Worship Resources for
the Center for Faith and Giving
Pentecost +18
James 3:13 – 4:3, 7-8a
Mark 9:30-37
Call to Worship (inspired by Psalm 1)
One: In a challenging world, where do you find delight?
Many: We delight in what God gives to all – the teachings of how to live.
One: Like trees planted by good water, we are nurtured by what God
provides.
Many: God watches over all who stay rooted in those decrees.
One: Happy are we when we live by God’s ordinances!
Many: Yes! Happy are we when we’re closely connected to God!
Opening Prayer
Thank you for gathering us, O God, in this, your household of grace,
one part of the world-wide community of your love.
Here may we recognize your holy presence.
As we worship you, may we turn toward each day with hope made full for us in Jesus, the Christ. Help unite each of us with him now, and as we receive the bread and cup, even as we lift our prayers to you in his name. AMEN
Moment for Stewardship
While Jesus and his disciples were together, we sometimes imagine the disciples must have hung on every word which came out of Jesus’ mouth. However, in Mark 9, Jesus realized the disciples were arguing with one another about which of them was the greatest (hmm…sure am glad we don’t ever get into that kind of an argument around here! …[said with a smile])
Can you imagine the conversation? Peter claiming to be the strongest follower, Judas declaring he’d given up the most to become a disciple, James and John arm wrestling to see who should get to walk next to Jesus…
and Jesus finds a little child (someone at the very BOTTOM of the social scale…lower than women and slaves!),
and declares “whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me…”
We have the opportunity every time we gather to share the gifts we’ve been given by God. Sometimes that’s money, sometimes it’s time, sometimes it’s welcoming a child into our gathering.
This is our opportunity to present our financial gifts; signs of our desire to build up this part of the body of Christ in order to engage in acts of mercy and ministry. We’re not the strongest, the wealthiest, the largest…
but we seek to welcome all to join together in this part of worship. Please give as you are able (describe how to give in person, or with on-line giving for those who are not present).
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Giver of all good gifts, thank you for the ways you provide our daily needs and far beyond. Please accept this offering as our desire to welcome Jesus in our lives and in the life of this congregation. Help us use all the resources available to us to increase our welcome of all (children included), AMEN
Invitation to Communion
Joseph Jeter, in his book Re/Membering, (1996, Chalice Press), shared this communion meditation (found on p. 70): “It’s not easy to be Christian. It never has been. That was a heavy meal Jesus shared with his disciples that night. He told them he was leaving, he told them he was going to be betrayed – surely the disciples were stunned. But he did not leave them comfortless. He gave them this cup and this loaf, not just for remembrance, nor just for anticipation, but to ease their present pain.
In the year 1522, the church at Wittenburg was falling apart. There was anger and hostility and fear. People were lost and confused. They did not know what to do or which way to go. Martin Luther stood up and, in the midst of their suffering, he offered them the Lord’s Supper. He spoke to them about the peace a Christian could find in communion, and he closed with these words: “For this bread is a comfort to the sorrowing, a healing for the sick, a life for the dying, a food for the hungry and rich treasure for all the poor and needy.”
I wish I had said that, but I’m glad he did. For he has found us all in those few words, found us at our own level of weakness and pain. And for those of us who are sorrowing, sick, dying, hungry, poor, and needy, he holds out the Eucharist as comfort, healing, life, food, and treasure. There is a blessing for every need here. How good it is to come to this table, even if just for a minute, to receive the peace of God that the world of its own accord cannot give.”
All are invited to share in this feast.
Come, all who seek to live as disciples of Jesus, remembering how even the first disciples did not have full understanding of this leader…and still were welcomed in that Upper Room.