Liturgical Resources For Sunday October 6, 2013
Year C, Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost
WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY
RECONCILIATION SPECIAL OFFERING (US)
THANKSGIVING SPECIAL OFFERING (CANADA)
Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost :: Green :: Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 :: Psalm 37:1-9 :: 2 Timothy 1:1-14 :: Luke 17:5-10
Call to Worship (Responsive)
Adapted from Psalm 37
L: Trust in the LORD, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
P: We will trust in the LORD
L: Take delight in the LORD, and the LORD will give you the desires of your heart.
P: We take delight in the LORD
L: Commit your way to the LORD; trust in the LORD, and the LORD will act.
P: We commit our way to the LORD
L: Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
P: Those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land
Invocation:
How long O Lord are we called to wait? How long O Lord are we asked to work in what seems in vain? We cry out with the exiled Israelites from the shores of Babylon, seeking a word from your prophet. We seek a word of hope and peace, and come together once again as your people. Grant us hearts which love beyond our walls and boundaries. Grant us wisdom to work for your reign. Grant us peace as we see your hand at work beside us. Help us this day O God, to be your faithful people, following in the footsteps of the one you sent, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Stewardship Moment: ( US Reconciliation Sunday)
Church, we have our work cut out for us! From one day to the next jobless rates and gas prices are either up or down. Human relationships are faltering – fixated on each other’s faults. While the media continues highlight our troubles, we Disciples highlight hope. The scripture in Romans 5 reminds us that our hope is not in vain. Our suffering and even our failures “produce endurance, and endurance character, and character hope – hope that does not disappoint. . .” Our hope is in God, who gave us the Good News in Jesus Christ. It is this Good News that we proclaim in the witness and ministry of Reconciliation. Recently we received the following testimony from a ministry that benefited from your gifts to the Reconciliation Ministry special offering:
“Because of the grant that our local congregation-based organizing network BREAD (Building Responsibility, Equality and Dignity) received from Reconciliation Ministry, our congregation has been a part of a movement that actually changes systems – whether it is predatory lending, education, institutional racism, or unfair housing practices. Our church is one 54 faith communities that work together to “do justice” in the city of Columbus. is year we are working collaboratively on Juvenile Justice. Last year we were able to reduce by half the number of youth in detention. I have learned that the work of “doing justice” is slow and it cannot be done by alone. It requires perseverance and the willingness to work with others. This work has been a blessing and transforming for me and my church. One of my members reported that because of this work, she now reads the paper differently. I recommend this kind of collaborative work to other churches.”
Your giving to Reconciliation Ministry is changing lives and communities. Thank you for your generosity.
Stewardship Moment: (Canada Thanksgiving Sunday)
“Come Home.” That is the theme for this year’s Thanksgiving Special Day offering. It seems appropriate: since in the weeks ahead many of us will be scurrying about preparing for those who are “coming home” to celebrate the holiday; while others are preparing to “go home” for the exact same reason. When we support the Thanksgiving Special Day Offering, we support Disciples Students. We support schools and colleges, scholarships and programs which directly affect our Disciples students. As you prepare for Thanksgiving, let us pause to give thanks for our Disciples Students, and make an offering to the Thanksgiving Special Offering.
Offertory Prayer:
We bring our gifts before you O God, because we believe in you these gifts make a difference. We believe that in you, these gifts change lives. Take and bless the offerings we bring O God, and use them to make a difference, we pray. We offer them in the name of the Risen Christ.
Communion Meditation:
Today the world gathers for communion. Bodies which celebrate communion rarely will be at the table. Bodies which celebrate once a quarter will be at the table. Bodies which celebrate once a month will be at the table. Bodies which celebrate weekly will be at the table. Today, we are not many bodies, but truly one body. Today we Christians are one body, because together we celebrate and remember the gifts of the body and blood of Christ. As we come to the table today, let’s do it knowing today the body of Christ is one body, united and blessed to bless. Come and join in celebrating the living body of Christ.
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