COCU52B

Readings

1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
David dies and Solomon takes over as king. Then God allows him to ask for anything he wants, and he requests wisdom to rule over God’s people well. God is pleased with his request and grants him wisdom, but also promises him wealth and fame and, if he stays faithful to God, long life.

Psalm 111
A Psalm in praise of God’s works which are glorious, righteous, just, merciful, compassionate and trustworthy. God has redeemed God’s people and established an everlasting covenant with them, and wisdom is found in the fear of God and in keeping God’s laws.
Rev Joan Stott writes: Professor Walter Brueggemann writes that v 4 of the psalm reminds us that “…The name, reputation, or memory of YHWH crafted in those wondrous deeds is of one who is ‘gracious and merciful’…. ‘Merciful’ comes from the term suggesting the womb love of the mother who has given birth to the children of Israel…” That understanding of ‘merciful’ gives the word ‘mercy’ a whole new meaning and context; and another example of God’s love.
(Source: Professor Walter Brueggemann & William H Bellinger Junior from “Psalms” – Psalm 111, page 483, © 2014 Cambridge University Press)

Ephesians 5:15-20
Paul encourages the Ephesian Christians to live wisely and in the power of God’s Spirit that fills them, and to encourage one another through songs and through worship and thanksgiving to God.

John 6:51-58
Jesus continues proclaiming that he is the Bread of Life, inviting the people to eat his flesh and drink his blood as true food and drink. Those who do this will live, he promises, unlike those who died even after eating the bread in the wilderness.
(Bible reading summaries by John van de Laar, Sacredise)

COCU52B.Readings – handout (landscape, folded format)

Resources
Textweek.com
Church of Scotland Starters for Sunday
Singing from the Lectionary
re-worship

Components of worship

Acknowledgement of Land

Gathering

Prayer of thanksgiving

Prayers of thankfulness and trust (Psalm 111)
God, Father of the fatherless, we come today to worship your Holy Name. As we
come together as one family under God, we individually say: “I will thank the Lord
with all my heart, as I meet with his godly people…” We give thanks for the support
and encouragement we receive from our fellow pilgrims in the faith; and we pray for
each one of them; that they may be blessed through the fellowship of shared worship.
We give thanks that we are continually challenged to be faithful in our worship, our
witness, and in our service; and that although it is often not an easy responsibility – that it is one that that enlivens our faith and invigorates our trust in our Father God.

God, Mother of the motherless, we come today to praise and thank you. As we come
together in the common bond of being a beloved child of our God, whose motherly care
and nurturing has so blessed us over the years; so we celebrate: “…How amazing are
the deeds of the Lord..!” Many of us have fond memories of our own mothers; and
from our own experiences, we praise God for the maternal depths of God’s amazing
generosity; and God’s loving compassion and tender care over all things and all peoples.

God, Parent and Guardian of orphans, refugees and stateless peoples, we come today
to share in the fellowship of the people of God; the One who liberates us all. Today,
we give thanks for the God, who is our Parent and Guardian of all the people God has
adopted into the family of faith, hope and trust in the One who is eternally and forever
God. “…Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty…. All God does is just…and
all God’s commandments are trustworthy…gracious and merciful is our Lord!…” Hallelujah! Amen.
(Source: Joan Stott, The Timeless Psalms)

Prayer of Invocation
We follow you, Jesus,
today as we worship;
In words of love and devotion
sung and spoken,
In service and kindness,
in shared life and sacred meal.
And all we need do to follow you
as we leave this place
is to continue saying and doing
– to others –
what we bring to you in this hour.
And so we pray for praise and affirmation
to empower our families and communities;
For confession and forgiveness
to reconcile personal and national enemies,
and lead us into integrity and goodness;
For thanksgiving and generosity
to curb our greed,
and overcome poverty;
For intercession and compassion
to heal the broken,
defend the weak,
and guide the powerful.
As you feed us now, Jesus, in our worship,
may we become, again, your body
which nourishes the world,
and embraces all people with kindness. Amen.
(Source: John van de Laar, Sacredise)

