LECTIONARY WORSHIP MATERIALS
Center for Faith and Giving
June 7, 2020
The Texts
Genesis 1:1-2:4a
Psalm 8
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Matthew 28:16-20
Call to Worship (based on Psalm 8)
Leader: O Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
People: You have set your glory in the heavens.
Leader: Who are we that you even care about us?
People: We are your children, crowned with glory and honor.
Leader: You have called us to be stewards over all your creation.
People: O Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Opening Prayer
God of the sea and stars, we are in awe that you are mindful of us and that you call us to be your children. As we gather this morning to worship you, may be see your wonder in the faces of the angels around us. Amen.
Moment for Stewardship
In the very first chapter of the Bible, God gives us humans our job description: populate the earth and be responsible for its well-being. Some people have taken that to mean we can do whatever we want with the earth. But we can’t, because it’s not ours. It is God’s, a gift on loan to us. In fact, everything we have is a gift, not meant to be subdued and selfishly used, but to be looked after, cared for, stewarded.
When we share our offerings, we are living out our job description. We are not only caring for the fish in the sea and the birds in the air, we are caring for each other. When we give to help those around us, we are acknowledging the image of God we see in them. May we live out the call to be stewards as we share our tithes and offerings.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Gracious God, you have given us much responsibility, calling us to be stewards, commissioning us to share your love and grace. May the offerings we have made today help others know that they are your children, imbued with your image. Amen.
Invitation to Communion
“Go and make disciples of all nations,” Jesus says at the end of Matthew. That’s a pretty tall order! Who are we to teach, to baptize, to share the perfect love of God in such imperfect ways? Sure, we may be a little lower than angels, as Psalm 8 says, but some of us are a bit lower than others! And yet, we can’t forget the last line of the Great Commission: “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Remember. That’s what we come to this table to do. To remember that Christ is with us as we share his love, as we teach his ways, as we live out his lessons of grace and hospitality. These elements remind us that Christ’s promises are true, that Jesus is indeed with us. Because of that, we can take the bread and the cup with confidence, knowing that they carry with them the authority to share the gospel in this broken world.
Come, receive these gifts, and remember. “I am with you always.”
With this installment of our lectionary worship resources we welcome the Rev Kory Wilcoxson. Kory is the Sr. Minister of Crestwood Christian Church in Lexington, KY. Prior to coming to Crestwood, Kory served churches in metropolitan Chicago, IL and in central and southern Indiana. Born and raised in Jeffersonville, Ind., Kory previously worked as a journalist, writing for the Louisville Courier-Journal and the Jeffersonville Evening News, and as a college lecturer at Ohio University and Indiana University Southeast. Wilcoxson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from Indiana University, a Master’s Degree in Communication from Ohio University, and a Master’s Degree in Divinity from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. Wilcoxson has two daughters: Sydney, 21, a junior at the University of Kentucky, and Molly, 15, a sophomore in the Academy at Henry Clay High School.