Liturgy

God, Creator, Healer,
We receive today your
invitation to community,
to participate in your divine being,
to rest in your embrace.

We come as we are, wholly beloved by you.
We bring our joys.
We bring our sorrows.
We bring our fears.

We come as we are, seeking healing and new life.
We give our bodies.
We give our minds.
We give our hearts.

We come as we are, receiving your compassion.
Fill us with peace.
Fill us with strength.
Fill us with hope.

We pray this in the name of
the One Who Is,
the One Who Has Come,
and the One Ever With Us.
Amen.
(Elise Bjork)

Scripture Reading

We invite you to hear from the Gospel of Luke 7: 11-15, 20-22.

11 Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and
his disciples and a large crowd went with him. 12 As he
approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was
being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she
was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town.

13 When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and
said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came forward and
touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said,
“Young man, I say to you, rise!” 15 The dead man sat up
and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

20 When the men had come to him, they said, “John
the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one
who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’” 21 Jesus
had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and
evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind.

22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have
seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
the poor have good news brought to them.

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 02.07.21 Giving Our Letters Legs

What do you long to see made manifest in this world?

When was the last time you were moved from your innermost being and how did you respond?

Benediction

God, you see us in the midst of our brokenness.
Help us to hear others calling out.

You reach for us when all feels lost.
Empower us to lean in.

You call us to rise.
We lift up the needs of our community.

You send us out in your image.
May we boldly live your example.

May our enduring faith and our love
for one another be a light to the world
and a comfort through tribulation.

Let us live this week with
the transcendence of our God,
the patience of the Son,
and the fluidity of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Go in peace, and live the church.
May you find safety and rest throughout the week.
(Elise Bjork)

[Photo by nick]