Worship Resources for
the Center for Faith and Giving
Epiphany 3C
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Psalm 19
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Luke 4:14-21
Call to Worship (inspired by Psalm 19)
Leader: We come together to worship the Lord, our God.
People: Today our voices are joined by the heavens, declaring God’s glory!
Leader: We recognize the law which comes from God,
and celebrate those precepts.
People: The commandment of God is clear!
Leader: God’s ordinances are righteous. They are more desired than gold!
People: Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts
be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.
Opening Prayer
From the midst of our hearts we lift our voices to praise you,
Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer.
Renew in us a desire to live by your precepts,
taught to us in scripture, practiced in our church community,
and shared each day in the ways we live our lives.
In this hour build us up to such gratitude for such gifts
that our thoughts and our action will be truly acceptable to you. AMEN
Moment for Stewardship (in response to Luke 4:14-21)
The language in Luke 4 may seem foreign to us.
Yet many of us have a clear sense of purpose or direction.
Do any among us use the biblical language: “I’ve been anointed”
to describe how we’ve come to be the person we are,
or how we’ve come to engage in the lives we are living?
Whether we claim the idea of having been anointed, or given a particular gift, would you join me in claiming you’ve received particular talents, abilities or interests which have led you to your particular life situation?
(If so, consider sharing a sentence or two of how your “anointing” or utilizing your particular gifts plays out in your specific life.)
Those particular gifts allow us to find a myriad of ways to offer our gifts for service in the church as we participate in this part of the Body of Christ.
Some use your gift of hospitality to welcome others into worship.
Others use your gift — for teaching, serving as a spiritual leader,
caring for babies, or making great coffee —
to help build up our common life.
All of us are invited to share our gifts, including our financial gifts, to honor God, who has poured them all out upon us.
(Please use the pew cards to jot down a particular gift you’d like
to share in this congregation. We’ll read these this week, and follow up
soon to see how you could share.)
Let’s give thanks for the variety of our spiritual gifts as we receive our morning offering.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Generous God,
Thank you for the gifts you pour into lives of this congregation.
Thank you, too, for the ways you inspire us to model our generosity on yours.
Receive these gifts (and the notes indicating other offered gifts)
and grant us energy to use them to the max
as we seek to build up your Realm on earth, as it is in heaven. AMEN
Invitation to Communion
Each week as we come to the Lord’s Table, we focus on a particular aspect of this multi-faceted experience.
In I Corinthians 12 Paul describes how one body consists of many members – both in our physical bodies and
in the Body of Christ which we recognize in this congregation.
Many members, but ONE body. Different gifts/abilities working together to help the whole function.
If all of us were a beautiful voice, how would we walk?
If all of us functioned only to see the wonders of God’s creation,
how would we hold a newborn baby?
If all of us could soothe a senior with Alzheimer’s,
how would we engage our teens?
Folk singer Carrie Newcomer’s song, “Room at the Table”
(check this out on You Tube!)
reminds us there is space at this table for everyone!
At our best, this is what we do – recognize it takes each member to make the best possible body.
Grateful for the ways our many members come together around this Table, come!
There’s room for all.
The feast is prepared and you are invited.