October 13, 2019

October 13, 2019

Proper 23

Worship Resources for
the Center for Faith and Giving

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Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 

Psalm 66:1-12 

2 Timothy 2:8-15

Luke 17:11-19

Call to Worship   (from Psalm 66)

One:  Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!
Many:  Sing “Glory!”  How awesome are God’s deeds.
One:  We come to sing praise to the Holy One,
Choir (or Many) :  (sing)  “Come, be glad!  Sing and praise!
See what God has done!”  (CH # 329, first line)
One:  God has kept us among the living and not let our feet slip.
Many:  Even when we’re tested and tried, we come out to a spacious place.
One:  So together, we encourage one another as we worship God:
Many (and choir):  (sing)  “Come, be glad!  Sing and praise!
See what God has done!”  (CH # 329, first line)

Opening Prayer 

With gratitude, we lift our voices to praise you, God.
We see what you’ve done.
We witness your love and your power at work day by day.
So hear our prayers this day, whether we are filled with joy or carrying nearly overwhelming burdens.  Walk with us to the spacious place you are making for each and for all of your beloved ones, even as we honor you in this hour of worship.  AMEN

Moment for Stewardship (from II Timothy 2:15)

We hear in II Timothy a series of exhortations, or emphatic urgings, including this:  “do your best to present yourself to God a one approved by God, a worker who has no need to be ashamed…”

(tell this from your own experience, or introduce it as “someone recently wrote…”)

I don’t know about you, but I have a series of exhortations on a mental tape loop, from my Mom.  Although I haven’t heard her voice since her death, my minds still replays her saying “wear clean underwear, in case you have an accident. I don’t want you to be ashamed”.

More important than that teaching, however, is another exhortation; her reminder to be generous – to give so I can be unashamed even if my family (or my friends, my minister, my church family) would know what I give in the morning offering at church.

What about you?  If your offering were a public presentation, would you be ashamed to be known for what you’ve given?  Would you be happy?

Because we know Jesus, and proclaim him raised into new life, we rejoice and give thanks for God’s generous provision.  We want to generously share from what we’ve been given; that’s enough to make us happy!

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Giving God, we give you thanks for the abundance with which we are blessed.  Please receive our offering this morning as a sign of our joy.  Accept what we have shared, and allow us to use it so we might live out our ministries of care and compassion, knowing we’ll be approved by you.  AMEN

Invitation to Communion 

At its foundation, this communion is a way to remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead.

With this bread and juice, we are called to an upper room, surrounded by disciples, and face-to-face with Jesus.  Emblems of body and blood, these gifts show us the generous nature of Jesus.

As you eat and drink this morning,
may your fingers touching bread remind you of simple bread shared over the centuries and around the world.
may your eyes seeing dark juice remind you of life’s blood.
may your mouth, tasting sweetness,
remind you of the love which makes this meal possible and
the way we are bound together as one part of Christ’s body.

Proclaim with your action here, and your actions as you go from this service,
that Jesus is the Christ.  If we have died with him, we will also live with him!

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