Rejoice in the Lord Always: Resources for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A

Call to Worship
(Based on Philippians 4:1-9)

Leader: Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, Rejoice!

People: Today we choose to rejoice. Today we choose to worship and give thanks.

Leader: Seek the peace of God that will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

People: Today we choose God's peace; today we place our trust in God.

Leader: Turn your hearts away from the distractions and disappointments of life that will always flow in and flow out like the tide.
Set your affections on things above and worship the Lord who loves you and cares for you.

All: We come to worship God who alone is excellent and worthy of praise!

Prayer of Confession
(Based on Exodus 32:1-14)

Loving God,
Today we confess that we have more golden calves in our lives than we are willing to name. Forgive us, Lord, for the many times we have substituted trust in family, trust in money, or trust in things for trust in you. Forgive us, Lord, for the times we have set our affections more upon our children or upon our lifestyle than upon you. Forgive us Lord, for being distracted when we thought we perceived your absence or for running back to old habits when we feared that we were on our own. Remind us, Lord, that we are never alone and need not find our own solutions. Remind us that you are our God, and that you are always at work for our good. Amen.