The Gathering
Tolling of the Hour
Welcome and Announcements ** Indicates, please stand.
Whether we are old or young, whether we are first-time or longtime worshipers, whether we come full of doubts or confidence, joy or sorrow, in this place we are all family, because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Welcome to all of you today!
Prelude
Prayer of Invocation
In you, eternal Father, and through your Son, Jesus Christ, we find the beginning and end of all things. In him we find hope, forgiveness, and courage for new beginnings. Let then, O God, the fresh winds of your Spirit sweep into our lives this day, so that this act of worship and the week to follow may become a time of renewal and rededication to your service. Amen.
**Responsive Call to Worship Please stand in body or spirit as you are able.
Come as you are.
If you have deep faith or your faith has run dry,
if you know every scripture or none at all,
if you have calloused hands and live your faith through good works,
or if you kneel at God’s feet, with a million hungry questions,
come as you are.
This is God’s house. None are turned away.
All are welcome here.
**Opening Hymn Lord, Who May Dwell within Your House #164
Call to Confession and Silent Prayer
The story of Mary and Martha is often painted as a story where one does right and one does wrong. We know that life is often more complicated than that. We know that faith is embodied through being present and taking action—and everything in between. Knowing this, like Mary and Martha, let us draw near to God. Let us be honest about our lives, our hopes, and our mistakes. For even in our messy middle, God meets us with grace. Let us in silence offer our prayers of confession:
Unison Prayer of Confession
God of Grace, We long to do the “right” thing. We long to make the “right” choice. We long to stand on the “right” side of the dividing line. In our earnestness, we sometimes miss the sacred right in front of us. In our earnestness, we sometimes miss opportunities to show love. Show us how to hold our heart’s desire for perfection loosely. Show us how to lead with grace and love, over anything else. For even more than our desire to be right, we desire to be close to you. Show us the way. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Faithful friends, God knows your heart. When you mean well and lose your way, God knows. When you try to do the right thing and miss the point, God knows. When you long to be close to God, and doubt your worth, God knows. You are seen. You are loved. You are forgiven. You have been sent to serve. This is the good news of the gospel! Nothing can separate you from God’s love.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
** Passing the Peace
The Peace of Christ be with you…
And also with you.
**Gloria Patri #579
Hearing the Word
Prayer of Illumination
Loving God, When our anxiety hovers close, when fear clings to our bones, when our stress rises like the tide, see us. Speak to us. Call us by name. See us in the kitchen, in the classroom, in the hospital waiting room. Speak to us in the quiet, in the crowd, in the inky black of night. Call us beloved. Call us by name. Call us your child. Whatever you do, speak to us, for we cannot live on bread alone. Amen.
Scripture
Old Testament Reading Psalm 15
Instrumental Anthem
New Testament Reading Luke 10:38-42
Sermon Everything in Between – Faith and Works Rev. Morris
Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer
...using the prayer Your Son taught us to pray, Our Father...
**Hymn Seek Ye First #333
**Affirmation of Faith
We believe in a Christ who teaches, sees, affirms, and celebrates all of who we are. We believe in a Christ who invites us to use our gifts for good and celebrates every step we take in that direction. We believe in a Christ who understands our anxieties and is gentle with our concerns. And we believe in a Christ who looks at us with undiluted love. The world will try to rank, rate, and declare winners, but we know love has no limit. So with God’s help, may we nurture our faith and do good work. Amen.
Invitation to Offering
Do good and share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. With joy, we offer our gifts to God as a sign of our deep devotion and covenant faithfulness.
Offertory
**Doxology #592
**Unison Prayer of Dedication
O God, most merciful and gracious, of whose bounty we have all received, accept this offering of your people. Remember in your love those who have brought it and those for whom it is given, and so follow it with your blessing that it may promote peace and goodwill among all peoples, and advance the kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
We Go Out to Serve
**Hymn My Faith Looks Up to Thee #383
**Charge Let us say together God’s invitation to a life of Christian discipleship.
Grant, O Lord, that what has been said with our lips we may believe in our hearts, and that what we believe in our hearts we may practice in our lives, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
**Blessing
As you leave this place, may you find God in every messy middle. May you know that the world is bigger than two sides. May you trust that you are made in the image of God, and therefore, you contain multitudes. So may you move through this world with an open heart, with a curious mind, and with the confidence that you do not go alone. God is with you in the mountains, in the valleys, and everywhere in between. Believe that good news, and go in peace.
Postlude