The Celebration of the Gospel
October 5, 2014 — 17th Sunday after Pentecost
World Communion Sunday
“Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in,
the poor and the crippled, so that my house may be filled.”
— Luke 14.23
_______ We Gather as The Body of Christ_______
GREETING
PRELUDE I Need Thee Every Hour Tune: NEED, arr: Lani Smith
[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 from Revelation 5.9,11
Leader: I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne of God; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice:
All: “You are worthy, for you ransomed saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign together on earth.”
We gather at your table as one with people from every tribe and language and people and nation, to sing your praise.
We celebrate, and as we do we know that not all are present. We pray for those who are not here, who are not remembered, who have not been welcome. We include them, and open our arms to them as we worship you. Amen.
* SONG We Are the Church Blue hymnal #558
CHILDREN’S TIME
___________ We Attend to the Word___________
THE WORD IN SONG
The Heavens are Telling (Psalm 19) from The Creation, by F. J. Haydn.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
God of truth, on Sinai you gave your commandments and they shaped your people. Speak to us now, and order our lives according to your delight. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT Isaiah 56.1-8
[God promises to gather the outcast, particularly foreigners and people with physical differences, and asks us not to exclude them.]
Thus says the Lord: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed. Happy is the one who does this, the one who holds it fast, who keeps the sabbath, not profaning it, and refrains from doing any evil.
Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from God’s people”; and do not let the eunuch say, “I am just a dry tree.” For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.
And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to God, to love the name of the Lord, and to be God’s servants, all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it, and hold fast my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Thus says the Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel: I will gather others to them besides those already gathered.
GOSPEL Luke 14.15-24
[Jesus tells of a homeowner who invites friends to a dinner. When they decline, everyone, even the poor and disabled, are invited—a radical act of inclusiveness.]
Jesus went to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal. One of the dinner guests said to him, “Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Then Jesus said to him, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner the householder told the servant to say to those who had been invited, “Come; for everything is ready now.” But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, “I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.” Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.” Another said, “I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.”
So the servant returned and reported this to the householder. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to the servant, “Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.” And the servant said, “What you ordered has been done, and there is still room.” Then the householder said to the servant, “Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.’ ”
SERMON
SONG All Are One Steve G-H
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
PASSING THE PEACE
——————————We Share at Christ’s Table —————————
OFFERING OUR GIFTS Something Beautiful Wm. & Gloria Gaither, arr: Fred Bock
(Including World Communion Sunday Offering)
* COMMUNION SONG One Bread, One Body Blue hymnal #62
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is good to give God thanks and praise.
[Pastor] God of love, in the beginning you created us in your image.
[Organ side] Male and female, differently abled, gay, straight and queer,
you created us in your image.
[Street side] Black and pink, brown and yellow, you created us in your image.
You made covenant to be our God and claimed us as your people.
You judged the forces of oppression and led us from captivity to freedom.
Therefore with people of every tribe and language, every people and nation,
we sing your praise.
[The tune to our responses, Thuma Mina, is from South Africa.]
Sung: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and love,
all of heaven and earth shine with your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed are the ones who come in your name, God of love.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed are all who come in your name, and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He spread your love to rich and poor, sick and healthy, young and old.
He created a community of saints and sinners, natives and aliens, insiders and outsiders.
He offered reconciliation to all people, but was resisted by the forces of privilege and power.
He was condemned by the forces of exclusion and empire; he was crucified and died.
But Christ was raised by your glory, and still offers life to all people.
In this meal Christ offers us your Spirit, your grace, your eternal life.
[The Blessing and Covenant]
{sung:] Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts,
that they may be for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us, that we may be one with you,
one with each other, and one with all the world.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us, that we may reach out with the love of Christ
to all who are excluded, and bring them to their place at the table.
Give us the Spirit of Christ, to confront the power of rank and privilege,
to give our lives to your love and faithfulness
that overcomes all injustice and oppression.
All glory and honor is yours, loving God, now and forever.
THE PRAYER OF JESUS
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
now and 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 also given yourself to all your beloved people, those who are welcomed and those who are excluded. Send us into the world to widen the circle, to bring all to your table of grace, that we may truly be one, in the name of Christ. Amen.
______ We Are Sent in Ministry to the World_____
THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD
* SONG Make Us One Black hymnal #2224
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 Ye Heavens Adore Him Tune: FABEN, arr: Austin North
[During the postlude there are people ready to pray with you at the candles in the corners.]