Call to Worship

Come! Now is the time to worship!
We come to worship God who loves us.

When the Israelites grumbled and quarreled when there was no water to drink, God miraculously produced water to show them God’s faithfulness and love.
When we question and accuse God, God responds by showing us love.

When the chief priests and elders questioned Jesus’ authority, Jesus answered them with a story about the righteousness of doing God’s will instead of paying lip service to God’s will.
When we test and interrogate God, God responds by pointing us back to love.

By answering our quarrelling and questioning with love, God teaches us how to love God, neighbor, self, and all creation.
When we love as God loves, we respond to testing and accusing by living the faith and sharing God’s love.

Come! Now is the time to worship!
We come to worship God who loves us for the long haul.

Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, April 2023.

Prayer for the Day

Living Water
(inspired by Exodus 17: 1-7)

In the dry wildernesses of our lives,
in the days of heat and thirst,
you offer us living water,
Thank you, gracious and generous God.

When we begin to doubt your presence,
and grumble that your love is unreliable,
you offer us living water,
Thank you, gracious and generous God.

When life’s regrets and the bad choices we have made
leave us feeling excluded and unworthy,
you offer us living water,
Thank you, gracious and generous God.

When circumstances, or the inhumanity of others,
have left us alone and wounded,
you offer us living water,
Thank you, gracious and generous God.

We thank you and praise you, O God,
that how ever we may thirst,
what ever we may need to satisfy our souls,
you offer it freely and abundantly in Christ;
So we drink deep of the living water
and, as we draw from your wells,
we seek to pass the cup to others,
who, like us, are thirsty for your grace.

Amen

Prayer of Confession

Call to Reconciliation

All too often, we tell God we will do better, and be better,
and then just go on living the same way we always have.
Let this be the moment,
when we tell our God of our failures and faithlessness,
so we can go forth to work in that kingdom of grace and hope.
Join me as we pray,

Unison Prayer of Confession

We would want to be fountains of hope for others, God of glory,
but people find only hardened hearts.
We would like to be transformed people,
but our stubborn pride prevents us from bending a knee to you.
We long to stand with those who are in need,
but our selfishness keeps our backs rigid in judgment.
Forgive us, God who came down to us.
Humble us, that we might be true servants to the broken and lost.
Split open our frozen hearts,
that compassion might flow freely to those who are hurting.
Fill our minds with the presence of your Spirit,
that we might learn how to follow Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior,
into that kingdom of grace and hope.

Silence is kept.

Assurance of Pardon

This is the good news:
in Christ, God's plan for salvation was accomplished.
You are forgiven, you are made new.
We will complete God's joy
by sharing compassion, forgiveness, hope,
with everyone we meet.
Thanks be to God. Amen.

Written by Thom Shuman, from Lectionary Liturgies. Reposted on the re:Worship blog at https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2011/09/act-of-confession-proper-21a.html.

Benediction

We gathered to worship God who responds to our grumbling with grace-filled, sustaining love. So now go from this time and place guided by our loving God who leads you to respond to the quarreling and questioning of the world with a living faith and abundant love. Amen.

Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, April 2023.