Liturgy

We believe in God who speaks through
the prophets and lifts our gaze up to
high and beautiful paths and peaks.

We believe in Christ Jesus, free of corruption
yet willingly numbered among the sinners,
baptized in the waters of the Jordan.

We believe in the Spirit who rested on Jesus
like a dove, and who inspired him with such
love as the world has not seen before or since.

We believe that those who are baptized into
Christ shall share his Spirit, his mission
and his ultimate victory over sin and death.

We believe that there is no human ability that
can not be enlarged, and no weakness that
can not be used by Christ to the praise of God.

We believe this believing is a gift from
God, not to be used for self-gratification
but for the building up of the church
and for humble service the world.

We believe in ourselves as baptized children of God,
the recipients of a healing grace which precedes and
supersedes all our efforts to be true.

With the help of God, we will attempt to live
our belief all the days of our lives, and by his
grace, dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

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

Community Confession

Jesus, we celebrate you and your victory over death.
In life, you were baptized in the river of Jordan and
accepted and loved just as you were by God.

And yet, how often we forget God’s words of
delight and love for Jesus are also spoken for us.
Father, forgive us when we seek acceptance
through lower means and forget your love for us.

Christ Jesus, you taught us to let go of our past
and to embrace what we already are – fearfully
and wonderfully made in the image of God.

Forgive us when we forget we are your light,
and have mercy when we dim that light through
our selfish and stubborn ways to find joy.

Help us, Lord, and remind us that we are your
beloved people. We are chosen and accepted
just as we are, so that we may know true joy.

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

Sermon and Reflection

Sermon Podcast 04.23.17 – Waters of Baptism

What grace can you find in the desert seasons of your life?
How can God’s unchanging love revise your life story?

Benediction

May our lives be a river.
May we flow with the purpose of the One
who created and called us, who directs
our courses and turns us ever toward home.

May our way shimmer with the light
of Christ who goes with us, who
bears us up, who calls us by name,
to give life to all we meet along the way.

May we move with the grace of
the Spirit who brooded over the
face of the waters at the beginning
and who will gather us in at the end.

Let us leave here, celebrating and serving
with the love of the Father,
of the Risen Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

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

[Photo by Yellow ! @ Flickr]