Tag: worship resources

Worship Resources for Proper 27B/Ordinary 32B/Pentecost 25. November 11, 2018

*Call to Worship

In ancient Israel most people were farmers. So worship included sacrifices of crops and livestock as a way of honoring the belief that all that we have and that life itself is a gift of God. Life is not ours to possess but ours to give is service of others. In this way sacrifice can be a path to a joyful, meaningful life. We not longer offer sacrifices of crops and livestock, but we do sacrifice our time, talent, and treasure. And in worship we are invited to lay down our hearts and lives before God. Let’s worship God.

Prayer of Confession         

Holy God, sacrifice is difficult. We clench our fists tight even though letting go would open us to blessing beyond measure. Forgive our mean-spiritedness. Teach us faith by giving us the courage to do faithful things. Teach us joy by giving us a spirit of sacrifice. Teach us love by helping us to follow the example of Jesus, who laid down his life that we might have abundant life now and eternal life in the world to come. Amen.

*Prayer of Dedication

Holy God, on this Veterans Day we acknowledge the sacrifice of those who have served our country. Our offerings seem to pale in comparison. But we trust that you will bless what we now offer now and continue to grow our giving. Amen.

Worship Resources for Proper 26B/Ordinary 31B/Pentecost 24 November 4, 2018

Mark 12: 28-34

*Call to Worship                                                                                   

What is love for you? Jesus said the greatest commandment is love. Christians should love God above all and our neighbors as we love ourselves. But do you love yourself? What would it mean to love oneself in a Christian way? And how is that different from narcissism? How do we love our neighbors? Is being nice enough? And what about God? How are we supposed to love someone we can’t even touch or see? Love is the heart of who we are as Christians. Let’s open our hearts to God in worship.

Prayer of Confession     

Holy God, we confess we’re not always sure what love is. Sometimes we delude ourselves into thinking we’re behaving in loving ways when, in fact, we’re just serving our egos. Sometimes we cut ourselves off from love because we’re frightened it might change us. If we truly loved someone, if we truly loved you, would we lose our sense of who we are? If we truly made ourselves vulnerable, would we get taken advantage of? So we hold back. We make half-hearted gestures. We make grand sacrifices to show off our moral superiority. And all the while we miss the love we long for. Forgive us and heal us. Amen.

*Prayer of Dedication

Holy God, the Apostle Paul reminds us that if we give away all our possessions but do not have love, we gain nothing. So we offer our money, but more than that, we offer our hearts. Bless our offerings. Amen.

 

Worship Resources for Proper 25B/Ordinary 30B/Pentecost 23 Mark 10:46-52

*Call to Worship       

Like Blind Bartimaeus, Jesus’ call puts a spring in our step and brings a jolt to our awareness. Even if we can’t see Jesus, we can confidently follow the sound of his voice. Worship is our calling out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” Scripture tells us that when we call, Jesus responds. Let us worship our Savior.

Prayer of Confession                                                                              

We confess, Jesus, that we often assume we know what others need. We offer help that’s unasked for and sometimes unwelcome. In our zeal to do good, we fail to honestly examine our intentions. Is this truly about serving Christ’s mission or is this more about serving my ego? These are tricky questions, God. Give us the courage to open our hearts to the light of your love trusting that you accept even our imperfect offerings. Amen.

*Prayer of Dedication

Holy God, we offer our hearts for healing and our resources for genuine service. Amen.