Through a season of exile we’ve journeyed together- In the valleys of the dry bones, parched and looking for water, In the mountains hoping to hear the voice of God, In times of tears, drowning in the voice of the tempter- Grieving for loved ones near and far.
And so we arrive at the gates of Jerusalem. With palms in hand, we seek the first sight of Jesus on a donkey. We are ready to proclaim at the top of our voices.
Congregation will say or sing Sanctus.
For it’s this week that Jesus entered into Jerusalem, Flipping the tables of injustice, Preaching and teaching for those yearning to hear the message of God.
And then came the night when Jesus was ready to gather with friends, Celebrate their time together, and mourn what could have been.
While they were eating, Jesus took the loaf of bread, After blessing and breaking the loaf, he said to his friends: “Take, eat; this is my body.”
And after supper, he took the cup and gave thanks for the blessings, He gave it to his followers, saying to them Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood, bound in covenant. Remember me as we drink together. Remember that God will forgive your sins.
They sang together one more time before Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
It is at this time that we remember that Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Spirit of God, bless our bread and cup. Bless all of us as we reflect together on this holiest of weeks. Bless our minds and hearts during our time at the table today As we seek the grace given to us by you. Amen.
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
Tensions rise between neighbors. Hate lurks in stores and on roads, in school hallways and political discussions. Humanity focuses more on its own individual well being instead of the well being of all.
Yet animosity isn’t the last word, and hate will never win because God’s love endures forever. Divine love dissipates all venom and sweetens all bitterness.
Even as we walk in the shadow filled valleys of toxic interactions, God’s love is lighting the path to the future. Through the Spirit of the Christ in our world, the vapors of hate will not last in our world. Love will spread from person to person, lifting the toxic fogs that linger between people.
We light the candle of love to clear the cloud of hate in our world and dissolve the mists of gloom as the Christ enters our world and brightness continues to grow. Amen.
(c)2021 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use in a worship service (including a streamed service) with attribution.
Under the night sky We abide the beauty of God’s darkness. Beyond midnight- where miracles fill the earth and magic fill the skies. Where stars and planets twinkle, delighting both the greatest skeptics and believers.
Under the night sky In the chilly winds of nighttime, A young woman met her son, And light came into her world. This illumination spread beyond time and space, Expanding beyond human limitations into our world.
Under the night sky Humans saw the alignment of planets birthing an extraordinary light- The greatest star declaring a birth. And as human and divine aligned that night, the world shifted to a new realm.
(c)2021 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use in a worship service (including a streamed service) with attribution.
It wasn’t a night full of familiar carols But a melody crafted from surrounded creation.
It wasn’t an eve fashioned with trees and tinsel But a stable of simplicity adorned with hay and dirt.
It was a cow rejoicing with a smoothened moo And a sheep baa-ing in jubilation. A woman sobbing with relief and great joy And words of love from her beloved.
Stillness and motion danced in the twilight Allowing room for Divine Light to pierce reality’s realm And ushering in a new era of warmth, love, and hope On top of the chilly earth below.
(c) Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use in a worship service (including a streamed service) with attribution.
Divine Dawn of Redemption, as the tomb has opened, we peer into the future. Like in the garden long ago, so much around is still unknown. Yet you have refilled our souls with hope. Even when fear lingers, your peace-filled spirit surrounds us, bringing us the confidence to continue to move forward. May we embrace this new era of resurrection with steadfast faith, even when anxiety and amazement disorient us. Amen.
Blessing of the Gifts
Holy One, with gratitude, we celebrate all gifts we have been given and the gifts we share with the church and our community. May the treasures, talents, and time we share build a world in which all people experience resurrection and renewal. Amen.
Benediction
As we enter a world where resurrection is possible, Nudge us forward when the unknown is overwhelming. Empower us when anxiety and amazement seize our spirits. Allow our trembling voices to share Alleluias with a hurting world. Open our hearts to our neighbors yearning for rebirth. And allow us to see the empty tomb in each season of our lives.
Divine Love, in this week of contemplation, may we remember the presentation of your love through the Christ. As we share in the breaking of the bread, may we recall the beautiful unity of Christ’s table. May the mandate of this day, to love our neighbors as ourselves, be etched into our souls. Widen our minds to see our neighbors from a new angle. Widen our hearts to serve as Jesus the Christ once served. Amen.
Communion
The communion liturgy keeps in mind a hybrid approach to worship this year. Some people may be in our presence, and others experiencing worship at home. This was adapted from last year’s “sheltering in place” communion liturgy.
Christ gave us the mandate to love one another. Christ gave us the peace that we will never be left alone. Christ gave us the picture that we are connected as vine and branches. Christ gave us the assurance that no one will take away our joy.
God is with you! God is with us all! Open wide our hearts. We open them to new possibilities. From here tonight to dining room tables, this is the time to give God our thanks and praise.
Jesus the Christ has created a realm of love for each of us- one in which we will be reunited with loved ones, one full of sacred memories, one in which we are assured of God’s comfort.
It was a night filled with teachings and memories. Undoubtedly, tears were shed and laughs raised. This was the night before Jesus died. Jesus took bread. As he blessed it and broke it, he said to his friends Whenever you eat this bread, eat in remembrance of me.
Later, Jesus blessed a cup filled with fruit of the vine. Friends, this is the new covenant. Drink this to remember me. Drink to remember our time together.
Spirit of God, surround the bread. Surround the cup. Surround us – here and elsewhere. Bless us in our eating and drinking. Bless our connection – near and far. No matter if close or distant, our covenant with God will keep us together.
May we spend this time remembering: The ones who can’t be at the table. The ones who are no longer at the table. And the one Christ who created this sacramental table experience. Amen.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Loving God, Great Provider-
After this time together, near and far, we give thanks for the opportunity to commune with the Christ and our neighbor. May the love that was experienced tonight through bread and cup open our hearts to the beauty, pain, and joy across our world. May this sacrament move us to offer our neighbors our love. And may our time at the table remind us of the ones who are forever in our hearts. Amen.
Blessing of the Gifts and Benediction
As we are not having a “collection” time during our service, our congregants are dropping them in boxes on the way out of the sanctuary, mailing them into church, or giving online. We have combined the two together.
Holy One-Your gifts build a world of love, filled with memories of your presence in our lives. May we use our gifts to continue to create a world of care, living into your mandate to love one another as you love us. Amen.
We walk into the dusk knowing the journey of Jesus. May we remember his steps to the cross. May we embrace his profound love. And may we share this grace each and everyday, leading our world to resurrection.
Amen.
(c) Rev. Michelle L. Torigian 2021. Liturgy may be used with attribution.
Michelle L. Torigian 