Call to Worship

Disciples of Christ, have you come today to receive a good word?
Yes! We come to receive a good word and blessing to carry with us into the world.

God blessed Solomon in a dream. Are you ready to dream?
Yes! We come to dream of God’s blessings we will carry with us into the world.

God blesses us when we worship together. Are you ready to worship?
Yes! We come to worship God together as we share in the good word of God’s grace.

Then, come! Let us worship with rejoicing!
Praise be to God who gives us wisdom and draws us together as the family of God! Amen.

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

Prayer for the Day

O God of Consistency, how good it is to hear your Word. How good it is to experience your Word for ourselves! For you are a God who keeps your Word! Close-up God, you sent us Jesus to show us how to match our words with our actions. For Jesus, there could be no “God bless you” without providing actual blessings. For Jesus, there could be no lip service to inclusiveness, but his ministry was to the poor and rich, to the Jew and to the Gentile, to the righteous and to the unrighteous, to the young and to the old, to men and to women. We continue to be honored by the grace that poured from Jesus’ lips and his actions.

This Sunday we want to work to be consistent. We want to work to shed that “other face” and just show “one face” to the world. Teach us how to be consistent in all that we say and do. Deliver us from “nice-nastiness.” Take these earthen vessels we call our lives and make us “doers” of your Word. Just as we depend on you, God, let others be able to depend on us. Put in us the desire to be real. Make us “Examples of Your Word.” In the name of the One who embraced us and showed us how to embrace the unembraceable, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Written by Sherrie Dobbs Johnson, The Africana Worship Book, Year B (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2007), 138.

Prayer of Confession

You must shake your head in wonder at our ways,
Keeper of the Covenant.
How can we say we want wisdom,
when we foolishly squander the knowledge we have of your ways?
How can we claim to follow you,
when we walk the slippery roads of the world
not caring where they lead us?
How can we desire your great and steadfast love,
when the simple seductions of our society are in full view every day?

How can you have mercy on such unwise and unfaithful people,
Perfect Wisdom?
Yet, that is exactly what you do:
and our greed turns to gratitude,
our pettiness to praise,
our tantrums to thanksgiving,
as hope and joy become our blessing
through the One we call our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Silent Prayers may be offered.

Assurance of Pardon

In Christ, God sent redemption for all.
In Christ, God feeds our hungry souls.
In Christ, God gives the cup of salvation
to thirsty people.
We give thanks to God for everything:
forgiveness, hope, new life. Amen.

Written by Thom Shuman and posted on Lectionary Liturgies, http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.ca/. Re-posted on the re:Worship blog at https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2012/07/confession-proper-15-b.html.

Benediction

Beloved of God, go from this place blessed with:
Peace!
Yes!
Joy!
Yes!
Wisdom!
Yes!
And grace to share with all!
Yes! Thanks be to God. Amen.

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