21st Century Worship Resources for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B

Call to Worship Based on Psalm 125

Leader: Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved (Psalm 125:1).

People: In good times and in bad times, we trust in the Lord our God.

Leader: As the mountains surround Jerusalem, God's people are surrounded, from this time on and for evermore (Psalm 125:2).

People: We are surrounded by God's goodness and mercy; we are surrounded by God's love and peace.

Leader: The Lord does good to those who are upright in heart and do good (Psalm 125:5).

People: We believe that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

All: We come to worship the Lord who surrounds us, does good to us, and invites us to trust.

Litany Based on Proverbs 22:1

Leader: The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD is the maker of them all (Proverbs 22:2).

People: The poor are our neighbors. Fortunes change hands in a matter of days; rich today could be poor tomorrow.

Leader: Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and will be repaid in full. (Proverbs 19:17)

People: And whoever champions the cause of the poor finds a place in the heart of God.

All: The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD is the maker of them all. (Proverbs 22:2)

Prayer of Confession Based on Proverbs 22

O, God, we are ashamed to confess that we have turned our faces from the sight of the poor and have closed our hearts to their needs. But people in need are all around us, and many of us are merely one or two paychecks away from poverty.

Forgive us, O God,

for avoiding the poor and for criminalizing poverty.

Forgive us, O God,

for living with tight fists and closed hearts,

Forgive us, O God,

for neglecting to do good when it was in our power to help someone.

Forgive us, O God, and give us open hands and generous compassionate hearts. Amen.

Safiyah Fosua is a former Discipleship Ministries staff member. Dr. Fosua is a clergy member of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference, currently serving as Assistant Professor of Congregational Worship at Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana.