GATHERING
ENTRANCE
REFLECTION
O Lord, remember not only the men and the women of goodwill, but also those of ill will. But do not remember only the suffering they have inflicted upon us. Remember the fruits we bought, thanks to this suffering: our comradeship; our loyalty; our humility; the courage; the generosity; the greatness of heart which has grown out of all this. And when they come to judgment, let all the fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness. Amen.
—Written on a piece of wrapping paper and found near the body of a dead child in Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, where 92,000 women and children died.
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer of all,
you call us to seek your face,
to rejoice in your holy presence.
People: You call us to remember where we have been,
to begin again at the beginning.
Leader: You call us to move towards peace and justice,
to end the wars that divide us from one another,
from ourselves, and from you.
All: You call us to live in your joyful realm,
where all the lost are found and welcomed
in the name of Jesus, who is the Christ.
INVOCATION
HYMN
WORD FOR THE CHILDREN
SILENCE
RESPONSIVE READING
Leader: Holy One, you call us to live,
to live in and with Christ.
People: Holy Breath of Life, you invite us to live
richly and abundantly in love.
Leader: Holy Forgiving Grace,
your love makes all things possible.
People: In our commitment to the Body of Christ,
we find and offer forgiveness.
Leader: This is what love does:
we offer our love and forgiveness to one another
and see it mirrored back to us.
All: This is the union to which God calls us:
the lover delighting in the beloved
and the beloved delighting in the lover.
SILENCE
PRAYERS
COMMON CONFESSION
Leader: We are unworthy servants.
People: We lag in zeal.
Leader: We lack patience in suffering.
We curse those who persecute us.
People: We create discord in our relationships.
We are willing to repay evil with evil.
Leader: We wallow in despair.
All: We have been unloving and unfaithful,
unworthy servants.
INDIVIDUAL PRAYERS OF CONFESSION
ASSURANCE
Leader: The Holy One is with us,
even when we lag, and curse and wallow.
God’s love is abundant and available,
even when we deny it.
Even when we pull away,
we are held and nourished and sustained.
PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION
UNISON PRAYER
All: Holy One, we come today
to claim our relationship with you.
We pray for the commitment to grow together,
sharing the gifts you give us with others
here and in the wider world.
Give us strength and discipline
to nurture our relationship with You;
to care for every part of Your Creation;
to foster justice and be in solidarity with those in need;
to work to end all war, and violence, and discord;
and to respond joyfully when you call,
freely giving our selves as you have shown the way.
We open our hearts to you and your Creation
in the name of Jesus, who is the Christ.
Amen.
HYMN
THE WORD
SCRIPTURE
SERMON
SILENT REFLECTION
OFFERING
SHARED REFLECTIONS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
HYMN
BENEDICTION
Leader: The God of all Creation remembers us.
The God of all Creation loves us
and sends us forth.
Spread out from this place
with renewed commitment to
share the courage, the generosity,
the greatness of heart
that God brings us through the risen Christ.
All: Amen!
