Opening Prayer
(based on Matthew 13:1-9)
O God,
We gather together in Your presence with expectation,
hungry for an encounter with You,
eager to hear Your Word.
Open our eyes and ears to the presence of Your Holy Spirit.
May the seeds of Your Word scattered among us this morning
fall on fertile soil.
May they take root in our hearts and lives,
And show up in the world through us.
Lord let our souls rise to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun. Glory to The Father and to The Son and to The Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Song for Virtual Service: Blessed Assurance
Call to Confession
As we come before God today, we can be honest about the brokenness in the world and the
brokenness in ourselves. And we can come before him today because we know that he meets
us in love, grace, and mercy. When I say the words, “Lord hear our prayer,” you may respond,
“Lord, have mercy.”
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by
what we have done, and by what we have left undone. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, have mercy.
We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, have mercy.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in
your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, have mercy.
Assurance of Pardon
Hear the good news: Christ died for us while we were yet sinners; that proves God’s love
toward us. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Glory to God. Amen.
The peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.
Living the Way of Jesus
As followers of Jesus, our lives are shaped by his grace, his peace, and his life. As a community,
we are the presence of Jesus in the world. Hear these words from Saint Teresa of Avila:
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
The Lord’s Prayer
Let’s join together and say the prayer that Jesus taught us. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Sermon Text: Psalm 51:1-3, 9-12 Sermon Title: Words of Liberation
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Benediction
Liturgy Resources
Call to Worship by Christine Longhurst