Prayers of Approach
Call to Prayer
At its best, prayer is gentle communion with the Sacred: it is an opportunity to enter more deeply into the present moment, to step aside from the busyness and distractions of life, to bring our attention to the centre of ourselves, to the place where the Holy dwells in each of us.
Prayer of Adoration, Confession, Absolution, and Supplication
Let us pray.
Mystery at the centre of all life, Spirit saturating the material,
Sacred Presence, elusive, hidden, Eternal Now,
encountered in darkness and dreams, in moments of emptiness and joy,
in the warmth of friendship and tenderness of intimacy,
in faith shared and Scripture read,
in the stillness of the soul,
with love,
we gaze upon You.
Father, Mother, Lover, Triune God:
You are all in all;
our wholeness and protection;
You are everything to us.
By your invitation of grace,
we lay down before you
the burdens we carry,
the suffering we endure,
the issues with which we wrestle, and
the memories of past wrongs, hurts, shame and failures.
May we know the touch of Your hand, O Christ.
We confess our wrongs:
our craving for earthly things,
our insatiable need for worldly status, power and wealth,
our words of malice and meanness,
our shallow thoughts, and
our pretence that we are better than we are.
Hear the words of Jesus: ‘Go, and sin no more.’
May Almighty God have mercy upon you,
grant you pardon and remission of all your sins,
time for the amendment of life,
and the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit.
We are made for heaven,
for life with the Risen, ascended Christ,
for fellowship with all the saints.
Bearers of the Divine image,
nourish us, Holy God,
with the peace and calm your Silence.
May the darkness that envelops the universe be to us a comfort,
a reminder that all things rest in you,
that we are at home in you,
and that you make your dwelling-place in us.
(Source: Scott McKenna, Church of Scotland Starters for Sunday)

Call to Worship (based on Psalm 111)
Come, and praise God!
In the company of the God’s people,
let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
Great are the works of God,
full of glory and majesty.
Our God is gracious and compassionate;
our God is merciful and forgiving
our God is faithful and trustworthy,
our God is just and good.
So come, let’s worship God together.
God’s praise will last forever!
(Source: Christine Longhurst, re-worship blog)

Contemporary Call to Worship
Thank God at all times for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Ephesians 5:20)
Give thanks to God!
We thank God for joy, for laughter,
for abundant blessings of every kind.
Give thanks to God
at all times and for everything!
We thank God, when we can and as we can,
for struggles, for solitude, for fears.
Give thanks to God
at all times and for everything
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We thank God that, in Christ,
our joys as well as our pain,
our losses as well as our laughter,
are in God’s heart and hands.
(Source: Thom Shuman, Lectionary Liturgies)

Prayer of Approach (inspired by John 6)
Most gracious and loving God,
we have tasted your goodness in days gone by and it has satisfied us,
but now with this new day we turn to you again
for the bread of life that you have prepared for us
and for the wine of the Spirit that you pour out for your people.
Help us Lord, to empty ourselves
of those things that hinder us from knowing the fullness of your love
and fill us with those things that tend to make us all that you want us to be.
We need your presence Lord.
We need your anointing.
Touch us, we pray, and make us whole.
We ask it through Christ Jesus your Son. Amen
(Source: Rev. Richard J. Fairchild, Kir-shalom website)

Prayer of confession/prayers of who we are

Prayers of who we are
(this could be a helpful reflection for a prayer of confession)
So many voices,
so many signs,so many choices and opinions
all promising wisdom
and the life it brings.
It’s tempting to listen,
tempting to try these well-marketed principles
especially now, when so much is at stake.
But, then I remember,
wisdom is not an idea,
not a method or technique,
not a formula to buy or sell.
It’s much simpler, and much more difficult than that,
for it requires the unpredictable,
the time-consuming,
the vulnerable work
of relationship with you, God.
So, here I am, to lose myself in you again,
and to let your wisdom find me. Amen.
(Source: John van de Laar, Sacredise)

