Kingdom of God is Like – Page 2

Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard

March 5
Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard
Matthew 20: 1-16
Psalm 16:5-8

Call to Worship
God, how is it your grace is so expansive
Truly God, your keep calling us
Come let us bless our God who calls us
God calls us by name
Let us keep God before us, God who is always at our right hand!
God be praised, God is with us! Let us Praise God together!

Call to Confession: God is calling us to confess, Come let us confess ourselves to God

Prayer of Confession: God we confess that sometimes you have to call us more than once. Sometimes we are the ones that do not hear you until close til dusk. We confess that we envision ourselves as the early morning workers–but we do not know when it is you first called our name. God’s love is not a competition. Help us to remember that faith is always a gift, and that you are always, always calling us by name. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News: The Steadfast Love of the Lord never changes, God’s mercies never come to the end, they are new every morning, so we know that God will always love and forgive us. Let us proclaim the Good News: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Let us go into the world refreshed by the Holy Spirit and remembering that it is God who is calling us by name. God loves us from the earliest dawn til the darkest dusk–let us go forth enveloped in that love. Amen.

Hymns: Morning has Broken, This is My Father’s World, Here I am Lord,

Lent: Walking towards the Kingdom of Heaven

Christ’s Kingdom begins
with Ashes, on the brow
remembering
we are fragile
Ephemeral
mere mortals

We were transfigured
with Jesus Christ
from humans
into humans
sent back to do the work
of listening
to Jesus–and other humans

The kingdom of God is like
Figuring out the Difference
between forgiveness
and debts

The Kingdom of Heaven is like
Waiting and Preparing
And finally having the waiting en

The Kingdom of Heaven is like
Answering a question
with question

The Kingdom of Heaven is like
the wonder children have
at ants, kindness,
who compliment animals and clouds
on the daily

The Kingdom of Heaven is like
a parable
Hard to explain
but a good story about
humanity’s value

As ephemeral beings
Full of death
and resurrection
Both at the same time

Come, let us walk together

Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta

Forgiveness, Feb 26th

February 26th
Forgiveness
Matthew 18:15-35
Psalm 32:1-2
Kingdom of Heaven is like Unending Forgiveness

Call to Worship
God is calling do you hear?
God is calling for forgiveness
God is the great accountant
Look, even now God’s grace is spilling upon us
Come let us drink up God’s grace
Come let us gather, by the grace of God

Call to Confession: Is it not beautiful to be able to bring your full self to God? Come let us confess ourselves to God?

Prayer of Confession: God I confess that I do not always understand this forgiveness thing, how do you do it? How am I supposed to do it? Can I forgive when I am still angry? Is there such a thing as forgive and forget? Is seventy-seven times per person, or a metaphor or what? Forgiveness seems to be a complicated thing, please cover me in grace, so I might better glean the beginnings of a forgiveness practice I pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Hear the good news, you are forgiven, as soon as you confess, Jesus has made it so, and hopefully, we can learn how not to make the same mistakes again: thus we can proclaim the good news to one another: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Let us go into the world, forgiven and forgiving, ready to embody the grace that God has given us as the confessing Body of Christ. Amen.

Transfiguration, Feb 19

February 19
Transfiguration:
Matthew 16:24-17:8
Psalm 41:7-10
Suggested Micah 6:8 (again)
Psalm 46:10
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like God Shading Godself, for humans to perceive

Call to Worship
God calls us, the deep from the deep
God your magnificence is too great for us
God you are changed from glory, into glory
So you come to us, human, and walk with us
Teach us again, today
Come let us walk with God

Call to Confession: What is confession, but walking with God? Why don’t we let ourselves walk with God here.

Confession: God we confess that we are overwhelmed by being human. How is it then can we take in your glory of divinity? We feel like we should respond. We feel like we need to do things or say things. And yet, sometimes, stillness is grace. Sometimes we need to just sit with our own humanity. Sometimes its ok to just try to get to know ourselves better, and to remind ourselves that getting to know ourselves is to get to know you. Let us allow ourselves to do that we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Be still, and know God is with your, today, tomorrow, everyday, and feel the good news: In Jesus Christ you are forgiven.

Prayer of the Day/Dedication: May we walk into the world shaded by God, so that we might better be able to hear and understand the Good News God has for us today. Amen.