Liturgy

God of our past and our present,
God of our future, yet to be and awaited,
God of our years, our days, and even of this moment:

Our lives are deeply rooted in miracles before us,
Our faith is richly set in courage running thick,
Our vocation is shaped by all those
who have risked for your purposes.

And now, in our remembering, we are made mindful
or our own place of call, and
our own time of obedience.

We pray for ourselves, our neighborhoods and our city,
courage beyond our easier timidity,
vision beyond our present tense,
restlessness beyond our ready settlements, and
yielding beyond our will to manage.

Give us appropriate yielding that we may be like our remembered
ones in freedom and in love for you. We pray in the name of Jesus
whom we remember until he comes again. Amen.

Community Confession

In prayer, let us confess to God as a community.

O Lord, forgive us when we fail to remember and respond
to your call with faith.
Through your Spirit,
may we stand in the assurance of your acceptance.

Forgive us when we are shackled
by our narrow understandings of discipleship
and our clouded sense of purpose.

Through your Spirit,
may you illuminate our faith with your empowering love.

Forgive us when we lose ourselves in worrying of the future
or pull back from the demand of your calling.

Forgive us when we fail to sense your presence in our past,
to acknowledge your grace in the present moment,
and to trust you for our future.

Through your Spirit we offer ourselves in discipleship.
We join in community as your followers.
We seek renewed and renewing faith.

We remember you,
praying in the name of the Father,
of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Reflection

How do we connect our expression of faith with what how it has been done before?
Who are the Lois and Eunice’s in our lives? And who will we be Lois and Eunice to?

Benediction

God, who journeyed with all the disciples,
may we also be:

transformed by encountering Christ;
committed to love and be loved;
passionate about your mercy to all;
tenacious in trials and adversity;
sowers of seeds that bring a harvest of joy.

God, who journeys with us
to wherever our paths may lead:

keep us safe in your care;
nourish us on our way;
take from us all that holds us back
from loving our neighbors;
bring us with all your saints to the
joy of your kingdom here on Earth.

We pray in the name of the Father,
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Go in peace and live the church.
See you throughout the week.

[Photo by Jocelyn Catterson @ Flickr]