Confession: That life would teach us
(this could be used for prayer of confession with a time for reflection at the end of the prayer)
God, life – your life – is so freely and abundantly available,
it pulses in all creation,
and in every human soul.
Yet we have allowed ourselves to be seduced by death,
and have left ourselves and our planet thirsty and lethargic.
So, where rain forests are destroyed
to exploit immediate resources for short term profits,
we pray that your life would teach us restraint;
Where human waste piles up and poisons the earth,
and the lives of the creatures in it,
we pray that your life would teach us wisdom;
Where the growth and nurture of children is stunted,
by poverty and inequality,
we pray that your life would teach us generosity and compassion;
Where life in all its various expressions is denied and suppressed
by hatred, self-interest, war and megalomania,
we pray that your life would teach us love and humility.
Teach us, O God, to live – to really live,
abundantly, freely, generously and humbly,
that life may be nurtured, multiplied and shared,
– in all its amazing diversity –
through us. (Source: John van de Laar, Sacredise)
We take time to reflect on the words for our own lives…

Words of Assurance

A Prayer to follow the prayer of confession: The Gift of Wisdom
Holy Wisdom,
you granted Solomon’s request
for an understanding mind
and the knowledge to discern good from evil.
Fill us with such understanding and knowledge
that we may act as instruments
of your loving desire for creation,
working with you to transform
our conceit into concern for others,
our fear into love,
our violence into peace,
and our brokenness into wholeness. Amen.
(Source: Revised Common Lectionary Prayers, Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

Prayer of Confession
Here I am, Listening One.
I have wandered away from you.
These are the concerns on my heart and in my soul…
Space for personal prayer is kept
In humility, I realize I do not always act with the best intentions,
nor express the grace and kindness that reflect your call.
I am so sorry.
Space for personal prayer is kept
Let me focus my being and living on honouring you and loving others.
Help me to let go of what distracts my focus from you and your way.
Grow in me your wisdom,
for I wish to live this change in my every moment.
Help me to make the most of every opportunity I have,
to love you and love others, in the Way of Jesus.

Words of Assurance
Friends, lift up your hearts with thanks
For we are loved and known by God.
Wisdom grows when we honour truth
Living with humility builds kindness and generosity.
This is our call.
We accept God’s call today. (Source: Rev Anne Hewitt)

Prayer for Illumination

Readings (see links above)

Reflection on the Gospel
EATING AND DRINKING (John 6:51-58)
The manna of old,
‘that which your ancestors ate’,
was good for a day.

Daily bread goes stale
but Jesus, the living bread,
revives and sustains.

Eating and drinking:
metaphors of living, faith,
sacrament and more.
(Source: Jeff Shrowder, 2018)

Reflection on the Gospel (inspired by John 6)
Much more of soft bread
much-loved by the world
and sweet on the tongue
and we shall be dead.

Much more of this bread
fresh from the baking
and scenting the air
and we shall be dead.

Much more of this bread
though it come to us
packaged and sliced
and we shall be dead.

Yet a crust of Christ’s bread
with the meek and poor
who dare to adore
and death is no more.
(Source: Bruce Prewer’s website)

Prayers for others

Prayers of the People
(inspired by I Kings 3:3-14, Ephesians 5:15-20)
Eternal God, we thank you today for your goodness. You have given us beautiful days. You bless us richly with goodness daily. We thank you and praise you.
We live in a time of considerable confusion. We ask today for your wisdom as Solomon asked for wisdom.
We are often fearful as was Solomon. We live in a time of peril, war, and world unrest. Different and competing interests strive for our attention and loyalty. Help us, O God, to pray for wise and discerning spirits.
• Give us wisdom to know good from evil.
• Give us wisdom to assess the clamoring voices and concerns with which we are daily bombarded.
• Give us wisdom so that we might learn to be accepting of all the diverse people you have created.
• Give us wisdom to be peacemakers and mediators of understanding where there is conflict.
• Give us wisdom when we are in conflict to make it possible both for us and for those with whom we differ to save face and win and move forward hand in hand.
• Give us wisdom not to violate any of your creatures by discriminating against them.
• Give us wisdom to discern what is of ultimate value for our souls and to make wise choices.
O God, give us wisdom.
O God, give us discernment.
O God, give us the will to be faithful.
O God, give us the power to love. Amen.
(Source: Richard Einerson, Prayers of the People)

Prayer for Leaders in these COVID-19 Time
God of all, we pray for leaders across the world,
where wisdom grows through honouring those whom they lead and serve.

