CALL
TO WORSHIP
We
have been called together...
Called
by the One who Created us, called by the One who names us as Beloved
Children.
As
we gather to worship together, we greet our Beloved sisters and
brothers with signs and words of love and peace...
OPENING
PRAYER
God
of Life, you call us to live and love, to be light to the world.
As
we gather to worship and remember this morning, re-awaken in us the
knowledge that we are Your Beloved children.
God
of Life, you call us to live and love, to be light to the world.
May
this time of worship energize us as Beloved Children, ready to share
the love which animates us with the world around us.
God
of Life, you call us to live and love, to be light to the world.
We
gather in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, whose baptism we remember,
and who taught us to pray together saying...
PRAYER
FOR AND ASSURANCE OF GRACE
God,
you tell us that we are your Beloved children.
But
there is a part of us that wonders if we are worthy of such a
designation.
You
call us by our names, you claim us as your own.
And
we wonder if there is another shoe about to drop, some payback that
will be required.
You
challenge us to not be afraid, for you are with us in triumph and
tragedy.
And
yet there are times when we are sure we have been forgotten when we
are afraid, when we are unsure how to live as your Beloved...
...time
of silent reflection...
God
speaks through the prophet Isaiah saying to the nation and to
individuals:
“you
are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you”. God's
grace leads us through life, sustaining and emboldening us.
We
are God's Beloved Children! Thanks be to God! Amen.
COMMISSIONING:
We
gathered, we prayed, we sang, we listened.
Now
we prepare to go out into the world.
We
have been reminded of the promise of our baptism, that we are
Beloved, that we belong to God.
May
that knowledge sustain us as we share the love of God with the world.
Go
with God, to be the people of God, to be a blessing.
As
we have ourselves been blessed. Amen
