CALL
TO WORSHIP
In
the hustle and bustle of life we hear a whisper.
Urging
us forward, challenging how we see the world.
In
response to the whisper we gather with the community of faith.
Here
we say “Speak God, your children are listening”
God
has called us together
Here
we seek to understand how God would have us live.
As
we gather for worship we turn to the members of our faith family and
greet each other with words and signs of Christ’s Peace.
OPENING
PRAYER
Loving
God, we open our hearts and souls to you.
In
this time of worship whisper in our ears,
fill
us with a Word to share with each other
and
give us the courage to share that Word.
Then,
we pray, lead us back into the world,
to
share the promise of love, to share the vision of the Kingdom
We
pray in the name of Jesus, the Word made flesh, who taught his
friends to pray saying...
PRAYER
FOR AND ASSURANCE OF GRACE
God
we grow comfortable, and we seek rest.
But
you continue to whisper in our ears.
We
hear the whisper but we fail to understand what it is,
or
we fail to help others know what they hear.
Then
we wake up, we realize the truth and we listen.
But
sometimes the words are hard, and we would rather pretend we did not
hear them.
God
of grace, God of wisdom,
open
our ears to hear hard truths.
God
of grace, God of wisdom, God who calls us to action,
give
us the courage to share hard truths with the world around us.
God
of grace, God who knows us deeply,
touch
our hearts, calm our fears,
hear
our confession for those times we choose not to listen and for those
times we choose not to respond.
...time
of silent prayer...
God
is gracious and forgiving. God continues to call us until we respond.
When we slip or miss the mark God calls us to learn and to try again.
We are forgiven, and in God’s grace we are called forward.
Thanks
be to God. Amen.
COMMISSIONING:
Our
time of worship draws to a close
and
we prepare to go back to our living and working and serving.
As
you go, keep your ears open for the whisper,
where
God’s voice intersects our daily life.
And
when you hear it,
we
commit ourselves to listen and to respond.
Go
with God, who has created and is creating; with Jesus, the Word made
flesh, who redeems and makes new; and with the Spirit who sustains
and strengthens us
Always,
wherever we go.
