Center for Faith and Giving
Worship Resources
Seventh Sunday of Easter
Call to Worship (adapted from Psalm 68)
One: Sing to God! Sing praises to the Lord!
Many: We’ll raise our voices to worship the Lord our God
One: for this Holy One gives power and strength to all who praise the Lord.
Many: We delight in knowing God gives a home to the desolate,
One: and we rejoice when God leads the imprisoned to prosperity.
Many: Blessed be the Lord our God.
Opening Prayer
Gracious God, we’ve come to offer you our praise, and worship you,
grateful for the ways you continue to bless us, lead us, challenge us,
and love us.
Receive all we lay before you in this hour, even as you open the way for us
to grow in our lives as followers and disciples of our resurrected Lord, Jesus, the Christ. AMEN
Invitation to Stewardship
Over the weeks since Easter (April 9), we’ve heard the scripture’s telling of the resurrected Jesus appearing in various places, to a variety of individuals and groups.
In Acts 1, Luke reports Jesus last appearance to the disciples, before he was taken up and disappeared from sight.
The promise to those people was power! Not amazing strength, nor political positioning, but the gift of Holy Spirit power, filling up each one to allow them to become witnesses of Jesus.
This week, we anticipate the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is a gift in itself. Remember how a child anticipates her birthday? “I’m going to be 6 on FRIDAY!!”
Today is our time to both anticipate what is to come and celebrate the gift we’ve already been given, as we use the power of the Spirit. You can do that in so many ways — but one which is before us right now is the Spirit-power to share our offering, knowing these funds will allow our congregation to be a witness of Jesus as we ______________________ (share one particular way you reach out in Jesus’ name).
With grateful hearts, let’s make possible one more “witness” opportunity for ___________ Church!
Prayer of Thanksgiving
In gratitude for the gifts we’ve been given, we offer this financial support back as one way to demonstrate our identity as witnesses of Jesus in this place and in this time. Accept our gifts, Generous God, as one sign of our response to your abundant sharing with us. Empower us to fully use not only our finances, but our time and our talents to be witnesses of Jesus in a world gasping for signs of hope and power. AMEN
Invitation to Communion (Acts 1, with allusions to John 17)
Acts 1 tells of Jesus’ last words to his disciples, assuring them he would not simply disappear from their lives.
Do you sometimes long for that clear assurance? I do. And it comes, week after week, as we gather around this table, remembering. This is not simply a sentimental memory which we try to repeat in order to keep it fresh. Rather, it’s a re-MEMBERING [a putting together – like putting the members (arms and legs, eyes and tongue, funny noses and hat) of Mr. Potato Head]
(if you can find one, bring it to the Table and demonstrate “membering” the body)
At this table, we re-MEMBER Jesus when we take one bread, break it and share it with all who are present…knowing it binds us together back into one.
We are ONE body!
(consider using “One Bread, One Body” CH#393 as your communion hymn)