CALL
TO WORSHIP
May
the Peace of Christ be with you!
And
also with you!
In
a world still turned upside down, where physical distancing is still
the rule and norm,
we
still gather for worship, sharing this virtual space in real time,
linked by bits and bytes, cables and modems.
As
people who seek to follow The Way of Jesus Christ,
we
gather to listen, to be renewed, to have the new covenant engraved
deeper in our hearts.
Looking
forward to the time of casting seed into the ground, where it will be
transformed into flowers and food,
we
continue to follow that path that leads to the cross, to the tomb, to
a transformed life that lies beyond them both.
Come,
let us worship together.
OPENING
PRAYER
Gardener
of life, you call us to this time together.
Here
you plant seeds of hope in our hearts, here you lead us into
transformation.
As
we pray, and sing, and listen, and ponder this morning,
stir
the soil of our lives, water the seeds in our hearts, reveal new life
in our midst.
We
gather as ones who follow Jesus, we pray in his name, and we share
words he once taught his friends...
PRAYER
FOR AND ASSURANCE OF GRACE
Rule-maker,
you offer us guidelines for how we should live.
And
while we sometimes rebel, against the rules, sometimes we see them as
gift and challenge.
Covenant-maker,
you call us to live in mutual support with each other and with you.
We
try to live up to our part in the covenant, even though sometimes we
know we miss the target.
Life-giver,
you offer us transformation, renewal, and abundant life.
Help
us to feel your Grace and embrace the transformation and new life we
find in living as people of the covenant you have written on our
hearts.
...time
of silent prayer...
God
has written the law of love on our hearts, woven it into the fabric
of our very being. God challenges us to live as people of the
covenant. And when we miss the target God says again “I
will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more”. We
are forgiven, we are invited to new life, we are beloved children of
God.
Thanks
be to God! Amen.
COMMISSIONING
Our
time of worship draws to a close. Our time of service continues.
Beyond
our computer screens, outside our windows, there is a world that
needs our presence.
Go
now, carrying the law of love in your hearts, go out and water the
seeds of hope that lie waiting to germinate and grow.
We
go as gardeners, we go as seeds ourselves, we go to live transformed
lives.
And
go knowing that God: Parent, Child, and Spirit; the Great Gardener of
Creation, goes with you to bring forth new life.
Thanks
be to God. Amen
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