For November 21, 2010 -- Reign of Christ Sunday Year C

CALL TO WORSHIP/OPENING PRAYER
In the midst of a world where many call for our loyalty
we gather to celebrate the coming of the King of Kings.
In a time where we are told to look out for ourselves,
we gather to acknowledge that we serve the Lord of Lords.
In an era where leadership and power are often viewed with suspicion
we gather to look for a different model, a different King.
God who calls us together,
awaken in our hearts this day an awareness of what it means to live into your kingdom.
We pray in the name of the one called King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who taught his friends to pray by saying together...

PRAYER FOR REIGN OF CHRIST SUNDAY
Look! There is the king!
That baby in a manger? You must be kidding!
Look! There is the king!
That man on the hillside? I don't think so!
Look! There is the king!
The one leading the parade? Now you are talking!
Look! There is the king!
Hanging on a cross? Not possible!
Look! Where is the king?
Good question.
God whose Kingdom is all around us and yet not quite here, help us to look in odd places to see in new ways.
Remind us that the Kingdom of God is something different. Remind us that there is another way to live together. Help us make the ancient prayer “thy kingdom come, thy will be done” a practice of the heart and not just words we say by memory. Amen.

COMMISSIONING:
As our worship ends,
we go out into the mission field.
We go as citizens of a place that is here now and is being brought into existence.
we go as citizens of the Kingdom of God. We go to share the Good News of God's Shalom with all we meet.
Amen

Communion Invitation

This is the Table of the One God. It does not belong to St. Paul's or to the United Church of Canada, but to God who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh, who works in us and others by the Spirit. And so we have no right to bar anyone from coming to eat and drink from it. All those who seek to share int God's abundance and who strive to live in God's Way are welcome here. Come and taste the grace eternal, come and see that God is good.

For November 14, 2010 -- 25th Sunday After Pentecost

CALL TO WORSHIP/OPENING PRAYER
Living in a world that seems to be falling apart,
we come to find hope for the future.
Living in a world where the forces of destruction seem so strong,
we come to hear about the One who Creates and Re-Creates.
Living in a world where old habits and hatreds seem to live forever,
we come to hear God proclaim “Behold, I am doing a new thing”
God who has gathered us together,
open our hearts and minds to see the new creation in our midst.
In this time of worship,
may we be refreshed and renewed as people of Love.
We pray in the name of Jesus, who taught his friends to pray together saying...

PRAYER FOR AND ASSURANCE OF GRACE

God of the “now and the not yet”,

We admit that it is frustrating living in times of re-creation. We confess that often we would prefer certainty to the “wait and see”. We admit that we get impatient when things don't happen as quickly as we would want.

God of destruction that makes way for re-creation,

We confess that we want to hold on to what is comfortable, or at least familiar. We confess that we sometimes mistake our vision of what the world should be for your vision of what the world will be. Forgive our impatience, our arrogance, our shortsightedness and our self-centeredness. Open our hearts to the reality of your graciousness.

...time of silent prayer...

Over and over God tells us “Behold, I am doing a new thing”. God is re-creating our world and ourselves. This is grace and acceptance and forgiveness.

Thanks be to God! Amen.

COMMISSIONING:
As our time of worship closes,
we go out into world around us to live and to serve.
As those who have eaten at God's table,
we go to share food for body and spirit with God's created and re-created world.
As those who believe God is active in the world,
we go to counter the despair of destruction with the hope of a new world.

For October 31, 2010 -- Reformation Sunday

CALL TO WORSHIP/OPENING PRAYER
Ezekiel was called to the valley of dry bones;
and wondered if those bones could live.
We have been called to this place,
and sometimes wonder what the future will bring to the church.
Who has called us here?
The God who brings life.
Why are we here?
To be refreshed, to be renewed, to be sent out with hope.
As we sing and pray and listen,
may God open our hearts and minds to new possibilities
And when our worship is ended?
May we go out ready to meet a changing world. Amen.