For leaders born into monarchy, we pray their reign learns from history,
and acts without greed, domination and corruption.
May they shine with humility, and love those whom they serve.

For leaders who seize power, we pray that restorative justice prevails.
and coups, oppression and violent threats are ended.
May we advocate a democratic way forward and support those who are persecuted.

For leaders voted into power,
we pray they act with a serving heart and responsible thinking.
May love for their community override corruption
and decisions reflect consideration of all whom they serve.

For those who lead in local communities,
we pray that they lead with graciousness, clear thinking, listening ears and advocacy, to promote honest, just communities where neighbourliness is honoured

Bring our voices into these spaces, Spirit,
So that we advocate where injustice is prevalent,
offer healing where there is woundedness
be people who seek your peace and wisdom,
and create a positive, safe and welcoming community of grace. (Source: Rev Anne Hewitt)

Prayers of Thanksgiving, Intercession & for the Faithful Departed
God of eternity,
who laid the foundations of the universe,
in whose hand the cosmos evolves
through matter pregnant with consciousness, we give you thanks for life’s beauty,
for radiant sunsets, erupting volcanoes,
for waters still and turbulent,
for sacred mountains and peaceful gardens and all the fecundity of Earth’s womb.
We praise you for all human life,
for humanity’s diversity and differences,
for the rich texture of colour, creed and culture, for the treasure of human love,
for friends, family and loved ones,
for the heartfelt joy and meaning they bring to us
and for the opportunities of caring and be cared for.
Above all, we thank you for the revelation of yourself
in the rabbi from Nazareth,
in the mystic narratives of Scripture,
in the Spirit dwelling within each of us.
Holy God, you are everything, all in all:
You are in us and we are in you.
We pray for those whose life is marred or diminished by prejudice or poverty.
May we know and feel the pain and suffering of others;
guide us to all that we can do to help.
Help us to live as children of God,
sisters and brothers who, with the eyes of faith, see all people as bearers of God’s image,
temples in which the Sacred dwells.
May we be at peace with ourselves,
live in a spirit of humility,
and deal with others, even those who oppose us, with gentleness, honesty and respect.
Teach us dialogue, not conflict.
We pray for our leaders,
and all who serve our country, city and church:
grant them wisdom,
that they may seek justice in all things, compassion,
that they help those suffering from disease, and justice,
helping the most vulnerable.
We pray for all peacemakers,
for peoples and lands divided,
for families – and children – suffering because of war.
May there be a spirit of compromise,
an abandonment of ego, that lust for power and domination,
help all embroiled in conflict to see and cherish the humanity of others,
see the Divine spark in the eyes of others.
We ask a special blessing upon the Holy Land,
the land of the Jewish and Palestinian peoples,
for an end to violence
and a new day, a new dawn, on the soil that Jesus walked.
Eternal God,
we pray for those whose life is blighted by loneliness,
for those who are facing possible bad news,
for those who are anxious or hurting,
unable to sleep, who find little comfort, for those who are dying,
and for the bereaved.
We give thanks and pray for our loved ones departed,
for those who inspired us and shaped our life.
May we with them one day sit at Table, forgiven and restored,
at the feast in your eternal Kingdom.
These prayers we offer in Jesus’ Name,
and in His words we would sum up all our prayers, saying……Our Father…….
(Source: Scott McKenna, Church of Scotland, Starters for Sunday)

Lord’s Prayer

Prayer of Dedication

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
By your grace, Holy God, our gifts become the bread which feeds the hungry, become the water which drought ravaged lands need, become a community for the lonely, become medical missions for those battling disease and worries. By your grace, Holy God, may we offer more and more as your feed us with the Bread of life. Amen.
(Source: Thom Shuman, Lectionary Liturgies)

Benediction and sending out

Benediction
Go, blessed and filled with the wisdom of God,
blessed and nourished by the life of our Lord Jesus Christ
and blessed and directed by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
(Source: Moira Laidlaw, Liturgies Online)

