Category: Gratitude

Worship Resource Thanksgiving Sunday 2022

Gratitude

Call To Worship (from Psalm 100)

      Leader: Make a joyful noise to the LORD all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come into God’s presence with singing.

       All: Know that the LORD is God. It is God who made us; we are God’s. We are God’s people, the sheep of God’s pasture.

       Leader: Enter God’s gates with thanksgiving and God’s courts with praise. Give thanks to God. Bless God’s name.      

All: For the LORD is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever and God’s faithfulness to all generations.

Gathering Prayer

         God of gratitude, the Apostle Paul wrote “give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” This makes sense when things are going well. What about when things are unpleasant? What about when we experience grief and loss and harm? How can we give thanks? Holy God, your greatest gift is life itself and life itself is unending. Remind us again that no matter the circumstance, nothing can separate us from your love. Because of this we can say with the words of that old hymn, “Take our moments and our days. Let them flow in endless praise. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication

We give because we are grateful, Holy God. Bless our offerings that they may plant the seeds of gratitude in many hearts. Amen.

Worship Resources, Pride Sunday, Year C

* Call To Worship (Psalm 16)

One: Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

All: The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. 

One: The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.

All: You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

* Gathering Prayer

Holy God, you are our refuge and our strength, a very present help in  trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake at the heart of the sea. On this day when communities around the world celebrate LGBTQ pride, we pray that you will make this place a refuge for all of those who suffer discrimination, threats of violence, and shame because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. O God who looks on the heart  teach us to see as you see.  O God of boundless love, teach us to love as you love: without limits.

The Lord’s Prayer (Debts) (Unison)

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.  Amen.

What’s Up with Pastor Todd 3/24/22

Different point of view, an orange colored owl standing out from the crowd. ( 3d render )

What’s Up with Pastor Todd 3/24/22

What does the word “grace” mean to you? To me, “grace” points to an attitude of openness, trust, curiosity, invitation, and groundedness. It has a feel of lightness and play. Grace is making space for another person to be their best self. Grace–especially in the Christian sense–is a free gift, undeserved and unconditional. 

As a child I was taught that grace is the pivotal point of God’s plan for salvation. We were taught that the whole of the gospel could be summarized in three words: 1) “guilt,” that is, the recognition that every one of us is imperfect and in need of forgiveness, 2) “grace,” that is, God’s unmerited gift of forgiveness and healing through Jesus, 3) and “gratitude,” that is, our response to God’s grace in living lives of joy and service. 

The word “grace” came to mind this week as I was listening to your stories about First Church of Christ in Saybrook. Many of your stories were stories of conflict, disagreements, differing viewpoints, the heartbreak that results when differences lead to divisions and divisions lead to folks leaving the church. 

Grace in response to differences in perspective could also summarize the recommendation of a church leadership podcast I regularly listen to. In his podcast for this week, church consultant Carey Nieuwhof interviews scholar Francesca Gino, who teaches at Harvard Business School, about her latest article in the Harvard Business Review, entitled, “Managing a Polarized Workforce.” I recommend both the article and the podcast.

Dr. Gino offers very helpful and concrete advice based on her research into what causes and what helps with conflict. Rather than try to summarize them here, I refer you to the resources above. Here are my takeaways:

  1. Conflict is normal.
  2. Differing viewpoints are desirable because when they are engaged in a healthy way, they actually increase the organization’s effectiveness.
  3. We can learn skills to transform conflict into moments of profound insight and deep connection.
  4. Engaging directly in conversation with someone who disagrees is often not as bad as we imagine it will be.

I’m looking forward to creating grace moments with you as together we learn new behaviors for engaging natural, God-given differences.