Call to Worship: O God, do not be far from us

Here’s a call to worship inspired by Psalm 22 and Mark 8:31-38.  It was written by Joanna Harader, and posted on Spacious Faith.

Call to Worship

(based on Psalm 22, Psalm 71:12, Matthew 16:24-26, Mark 8:31-38)

We come to worship this morning from different places.
O God, do not be far from us.
We come to worship this morning for different reasons.
O God, do not be far from us.
We experience the presence of the Spirit in different ways.
O God, do not be far from us.
We hear Jesus’ words with different ears.
O God, do not be far from us.
“Deny yourselves.”
O God, do not be far from us.
“Take up your cross.”
O God, do not be far from us.
“Follow me.”
O God,

we thank you for drawing near to us

in this place,

in our lives.

Amen.

 ~ written by Joanna Harader, and posted on Spacious Faith. http://spaciousfaith.com/

Prayer: Mark 10: 24-25

Here’s a prayer of confession and dedication from Jan Berry’s collection of prayers, Bread of Tomorrow. It came to mind when working through the gospel reading for Proper 23B:

“But Jesus said to them again,

‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle

than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’” Mark 10:24-25

Prayer of Confession and Dedication:

Spoiled Children

God, You heap your love upon us

like a parent providing for a family’s needs,

embracing a child with tenderness.

Forgive us

when, like spoiled children,

we treat Your generosity as our right,

or hug it possessively to ourselves.

Give us enough trust to live secure in Your love

and to share it freely with others

in open-handed confidence

that Your grace will never run out.  Amen.

~ Copyright © Jan Berry, England, in Bread of Tomorrow: Prayer for the Church Year, ed. Janet Morley (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1992), p. 147. Used by permission.

Prayer: Bringing our Treasures

Here’s a prayer inspired by Mark 10:17-27. It was written by Rev. Dr. Barb Hedges-Goettl, and posted on bjhlog (see link below).

Prayer

(inspired by Jesus’ words in Mark 10:17-27

and Matthew 6:19-21; 13:44-46)

O God,

Jesus taught that where our treasure is,

there will our hearts be also.

In this hour, we come bringing our treasures—

all that we have and all that we are.

We come seeking your treasure—

treasure that does not fade, decay, or disappoint.

Share with us the treasure of heaven,

that we may boldly share it with others. Amen.

~ written by Rev. Dr. Barb Hedges-Goettl, PC(USA) pastor and liturgical scholar. Posted on bjhlog.

https://bjhlog.wordpress.com/2020/02/19/nl-mark-1017-31-the-rich-young-man-march-1-2020/

Prayer: A New Vision

Here’s a prayer of petition and commitment from the Church of Scotland’s Worship page.

Prayer

O God, our Heavenly Father,

give us a vision of our world as Your love would make it:

a world where the weak are protected

and none go hungry or poor;

a world where the benefits of civilized life are shared,

and everyone can enjoy them;

a world where different races, nations and cultures

live in tolerance and mutual respect,

a world where peace is built with justice,

and justice is guided by love;

and give us the inspiration and courage to build it,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

~ Geoffrey  Brown and John Pridmore, St Martin-in-the-Fields’ Prayer for the World. Posted on The Church of Scotland’s Weekly Worship website. https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/worship

Call to Worship: Looking in the Mirror

Here’s a responsive call to worship from Thom Shuman’s excellent Lectionary Liturgies blog. It was inspired by the suggested lectionary readings for Proper 23, Year B (Job 23:1-9, 16-17; Psalm 22:1-15; Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31).

Call to Worship

We look in the mirror and what do we see?
We see people who try to be faithful,
even as questions and struggles challenge our faith.
We look in the mirror and how do we see?
We see with hearts which are open to God's love,
with lives which seek to trust when all the evidence
tells us not to be so foolish.
We look in the mirror and who do we see?
We see Jesus, the One who struggles with
the questions we raise, who models faithfulness
for all who would follow. 