Benediction
Filled to the brim with the goodness of God;
the nourishment of Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life,
and the power of the Holy Spirit,
go now in peace to serve God in all that you think, do and say.
God’s peace will always be with you. AMEN.
(Source: Nancy C. Townley, Ministry Matters website)

Sending
Fed with words of grace and hope,
let us go to bring the Bread of life to our world.
Called to be faithful as followers of Jesus,
let us go to share justice and hope with all.
Touched by the Spirit of wonder in these moments,
let us go to bring peace to the broken.
(Source: Thom Shuman, Lectionary Liturgies)

Commission and Benediction
Go forth into the world trusting with your hearts
the wisdom God bestows upon all who seek to follow God’s will.
When called to lead, do so with humility and confidence in God.
Be in this world a sign of Jesus’ presence.
Share compassion with all whom you encounter.
Live wisely in God’s name,
and glorify God in all you do.
And may the grace, mercy and wisdom of God
be our support, guidance and strength
from this day forward and for ever more. Amen.
(Source: Rev. Dr. Bertrice Wood, United Church of Christ website)

Blessing
God is with us.
Go out with certainty
Live with gratitude.
Love God’s people.
Listen to Wisdom
Act with kindness.
Make good use of every opportunity you have
And delight in it the moment,
For God is there before us.
Peace of God be with us all. (Source: Rev Anne Hewitt)

(Communion)

(Communion Hymns)

Communion Liturgy 1(source: John van de Laar, Sacredise)

Communion Liturgy 2 (source: John van de Laar, Sacredise)

(From “Seasons of Your Heart: Prayers and Reflections”, Macrina Wiederkehr. Pub. HarperOne, 1991)
Anyone who is familiar with wheat and grapes knows that the story of bread and wine is indeed a story of life and death. How wise of Jesus to use such already sacred signs to continue His presence among us.
We have been asked to break bread and share the cup in His name. Each time we do this we proclaim his death and rising until he comes again.
Are not our lives a little like the wheat and grapes? Doesn’t a similar kind of religious experience take place in us: dying and rising, being broken and crushed, shared together, poured out for one another? Surely, as in that broken bread and that shared cup, it is the same Christ we are trying to recognise in the brokenness of our lives. The story of our Eucharist is, indeed, a mystery we have hardly begun to tap.
Bread too like us
has its birth in violence.
The seed that fell
into the ground
died, and came forth as wheat is now ground into new form and flour is sifted
and changed into loaves
for rising.
We break this bread with reverence
and give it to each other for eating
just as another person once broke those loaves with us
and asked us not to forget. We haven’t!
If there is any command we have been religiously obedient to it is this command of not forgetting.
Do this in my memory!
Do it again and again!
Jesus, we have…..
We have broken bread
with tears in our eyes
and we’ve broken it
when our hearts felt nothing, but we have broken it
just as you asked us to do. We are still trying
to understand
what it means.
But we haven’t forgotten.
And the wine?
It too is born out of pain. After days of ripening,
the grapes are crushed and squeezed
into unfamiliar form waiting in barrels and vats and finally, bottles
to be accepted
loved
believed in.
And this wine also we drink carefully with more reverence than usual.
It is in honour of
that same person
the One who asked us not to forget.
And we haven’t!
O God, if there’s anything we’ve been faithful to,
it’s this
not forgetting request…….
It is especially
to remind each other not to forget
that we meet.
It is especially
to celebrate the life that comes
out of death.
(Source: Scott McKenna, Church of Scotland Starters for Sunday)

Opening words of invitation for communion
Lord God, you draw and welcome us,
emptied of pride and hungry for grace,
to this your kingdom feast.
Nowhere can we find the food for which our souls cry out
but here, Lord at your table.
Invigorate and nourish us, good Lord,
that in and through this Bread and Wine
your love may meet us and your life complete us
in the power and glory of your kingdom. Amen
(Source: Church in Wales Holy Eucharist 2004. Posted on the USPG: Anglicans in World Mission website)

Communion ‘credo’
(This could be used as part of the communion liturgy)
I believe that bread comes from grain
that grows in the wind
and the rain
with the farmers’ help
far from the eyes of city folk.

