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Who Is God? A Liturgy

25 Monday Jul 2022

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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

Be the Church Liturgy – Initial Week

23 Thursday May 2019

Posted by in Be the Church, Liturgy, Pop

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Call to Worship
One: Whether in the peak or the valley of our existence,
Many: We are the church.

One: Whether in the nighttime of our grief or the noontime of our joy,
Many: We are the church.

One: Whether sorrow surrounds us or excitement drives us,
Many: We are the church.

One: Whether two or three.  Whether fifty or seventy.  Whether one or two hundred,
Many: We are the church.

One: In a spirit of gentleness, humility, patience and love,
Many: We are the church.

Opening Prayer (unison)
Creator of Christ’s Body, Unifier of All, we join together this morning knowing we are not alone.  We do not walk solo in this life.  We travel with one another and you.  Through words, songs and silence, may your Spirit open us to the Divine and human company on our journey.  May we see that we are all part of one body, honoring differences in appearances, voices, views and gifts.  Amen.

Prayer of Reconciliation
One: We were created as individual parts of a body yet connected by spiritual tissues, tendons and ligaments.  We attempt to be the church as separate entities, neglecting that the Christ reminds us that two or three are required to be the Church.  In that fight to live divided from our neighbors, we hurt the entire body.  The body aches to work as one.

Many: Like the individual parts of the body attempting to work separately, we don’t work well on our own.  Our spiritual joints become dislocated, and our muscles begin to hurt leading to pain which reaches from one end of the body of Christ to the other.  In our weariness, give us the healing we need to move forward as one body.  Amen.

Assurance of Grace
One:   No matter how far we try to remove ourselves, we will forever be part of the Body of Christ.  We will forever be part of God’s family.  God extends healing to the body, restoring each connection with grace and love.

Scripture       1 Corinthians 12:12-13
Ephesians 4:1-7, 25-32
Matthew 18:18-20

Invitation to Offering
One:    We are many different parts of the one Body of Christ, of Christ’s Church.  As part of this body, we are called to share our gifts of time, talent and treasure.  May we take moments to embrace the giving of our treasures to God’s kin-dom.

Prayer of Dedication
We are ecstatic for the gifts that you have given us.  In our excitement, we give a portion back to you and your Church.  May we strengthen the Body of Christ, each cell, each ligament and each tissue in order to make the body whole, happy and healthy.  Amen.

Benediction
One:   As we go forward help us to remember that we are your church.  We are the body of Christ.  We are never alone or and live in holy interdependence.  May the God of connections, the Christ of wholeness and the Spirit which energizes us bring us together to make this world a peace-filled place.
All:     Amen.

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Worship service Be the Church written by Rev. Michelle L. Torigian

(c) 2016 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian.  Free to use with attribution.