Liturgy
As we gather today, we pray that our lives
may not turn our faiths into a certainty.
Lord God, our Father, you speak your
word to us through your Son Jesus Christ.
May we listen to his words and
welcome it with all that is in us.
Let those words change our mentality
and our ways, that it may direct our lives
to make it a living message of good news
for all to see, to be inspired by and to follow.
May we embody your grace for the world,
worshiping in the name
of the Father,
of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Community Confession
Holy God, you call us to come
and share in community, the rich
feast which you have prepared.
But instead, we often choose to spend on
ourselves with things that do not satisfy.
You call us to listen carefully
and to delight in you,
but instead, we often choose to look
our own way and impose our own will, l
listening to the noises around us, rather
than to hear the voice of your Spirit.
You call us to open our doors and our
tables to strangers as well as friends,
but we often choose to close our
doors and hearts to those unlike us.
You call us to seek you, to call
on you and to find you near us,
but we often choose to ignore your
cries for justice and your plea for
love without barriers and borders.
Remind us that your thoughts are
higher than ours, O God, and your
ways are higher than our ways.
Forgive us and show us your mercy.
Invite us again to your feast, fill us with
your word and your Spirit, that we might
go out in joy and come back in peace.
We pray in the name of the Father,
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sermon and Reflection
Sermon Podcast 8.30.15 -Listening to Scripture
How do we show that we have a high view of Scripture?
What is our ratio of listening to speaking when we engage scripture?
How are we using Scripture to allow us to see more deeply our true self in God?
Benediction
Go out, and be participants
in the work of God’s word.
Cleanse your hearts of all pollution,
be quick to listen and learn, welcome
the word that God implants in you,
and bring it to birth in acts of
righteousness and compassion.
May God pour grace upon
you and bless you forever;
May Christ Jesus reveal to
you the truth of his ways;
and may the Holy Spirit fill
your life with passion and love.
Let us leave, attending to the work
of the Father,
of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Go in peace and live the church.
See you throughout the week.