LiturgyLink

a community creating for the relentless return of Sunday

You are here: Home / Archives for Ordinary Time / Year A / Ordinary 9A-33A / Ordinary 16A

Ordinary 16A

Prayer: Mercy and Justice

By Leave a Comment

written for National Day of Prayer, for the government.
Lord, as we delicately balance a relationship between mercy and justice
Give us a prudence for Good News when only Sheol surrounds us.
Suffering is real, death is real, this pandemic is real, and you are real.
Those who discern their power in the midst of crisis through wisdom
comfort the poor, shepherd the vulnerable, feed the hungry, and heal sick.
May their work translate from the language of illness to the celebration of wholeness.
Those who discern their power in the midst of crisis through foolishness
ignore the poor, endanger the vulnerable, hoard from hunger, and heal only some.
We know now that you show no partiality and we search to find you in all creatures.
Make our leaders grow as people worthy of their civic calling.
Make us uneasy when they act with injustice, and proud when they pursue peace.
Dissuade any political entity or party from propaganda, misinformation, & scapegoating.
Bring forward in our government the best of who we are when we are fully human
And actively decide to love our neighbor as ourselves.
We do this because you first loved us.
In Jesus Name.
submitted by Brian Merritt, First Presbyterian Church of Hackettstown, NJ 

affirmation: in every place

By Leave a Comment

We believe in God: omnipresent, in every time, and in every place, generating and sustaining all life, nurturing relationship with Creation.

We believe in Jesus, the Christ, who lived and loved, taught and died; the One who conquered death and who surprises us with grace, when we least expect or deserve it.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who journeys with us and makes our faith possible, in every situation and every circumstance.

We believe that every place we pause to recognize the mystery of our Triune God, is a sacred place, from sanctuaries on North Sixth Street to sunrises over the Atlantic Ocean. Surely, God is with us in every time and in every place, and we are grateful.

 

Submitted by Jerie Lukefahr, Commissioned Ruling Elder (PCUSA)

*Loosely based on Gen 28:10-19 – can be adapted to reflect local elements. 

CTW and Assurance: God is in this place

By Leave a Comment

Call to Worship:
Leader:          Surely, God is in this place,
People:          and calls us to worship in spirit and in truth.
Leader:          Surely, the Lord is in this place
People:          receiving our songs and praise.
All:                 Surely, God is in this place! Let us praise the Lord!

 

Assurance of grace:
Leader:          Surely, God is here, reconciling us through the gift of grace.
People:          Surely, Christ is here, bringing the Good News of our salvation.
Leader:          Surely, the Spirit is here, leading us to share this gift with others.
All:                 Thanks be to God, God is always with us.

 

Submitted by Jerie Lukefahr, Commissioned Ruling Elder (PCUSA)

confession: you know us

By Leave a Comment

All: God, you know us inside out, when we lie down and when we rise. Your knowledge is so complete and wonderful, we can never comprehend it. But that doesn’t stop us from believing we have it all figured out. Forgive our arrogance and misplaced pride. You are everywhere present. Whether we find ourselves in the depths of despair or the heights of heaven, you are there. But that doesn’t stop us from trying to confine you to one day of the week, one place in the future, one holy book, or one favorite pew. Forgive us when we ignore your call, and when we try to hide from your gaze. Forgive us when we act as if you cannot see, when we restrict your love to our understanding, and when we claim that your presence is just for some.

~silence~

One: God, you look on us with love, no matter who we are or where we have been.
All: We count blessings like grains of sand, and when we come to the end, still we will be with you. Silence in us any voice but your own, and guide us as we walk your way. Amen.

Confession – Blessings we cannot grasp

By Leave a Comment

God, from whom all blessings flow, forgive us when we forget we are blessed
To be alive, present in the world;
To inhale and to exhale;
To feel sun on our faces and earth beneath our feet;
To taste cool water on our parched tongues;
To share a moment or a space with another person;
To know that You are with us and will never leave;
To love and be loved by you.
Remind us that such blessings cannot be counted, but enjoyed, shared, and multiplied. When we confuse a self-centered want with blessing, when we think a blessing something we have achieved rather than received, gently turn our heads and hearts.
Bring us back to the wonders of life in your world, so close that they can never be grasped or taken or hoarded. In the name of Christ, who came that all may know your blessing, Amen.

Assurance of Grace
Beloved of God, hear the good news; let it live in you. We are heirs of God’s promise, that God is with us, that we are each loved by God as if we were the only one, that God’s blessings are always a clue to God’s love. Know that you are blessed, and live in peace.

Submitted by Rev. Laura Cunningham, Nauraushaun Presbyterian Church, Pearl River, NY