ENTRANCE
REFLECTION
I have come to believe that the true mystics … are not those who contemplate holiness in isolation, reaching godlike illumination in serene silence, but those who manage to find God in a life filled with noise, the demands of other people and relentless daily duties that can consume the self.
The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy and “Women’s Work” (Madeleva Lecture in Spirituality) by Kathleen Norris, pg 70
CANDLE LIGHTING
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: We come here from the busy turmoil of life,
hoping for a time when we can catch our breath.
People: We hunger for a bit of rest, reflection, and renewal,
and gather to hear what God will speak
Leader: We open our ears, our minds, our hearts
to welcome news of hope and peace.
All: We gather in the name of Jesus, who is the Christ.
OPENING PRAYER
HYMN
WORD FOR THE CHILDREN
SILENCE
PRAYERS
CONFESSION
Leader: God of love and faithfulness,
you invite us to see you in everything we do.
People: We save our prayers for times of silent solitude,
refusing to see you in the midst of our noisy lives.
Leader: God of justice and peace,
you invite us to work for the healing of the world.
People: We argue and grumble at those who are closest to us,
saving our compassion for strangers
and those far away.
Leader: We live each day as if you do not exist,
as if you are not as close as our every breath.
All: God of grace and mercy,
forgive us for living as if you do not care.
INDIVIDUAL PRAYERS OF CONFESSION
ASSURANCE
Leader: The God who creates and sustains us
forgives us even when we fail to forgive.
Thanks be to God.
All: Amen.
PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION
PRAYER OF COMMITMENT
All: O 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.
Forgive us for the hurt we have inflicted,
and help us forgive those who have hurt us.
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
COMMUNION
PREPARATION
Leader 1: This is the table of the Heavenly Feast,
the joyful celebration of the people of God.
Leader 2: We gather now as one body, joined around the table.
Here we celebrate God’s presence among us
united in Christ’s spirit, broken and whole all at once;
All: Nourished and hungry, loved and loving,
sinner and forgiven; we make one circle of knowing,
believing, rejoicing, being,
as God lights and rests among us.
GREAT THANKSGIVING
Leader 1: God of love and faithfulness,
we give you thanks for each morning,
for the work that you set before us,
for the abundant joy in all your creation.
People: God of justice and peace,
we give you thanks for your child Jesus,
who taught us how to live
amid the unending demands of relationship.
Leader 2: God of grace and mercy,
we give you thanks for your Spirit,
swirling around our daily duties,
speaking to us through the noise of the everyday.
All: God of all that is and ever will be,
we give you thanks for your Church,
the living Body of Christ,
feeding a world that hungers for your presence.
BLESSING THE ELEMENTS
Leader 1: Christ invites everyone to eat the bread of life,
to drink the cup of the new covenant.
Leader 2: Jesus said, I am the bread of life.
You who come to me shall never hunger,
You who believe in me shall never thirst.
Leader 1: On the night of his arrest, Jesus took bread,
and after giving thanks to God, broke it and said,
This is my body,
broken for the healing of the world.
Whenever you eat it, do so remembering me.
Leader 2: After supper, Jesus took the cup and said,
This is the cup of the new covenant,
poured out for you and for all.
Whenever you drink it, do so remembering me.
SHARE THE ELEMENTS
If you do not wish to receive the elements today you are welcome to join the circle and allow them to pass, or remain in your seat. We serve grape juice in our cups.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING AND DEDICATION
All: God of abundance and mercy,
we give joyful thanks
for your eternal love and healing presence
in our celebration of bread and cup.
Bless this body of Christ
that we may attend faithfully
to our call to be your servants,
with each other and throughout the world.
Amen.
SHARED REFLECTIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
HYMN
BENEDICTION
Leader: Go out into the noise, demands,
and daily duties of the world.
The Holy One, who calls each of us
into divine mystery,
is within and among and beside us,
guiding us along the Way.
People: Amen.
