Commissioning for Advent 2024

Jesus is coming! The world will be changed!
In this time of preparing and waiting we look for signs of _____ in the world around us.
Jesus is coming! We have Good News to share!
We share the light of ______ with all we meet.
As you go out into this Advent season go knowing that God:
who has created and is creating,
who is revealed in Jesus, the Word-Made-Flesh,
who works in each and every one of us through the Holy Spirit,
is with you each and every day.
Thanks be to God. Amen

For November 24, 2024 -- Reign of Christ

PRAYER FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE
God you challenge us to put our trust in you, to follow where you lead, to be loyal to you alone
But there are so many other voices out there,
so many saying we should follow them,
so many others saying we have to be loyal to them first.
God, as we try to live as citizens of your Reign,
help us re-focus our loyalty,
help us ask the hard questions about where true authority lies,
give us the courage to follow The Way of Christ.
And when we wander astray, following false promises and idols,
forgive us and lead us back.
...time of silence...
The Sovereign God rules with gentleness, grace and mercy. God offers forgiveness and a new start when we miss the mark. As beloved citizens of God’s Kin-dom we are welcomed, we are forgiven, we are loved.
Thanks be to God. Amen.

COMMISSIONING
We are citizens of many different communities
we live, work, love and move in a variety of circles
Go from here remembering that above all you are a citizen of God’s Kin-dom
and as such we pledge to share the values, promises, and hopes of God’s Reign with all our circles.
As Beloved Children of God, go secure in the knowledge that God:
Parent, Child, Spirit;
King; Guide, and Counsellor;
Servant, Leader, and Fellow Traveller
is with you wherever you travel in God’s Kingdom
Thanks be to God. Amen

 

For November 17, 2024 -- Proper 28B

CALL TO WORSHIP
May the Peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you
In a world of continuous change there is one constant
God is with us where ever we go
God who has been, is now, and always will be, our guide and companion invites us to sing and pray and listen.
We come together to celebrate God’s presence.

OPENING PRAYER
God of our past, our present, and our future,
the world is changing around us, and that makes us uneasy.
It is so easy to fear the changes, to worry about what is ending.
Help us to see the things that are continuing and the things that are continuing.
In this time of worship:
open our eyes and souls to see where you are at work in the world,
give us courage to stand firm as the winds of change toss the boat of life around,
and send us back out into the world refreshed and emboldened to proclaim your words of hope and promise.
We pray in the name of Jesus, who proclaimed the coming of your Reign and encourages us to pray saying....

COMMISSIONING
We leave this place of worship and go out into the world.
A world tossed around by the winds of change.
As some things end and other things begin, our call remains the same:
we continue to love our neighbours,
we continue to share words of hope and promise,
we continue to live as citizens of God’s Reign.
As God has been with you in the past, as God is with you today, may God be with you tomorrow.
Wherever we go. Thanks be to God.

For November 3, 2024 -- Proper26B

PRAYER FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE
God you challenge us to love our neighbour as ourselves,
and we do our best.
But sometimes we are tempted to ask what neighbour actually means,
does it mean those who are like us, or those who we know well, or those with shared values?
God you call us to love each other as you first loved us,
that is harder, that is more of a challenge.
Our faith stories are filled with migrants and refugees, people seeking a new place to live,
and we find that you love them, that they are to be treated as neighbours.
God of challenge, God of grace, help us to love all our neighbours, and remember what all means.
Even when they are not like us, even when their presence brings new ideas, new challenges, and new hopes.
...time of silence...
God who loves us calls us to love others. God who created us all and calls us good helps us see everyone as our neighbour. God who is gracious helps us learn better how to live as people of love
Thanks be to God. Amen.

Christ Candle Responses for leading into the Reign of Christ Sunday

Like a beacon leading us to the Promised Land, the light of God shines in the world.
May this candle flame remind us of God’s light, leading us into God’s Kingdom.
As followers of Jesus, the Light of the World, we centre ourselves for worship

 

For October 20, 2024 -- 22nd Sunday After Pentecost, Proper 24B

PRAYER FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE
(draws from Psalm 90 and the hymn O God Our Help in Ages Past)
God, you have been our refuge and dwelling place for uncounted generations.
You have been our help in the past, in you we find hope for the future.
Sometimes we sink into the bliss of your loving presence,
we dwell secure in the shadow of your throne and we rejoice.
Other times we feel alone, wondering where you have gone,
and we echo Jesus’ cry “Why have you forsaken me”
God when we feel alone and isolated,
remind us that you are there, satisfy us morning and evening with your steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad.
...time of silence...
The Risen Christ promises to be with us “to the end of the age” We are not alone. Whatever path our life may take we are not alone. God is indeed our help in ages past and our hope for the future.
Thanks be to God, our guard while troubles last and our eternal home. Amen.

COMMISSIONING:
As you go out to live and love and work this week remember:
We Are Not Alone.
In a world where so many feel isolated in their struggles let us share the Good News:
We Are Not Alone
In everything that life might throw at us, in life and death and life beyond death.
We Are Not Alone. Thanks be to God. Amen

 

PRAYER FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE

Holy Mystery who is Wholly Love, you created us as curious and inquisitive beings,
and so we try to understand everything, to have all our questions answered
Holy Mystery who is Wholly Love, you also call us to live with mystery and uncertainty.
So help us, we pray, to be at peace with the questions we can not answer.
As we live with the complexities of the world you have created and are creating,
grant us the ability to trust those who know more than we do,
the courage to keep seeking new answer, even if they may be uncomfortable,
and the wisdom to know that some things will remain a mystery, beyond our understanding.
God of Grace that overflows, of Love that fills us up,
help us live with respect in creation, keep us searching for the best way forward, keep us humble we pray.
And lead us forward into the next steps of the journey we share with the rest of your creation.
Amen