In this moment, we know the mouths of people are tearing up the hearts of your children. In this hour, our siblings are crying tears from the hate setting this world on fire. Words melt hope. Words erase progress and possibilities. And as our friends are working to pick themselves up again, more venomous sentiments inflame their weary souls.
In this moment, may we work to build up the hearts of your children. In this hour, may we dry the tears and build joy as we calm the flames of hate. May we build hope in the hearts of our neighbors. May possibilities and progress appear in the visions and dreams of our loved ones again.
For our souls are too weary to worry about what will come next.
God of love, can you awaken us to the ways we enable hate? God of grace, can you fill us with ways that we can extend your mercy? God of hope, can you build a healthy power in each one of us- A power where we walk away from words, and fists, and systems of destruction?
May your loving-kindness surround us like a refreshing stream, Cooling us from hostilities and resentments, And reviving us for the road ahead.
We stop on this island in the middle of this week’s seas, reflecting on the days behind us. As we turn around to head forward, we sit, wondering where this energy is – the power to complete this week with love, grace, and enthusiasm.
For all we want to do is nap on the island in the middle of this week’s seas. Such physical and mental exhaustion wipes us. Do we have enough vigor to make it to tomorrow’s land? Will we have enough stamina to work until the tasks can be completed?
We know all strength originates with you, Divine Stamina. Through your energy, we find our energy.
As we move ahead, may your Holy Air around us carry us from task to task, taking the weight off of our hearts and heads and feet. May the warm breezes comfort us when the road seems long.
And may we see you clearly in each movement in the journey.
For the first awakened breath we take for this day, we celebrate with you. We pull ourselves out of our slumbers to see where our adventures with you will go.
But first, coffee.
We give much gratitude for the beans that you have produced to give us an elixir of awakeness.
For the smooth (or bitter) tastes that cross our taste buds, we give you gratitude. For the many ways that we can enjoy the fruit of your creation, we give you thanks. For the second and third winds these beverages bring our way, we share our appreciation with you, Holy One.
With our mugs and recycle-able paper cups, we toast our ritual of dawn with you, God of alertness and light.
As the sun breaks the horizon on this new season, Birthing the reds, and oranges, and browns of foliage, We bask in your Holy Glow.
Fill us with the joy of coziness that comes with throws and cocoas, With warm mugs and vanilla-scented candles, And with cheerful friendships and invigorating conversations.
May the crunchiness of leaves below our feet Fill us with your peace that accompanies endings, The hope of new life beyond the equinox, And the illumination that will burst again beyond shadows.
May we know that even in the shortened days, Your light extends beyond each premature sunset.
Call to Worship One: Whether we are rich, middle class or barely getting by- Many: We are Christ’s church. One: Whether we have plenty or in want- Many: We are Christ’s church. One: Whether we are employed, unemployed or retired- Many: We are Christ’s church. One: Whether we give of time, talent or treasure- Many: We are Christ’s church. One: In a spirit of unity, caring for one another- Many: We are Christ’s church.
Invocation Eager and Empowering God, we come to you this morning to reflect our view on what it means to be Christ’s Church. We enter this sanctuary to examine the ways we can create sanctuary for all. May we see one another through your eyes. May we see your living presence in our gathering together. Allow this time not only to be one where we worship you but one where you open us up to new ways of serving. Amen.
Prayer of Reconciliation and Reflection Holy God, Holy Connector,
Through your Spirit, we find your abundant love. Through your Church, we recognize the gifts of ourselves and others. Yet sometimes we want to focus on the weaknesses of our neighbors instead of acknowledging their strengths. Our relationships crumble when we lack mercy. Inspire us to encourage our neighbors. Remind us that our voices of confidence assist our neighbors along their journey, and when one of us is stronger, the Church is stronger. Amen.
Assurance of Grace Our Grace-filled God, the One who dwells with us on this journey, is filling our hearts with mercy and our minds with wisdom. We are called to focus on the grace of our journeys which will strengthen the bonds between us, God, and our neighbors. Amen.
Reflection on Giving The Holy Spirit prompts us to be the Church as we move about the earth. At times, we share our talents, filling the world with our songs and art. Other moments, we share our time, sitting with a neighbor hurting or using our hands to strengthen our building. And then there are times when we contribute the gifts of treasures, giving financial offerings for the good of our local church and the entirety of Christ’s Church. However you give this week, may we grow with God and neighbor.
