August 19, 2018 Pentecost 13
1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
Psalm 111
Ephesians 5:15-20
Call to Worship (from Ephesians 5:18-19)
One: We’ve gathered in this place to be filled with the Spirit!
Many: Together, we sing!
(led by a soloist or choir with the congregation together,
Wind Upon the Waters, CH 247 Copyright 1986 GIA Publications …)
“Wind upon the waters, voice upon the deep,
rouse your sons and daughters, wake us from our sleep!”
One: Here, Spirit song lifts us to make melody to God.
Many: “breathing life into all flesh, breathing love into all hearts,
living wind upon the waters of our souls”
One: So we worship God, who breathes new life into us all.
Opening Prayer
God, we give you thanks for all you do for your creation.
Today we especially thank you for Jesus Christ,
who lived and died and was raised to new life by your love.
We thank you for the power of your Spirit at work in us and in our world.
Grant us wisdom and the ability to turn away from foolishness,
so in this hour we may fully worship you! AMEN
Stewardship Moment
In the letter to the Ephesians, believers are instructed how to live:
“not as unwise people but as wise.”
Sometimes, it takes the wisdom of a child for us to grasp how to live as faithful stewards of all we’ve been given.
The story is told of a little boy in church for the first time, who watched as the ushers passed around offering plates. When they came near his pew, the boy said loudly, “Don’t pay for me, Daddy, I’m under five.”
Gratefully, in this place, we don’t pay on the basis of being members of a club or observers at a concert or ball game. Instead, we share from the abundance God has already provided for us. When we recognize the true gift we have in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the love which surrounds us, our natural response becomes one of gratitude.
So this morning, in true appreciation for the gifts we’ve been given, no matter what our age may be, let’s offer our tithes and gifts to God.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray with gratitude, God.
Remembering how Jesus invited his followers to love one another,
we offer these gifts as signs of our love.
Because we have received much, now accept these gifts,
multiply them and use them
to let your presence be made known more fully in this congregation,
in our community, and in your whole cosmos. AMEN
Invitation to Communion
Sometimes it is not the amount of food,
but it is the particular food
which entices us to come to a dinner table.
Here, the food is simple bread and small servings of juice.
And it is enough to draw us close,
for we recognize this meal connects us to an Upper Room,
to Jesus and his disciples,
to the Spirit at work,
translating ordinary elements into extraordinary nourishment.
How right, that this meal is accompanied by psalms, hymns and spiritual songs,
for it’s a Thanksgiving meal.
When we grasp that truth, we do give thanks to God,
with joy in our hearts and a song of gratitude on our lips.
The Spirit continues to bring us into harmony with one another
and with all that is Holy
as we share in this festive meal.
And so we sing “Alleluia! Hear God’s Story” (CH 330)