Worship Resources for
the Center for Faith and Giving
Pentecost +13
Exodus 1:8 – 2:10
Psalm 124
Romans 12:1-8
Matthew 16:13-20
Call to Worship (in response to Psalm 124)
L: Welcome to this time of worship, where we’ve come to
give thanks to God, who has been and is and will be
on our side!
P: When life is tough, God is still on our side.
When the day gleams with light and life, God is still on our side.
L: When enemies surround us, when the flood threatens to carry us away,
P: God is on our side.
L: So come! Together, let us rejoice,
ALL: for our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Opening Prayer
In confidence we lift our hearts to you, Loving God.
We’re grateful for the witness of scripture,
the assurance from history,
and the reality of our own experience:
You do not give us up!
We give thanks for the knowledge
that our help is in your name,
Maker of heaven and earth! AMEN
Moment for Stewardship
Jesus had traveled with his closest disciples for some time when he sat down with them for a Q&A.
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” is the way we read the question.
Some of the disciples answered in a pretty generic way: “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
But when Jesus posed the question more directly—“Who do you say I am?”—it was Peter who gifted Jesus with this answer: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
It’s a confession many of us have also made.
It’s the cornerstone of the church, challenging us to keep on learning and growing in our daily lives.
It’s because we recognize that the church of Jesus, the Christ, at its best, is a rock on which we can anchor our lives that we bring our financial gifts and offer our time and talents.
So let us receive our morning offering.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
We will not proclaim our faith with our words only, but with our lives and these gifts we offer to you, O God. With confidence we pray this offering will help strengthen us and others to be continually transformed by your grace, your hope, and your peace. Amen.
Invitation to Communion
When we come to the Lord’s Table today, I invite you to think back to Peter’s great confession. Jesus asked, “Who do YOU say I am?” and Peter responded:
“You are the Messiah (the Christ), the Son of the living God.”
Today, we are all invited to share in this simple meal as one way of affirming Peter’s answer as our own.
This table is set with emblems of remembrance:
bread, symbol of Jesus’ body,
and juice, symbol of Jesus’ blood.
When we share these gifts, we, too, remember Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. When we share these gifts, we affirm Jesus as the Christ and our decision to be disciples—lifelong learners following in the Way of Love that Jesus taught.
Recommitting ourselves to love God and love our neighbor, let us eat the bread and drink from the cup.