sacramental effort

Great Shepherd, feed us. Feed us joy when we despair. Great Shepherd, feed us. Feed us humility when we lose ourselves in pride. Great Shepherd, feed us. Feed us peace when we are overwhelmed with chaos. Great Shepherd, feed us. Feed us hope when we are lost. Great Shepherd, feed us. Feed us justice when we stray. Nourish us, O God, so that we may be nourishment for the  world. Feed us, O Shepherd, so that we may gain strength  to resist the powers and principalities of oppression. Guide  us, O Great Jehovah, so that we may be reflections of your  light in a world obscured by division, hatred, and fear.  

Plant seeds of hope in us, Oh God, that they might grow in us to become joy.  Plant seeds of grace in us, Oh God, that they might grow in us to become transformation.  Plant seeds of faith in us, Oh God, that they might grow in us to become courage.  Plant seeds of righteousness in us, Oh God, that they might grow in us to become justice.  Plant seeds of love in us, Oh God, that they might grow in us to become the gospel for the world around us.  God, grant that we be vessels of fertile soil for your fruit through us to grow. Amen.

We are not worthy for you to come under our roof, O God, But speak the words. Restore our lives. We are not worthy for you to come under our roof, O God, But speak the words . Mend our divisions. We are not worthy for you to come under our roof, O God, But speak the words. Reveal the way. We are not worthy for you to come under our roof, O God, But speak the words. Reconcile us to you. We are not worthy for you to come under our roof, O God, But speak the words . Forgive our sins. Amen. A Call to Worship based on the story of Jesus' amazement at the Centurion's faith.

Clap your hands, all you people! Jesus is risen and reconciles humanity to God! Glory to God! Clap your hands, all you people! We have been baptized not only with water, but with the Holy Spirit! Glory to God! Jesus said, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.” We shall witness to our friends and our enemies; our church and our world; our neighbors and the strangers among us. But what is our witness? That we bear a love from God that breaks down barriers, heals wounds, and restores community. Clap your hands, all you people! God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.  Sing praises to God! Sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!  May our prayers in the coming weeks rise up like incense, may our work as a denomination be an acceptable offering to God.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you.” May our peace not be only a lack of conflict, but also an abundance of compassion. Jesus said, “I do not give to you as the world gives.” May our offerings be sacrificial and not self-serving. Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid ” May our hearts be filled with courage to do justice, walk humbly and love kindness. Jesus said, “I am going away, and I am coming to you.” May our prayers seek God’s will to be done and kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus said, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” May our eyes see and ears hear the glorious mystery of God’s work in our lives. May our hearts sing in harmony with the love Jesus Christ has for us. May our lives be filled with reminders from the Holy Spirit that we are loved, redeemed, and chosen as we ...

Coming Christ, guide our feet To walk toward the hurting and offer comfort, toward the despairing and offer hope,  toward the homeless and offer shelter, toward the refugee and offer rest. Shine on the darkness, Reveal to us where there is great need,  dispel the darkness of fear, illuminate the face of the stranger that they become our neighbor. Prepare the way, Show us how to accept and extend hospitality, how to love in a way that requires courage,  how to walk toward God even in times of trial, how to be fully human. Set us free from fear that leads to intolerance, anger that leads to violence,  greed that leads to exploitation,   pride that leads to judgment. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, our God, who has come to set us free, to shine light on the path to salvation. Who has prepared for us a kingdom to work toward. Who has loved us since the beginning of time, who is in love with us now, and who shall love us for...

We wait as millions of saints have before us, as the world around us groans with sighs too deep for words, we wait. We yearn for the courage to be hospitable; for the grace of God that enables the mundane to become miraculous, we yearn. We believe that Jesus’ humanity was divine that the paradox of Jesus’ existence is as mysterious as the fullness of his love, we believe. We hope for peace to proliferate throughout creation for the refugee to find peace and security in a world bound by fear of the stranger, we hope. Glory to God who came to be among us as a refugee, is among us now and who will remain with us throughout all time. Amen.

Bless the saints. Bless the saints of the past whose actions echo into the present now. We  remember and celebrate the richness we inherit from them. Bless the saints. [toll a bell here] -observe silence now to remember the saints whose richness you have inherited- Bless the saints. Bless the saints who surround us now. We celebrate the connectedness of our communities that bear us up in times of trial, and whose actions both seen and unseen play a part in forming us as children of God. Bless the saints. [toll a bell here] -observe silence now to reflect on the saints who bless your life now- Bless the saints. Bless the saints who will inherit their present from the future we co-create with God. We live with bold hope for the future and commit to preparing a place for future saints through our love and stewardship. Bless the saints. [toll a bell here] -observe silence now to consider the life you live today and what future you are helping create-  Bless the sai...

Keep loving each other like family. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for by doing that, we might have entertained angels without knowing it.  If we speak in tongues of human beings and of divine angels but we don’t have love, we’re clanging gongs and clashing cymbals.  Let love continue. If we give away everything that we have and hand over ourselves to feel good about what we’ve done but don’t have love, we receive no benefit whatsoever.  Let love continue. If we sing to God and speak for justice, but don’t seek mercy or have love, our words are vain—our mouths useless. Let love continue. If we open our doors to bring people in, but don’t seek to reach out to a hurting world in love, our hospitality is empty. Let love continue. Glory to God, who is present in every stranger among us, and who works in our lives every day.  Glory to the one who is love, and whose love is in us .  Let love continue.