Holy is our God.
Great is God’s name.
You have come to something that cannot be touched:
a blazing fire,
darkness and gloom,
a tempest,
the sound of a trumpet,
a voice that shakes the foundations of the world.
But you have come to the Mountain to worship the Living God,
to receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Let us give this God a worthy sacrifice.
Let us worship God with reverence and awe, for indeed our God is a consuming fire.
From a single seed, nurtured in love, our lives begin.
Lord, abide in me as I abide in you.
Our lives grow, this way and that, branching out in many directions.
Lord, dwell in me as I dwell in you.
It is easy to become overwhelmed in the complexity of choices, projects, commitments, committees, organizations...
Lord, remain in me as I remain in you.
Lord, prune and shape us that our priorities may reflect your will.
Lord, live in me as I live in you.
Continue reading "Call to Worship | Easter 5, Year B | John 15:4" »
God of Healing, in the wilderness when your people were beset by snakes you told your servant Moses to lift up a bronze snake on a pole that all who gazed upon it might be healed. In this season of Lent we remember how your Son was lifted that all who gazed upon him might know life. Heal us, body and soul, to do your will in this world, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Continue reading "Prayer | Lent 4, Year B | Numbers 21:4-9" »
Almighty God, in the wilderness you led your people first by cloud and flame then by the law spoken to Moses. Guide us in our wilderness journeys when we have lost our way. Let us bow our spirits to your holy law and will that we may know the joys of your promises, through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Continue reading "Prayer | Lent 3, Year B | Exodus 20:1-17" »
*Greeting
Sometimes in the darkest hour we find
we have been wrestling with angels.
Sometimes when we meet the Holy
we walk away with a limp.
Sometimes when we ask for a blessing
we get a new identity.
Come to worship
so we may be changed.
Unison Prayer of Confession
O Wrestling God, we are sometimes afraid to confront you. We think we cannot ask you for what we want, we are afraid you will be offended if we grab onto you and don’t let go. We are afraid of what you will do, and what you will not do. Forgive us for our reticence, our fears. Give us the courage to seek your face, to hold on, to ask for what we need. Then give us the courage to go on with the blessing we receive, even if it is not what we expected. With thanks for the ways we encounter you we pray, Amen.
Silent Prayer
Words of Assurance
God’s love is steadfast. God will not let us go. Find peace in this persistence. Amen.
by Rev. Michelle M. Hargrave, 7.08
Prayer of Confession
Jesus, every week we read stories and sing songs about how you have gone before us, conquering death, claiming life, showing us a way to live. Yet we believe we can make our own choices, in our own freedom, to have the life we want. And so we choose, and choose, and choose, and discover our freedom has been constrained by a culture that uses our choices to shape us. We discover our lives are not quite what we hoped for. We discover death still frightens us. So we come to you, to ask for another chance to try to follow you into the path of life and peace and hope. Give us a taste of what freedom really means, so we may truly live as God created us to live.
Silent Prayer
Words of Assurance
Every breath may be a turning to God, to God’s path, to the way Jesus lays before us. Begin anew, and be made whole. Amen.
Continue reading "Prayer of Confession and Words of Assurance | Christ the King" »
What have we to do with a king?
We follow Jesus, king of the Jews.
We know where we have to go.
He will guide our feet in the path of peace.
We can find our own way.
He has gone before us.
We can face whatever comes.
He has conquered death.
Then let us worship God, our Creator,
and Jesus, the one who has gone before
the one who leads the way.
God - whose love envelopes each of us, whose passion for justice and kindness challenges us, whose care for all life inspires us - give us grace. May your Spirit dance delightfully through our lives. In grace, give us peace in the face of things that cannot be changed - our genetic make-up, our genealogy, past hurts and mistakes. In grace, give us courage to change what should be changed - our unloving attitudes, our narrow perspectives, our cynical hearts, injustice, our too easy resort to violence. In grace, give us wisdom so that we can distinguish between those things that cannot be changed and those that can and should be so that we don't spend needless energy in the wrong direction. In Christ, who changes lives. Amen.
Sovereign God, creator and ruler of time and space. You sent your Word into the world not for judgment, but for redemption. Let us hear your saving words that, by your Spirit, we may be transformed and know the things that make for joyful and holy living; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Continue reading "Christ the King | Prayer of Illumination" »
(This version is revised and expanded for production at First United Methodist Church in Wapakoneta, Ohio on June 3, 2007)
Cast
Paul – apostle and radio show host
Lydia – Paul’s sidekick
Luke
Phil – from Philippi
Gail – from Galatia
Earl – from Ephesus
Rhonda – from Rome
Carrie – from Colossus
Cory – from Corinth
Thelma – from Thessalonica
Timothy
Titus
Lydia – Good morning East Asia and all the ships at sea! It’s time for Paul Live. Heeeere’s Paul!
Paul – Good morning all! I’m your host, Paul the Apostle, and I’m here to answer your questions. I’m here with my good friend, Lydia of Thyatira. She and I met up one day by a river and I saved her from a life of wealth and influence. Isn’t that right, Lyd?
Lydia – Don’t even remind me! I can honestly say my life has never been the same. I gave up a job in the fashion industry to join your show. But I suppose I wouldn’t have it any other way… except for the coffee. Can’t we get better coffee?
Paul – (laughs) We’ll see what we can do about that. The phone banks are full, so let’s go to Luke on 1. What’s up Luke?
Lydia – Hi Luke!
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