Blessing of the Gifts Holy Spirit, Divine Winds of the Church, you gather us together, breathing new life into our souls. You gather us together, filling our hearts with inspiration and creativity. You gather us together, focusing our minds on how we can care for one another. May each of our gifts build the Body of Christ, this congregation, and our community. Amen.
Benediction May the winds of the Spirit carry us to new possibilities, even in the face of anxiety. May the dust on Christ’s path strengthen our courage when the road seems rough. May the waters of our God renew us in our times of exhaustion. Let us Co-Create with one another and God to build the Church of Love here on earth. Amen.
(c) 2022 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use and stream with attribution.
Call to Worship One: Holy Breath, fill our beings with new energy. Many: Holy Breath, fill our lungs with calming air. One: Holy Winds, encircle us with your stirring breezes. Many: Holy Winds, encircle our minds with dreams and visions. One: Holy Gales, set us on a path of strangeness and surprises. Many: Holy Gales, fill our souls with courage and our hearts with joy.
Invocation Spirit of God, Divine Gust,
The mystery of your being swirls around us as you inspire us to co-create with you. As we reach to God, your great exhale nudges us closer to our Divine Parent. As we seek to share our stories, you place the images and words into our minds. Through your presence and power, we are inspired to joyously share the adventures of our faith with and in you. Holy Gale of God, encircle us with your realm here on earth. Amen.
Prayer of Reconciliation and Reflection Spirit of Warmth and Wonder,
The chills of this world paralyze our anxious hearts. We become stagnant when listening to the discord from other voices instead of listening to your harmonies. We shun your visions and dreams because we stop believing the future is possible. We feel as if all life is being drained from us, that we are simply dry bones. May your winds awaken us. May your breath enliven us. May we see new life as we inhale your breath. Amen.
Assurance of Grace Our God, the flicker of new life in our world, ignites our hearts to share love with our neighbors. God’s Spirit will help us to understand Divine Grace in our lives, understanding that second chances and hope are the path to unimagined possibilities. Amen.
Invitation to Giving The Spirit’s winds are always nudging us to new ways of giving. Could this be through our time? Could the Spirit be emboldening us to give from different talents? In what ways are we called to give of our treasures today? As we reflect on the ways we share, we come together to offer God our praise through our gifts.
Blessing of the Gifts This is the time for us to dream together, Spirit of God. May we run wild with hope as we embrace our Spirit-infused imaginations. With joy, we celebrate the offerings contributed this week, this month, and this year as we commit to dream with you, Holy Spirit. Amen.
Benediction May Spirit’s flame warm our chilled hearts. May the Spirit’s winds encircle our anxious minds. May the Spirit’s breath enliven our souls. Through the Spirit’s presence, we embrace the love of God and the hand of neighbor as we dream together. Amen.
(c) 2022 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use and stream with attribution.
Call to Worship (Based on John 1) One: In the beginning was the Word. Many: The Word was with God and the Word was God. One: The Word abided in the beginning with God. Many: Through the Word, all things came into being. One: Life and light came into being with the Word. Many: This Life and Light shone in the shadows. One: In celebrating the Word, the Christ, we see the Divine Light. Many: Let us celebrate the Word, the Christ, as we bask in Divine Light.
Invocation Illuminating God, Divine Light who entered our world as a human, we celebrate your son, Jesus the Christ. Through his nurturing presence, our neighbors have seen you clearer. Through Jesus’ radical love, we have learned to boldly care for one another. Through his death and resurrection, we have seen new life ahead of us. Stretch our souls as we challenge ourselves to be like Jesus each day. Amen.
Prayer of Reconciliation and Reflection Holy God, Harmonizing Healer,
We say we embrace the walk of Jesus, but we trek another way. We say we live in a world of resurrection, but we shun the possibility of new life. We close ourselves from the grace that Christ afforded us, and we refuse to share mercy with our neighbors. Allow the way of Jesus the Christ to be our way. Create in us the compassion of the Christ as we go about our daily lives. Amen.
The Great Healer, Jesus the Christ, fills our hearts with hope and love. May we celebrate Divine Grace on our messy and magnificent journeys, knowing that, through the love, life, and light of Jesus, we see the blessings of God’s mercy.
Reflection on Giving Like a flame spreading from one candle to the next, we, too, are encouraged to share the Light of Christ with our neighbors and church. Through our gifts of treasures, talents, and time, we follow the footsteps of Jesus the Christ. May the Light of Christ be experienced by all through the gifts we give throughout this week.
