23rd Sunday after Pentecost - Proper 25
/Call to Worship
The Lord has done great things for us, Ps. 126
so we come together to worship and dream.
We worship the Triune God, who has brought us into being.
We worship God because our Eternal Creator is worthy of praise.
We dream for a day when those who have sown tears will reap with shouts joy.
We dream for our mouths to be filled with laughter
and our hearts to be restored and renewed.
Come, let us worship God!
Prayer of the Day
Gracious and Merciful God, Ps. 34
we bless you at all times.
We magnify your holy name
and exalt your goodness forever.
Help us seek you
that you may find us
and deliver us from all our fears.
In your Holy Name we pray. Amen.
Call to Confession
Jesus Christ, our high priest, Heb. 7:26
is holy, blameless, and undefiled.
However, we cannot say the same for ourselves.
Let us confess our shortcomings before God and one another.
Confession
Merciful God,
today we will journey with a story
about a person who would not take “no” for an answer. Mark 10:46-52
When he was denied justice, he had faith in your goodness.
When he was told to shut up, he remained stubborn.
When he was marginalized, he trusted in Jesus’ power.
Forgive us for the moments when we have not had such courage.
Forgive us when we have failed to insist on justice,
especially when justice has been denied to those other than ourselves.
May we demand mercy in the midst of suffering.
Give us the faith to see clearly our calling
to take heart, get up, and follow you. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Friends, take heart, get up, for Jesus is calling.
We have been forgiven of our sins
and are being called into a new creation.
Alleluia! Amen.
Prayer for Illumination
God of All Wisdom,
open our eyes
that we may see clearly
the wisdom of the Word that is before us.
May our new sight
lead us to get up and follow you. Amen.
Prayers of the People
Let us pray to God saying:
Holy Teacher, help us see our calling clearly.
Gracious God,
we have many identities and jobs,
personas, and different hats to wear.
But help us discern our calling.
Lead us to places where we imaginatively explore
how you are calling us to take heart, get up, and follow.
Holy Teacher, help us see our calling clearly.
We pray for the public servants among us,
the politicians who see their calling as servants to the people.
In the midst of nasty campaign races,
harsh words, angry rhetoric, and flat-out lies,
help them set aside ego, arrogance, and hubris.
And help us set aside those things, too.
Holy Teacher, help us see our calling clearly.
We pray for the people of this congregation
as we set out upon a new chapter in the life of this church.
Help us discern how you are calling us to contribute
both our finances and our gifts to your mission
to serve you fruitfully and faithfully.
Spark generosity without our hearts
that we may do all things in gratitude
for the great things you have done, and will do, among us.
Holy Teacher, help us see our calling clearly.
We pray for those who feel called
to risk their lives and the lives of their families
to leave oppression and violence to seek refuge elsewhere.
Help us remember that they are not greedy, but desperate.
Remind us, Gracious God, that your son began his earthly life
on the run from a violent political regime.
Holy Teacher, help us see our calling clearly.
We pray this day for those who are struggling with health issues…
for those who have inadequate or no healthcare…
for those who have lost loves ones recently…
for those who struggle with addiction…
for those who haven’t decided who to vote for next week…
and for those who see no hope in our political process…
and for those we lift up silently before you…
Holy Teacher, help us see our calling clearly.
Gracious and Merciful God,
we lift these prayers to you
and ask that you would have mercy on us.
This we pray in the name of your Son, who taught us to pray, saying: Our Father…