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.
Lost Neighbors? God brings Strangers/Enemies/Immigrants
Call to Worship (based on Psalm 15)
Come let us dwell with God Come let us sit in God’s honesty Let us find our deepness here Come we want to honor imago dei in one another May we be near each other and God Come, let us dwell in God together
Call to Worship Come let us find our neighbors The big, small, near and the far Who is our neighbor? Come let us find our neighbor with God Come let us build a community with God Come let us dwell with God and neighbor today
Prayer of Confession: God we confess, sometimes we do not want to admit that those who need help are close enough to be our neighbors. However, you remind us that anyone who is helper is a neighbor. Teach us to build neighborhoods of love we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Let us dwell in the Good News of God, God is here to forgive us so we can live in community with one another, so we know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayer of Confession: God we confess that I do not always see imago dei, your image in the eyes of those human beings around us. Sometimes we find people too annoying, different or mean to find any image of God in them. And yet you remind us, there is no one who is not made in your image. Teach us, how to see humanity in your image we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News, God loves us and calls us by name, so we know the truth, in Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of Confession: God we confess we are always comparing ourselves, we are in tumult over surviving the world, like Martha. However let our anxiety not take away from the good in the world. Teach us to understand both our Mary and Martha parts we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Jesus loves us exactly as we are, so let us dwell in the grace of Christ knowing the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen
Prayer of Dedication/Day: God, may we go into the world knowing that you are inspiring us to heal, bless and find neighbors through all the gifts that we are given. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen
God I’m gonna have to be reminded of your steadfast Love once again
Because the truth is I might be grasping onto it, by threads these days
For it might be one of the few things That makes my heart sing and reminds me that there are good things to eat and that art is worth making in this world
For truly sometimes everything seems to be full consumers– you know them the dullards who for some reason want to BURN everything Down And they seem to multiply like weeds And at time Evil seems to flourish And spread Nothingness Wherever they go
And so I meditate on you God and remember How Evil fell once before
And I count my blessings And how you reach out to me.
I remember all the enemies —my enemies, but really our enemies, because they are the enemies of justice, equity and good— You have defeated on my behalf before that my eyes have seen my ears have heard internal external I have proof And I take a deep breath and remember
God I know that you grow justice blooms, fruits, flourishes It becomes mighty and beautiful solid and wondrous, Like a towering oak that I could build a treehouse in and nestle in to sleep– and that will continue to be safe even in its oldest years.
And God as I nestle, may I remember you are always full of justice even when all else fails You will always stand for equity. I can sleep knowing that.
Call to Worship Still Again, let us declare God’s steadfast Love, with songs, instruments and praise For God makes our hearts glad by your work, by the works of God’s very hand, we sing for joy! God’s works are great, and God’s thoughts are too deep to even know; destruction and nothingness have nothing to do with you God of the Covenant, we will rest with you Come, let us seek sanctuary and Sabbath with God Come, let us rest with Jesus
Prayer of Confession: (All) God we admit that we long for wholeness, and healing and peace and all of that, but confess that we feel like it is something that we need to achieve instead of seek. Help us to find Sabbath, to sit and be with the Lord of the Sabbath with Pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Hear the good news, Jesus is walking with us, teaching us and healing us, thus we know the good news: (All) In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen
Offering/Dedication Prayer: God, may we use these and all our gifts for rest, healing and wholeness as we go into the world we pray. Amen.
Children’s Sermon: Remember that God rested on the 7th Day, so it is not surprising that Jesus wanted to honor resting/healing with the disciples even before he chose them/got to work with them
Breathe in: God I am overwhelmed Breathe out: God sit with me
God, I confess that I have been cursed with your Holy Spirit I have your empathy in spades
Her whispers echo in my ear I feel worry for the children for my trans* and nonbinary family for all those who are black and brown
whose birth, citizenship and being are being tossed about and trying to be erased like words on a page
Holy Spirit How is it that the same Spirit that comes and teaches us to witness also encourages, inspires and consoles?
God almighty I confess my breath catches when I feel our relationships with other nations disintegrating when I see signs of hate shrugged off or joked about
Pneuma– I confess, I need your help to breathe in to breathe out because I confess that sometimes remembering to breathe freely is an act of rebellion
Jesus Christ I remember all of your short actions that were so disruptive most of them were listening and calling people by their chosen name
Walk with me walk with us as we do the same help us to listen closely to one another and to call one another by name
God of empathy breath listening and Name
Be with us in this time of Trial I pray Amen
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”
And this morning God All I can think about is the passage
What forbids me from being baptized Philip? asks the Ethiopian Eunuch and I’m sure Philip thinks of all of the ramifications that this person is of nebulous rank nebulous gender* nebulous status from another country
what authority does Philip have? But Philip was sent by an angel to say yes
And I feel like Philip running alongside chariots not knowing what authority we have
We are in a nebulous time
knowing things are in flux being asked hard questions
and I hope we say yes as often as we can
Because God knows God is not preventing us from loving and including each other
God’s yes is strong even when we don’t know
And it’s ok not to know
I don’t know God that’s my prayer I just don’t know Amen
Feel Free to share/adapt/use with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
*Though to be clear that individual, the Ethiopian Eunuch, may have known exactly who they were and what their gender status was, the LBTQIA breadth and depth is beautiful in all of it’s multiplicities
katyandtheword 