Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

CENTERING WORDS
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Preparation

The beginning of the prelude is a call to silence to  enter into the spirit of prayer and community.

PRELUDE “Kites” – S. Conrady

CALL TO A JOYFUL WORSHIP
This is the day that you have made, Lord.
Help us to rejoice in it and be glad!
Remind us of the privileges we enjoy as your people:
to come to you in these moments, to confess our sins,
to receive forgiveness and give it, to pray, to listen with
our hearts the beautiful music, to renew our fainting spirits,
to rest in all your promises.
Open our eyes to see you, Lord.
Open our ears to hear your Word O Lord.
Visit us through your Holy Spirit,
and help us to celebrate our faith. Amen.

OPENING HYMN “This Is My Father’s World” No. 485

1. This is my Father’s world; And to my listening ears
   All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres.
   This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought
   Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas– His hand the wonders wrought.
   
2. This is my Father’s world; The birds their carols raise,
   The morning light, the lily white, Declare their Maker’s praise.
   This is my Father’s world:He shines in all that’s fair;
   In the rustling grass I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere.
   
3. This is my Father’s world: Oh, let me ne’er forget
   That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
   This is my Father’s world; Why should my heart be sad?
   The Lord is king; let the heavens ring. God reigns; let the earth be glad.

MORNING PRAYER
Gracious God, meet us here in your presence this morning as we advocate and care for those who experience oppression and poverty, either physically or spiritually, within our faith communities, our country, and the world. Strengthen our hearts and our hands to work within the building of a world filled with justice and peace. Amen.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Creator God, you made us to be neighbors, members of one family blessed with great diversity. You created us to be helpers and friends to one another, entrusting to us your justice and your joy. Yet we have denied justice and joy to many, creating worlds of poverty, pain, lost opportunities, and absence of hope. In so many ways, we break each other’s hearts. Still, you do not reject us. We ask your forgiveness and pray for a change of heart .

A moment of silence for personal reflection

WORDS OF ASSURANCE
Beloved of God, forgiven we are restored to each other and to    God. Through the Holy Spirit, we are shaped to be for others what Christ is for us: pardon and peace, new life, and blessing. Thanks be to God.

The Message

SPECIAL MUSIC “Rejoice in the Lord Always” – Anonymous

SCRIPTURE READINGS
Amos 2:6-8   (NIV)
⁶ This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not relent. They sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. ⁷ They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name. ⁸ They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines.

John 12:8
⁸ You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

MORNING REFLECTION   “Social Systems 101”

The Thanksgiving

CHORAL CALL TO PRAYER “Hear our prayer” – D. Whelpton

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

LORD’S PRAYER
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 Thy daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

CHORAL RESPONSE TO PRAYER “Thou will keep Him” – Scottish Psalter, 1615

Sharing of Our Gifts

Your gifts to the church matter now more than ever! We encourage people to continue to make an offering by mailing to the church. Your generosity in this time makes a big difference.

DOXOLOGY

The Departure

CLOSING HYMN “O Word of God Incarnate” No. 252

1. O Word of God incarnate, O Wisdom from on high,
O Truth unchanged, unchanging, O Light of our dark sky,
we praise you for the radiance that from the hallowed page,
a lantern to our footsteps, shines on from age to age.

2. The church from you,  dear Savior, received this gift divine,
and still that light is lifted on all the earth to shine.
It is the chart and compass, that all life’s voyage through,
amid the rocks and quicksands, still guides, O Christ, to you.

3.  O make your church, dear Savior, a lamp of purest gold,
to bear before the nations your true light, as of old.
O teach your wand’ring pilgrims by this our path to trace,
Till clouds and storms thus ended, we see you face to face.

CLOSING PRAYER
Loving God, cleanse our hearts and renew our spirits that we hear your call to stand as Jesus does, with the outcast, oppressed, the marginalized, afflicted, seeking justice and peace, and building community. May your words guide and equip us as we seek to rebuild the ruins of broken relationships caused by oppressive attitudes, behaviors, and environments. Teach us how to be a caring community, despite hurtful histories and experiences. In the name of Jesus, our liberator, we pray. Amen. 

POSTLUDE “Kites” – S. Conrady

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Music Notes: I thought you might enjoy a choral rendering of our closing hymn! It feels good to feel like you’re singing with a gang of people again.

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
& Communion Sunday

CENTERING WORDS
When Jesus asks us to trust God for daily bread, he is telling us to surrender a powerful natural impulse. He is asking us to quit worrying about tomorrow—not meaning don’t fix the leaking roof or call the doctor when you need one, but do what you can each day and leave the worrying to God. Worry is the opposite of trust. It is also the opposite of prayer because you can take worry and transform it instantly into prayer by simply offering it up to God.   
– Art Simon Rediscovering the Lord’s Prayer

The Preparation

The beginning of the prelude is a call to silence,
to enter into the spirit of prayer and community. 

