June 23, 2019
Proper 5
Worship Resources for
the Center for Faith and Giving
Call to Worship (from Psalm 30)
One: Sing praise to the Lord and give thanks to God’s holy name!
Many: Weeping may linger for the night, but JOY comes with the morning.
One: God restores us to life.
Many: We praise the name of our Lord!
One: Our mourning is turned to dancing, God has clothed us with joy.
Many: So we give thanks to the Lord our God.
Opening Prayer
God of power and of might, we will not be silent!
Hear our thanksgiving, for you are gracious and good.
You build us up and bring us to a broad and beautiful land.
You hear us when we cry out to you.
So receive our praise as we worship you in song and word and deed. AMEN
Moment for Stewardship
What is it that God is doing in your life?
For many people who have grown up in the church, had families who were vital parts of a congregation and for whom worship is a regular part of a weekly pattern, it might seem strange to ask “what is God doing in your life?”
Yet that appears to be the question behind what Paul is doing in the letter to the Galatians. He details his own history: born a Jew, persecutor of the early Christians, struck blind, then given back his physical sight, along with new insight about Jesus, the Christ.
Clearly, God was the lead actor in Paul’s life drama. Paul found himself preaching to the Gentiles, “proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.” Paul lived his later life as a witness to God’s grace. He completely gave himself to the work of proclamation.
What about you? Do you breathe in the love of God with every breath? Do you find your faith to be life-giving? If so, we invite you to share signs of your identity in this offering. Bring your checks, your cash, or any other symbols to share as we receive our tithes and gifts.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Gracious and generous God, thank you for the many ways you show up in our lives! Thank you for eyes to see and ears to hear. Thank you for the ability to give symbols of our lives in this time of offering. Receive each of us and all our gifts, that we might proclaim your presence to the world.
AMEN
Invitation to Communion
All who have come to know Jesus as the Christ are welcome to share in the meal we celebrate around this table. There is no barrier erected to separate those who are new to faith from those who have been part of a faith community for a lifetime. No exam is demanded, to assure your level of theological awareness. No check-off list must be completed to assure you are “good enough”.
Paul, writing to the Galatians, recognized he was violently persecuting the church of God, trying to destroy it, before he was convicted by the very voice of the resurrected Jesus. And it is this same Paul who spent the rest of his life proclaiming the Gospel!
So come, because this feast is prepared, and demonstrates the love of God made known in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Come, for you are a beloved child of God, and have a place at the table.
Come, let no one turn you away when Christ welcomes you.