~ written by Thom Shuman, and posted on Lectionary Liturgies. http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com/

Prayer for Others: Amos 5

Here’s a prayer of petition and intercession inspired by Amos 5. It was written be Rev. Mindi and posted on her Rev-o-lution website.

Prayer

(inspired by Amos 5)

Holy One, the world is a discouraging place.

The cries of injustice almost drown out Your voice.

The cries of pain almost smother the voice of hope found in You.

The cries of oppression and marginalization,

starvation and death,

are almost too much to bear—

so much so, that we have become numb.

Ease the pain, the cries, the noise of the world,

so that we can hear Your voice

and find hope and encouragement to act justly in this world

and to do Your work, on earth as it is in heaven.

In the name of Christ,

whose voice calls to us above the noise and cries,

a voice that calls us to new life, we pray. Amen. 

~ written by Rev. Mindi and posted on Rev-o-lution. http://rev-o-lution.org/

Call to Worship: Waiting on the Lord

Here is a responsive call to worship from Rev. Richard J. Fairchild’s Kir-shalom website.

Call to Worship

God is with his people. 

He dwells in their midst.

Listen and hear him speak.

Our hearts long for his word.

We wait upon the Lord

so that we may renew our strength.

God is our help and our support. 

His spirit moves among us

to lead us in holiness and righteousness all our days.

With joyful hearts we sing God's praise. 

With rejoicing we call upon Him. 

The Lord is our hope and our salvation.

~ posted on the Kir-shalom website. http://www.spirit-net.ca/sermons/b-or02sm.php

Prayer of Illumination: Amos 5

Here is a prayer of illumination – a prayer for the presence of the Holy Spirit, traditionally spoken before the reading and preaching of the Word. It is inspired by Amos 5, and comes from the Worship@North website.

Prayer of Illumination

(inspired by Amos 5)

O God, you alone are our Judge.

Send your Spirit of truth

to expose our self-deception

and challenge our complacency

so that we may surrender to your mercy

and follow your will

through Jesus Christ our Liberator.  Amen.

~ from a collection of prayers posted on the Worship@North website. https://northchurchindy.wordpress.com/ 

Readers' Theatre: Generosity

Here’s a readers’ theatre setting on the topic of wealth and generosity. It combines verses from Mark 10:17-22, 12:38-44 and 2 Corinthians 9:6-15.

Readers’ Theatre

(Mark 10:17-22, 12:38-44, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15)

One:     As Jesus started on his way,

            a man ran up to him

            and fell on his knees before him.

Two:     Good teacher,

            what must I do to inherit eternal life?

Three:  Why do you call me good?

            No one is good—except God alone.

            You know the commandments:

            ‘You shall not murder,

            you shall not commit adultery,

            you shall not steal,

            you shall not give false testimony,

            you shall not defraud,

            honor your father and mother.’”

Two:     Teacher, all these I have kept since I was a boy.

One:     Jesus looked at him and loved him.

Three:  One thing you lack.

            Go, sell everything you have

            and give to the poor,

            and you will have treasure in heaven.

            Then come, follow me.

One:     At this the man’s face fell.

            He went away sad,

            because he had great wealth.

            Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple

            and watched as the crowds dropped in their money.

            Many rich people put in large amounts. 

            Then a poor widow came

            and dropped in two small coins.

            Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 

Three:  I tell you the truth,

            this poor widow has given more

            than all the others who are making contributions. 

            For they gave a tiny part of their surplus,

            but she, poor as she is,

            has given everything she had to live on.

Two:     Remember this:

            Whoever sows sparingly

            will also reap sparingly,

            and whoever sows generously

            will also reap generously. 

One:     Each of you should give

            what you have decided in your heart to give, 

            not reluctantly or under compulsion, 

            for God loves a cheerful giver. 

Three:  And God is able to bless you abundantly,

            so that in all things at all times,

            having all that you need, 

            you will abound in every good work. 

Two:     Now he who supplies seed to the sower

            and bread for food 

            will also supply and increase your store of seed

            and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

            You will be enriched in every way

            so that you can be generous on every occasion,

            and through us your generosity will result

            in thanksgiving to God.