COMMISSIONING
Ezekiel stood in the valley of dry bones
and saw how God could bring new life.
Sometimes our churches feel like that valley
and then the breath of God blows through and brings new life.
Sometimes our world looks as desolate as sun-bleached skeletons,
and so we are called to speak God's Word of hope and life.
As we go into the world,
May we carry hope, and promise of renewal. May we be agents of Life.

For October 24, 2010 -- 22nd Sunday After Pentecost, Year C

OPENING PRAYER
God of our pride and our humility, move among us in this hour of worship. Open our eyes to the realities of being beloved, imperfect beings. Fill our hearts with the promise that we are special and worthwhile. And then send us out to share Your love and promise with all we meet. We pray in the name of Jesus, who taught his friends to pray together saying...

PRAYER FOR AND ASSURANCE OF GRACE

Gracious and Loving God, you call us to a life of balance and realism and hope.

But sometimes we lose our balance, we see the world through filters that twist what we see.

For those times we become too quick to blow our own horn and blind to our own mis-steps;

forgive us and remind us of the reality of being imperfect beings.

For those times when we fail to recognize how special we are, when we feel worthless and ashamed;

forgive us and remind us that we are beloved and worthwhile, created in Your image.

...time of silent prayer...

In the beginning we are told that God looked at the imperfect Creation and proclaimed it to be very good. As part of that Creation we are loved and accepted, flaws and all. When we wander from The Way, we are forgiven and drawn back.

Thanks be to God! Amen.

COMMISSIONING
As worship draws to a close, service continues.
And so we leave this place to live and to serve.
Go, remembering that you carry God's love with you,
and so we will strive to remind all we meet that they are Beloved, that they are worthwhile, that they are accepted.
And we go to make that reality a force for growth in our world
AMEN

For September 26, 2010 -- 18th Sunday After Pentecost, Year C

PRAYER FOR HOPE
God, when the world is falling to pieces around us,
help us remember that we are people of hope and promise.
When the enemy is at the gates and the world is being changed,
give us the courage to buy a piece of land, trusting that it will be ours again some day.
When we are tempted to give in to despair,
strengthen us and remind us that we are not alone.
God of our past, present and future,
it is a time of uncertainty and we aren't sure what will come next.
And so remind us that there is always hope,
help us believe that all will be well some day. Amen.

BENEDICTION:
In a world where despair and destruction seem to have won,
we go out carrying a word of hope and renewal and growth.
In a time when the future is uncertain,
we trust in the Promise and live as people of Hope.
As people of Hope, go out to perform acts of hope, showing the world that things can, and will, be better.
As people of Hope, we go trusting that God is with us. Amen.

For September 19, 2010 -- 17th Sunday After Pentecost Year C

NOte:  This is a repost as these were also used in 2007 (that post also includes and offering dedication):

PRAYER OF CONFESSION/ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Jesus said: no slave can serve two masters.
And we remember the times our loyalties have been divided between not just two, but many places.
Jesus said: You cannot serve God and wealth.
Ooh, that one hits close to home. We admit that sometimes we have a hard time choosing between those options.
There are so many things that call for our money.
So many times we think of the things we need, so many times we confuse what we need with what we want.
For the times our actions show that our loyalties have been misplaced,
For the times that we choose to honour our wallets and wants over Your cry for justice, forgive us God.
…time of silent confession…
While God asks for our loyalty, perfect performance is never demanded. Even when our thoughts are swayed by worldly concerns God is still there. God is the Master that always welcomes us back with open arms.
We are a forgiven people. Thanks be to God! Amen.

COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION
Whoever is faithful with little will be faithful with much.
We go now, striving to be faithful with what the abundance God has given us.
Go out to be honest stewards, go out to be wise with your gifts.
We go now, striving to put our priorities where our mouths are, seeking to serve but one Master.
Go out knowing that the Creator God, the Redeemer Christ, and the Sustaining Spirit are there to lead and guide you always.
Thanks be to God, the One who we serve. Amen.