For June 29, 2014 -- Proper 8A

CALL TO WORSHIP

As Abraham wandered in the wilderness,

he knew that God was with him, calling to him, leading him forward.

The same God who walked with Abraham,

walks with us, leading us forward, calling us to lives of prayer and faithfulness.

As spiritual descendants of Abraham,

we gather to worship the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.

OPENING PRAYER (using words from Psalm 89)

We will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; with our mouths we will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations

God of Abraham and Isaac, God of Peter and Paul, we come to this place to share words of praise and thanksgiving.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

In this time together open our eyes and souls to see where your justice and love are leading us.

Happy are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance

And when we walk from this place may that light guide our steps.

We pray in the name of Jesus, who calls us to follow The Way, and who taught his friends to pray saying...

COMMISSIONING:

We have gathered in one place to worship.

Now we go back to the lives we share with each other, and with other neighbours.

As we go out into the world where we live out our faith and our ministry,

may we, like Abraham, walk secure in the knowledge that we are not alone.

Go now to love and serve the world, go now to be God's people and agents of God's love.

We go with God. Amen.

For June 22, 2014 -- A service Celebrating the Goodness of Creation

CALL TO WORSHIP

In the beginning there was God,

calling forth light, land, and life.

As this week begins, there is God,

calling us to gather together, calling us to live and love in the world.

Let us worship together, let us open our hearts to God...

OPENING PRAYER

God who has created and is creating...

we gather for worship, we gather to reflect on what is and what will be.

In this time of speech and song, prayer and reflection,

open our eyes, our hearts, our souls,

so that we would see the goodness in all creation,

so we would celebrate the goodness in all creation.

And when our worship is ended,

lead us out into the world to share the Good News of blessing and love and life.

These things we pray in Jesus' name, as we also pray together the words he taught his friends...

PRAYER FOR AND ASSURANCE OF GRACE

God, you look at creation and call it good.

All of creation? Really? Including mosquitoes and boll weevils? Including us?

You look at all of creation and call it VERY good.

And sometimes we have trouble believing your grace extends that far.

We look at the world, at our neighbours, at ourselves, and see the flaws.

Help us look and see the blessings. Help us live as though the blessings count more than the flaws.

...time of silence...

The grace of God extends beyond our wildest dreams. The grace of God shows in the beginning of our faith story. God knows the world fully, deeply, the good and the bad. And still God's final statement is “it is very good”.

Thanks be to God, who calls us loved, who calls us good. Amen.

COMMISSIONING:

Our time of worship comes to a close,

our time of service continues.

We who have heard the story of creation,

go out to celebrate, to care for, to love that which has been created.

As those who have been reminded that God calls God's world good,

we go out knowing that we also have been called good, we go out to remind others that they are Beloved children of God.

Go with God, who has created and is continuing to create and re-create

Amen.

Prayers of the people For Pentecost/Church Union Sunday

God of Pentecost, Spirit blowing in our midst, fanning the flames of our lives,

push through the closed doors and windows of our lives,

kindle the fire of hope,

transform us from a people who fear for the future

into a people who proclaim your love and hope in a world of pain and uncertainty,

people who live as though the Kingdom is alive and thriving in our midst.

God who calls us to be the church,

to celebrate your presence, to proclaim your hope, to join in the life of the Kingdom,

sometimes it is hard to be the church,

sometimes it is hard to see a hopeful future.

We look back at the vision of our forebears in the faith and wonder:

has the vision failed?

how are we to be the church moving forward?

what is the vision You have for us now?

On this Pentecost day:

stir the embers of fires that are burning down, (silence)

waken new fires from the ashes of dead ones, that the church would rise like the phoenix (silence)

kindle new fires where there is the need for hope, for light, for community (silence)

share with us a vision of how to be a faithful community

and lead us forward as the Church renewed, ready to hear your call in a changed world.

God of many languages.

You sing the language of joy with us, you join us in the dance of life.

Hear all of your children who sing and dance and praise this morning,

those who celebrate new life with all the possibilities of the future,

those who celebrate relationships, both the new and exciting and the long-term yet still exciting,

those for whom the wonder of life fills their being to the limit,

may they hear your voice joining in the singing and the shouting...

...time of silence...

And yet, God of life,

you also speak the languages of pain, of sorrow, of fear, of despair.

Hear all your children who speak, who wail, who whisper in these languages this day:

those who find themselves in hospital beds, or waiting anxiously beside those beds,

those who gather to say farewell to one who is travelling, or one who is moving,

those who gather at graveside to say that longer farewell,

those who worry about where the next meal, or the next rent cheque, will come from,

those who live in places where peace is just a word, a faint hope, a distant dream,

May all those whose language is rent by pain hear you lamenting with them,

...time of silence...

God of Pentecost, Spirit blowing in our midst, fanning the flames of our lives,

fill us with Spirit this morning,

fill our hearts and souls with the fires of hope,

hear the prayers we offer:

for ourselves, our neighbours, our communities.

And lead us forward as people of the Spirit,

ready to be the face of your love, light, hope, and life in the world.

we pray in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, the one we call Christ, whose life,

death and resurrection show us the path to the Kingdom.

We pray as people of the Spirit,

who lights our fires, who fills our lungs with air,

who blows us out into the world to live and serve.

Amen.

Christ Candle Response for Pentecost and Ordinary Time

LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE

As the Spirit blows into our midst, fanning into life the spark of hope in our souls,

may the light of this candle remind us of the fire that warms our hearts, the love that we are called to share, the light that guides our way.