I believe that bread comes from love
the love of God
the love of the farmer
the love of the baker’s hands
the love of those who bring it to me.

I believe that bread can be
and should be broken
and shared
and given to all persons
until all have enough
and then some.

I believe that Jesus loved bread
and took it
and broke it
and blessed it
and fed his disciples
and asked them to feed us forever.

I believe enough in bread
to want it from Jesus
to want it to nurture me
to want his life through it
to want to give life through it.

I believe that his body as bread feeds me
and as part of his body
I want to be bread for others.
I believe the Spirit will help me
as well Jesus’ people. Amen.
(Source: Bread for the World Worship Aids II – Liturgy, Justice and the Reign of God website)

Communion Litany: What do you bring?
What do you bring to Christ’s table?
We bring bread,
made by many people’s work
from an unjust world
where some have plenty
and most go hungry.

At this table, all are fed
and no one turned away.
Thanks be to God

What do you bring to Christ’s table?
We bring wine,
made by many people’s work
from an unjust world
where some have leisure
and most struggle to survive

At this table, all share the cup
of pain and celebration
And no one is denied.
Thanks be to God

These gifts shall be for us
the body and blood of Christ,
Our witness against hunger,
our cry against injustice,
And our hope for a world
where God is fully known
And every child is fed.
Thanks be to God
(Source: Brian Wren, Christian Aid website)

Communion – opening words (prayer of thanksgiving)
In the company of the God’s people,
let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
Great are the works of God,
full of glory and majesty.
Our God is gracious and compassionate;
our God is merciful and forgiving
our God is faithful and trustworthy,
our God is just and good.
So come, let’s give our thanks to God together.
God’s praise will last forever!
(Source: adapted, Christine Longhurst, re-worship blog)

Communion: Prayer of thanksgiving – Breadmaker Supreme
Take 3 kilos of flour says the recipe …
We thank you, Lord, for flour:
flour made from wheat or other grain,
grown in the mystery of the earth,
ripened in the warmth of the sun;
ripened, then cut down at the hearvest by the farmer’s skill,
ground by the miller,
sold by the shop assistant,
placed in the bowl…
we thank you, Lord, for flour.

We thank you, Lord, for salt:
Jesus told us we were to be salt of the earth,
and we must never lose our flavour.
The salt, which adds flavour to our food,
is also antiseptic to our wounds,
reminding us of the challenge to our faith
and the healing power of Jesus …
We thank you, Lord, for salt.

We thank you, Lord, for yeast:
that small yet living organism
that enables the bread to rise,
that reminds us of the fact that even small works done in Jesus’ name
can enable the kingdom to grow …
we thank you, Lord, for yeast.

We thank you, Lord, for water:
water, without which none of us could live,
water, which forms the other elements of our bread into dough,
which, having risen, and been formed and drawn into shape by human
hands, is baked to give us the staff of life;
water, which cleanses and renews us,
refreshes and revives us,
the water of baptism, which commits us to our faith …
we thank you, Lord, for water…

We thank you, Lord, for bread:
Bread, the basis of the food we eat,
bread for toast, for sandwiches, for bread and jam,
bread for bread pudding and bread for buns –
and bread that is broken and shared in communion with one another,
in remembrance –
remembrance of that night when Jesus sat with his friends at supper,
and broke the bread and gave it to them,
saying, “This is my body broken for you.”
We thank you, Lord, for bread.
(Source: Diocese of Bath and Wells website)

52B Communion – Thom Shuman
Call to Worship
For cool mornings and rumbling afternoon storms,
for amazing days and even more ordinary evenings,
for deep friendships and shallow wading pools:
we give thanks to God!
For the laughing God who tickles us with joy,
for the broken-hearted Love who joins in our struggles:
we give thanks to God at all times!
For the Bread of heaven who feeds us hope,
for the Spirit of grace who teaches us to dance:
we give thanks to God at all times and for everything!

Prayer of the Day
We long to worship
in high-vaulted cathedrals,
our songs and prayers
echoing the deep sighs
of the saints cradled in the stone.
Yet you, unpredictable Creator,
you compose a canticle
with the gentle drops of rain
on a tin-roofed shelter.