Blessing of the Gifts Gracious God, Divine Light of the World, with these offerings, may our neighbors experience your love. With these gifts, may the world know your love and continue to pass your brilliant hope to all. Amen.
Benediction May the Road of Christ welcome your authentic beings. May the Light of Christ illuminate your journeys. May the Energy of Christ soothe your pensive minds. May the Grace of Christ connect you greater with a neighbor. May the Words of Christ invigorate your hearts. May the Love of Christ send you into the world to spread Divine Kindness from corner to corner of this world. Amen.
(c) 2022 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use and stream with attribution.
Call to Worship One: Our God searches us and knows us. Many: May we search for God on our journeys. One: Our God is acquainted with all of our ways. Many: May we seek the ways of our God. One: Our God flees with us to the farthest limits of the sea. Many: May we sense our God in our fleeing and retreating. One: We praise you, Creator God. Many: For we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, as we know very well.
Invocation In the cracks of the cement and in the flickering streetlights, you are present. In the summer breeze and the wandering firefly, you make your presence known. Open us to the small ways you speak to us. As you reveal yourself in the mighty and miniscule, may we be willing to embrace the unconventional pictures of you. Amen.
Prayer of Reconciliation and Reflection Holy Savior and Seeker,
As we wander aimlessly about this world, we become distracted by empty, shiny objects. We focus on the dramatic instead of the holy. Instead of seeing your presence in the ordinary, we look for something more glamorous. Fill our hearts with hope in humble voices and simplicity. Make way for your visions to enter our dreams. Amen.
Assurance of Grace Our Loving God, the Holy Savior and Seeker and Great Creator, will transform our minds as we set our sights upon the intentions of God. Throughout our journeys, God’s grace will fill our lives with hope for the future. Amen.
Call to Offering As we continue to recognize the image of God all around us in our lives, we will begin to sense how God is calling us to use our gifts to build our church, our community, and our world. May we recognize the ways we build our relationship with God and neighbor as we dedicate our gifts to God.
Blessing of the Gifts Radiant God, Holy Light, In gratitude for your love, we share our treasures, our talents, and our time with this congregation and community. We humbly ask that you illuminate our minds and hearts to recognize your presence as we use all our resources to craft a kind and just world for all. Amen.
Benediction As we leave this space and continue to co-create with God, May we sense God our Creator filling us with inspiration to craft a world of love. May we sense God our Seeker and Savior accompanying us into the valleys and peaks of life. May we sense God the Carpenter of Justice and Love awakening us to new avenues of caring. May God of the Expanding Universe open us to a world of new visions and dreams. Amen.
Rev. Michelle L. Torigian (c) 2022 Permission to use and adapt with attribution
Invitation May the Spirit of love be with you And may the love of Christ be with you Open wide your cautious hearts. May the hope of our Creator pour peace in our souls. Let us give thanks to the one who created this time and space From our joy we give God thanks and praise.
Prayer of Communion God of the fair winds and bounteous fields, Of the storms overhead and the seas below, With joy we celebrate the connection we have with all of creation “From sea to shining sea,” 1 From the beauteous mountain caps to the rivers winding across the land.
We honor the connection we have with your beings- from the chipmunks scurrying through our yards to the swallows swooping in the air above.
We embrace the relationships with our neighbors near and far- the ones who are close to our hearts, and the ones with whom distance in miles and souls sets us apart.
And so we come to this table: The ones with many opportunities, and those seeking liberty. The ones who have been disregarded and those embraced, knowing that Christ’s welcome receives all. knowing that Jesus the Christ ate with sinners and tax collectors, with those who disapproved and those who leapt for joy, with Judas and Peter, with Mary and Martha, with Philip and Thomas.
And so we too come to the table. The table of God’s freedom. The table of God’s justice and love. The table which reflects the true kingdom, empire, realm of God where all are welcome.
We come to the table remembering the night before Jesus died. As he ate with his followers in a room away from the world, “taking a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant.”2 Whenever we eat and drink at the table, we remember the Christ in our midst.
Spirit of Hope, Holy Winds of Divine Freedom, encircle this bread and cup, Encircle us in our eating and drinking that we may experience the radical love of Christ here today and sharing this care as we journey throughout this week. Amen.
*****
Liturgy (c) Rev. Michelle L. Torigian 2022. Permission to use liturgy with attribution.
1“From sea to shining sea” from America the Beautiful.
Michelle L. Torigian 