April 13 Lent 6 Passion/Palm Sunday Luke 19:29-44 Psalm 118:19-23 Triumph Entry, Jesus Weeps Lost Peace? God weeps with you
Call to Worship Let God open the gates of Equity Whenever God opens them, I give thanks When God opens the gates Justice will enter I thank God who answers prayers—and becomes Liberation The stone that the builders reject will become the chief cornerstone, it is God’s doing God’s steadfast love endures forever, Praise God!
Call to Worship When God opens the Gates, we shall know Equity, Justice and Liberation will flow in the form of Lovingkindness All that seemed marginal and rejected before, will become marginal In God’s world, everything will be upside down, and peace will finally be prioritized We love God who is all about love, salvation and redemption. How can you no praise that kind of God? Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Prayer of Confession: God, we confess that we get tangled up in our words, thinking that this story is all about judgement instead of empathy. We confess that too often we are looking for the bad guys, instead of the purveyors of peace. Forgive us, teach us how to plant, sow and understand peace we pray. Amen.
Prayer of Confession: Jesus, we confess that sometimes we want to weep without stopping. We feel stuck in the Good Friday moment, and we do not feel like a resurrection people at all. Sit with us when we cry, and teach us how to get up, walk and take the next steps we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News: Nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ, nothing in the present, past or future. No angels, demons, laws, rules, governments, powers, principalities, churches or anything else. So hear and know in your hearts the Good, Good News. In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God send us into the world, remembering that Jesus became fully human to walk and be with us. May we try to be fully present in love with one another too. Amen.
Call to Worship How our souls long for God My heart and flesh sing for the joy to the living God Even the Sparrow (Freest of Birds) finds a home, and the Swallow (Smallest of Birds) a nest for herself. Happy are those who live in your House, Singing your Praises God. A day in God’s house is better A day in your courts, are better than a thousand elsewhere Come let us keep the door for God Come let us listen for God, our sun and our shield, today.
Call to Worship We long for you God We want to feel your presence Even when we can’t see you God you see us and call us Be with us God, be with us today
Prayer of Confession: God I confess that it is hard to see Jesus. We look and cry out, and sometimes Jesus is not there. Teach us to be open to Jesus so that when he invites himself over to dinner, we may be able to open our doors to him we pray. Amen
Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News, Jesus is looking for us, and loving us into being. Thus we know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayer of Confession: Jesus, we confess that we hate not knowing and feeling lost. We feel like we need to know the way. Allow us trust that it is ok to feel blind, and help us when we stumble and fall we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and will never lead us astray, so we know the truth. In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God teach us to be ok with following Jesus, even when we feel lost along the way. Teach us to trust and follow we pray. Amen.
March 30 Lent 4 Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus Luke 16:19-31 Psalm 41:1-3* Verse 3: Lord sustains them in their sickbeds could be translated as God sustains them mutually in sickness or health
Lost Life? God reminds you what really matters There is a theme of mutuality and community As well as an interesting theme about weeping here: weeping wounds, weeping from sadness, etc.
Call to Worship Blessed are those who consider the Poor God protects For God delivers them trouble God sustains God provide mutuality, in sickness or in health God restores Blessed be the Divine From Everlasting to Everlasting, Blessed be God
Call to Worship God we look to you in mourning You love us God of resurrection, You are rich beyond compare You are the God of Love You remind us to live in Love May we greet one another in Love today
Prayer of Confession: God we confess that we are a country that hoards things: goods, power, influence. We are not good at sharing. And you are honest with us, resurrection and life and the Good News are sometimes not enough for us to hear. We confess that we are afraid of losing things. Teach us to live into love, relationships and community and to embrace joy and good whenever we can, so that we do not miss the riches we have we pray. Amen.
Prayer of Confession: Jesus we confess that we worry, we worry sometimes that we are the Rich Man, other times we worry that we are Lazarus with weeping wounds unable to help others. Help us when we are uncertain or scared of the outcomes, to remember that Christ is with us, doing the work of resurrection.
Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News Jesus came for us, loved us, taught us, died for us and is resurrected for us, so we know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God your Good News calls us towards a Resurrection that is beyond riches. Teach us to hear and believe your Good News we pray. Amen.
Children: https://a.co/d/evgvo9hThe Golden Goose Laughter and Joy over Money) Or the Selfish Giant The Kingdom of Heaven is sharing not Hoarding https://a.co/d/dJq9XqJ There are a million editions of both of these stories–and they could be told with figures too or cutouts as well
Themes: Lost, God is enough Holding Uncertainty Trusting that you can participate, plant seeds and that acting in Love is enough Every Story is God providing in unexpected ways
March 23 Lent 3 Lost Sheep, Coin, Son Luke 15:1-32 Psalm 119:167-176 Lost? God searches, and searches and finds you (Instead of You Finding God)
Call to Worship God, you seek us Even when we feel lost and alone You not only find us, you celebrate God, help us to find you God wants us to find each other Come let us find one another and celebrate with God
Call to Worship (based on Psalm 119:169-176( God’s hand is ready to help We long for God’s liberation Let us live, so that we can praise God When we have gone astray, seek us out God, for you are our shepherd My lips will pour forth praise, and you will give me understanding of your Word Come let us sing of God’s promises together.
Call to Worship God we may lose you But you will find us God sometimes I feel all alone God you are the shepherd, the widow who never stops searching God, you are the father who throws pride aside and runs and runs to greet his child Come let us be with a God who wants to spend time with us
Prayer of Confession: God, I confess that I find myself searching. Sometimes I am not sure if I’m the one who is lost, or if it is others. Then I realize, it doesn’t matter, for we all belong to God. You just want us to find one another and you. Whether we are the sheep, shepherd, widow, elder or younger child or the parent in the story this week; help us to find and rejoice with one another we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: God promises that if we knock, the door will open, so we know whenever we ask, God will forgive, so let us proclaim the truth In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayer of Confession: God, we confess that the last minute stories of you finding and forgiving people make us uncomfortable. We are the people who are here on Sunday, worshipping, doing due diligence. Forgive us, teach us the unbridled joy of the Widow, Shepherd and Parent who rejoice, hug and dance when they find what they have been looking for we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News: Jesus Christ loves us and give us grace to learn and be found again and again, let us rejoice together saying: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: May we go into the world continuing to seek communion with one another and God in the world wherever we go we pray. Amen.
March 16 Lent 2 Lament over Jerusalem/Fig Tree Bore No Fruit Luke 13:1-9, 31-35 Psalm 122 Lost Fruit/People? God Gives Time and Dirt (remember what humans are formed with)
Call to Worship (based on Psalm 122) I am glad, whenever I make it to God’s House We stand at the Gates of God, and sigh We are heading towards God, bind us together Peace is on our lips Put it in our hearts Come let us experience the fruit of God
Prayer of Confession
God, we are looking for the fruit of our labors, and yet, we confess that it seems to be missing. Where is it? We are frustrated! Grant us patience, fertilizer, dirt, time, all of the time we need. Grant us the peace to grow we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: God of Time, a thousand years is like a day for you, and so we know that your forgiveness is quick. We will linger in your steadfast love and the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayer of Confession: God we confess that we long for your sanctuary and to seek your walls, but it is hard to get you. We cannot always find your peace. We can’t always get to church, find time to pray, or even remember that you are there to shout to God? Help us when we cannot find the ways to access you God, to take the time and space to do so, we pray. Remind us that you will fill the space for us. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Jesus is the Prince of Peace, therefore we can rest in the truth In Jesus Christ we are Forgiven
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God, remind us as we enter the world, that you will give us time and food that we need, grant us the gift to do the same for others we pray. Amen.
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