a community creating for the relentless return of Sunday
Your word, O Lord, is sweeter than honey
and more precious than gold.
Inspire this reading by your Holy Spirit
and lead us to the treasure of your will,
in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Nathan Williams, Covenant Presbyterian Church, West Des Moines, IA
Let us pray to God saying:
Beloved God, awaken our faith and guide our hearts.
Gracious God, we come before your word this day
and are reminded of the strong commands of the author of James.
We are humbled to be reminded that there have been times
when we’ve given preferential treatment to those for whom it is easier to do so.
As your people, we have long struggled to give the same love to a stranger
as to the person who we’ve known for so long.
Help us, as a congregation, speak and act
as ones for whom hospitality is the priority.
Beloved God, awaken our faith and guide our hearts.
Loving God,
we give you thanks for the gift of faith
that is found through Jesus Christ, your son.
Help us bring that gift to life through our living,
that we may be missional servants of your Kingdom.
Beloved God, awaken our faith and guide our hearts.
Where there are those who are naked, may we clothe them.
Where there are those without homes, may we house them.
Where there are those without acceptance, may we welcome them.
Where there are those without family, may we make them our own.
In all things, help us to fulfill your commandment to love one another.
Beloved God, awaken our faith and guide our hearts.
We pray this day for congregations such as ours
who are discerning how to be faithful to your calling
in these tumultuous times.
We trust that you do not abandon us when the going gets rough.
Rather, you walk alongside us as a friend
and hold our hand as a loving parent
to guide us in the path of faithfulness.
Thank you, Gracious God, for your steadfast love.
Beloved God, awaken our faith and guide our hearts.
Be with those whom we love and those who love them,
for those who are undergoing health problems…
for those who are struggling with mental health…
for those who lack health care…
for those who have suffered from the plague of gun violence in this country…
for those who have looked to the Church for comfort and found a closed door…
for those who live from paycheck to paycheck despite being fully employed.
Beloved God, awaken our faith and guide our hearts.
Hear us, Loving God,
as we pray the prayer you taught us to pray, saying: Our Father…
Submitted by Stephen M. Fearing, Beaumont Presbyterian Church, Lexington, KY
Call to Confession
Let us gather to lament what is broken in our lives and ask God to forgive us.
Confession
Your word reminds us that we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves.
But we make far too many distinctions,
treating one person with more dignity and respect than another.
We gladly welcome those who look and act like us,
but give a much less enthusiastic welcome to the stranger.
Forgive us for the moments when our faith has been empty,
for the times that our works have not matched our words.
Help us lean ever more towards your goodness
and help our lives reflect that goodness in concrete ways. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
The Psalmist reminds us:
Happy are those whose help is in God, whose hope is in the Lord.
Friends, God has heard our cry and has forgiven us our sins.
Alleluia! Amen.
Submitted by Stephen M. Fearing, Beaumont Presbyterian Church, Lexington, KY
God of Good News,
we are reminded this day
that our faith is always personal but never private.
Bless our worship this day that we might leave this place
to live out our faith in tangible ways that change lives.
In all that we do, may we do it for your Gospel. Amen.
Submitted by Stephen M. Fearing, Beaumont Presbyterian Church, Lexington, KY
Friends, be strong and do not fear, for we are in the presence of God.
Waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.
The burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water.
God brings forth abundance where before there was scarcity.
There is nothing that is impossible with God.
We are gathered to share God’s blessings with one another.
Come, let us worship God.
Submitted by Stephen M. Fearing, Beaumont Presbyterian Church, Lexington, KY
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