Contemporary Gathering Words

(2 Timothy 2, Luke 17)

Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!
Where we need healing,
make us whole!
Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!
Where we are isolated and excluded,
bring us near!
Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!
Where we are chained,
break our bonds!
Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!
Where we are dying,
bring us back to life!

Praise Sentences

(2 Timothy 2)

If we have died with him,
we will also live with him.
If we endure,
we will also reign with him. Amen!

Opening Prayer

(Psalm 66, 2 Timothy 2)

We give praise to you, O God,
for you are awesome and amazing.
We remember your deeds and faithfulness—
deeds that have brought us to this day,
faithfulness that has helped us weather
life’s storms.
We have gone through fire and water,
and stand before you today
in gratitude and praise.
How awesome are your deeds, O God! Amen.

Rebecca Gaudino, Ministry Matters, Worship Elements October 13, 2019, https://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/4265/worship-elements-october-13-2019.

A Statement of Faith of the United Church of Canada

We are not alone, we live in God’s world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.
Thanks be to God. Amen.

United Methodist Hymnal, UMPH, 1983, 883.

Prayer

We Are Grateful

(Psalm 66:1-12, 2 Timothy 2:8-15)

O Lord, our Creator and Sustainer, you give us seasons to plant, to grow, to harvest, and to rest, and we are grateful. As the leaves turn and fall from the trees during autumn, help us to embrace these seasons and changes in our own lives as a natural part of this thing we call life. There are ups and down, twists and turns, doubts and fears, trials and triumphs and just when we are about to be ensnared by evil and destruction, you part the waters so we can step over and walk safely across our miseries, strife, and obstacles. You have created each one of us uniquely and molded us beautifully into your own image – whether anybody remembers to tell us today we are ALL THAT and more, simply because we are yours. Help us to stand strong and sure when the winds blow fiercely; give us courage to walk proudly and confidently like we’re supposed to. Remind us that through it all you are with us, every moment, every step, every time and in every situation – no matter who or where we are. Amen.

Cynthia Bond Hopson, The Africana Worship Book for Year C, Valerie Bridgeman Davis and Safiyah Fosua, eds., (Discipleship Resources, 2008), 137.

Benediction

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by God,
a worker who has no need to be ashamed,
rightly explaining the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 NRSV)

May we leave this worship moment, resolved to be a sign of God’s presence,
to be an ambassador of God’s grace,
and a hospitable proclaimer of God’s truth.

Amen and thanks be to God.

Derek Weber, Discipleship Ministries, March 2022