Liturgy
Lord, we stand before you,
sometimes awe-struck,
sometimes mystified.
We hear a voice calling our names.
Sometimes we are scared.
Sometimes we are comforted.
Today we ask that our fears be quelled,
our minds be sharpened,
our ears ready to listen,
and our hearts receptive
to the One that beckons our name.
Holy One, intervene as needed.
Enliven us and inspire us.
Continue to be the dwelling place
of our minds, our hearts, and our souls.
We ask in the name of
our ever present, God,
our teacher, Jesus,
and our comforter, the Holy Spirit,
Amen.
Community Confession
Lord, you call, but we do not
always recognize your voice.
Sometimes we don’t listen carefully.
Sometimes we’re caught off guard.
Lord, you call, but we haven’t
always taught others to hear you.
Sometimes we stand in the way,
allowing our voice to ring out over yours.
Lord, you call, but we don’t
always believe our ears.
Sometimes we believe we know better.
Sometimes we think you can’t possibly
be calling us, or her, or him.
Forgive us, Lord, our unpracticed listening,
our closed ears. Help us to hear.
All this we ask of you, confident
in your unchanging faithfulness,
God in community, holy in One.
Amen.
Sermon and Reflection
Sermon Podcast 2.11.18 – Listening
What small experiment around listening to God am I curious to try?
What might a community practice of listening to Love look like?
Benediction
Go now, awakened to the voice of God
who speaks in his Word and his world.
As you leave this place, be listening
amid the noise of your everyday life.
Be persistent, for the One whom you
follow lives, his teachings and his
promises are alive and at work.
Do not get discouraged.
Keep asking…seeking…knocking,
for moments of receiving, finding,
and opening will come.
Christ Jesus is with us.
Find life through him, with his words
written upon your heart, always there.
Go 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.
[Photo by Gordon Hart @ Flickr]