The Celebration of the Gospel
October 2, 2016 —20th Sunday after Pentecost
World Communion Sunday
Rekindle the gift of God that is within you.
— 2 Timothy 1.5
_______We Gather as the Body of Christ_____
GREETING
PRELUDE Meditation on “Bread Of Life” Arr: Gregory Hamilton
[As we listen to the music we quiet our minds and bodies,
listen for our hearts’ deepest desires,
and become present to the Holy One who is lovingly present for us.]
* CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: Creator of the universe,
All: you bring forth all Creation, and we belong.
You give birth to all peoples;
you create one human family, and we belong.
You feed us with your love;
you make of us one Body in your Spirit, and we belong.
So we come, people of every race and nation and tribe and people,
to worship together and to feast on your love. Alleluia!
* SONG In Christ There Is No East or West Blue hymnal # 548
(10:30) CHILDREN’S TIME
________ We Attend to the Word_______
(10:30) THE WORD IN SONG Bread of the World Dennis Eliot
PRAYER OF THE DAY
God of love, like a loving mother who has prepared a wonderful meal, you call all of your children to your table, to share together, to be at peace with each other, to tell our stories, to nourish one another, and most of all to feast on your grace. Feed us with your Word, that we may truly be children of God. Amen.
NEW TESTAMENT 2 Timothy 1.6-14
[“Rekindle the gift of God within you.” Faith is not something you “produce,” but something you are given. It’s God’s grace-filled presence in us. Nourish God’s grace in yourself, therefore, and take courage in sharing the good news with others—even suffering for the sake of the Gospel. Trust God in you to guard your faith.]
Rekindle the gift of God that is in you. Remember when we laid hands on you. God does not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-giving. Remember the story of our Lord: that story has captivated me. Join with me in suffering for the gospel. This does not depend on anything we can do: it’s God’s grace. Trust in the power of God, who gives our lives meaning and power, and calls us to holy living, for God’s purpose. God has always given us this grace since the beginning of time, but now we can actually see it in our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. I am not ashamed. I know the one in whom I have put my trust. And Christ has also put trust in me, trusting me with the gift of faith. So I am sure that Christ is able to guard my faith until that final Day.
Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
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GOSPEL Luke 17.5-10
[The disciples ask Jesus to “increase their faith.” He tells a parable that suggests that we can’t measure faith. What seems like a small “amount” can do great things. (You can say, “May this tree be planted in the sea” and it will.) But then he talks about being servants, as if faith is not something we possess at all, but something we do, not a power or resource we have but a power over us, a way of living in service to God.]
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Teacher replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
“Does someone who has a slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, say to the slave, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? What do you think? Wouldn’t they be more likely to say, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink?’ Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are just ordinary slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”
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SERMON
SONG Make Us One Black hymnal # 2224
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
[Anyone who wishes may share a prayer concern at the microphone.]
PASSING THE PEACE
_______We Share at Christ’s Table _____
OFFERING OUR GIFTS
(Including special World Communion Sunday offering)
Bind Us Together Bob Gillman, arr: Mark Hayes
* COMMUNION SONG One Bread, One Body Blue hymnal #620
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING Black hymnal # 2257
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them unto the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Blessed are you, O God, Creator of all things,
ruler of the world and all that is to come.
By your Word you have created all people in your image.
Though we have all gone astray, each on our separate way,
you have freed us from bondage;
you judge the forces of division and evil,
and destroy the powers of oppression.
By your Spirit you have created your church, one people,
the Body of Christ, united throughout the world in your grace,
and you call us to be reconciled in Christ.
As you draw us to your feast this day, you call all your children;
we are one with them, and we honor them here around this table.
Therefore with the faithful around the world we sing as one voice:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your beloved Son, your Christ:
he formed community, welcomed the outcast,
and planted a mustard seed of faith in each of us.
He has broken down all dividing walls
and made us one in his love;
for in him you have established with us
an eternal covenant of reconciliation.
[… The Blessing and Covenant …]
In the death and resurrection of Christ
you have freed us from all that separates us
from one another, and from you.
And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a holy and living sacrifice in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
[For the food for the needy:] Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts
that all who receive them may know your love and grace. …
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the Body and Blood of Christ.
Rekindle the gift of your Holy Spirit within us, O God,
your Spirit of power and of love and of self-giving,
that does not depend on anything we can do,
but on your grace, and the power of your love.
You have entrusted to us this power that we have seen in Christ,
who abolished death and brought life to light in the gospel.
By your Spirit may we serve as the Body of Christ
and suffer for the sake of the gospel, trusting in you,
and guarding the good treasure you give to us
with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
Amen.
THE PRAYER OF JESUS
Our Mother, 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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
SHARING THE HOLY MEAL [Everyone is welcome at the table of Christ’s self-giving love.
The bread is wheat-, soy- and dairy free. We dip the bread in the juice.]
PRAYER OF BLESSING
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have brought us together in your love with all your children around the world. Made one body in your love, open our eyes and hearts and hands to one another, that we may serve for the sake of the healing of the world in the name of Christ. Amen.
________ We Are Sent in Ministry to the World______
THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD
* SONG
Like wheat that’s made into one loaf of bread,
we are one Body with Christ as our head.
Your gift is in every soul, every heart,
each of us needed to offer our part.
Spirit, you live in us, in each and in all,
giving us each gifts to answer your call.
Send us in love to this world so in need,
spreading your good news in word and in deed.
* THE BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH
RESPONSE We stand and sing to our neighbors:
May the grace and peace of Christ be with you my friends.
Go and share the love of God, love that never ends.
POSTLUDE Voluntary on “Praise, My Soul, The King Of Heaven” arr: Robert Lau
[During the postlude there are people ready to pray with you at the candles in the corners.]