We long to worship
beside the high and famous,
rubbing shoulders with those
clothed in power, wealth, renown.
But you, quirky Redeemer,
you we find sitting at the gutter,
huddling in the shadowed doorway,
curled up on a sidewalk grate
with your long-lost kin.

We long to worship
with drums pounding
and the amps turned up
so high our hearts tremble.
And you, fanciful Spirit,
you would draw us into
that still, silent, sacred
space called peace.

We long to worship you,
God in Community, Holy in One,
even as we pray saying,
(The Lord’s Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
We would follow Jesus, but sometimes it seems that we do not know how to go out in faith, or come in out of the shadows of life. The One who has sent the Bread of life to us is the God who is just and true, longing to grace us with mercy. Please join me, as we pray together, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
We try to be so careful, Faithful God, yet we make so many mistakes. We think we are so wise, yet do not understand the simple wonder of a child. We spend so little time in your presence, and ask why we do not know your dreams for us. We long to be good, upright people, but find our hearts tripping over the temptations of the world.
Have mercy, Covenant Keeper, and be gracious to us. As you continue to teach us of your hopes, your dreams, your love for us, may we practice what we learn, as we follow our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in faith.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Out of our lives laced with foolish mistakes and unwise choices, God is able to weave a tapestry of grace, forgiveness, and healing.
God has sent redemption for all, God has fed us with the healing bread of life. At all times, and for every grace, we give thanks to God in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May the God of joy be with you!
And also with you!
At this Table, God speaks grace to us.
We offer our listening hearts so we hear these words of life.
In this company of faithful followers of Jesus, give thanks.
In this moment, and always, we sing praises to our Steadfast Love.

All praise is due to you, Amazing God,
for your great works we call creation.
Grace flowed out of your heart,
its gentleness woven into
the light, the earth, the air;
peace rested upon all that was shaped
out of your unpredictable imagination,
all that lived and breathed touched by
the wisdom of your Spirit.
You formed humanity in your image,
that we might bear witness to you,
but we could not discern between
good and evil, choosing to follow
death and sin out of your presence.
You asked your servants, the prophets,
to teach us your ways and will,
but we did not have understanding minds.
So, in grace and mercy, you sent Jesus,
the living bread come down from heaven
that we might have eternal life with you.

So, with the wise and the unwise,
the foolish and the faithful of every time,
we join our voices to sing our thanks:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God who teaches us to walk in faith.
All hearts in creation sing praises to you.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is the Living Bread which came down from heaven.
Hosanna in the highest!

Holy are you, Awesome God,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, Living Bread.
When he could have remained
in the high places of glory with you,
he became fully human,
walking the paths of pain,
drinking the brackish waters of rejection,
eating the stale bread of our broken promises.
When he could have been careful,
he threw his fears to the wind,
taking up his cross to embrace death,
rising from the grave to lead us to eternal life.

As we gather to eat at your Table of remembrance,
as we give thanks for the life, death, and resurrection of Christ,
we point to that mystery of grace called faith:

Christ died, the Bread which will live forever;
Christ was raised, on the first day of new life;
Christ will come for us, so we may abide in God’s kingdom forever.

It is not in the high places
but here at this Table graced
with the common loaf and the graced cup
that we find your promises kept,
and your Spirit poured out upon us.
You offer us the Bread of heaven,
broken that we might be made whole,
to us, so that filled with grace,
we might go to find all those
whose hopes have been foreclosed.
You touch the Cup of life,
poured out for our renewal,
to our lips, to our hands, to our hearts,
so that we might be transformed
into servants to all the world.

And when all your works have come to fruition,
when all your children are gathered around you,
we will lift our voices, singing praises to you,
through all time, and for all good things you have done,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.
(Source: Thom Shuman, Lectionary Liturgies)

Pilgrim midweek service 2018 COCU52B.Midweek
Pilgrim Sunday 8am service 2018 Pilgrim COCU52B.8am.2018
Pilgrim Sunday 9.30am service 2018 COCU52B.11am.2018

About admin

Rev Sandy Boyce is a Uniting Church in Australia Minister (Deacon). This blog may be a help to people planning worship services.
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