Call to Worship

Leader: Welcome, Beloved! Why have you gathered today?

All: We have come to worship God, who is the maker of us all!

Leader: What do you seek from God, our Creator?

All: We seek God’s wisdom to guide us and show us how to live.

Leader: Are you ready to follow when God’s wisdom leads down unexpected paths?

All: We will trust, and we will follow wherever God’s wisdom leads us.

Leader: Well then, Beloved of God, what are you waiting for?

All: Come! Let us worship and seek God’s uncommon wisdom together! Amen.

Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, June 2024.

Litany

The Rich and Poor Have This in Common
(Based on Proverbs 22)

Many: The rich and poor have this in common: The Creator is Maker of them all.
One: A good name is to be chosen over riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.

Many: The rich and poor have this in common: The Holy One is Maker of them all.
One: The rich rule over the poor and borrowers are slave to lenders.

Many: The rich and poor have this in common: The Sovereign is Maker of them all.
One: Those who are generous are blessed, for they share bread with the poor.

Many: The rich and poor have this in common: The Creator is Maker of them all.
One: Oppressing the poor in order to become rich; and giving to the rich, will lead only to loss.

Many: The rich and poor have this in common: The Holy One is Maker of them all.
One: May you know that your trust should be in God—yes, your trust, in the God of heaven.

Many: The rich and poor have this in common: The Sovereign is Maker of them all.
One: Do not rob the poor because they are poor or crush the afflicted at the gate.

ALL: For God pleads their cause and despoils of life those who despoil them. The rich and poor have this in common: The Generous One is Maker of them all.

Written by Valerie Bridgeman Davis, The Africana Worship Book, Year B (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2007), 98.

Prayer of Confession

Gracious God,
we come before you today
knowing that we often fall short of your call
to love one another well.

We allow ourselves to be blinded
by wealth and power.
We ignore those around us
who suffer injustice, poverty, and rejection.
We tune out the cries of the poor
and those on the edges of our communities.

Help us to see your great generosity,
hear your word of mercy,
and feel your great love
for all who need your redemptive grace.

Strengthen us to reach out in service
to those who are in need.
Make us aware of those outside our own communities,
that we may see them as your precious children
and serve them in humility and joy.

May we continue to grow in grace
as we learn how to serve you
in the name of the great Servant,
even Jesus Christ. Amen.

Adapted from The Abingdon Worship Annual 2009, © 2008 Abingdon Press. Posted on the Ministry Matters website. http://www.ministrymatters.com/. Re-posted on the re:Worship blog at https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2012/08/prayer-of-confession-proper-18-b.html.

Benediction

Beloved, may God bless you today and all days with wisdom that guides you to notice the needs all around you and to share in the work of nurturing abundant life for all of God’s creation. Amen.

Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, June 2024.