used with permission. Downloaded at Many Voices.
SENDING FORTH
May the peace of God which passes all understanding,
Keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God,
now and forevermore. Amen
SONG
We Sing a Love That Sets All People Free
(Click Here For Music)
—June Tillman
—Tune: WOODLANDS, Walter Greatorex
We sing a love that sets all people free,
that blows like wind, that burns like scorching flame,
enfolds the earth, springs up like water clear:
come, living love, live in our hearts today.
We sing a love that seeks another's good,
that longs to serve and not to count the cost,
a love that, yielding, finds itself made new:
come, caring love, live in our hearts today.
We sing a love, unflinching, unafraid
to be itself, despite another's wrath,
a love that stands alone and undismayed:
come, strengthening love, live in our hearts today.
We sing a love that, wandering, will not rest
until it finds its way, its home, its source,
through joy and sadness pressing on refreshed:
come, pilgrim love, live in our hearts today.
We sing the Holy Spirit, full of love,
who seeks out scars of ancient bitterness,
brings to our wounds the healing grace of Christ:
come, radiant love, live in our hearts today.
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