Liturgy

We are here by God’s invitation,
to be fully present, to be here and now,
to bring all parts of our heart to the table.

Invite your joy and your grief.
Invite your peace and your fear.
Invite your confidence and your insecurity.
God has invited all of who we are here today.

This is a safe space and a sacred time
Where our complex and competing feelings
meet with a confident and faithful God.

Our God believes us, even when others don’t.
Our God hopes in us, even when we don’t ourselves.

May we bring all parts of ourselves, bring all our stories,
for God is here to be present with us.

We pray in the name of our faithful God,
of our loving Savior,
and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide.
Amen.

(Lauryn Williams)

Scripture Reading

We invite you to hear from a reading in Matthew 22: 1-3.

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying:

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king
who gave a wedding banquet for his son.

He sent his servants to call those who had been invited
to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.

The Good News of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!

The grass withers and the flower fades,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Amen.

Sermon and Reflection

Sermon Podcast 10.11.20 – Invited

What are the reasons I refuse an invitation to a party/event?

How does the dynamic between an invitation by God and my response actually play out in my day? How is it affected by the dumpster fire of 2020?

Benediction

Beloved Vox community, as we go into this week,
may we remember our invitation to practice
loosening our attachments to security and control
and carry in love all that is most deeply alive in us.

There is no rush, there is no timeline
nor agenda to our practice.
Grace is always near, and awaits
us even for a few second glimpses.

Take heart for we are not alone in this journey.
Take comfort in knowing we are together in our
Creator’s invitation to celebrate our truest self.
Let this be enough for us.

So go forth in the name
of our Holy God,
Three in One,
Amen.

(Lauryn Williams)

[Photo by .mk @ Flickr]