Order of Service
| Part I | ||
| Prelude | Now the Silence | Chris Johansen, piano |
| Opening Prayer Welcome Confession & Forgiveness | Liz Dodge | |
| Gathering Song | God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending #678 | Harry Johansen Chris Johansen, piano |
| Greeting Prayer of the Day | Liz Dodge | |
| Psalm 84 | vs. 1-4; 10-12 | Harry Johansen Chris Johansen, piano |
| Part II | ||
| Scripture | Luke 18:31 – 19:10 | Liz Dodge |
| Reflection | Liz Dodge | |
| Creed Prayers of Intercession Lord’s Prayer Benediction | Liz Dodge | |
| Closing Hymn | Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus #802 | Harry Johansen Chris Johansen, piano |
| Postlude | Immortal, Invisible | Chris Johansen |
Part I
Part II
Prelude
Chris Johansen
Opening Prayer
It is good to be here in your presence Lord.
Here we are at home with each other and with you.
Here we discover the joy of life and the strength to live each day
with praise in our hearts to you.
You alone are God!
You alone can show us the way to the life that lasts forever.
We love you, Lord,
and we lift this prayer in adoration of your holy name. Amen.
~ posted on SermonHelp.com. http://www.lectionarysermons.com/
Welcome
Confession & Forgiveness
P: In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen
P: We confess our entanglements with justice, hurts, and greed – and God’s difficult, blessed vision of a very different way. We seek the face of God, confessing our sin.
Silence for reflection and self-examination.
Holy God,
we have sinned against you and each other. We pray for your forgiveness and healing. The good we want to do, we often fail to do. The harmful actions and thoughts we do not want, we turn to again and again. Deliver us, Gracious God. Save us, save our neighbors, save all your creatures from our lack of imagination and courage. Gird us for the challenges of change needed, called for, overdue. Guide our way in your way. Amen
P: We who were once far off have been brought near to God through the cross of Christ.
May we forgive one another as God in Christ has first forgiven us. Amen
Gathering Song – God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending
1.
God, whose giving knows no ending,
from your rich and endless store:
nature’s wonder, Jesus’ wisdom,
costly cross, grave’s shattered door,
gifted by you, we turn to you,
off’ring up ourselves in praise;
thankful song shall rise forever,
gracious donor of our days.
2.
Skills and time are ours for pressing
toward the goals of Christ, your Son:
all at peace in health and freedom,
races joined, the church made one.
Now direct our daily labor,
lest we strive for self alone;
born with talents, make us servants
fit to answer at your throne.
3.
Treasure, too, you have entrusted,
gain through pow’rs your grace conferred;
ours to use for home and kindred,
and to spread the gospel word.
Open wide our hands in sharing,
as we heed Christ’s ageless call,
healing, teaching, and reclaiming,
serving you by loving all.
Greeting
We gather in the triune name of sacred Love. May God’s peace be ever with you, Christ’s mercy near at hand, and may the Holy Spirit guide and encourage you in all circumstances and in every need. Amen
Prayer of the Day
Lord of the lost,
We are quick to judge and slow to accept those whom we consider lower than ourselves. But you show us the way of acceptance, forgiveness, and peace. We honor your name for teaching us to love, for the sake of the one who is the essence of love itself, Jesus Christ our loving Lord. Amen
Psalm 84: 1-4; 10-12
1 How dear to me | is your dwelling,
O | Lord of hosts!
2 My soul has a desire and longing for the courts | of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh rejoice in the | living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest where she may | lay her young,
by the side of your altars, O Lord of hosts, my king | and my God.
4 Happy are they who dwell | in your house!
They will always be | praising you.
10 For one day in your courts is better than a | thousand elsewhere.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents | of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is both sun and shield, bestowing | grace and glory;
no good thing will the Lord withhold from those who walk | with integrity.
12 O | Lord of hosts,
happy are they who put their | trust in you!
Scripture Reading – Luke 18:31 – 19:10
31Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. 33After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.” 34But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
35As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38Then he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, 41“What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me see again.” 42Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” 43Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.
19 He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
Thanks be to God
Reflection
Creed
In you, Father all-mighty, we have our preservation and our bliss.
In you, Christ, we have our restoring and our saving. You are our mother, brother, and Savior.
In you, our Lord the Holy Spirit, is marvelous and plenteous grace.
You are our clothing; for love you wrap us and embrace us.
You are our maker, our lover, our keeper.
Teach us to believe that by your grace all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. Amen
~Julian of Norwich
Prayers of Intercession
People of God, as we come to prayer
let us remember that we do not
have to twist the arm of a reluctant God
to seek good things for this world,
nor find ways to persuade a distant God
to come near and listen to us.
Let us remember that as we pray
we kneel alongside Jesus Christ,
in the presence of God,
with the help of the Spirit.
So let us bring to mind now
those people who are in need of our prayers:
those who are ill, or anxious;
those who are lonely or sad;
those who are despairing or defeated;
those who are hungry or homeless;
those whose relationships are breaking apart;
those who are bullied or abused;
those who cannot find work;
and those who are over-worked.
In silence now, let us make our own specific prayers
for those on our hearts and minds today.
(silence)
In the presence of God,
alongside Jesus Christ,
with help from the Spirit
may we go into this week
to live out our prayers through our lives.
Amen.
~ written by Ann Siddall, Stillpoint Spirituality Centre and Faith community. http://www.stillpointsa.org.au/prayer/prayers-and-liturgies/
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen
Closing Prayer
Lord of our richest encounters
you heard the hidden cry of Zacchaeus
to welcome you into his home.
Teach us too hear the whispers of the world,
to feel its pain, and then bravely voice
so may cries for justice, and for peace.
~ posted on Us. (the new name for USPG). http://www.weareus.org.uk/churchresources/sunday/
Inspired by Luke 19: 1-10
Benediction
Go with the strength you have.
Go simply
lightly
gently
Go in search of Love.
And know the Spirit of God goes with you. Amen
Hymn – Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus
1.
Let us ever walk with Jesus, follow his example pure,
through a world that would deceive us and to sin our spirits lure
Onward in his footsteps treading, trav’lers here, our home above,
full of faith and hope and love, let us do our Savior’s bidding.
Faithful Lord, with me abide; I shall follow where you guide.
2.
Let us suffer here with Jesus, and with patience bear our cross.
Joy will follow all our sadness; where he is there is no loss.
Though today we sow no laughter, we shall reap celestial joy:
all discomforts that annoy shall give way to mirth hereafter.
Jesus, here I share your woe; help me there your joy to know.
3.
Let us gladly die with Jesus. Since by death he conquered death,
he will free us from destruction, give to us immortal breath.
Let us mortify all passion that would lead us into sin;
and the grave that shuts us in shall but prove the gate of heaven.
Jesus, here with you I die, there to live with you on high.
4.
Let us also live with Jesus. He has risen from the dead
that to life we may awaken. Jesus, you are now our head,
we are your own living members; where you live there we shall be
in your presence constantly, living there with you forever.
Jesus, let me faithful be; life eternal grant to me