PRELUDE “Clouds” -S. Conrady

CALL TO A JOYFUL WORSHIP
We come hungry to worship and with little in our hands.
We expect to be satisfied  –  abundantly filled with grace.
We sit down together to eat a miracle.
We will rise up laughing … and with leftovers.

A moment of silence

OPENING HYMN “We Gather Together” No.21

1. We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
   He chastens and hastens his will to make known;
   The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing:
   Sing praises to his name; he forgets not his own.
   
2. Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
   Ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;
   So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
   Thou, Lord, wast at our side: all glory be thine!

MORNING PRAYER
Spirit of Christ, give us love-power, and compassion-power, and inner-being-power, that we may understand within ourselves the breath and length, the height and depth of the fullness of God’s grace. Amen.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION
We confess that we have stepped away from Christ’s Path whenever we have failed to practice love of God, neighbor, and self. Forgive us when we size others up and we forget all people are made in your image, O God.

A moment of silence for personal reflection

WORDS OF ASSURANCE
God’s grace is given freely. Christ always reaches for us. Nothing can separate us for the love of God in Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God.

The Message

A TIME FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES

SPECIAL MUSIC “Five Loaves and Two Fishes” – Corinne May

SCRIPTURE READING – Gospel of Matthew 14:13-21

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
¹³ When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
¹⁵ As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
¹⁶ Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
¹⁷ “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
¹⁸ “Bring them here to me,” he said. ¹⁹ And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ²¹ The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

MORNING REFLECTION   “A Shared Miracle“

THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

COMMUNION PRAYER
O God, in the loving and liberating spirit of Jesus, we gather at welcoming tables everywhere,  open to all, remembering how Jesus gathered people from all the walks of life, stranger and friend and enemies, gave thanks to you, and offered all, the bread of life and the cup of blessing and proclaimed a covenant of love for all in your name.

We remember the wonder of his life. We remember the wonder of all of Creation given to us and how all are One. We remember the agony of Christ death, and all the terrors and the tyrannies that oppress people today.
We remember the power of resurrection, the mystery of faith in the everlasting Spirit, the triumph over fear.
Gracious God, help us to remember to practice resurrection every day, as we remember all those who have given Love the ultimate trust and the last word and who have worked to create the beloved community of renewed and abundant life.

Help us to remember with this meal especially, all those who are hungry, and may we treat all our meals as sacred and to be shared.

Take us; bless us, Dear Lord, so that even in and with our brokenness we may serve others, as Jesus served us. Amen.

Words of Blessing                                                     
Sharing of the Bread and Cup

Jesus’ ministry modeled again and again welcoming everyone to the table.
Following that example let us all share in this sacred, symbolic meal.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
We thank you, loving God for this meal; that you never leave us hungry or thirsty.
May we commit ourselves so that as followers of Jesus and living in loving-compassion, all are invited into the full life of your gracious community. Amen.

COMMUNION MUSIC “Here O My Lord, I See Thee Face To Face” No.287

1. Here, O my Lord, I see thee face to face;
   here would I touch and handle things unseen,
   here grasp with firmer hand th’eternal grace,
   and all my weariness upon thee lean.
   
   2. Here would I feed upon the bread of God,
   here drink with thee the royal wine of heav’n;
   here would I lay aside each earthly load,
   here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiv’n.

The Thanksgiving

CHORAL CALL TO PRAYER “Hear our prayer” – D. Whelpton

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE

LORD’S PRAYER
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 Thy daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

CHORAL RESPONSE TO PRAYER “Thou will keep Him” – Scottish Psalter, 1615

Sharing of Our Gifts

Your gifts to the church matter now more than ever! We encourage people to continue to make an offering by mailing to the church. Your generosity in this time makes a big difference.

DOXOLOGY

The Departure

CLOSING HYMN “Come Thou Almighty King” No. 246

1. Come, thou Almighty King, help us thy name to sing, help us to praise.
   Father, all glorious, o’er all victorious, come and reign over us,
   Ancient of Days.
2. To the great One in Three, eternal praises be, hence evermore.
   His sov’reign majesty, may we in glory see, and to eternity
   love and adore.

CLOSING PRAYER
God show us the gifts we have to offer, even if they seem meager. Even if we think they are not enough. Can we offer them anyway.
Donations to the food self. A meal delivered to a shut-in, or just a visit to someone living alone. May we make simple kindnesses our habit. May we increase our ability to be kind and to show mercy. Amen.

POSTLUDE “Clouds” -S. Conrady