Liturgy

As we gather around your creations,
in all our weaknesses and strengths,
with our youth-filled spirits and aging bodies,
may we be your people, O God.

Honest in our faith and eager with questions,
singing our praise and whispering our prayers,
may we be your people, O God.

Filled with saintly determination
yet mindful of our human limitations,
may we be your people, O God.

Made strong in your endless love for us,
we know ourselves to be yours and
ask that may we be your people, O God.

And as we dwell together as family, as friends,
as neighbors, as a community, as a city
filled with your beloved people,

may we find both rest and strength
in your eternal love for us, and we praise
you God, our Creator,
Christ, our Savior,
and Holy Spirit, our breath of life.
Amen.

Scripture Reading

We invite you to hear from the reading of Psalm 34: 1-8.

I will bless the LORD at all times;
praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.

O magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt God’s name together.
I sought God, who answered me,
and freed me from all my fears.

Those who look to God are radiant, and their faces
are never covered with shame. My soul cried, and was
heard by the LORD, and was saved from every trouble.

The angel of the LORD encamps around
those who revere God, and rescues them.
O taste and see that the LORD is good; happy
are those who take refuge in the loving God.

The Good News of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!

The grass withers and the flower fades,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Amen.

Homily and Reflection

Homily Podcast – How Do We Take Refuge in God? 10.24.2021

How might you see prayer as a relationship with God?

What specific areas of life require you to seek refuge in God?

Why does silent prayer seem inviting or fearful to you?

Benediction

Beloved Friends, greet this coming week
with an open heart, assured from the security
that comes from having a true home in the
sacred silences and stillness of God.

May you find moments of calm and renewal,
moments when you can unburden your cares
and release your worries to God.

May these sacred moments root you
in a healthy place, so that you are free
to love your family, neighbors, coworkers,
and friends with no expectations and no judgements.

Go then, in the freedom of God’s bountiful love,
the perfect redemption of Christ,
and the wisdom of the moving Spirit.
Amen.

(Gina Bastone-Treviño)

Go in peace, and live the church.
May you find belonging and community this week.

[Photo by Kym MacKinnon]