Liturgy
Holy God, we thank you
for your gifts of mercy and life.
We remember you are a generous God,
and want us to flourish and live life
abundantly in your service to our world.
Heavenly Father, by your
remarkable gift of grace,
You allow us, finite beings,
to bear nothing less than the
fruits of your Holy Spirit.
So help us live today, in vibrant ways,
in verdant ways, planted in the courts
of the Lord, where we experience
your glory and grace.
By your presence, may our community
be for many a little echo of Eden,
the first fruits of your coming kingdom.
This we pray in the name
of the Father,
of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Community Confession
We stand before you today, oh Lord, hearts
broken, eyes weeping, heads spinning.
Our brothers and sisters have died. They
gathered to pray and then were no more.
The prayer soaked walls of the church
are spattered with blood. The enemy
at the table turned on them in violence
while they were turning to you in prayer.
We cry out for our sisters,
We cry out for our brothers,
We cry out for their families,
We cry out for peace in Jesus’ name.
We cry out to you, oh Lord. Our hearts
breaking, eyes weeping, heads spinning.
The violence in our streets has come into
your house. The hatred in our cities has
crept into your sanctuary.
The brokenness in our lives has broken into
your temple. The dividing wall of hostility has
crushed our brothers and sisters. We cry out
to you, may your Kingdom come, may it be
on earth as it is in heaven.
We stand with the Church,
We stand with their families,
We stand to bear their burden in Jesus’ name.
We pray to you today, oh Lord, our hearts
breaking, eyes weeping, souls stirring. We
pray for our enemies, we pray for those
who persecute us. We pray to the God of
Comfort to comfort our brothers and sisters
in their mourning.
We declare together, oh Lord, with hearts
breaking, eyes weeping and souls stirring.
We will continue to stand and cry and
weep with our brothers and sisters.
We will continue to make a place of
peace for even the enemies at our table.
We will continue to open our doors and
our hearts to those who enter them. We
will continue to seek to forgive as we
have been forgiven. We will continue to
love in Jesus’ name because you taught
us that love conquers all.
We declare our love for you, our Sisters,
We declare our love for you, our Brothers,
We declare our love for you, their families,
We declare our love as one body, one Lord,
one faith, one baptism.
We declare they do not grieve alone,
but as one community, holy in one.
Amen.
Sermon and Reflection
Sermon Podcast 6.28.15 – Generosity
Why are we generous? Is it out of love or is it to receive love?
How is generosity a path to good news?
How has our understanding of sacrifice impacted our practice of generosity?
Benediction
If you have found some of the good
bread of Christ here this day, then
don’t hesitate to share it with others.
For this is bread that increases the more
it is given away, and nourishes us best
in the presence of goodwill and joy.
Go on your way in good spirits,
for the best is yet to come.
The grace of our Savior,
the love of our Creator,
and the friendship of our Enabler,
will be with us this day and evermore.
Live this week, serving
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.