WORSHIP MATERIALS
September 20, 2020
These materials are provided as free resource from the Center for Faith and Giving. To keep these materials coming uninterrupted, please consider a gift to support this important ministry so that we can continue to create a culture of generosity across the life of the church.
Lectionary Readings
Exodus 16:2-15
Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45
Philippians 1:21-30
Mathew 20:1-16
Call to Worship
Leader: When we are enslaved to the sin that holds us captive…
People: …we remember God freed the Israelites from Egypt.
Leader: When we walk in the darkness with no guidance…
People: …we remember God gave the Israelites fire to give light by night.
Leader: When we hunger for justice and thirst for righteousness…
People: …we remember God provided manna from Heaven and water from the rock.
Leader: When we struggle with despair and hopelessness…
People: …we remembered that we are remembered by our Creator God.
Opening Prayer
Holy God, just as you brought the Israelites out of Egypt with joy and singing, so we come into your presence to shout of exultations and sing your praises. May this time of worship renew our commitment to loving you by serving others. Feed us, Lord, so we may feed others. Amen.
Moment for Stewardship
What do you think of the landowner that paid all the workers the same wage, even those who only worked for an hour? If you are a businessperson, you most likely laugh at his cavalier attitude toward money. No one would get rich that way! If you value a hard day’s work, you probably think his actions are unfair to those who put in a full day’s work.
But if you are one of the last workers hired, you would see this landowner as more than generous. It’s easy for us to look down on people who don’t have what we have, who haven’t worked as hard as us, who seem to live off of handouts rather than the work of their own hands. Why should they get a portion of what we earned?
Simple. Because what we earned isn’t ours. We have been blessed with it by the one who gave us our gifts so that we can be a blessing to others. No qualifications, no competency exam. If someone is in need, you help them. Are we envious that God is so generous? Or are we humbled to serve the one who has given us so much? Let us now collect our tithes and offerings.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Gracious God, you give so lavishly, not caring about merit or work ethic, simply giving for the joy of giving. May we follow your lead, experiencing the blessing of giving out of our abundance to those who are in need. We thank you for blessing us, Lord. Give us the courage to be a blessing. Amen.
Invitation to Communion
“Give us this day our daily bread.” We pray it every time we say the Lord’s prayer. It’s easy to think that means give us what we need for today. And it does. But it also means, “Don’t give us more than we need for today.” Why not? Because if we have more than we need, we’ll forget what we need the most: God’s daily presence in our lives.
When we come to this table, God is offering us what we need for today. Maybe it’s forgiveness. Maybe it’s grace. Maybe it’s a reminder that you are worthy to come to this table. Whatever you need, it’s here. And tomorrow? God’s gifts will still be with you. And the next day. And the next day.
There is plenty of bread and cup to go around. More than enough for all of us. So much more that we are called to take the extra into the world to feed others. Not the actual elements, but what they represent, what we are given here. Forgiveness. Grace. Self-worth. You have what you need for today, thanks to the sacrificial love of Jesus. Take and eat, take a drink, then go and share. Let’s prepare our hearts to receive communion.