July 12 Worship
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Download the Worship Bulletin Here
Rooted in Christ, We Gather in Spirit
Welcome to Worship with the Presbytery of New Brunswick.
Disciples Gather in Spirit to Worship
GATHERING MUSIC
In the Garden
WELCOME and CALL TO WORSHIP
CALL TO PRAYERS
Let us come to Christ with the confidence of children, offering prayers of confession and intercession, for Christ would have us see and hear what we otherwise do not perceive or understand.
PRAYERS OF CONFESSION AND INTERCESSION
God of growth, you sow and you gather, you tend and you prune, you judge and you save. Receive our love and praise in this time of worship. Forgive us for not being who you call and create us to be, for not doing what we know to do. Hear our confession and free us from the burdens we cannot bear alone.
We confess it is so easy to be distracted from your truth. Preoccupied with our own comfort, we neglect to stand up for those who suffer. Tempted by what we desire, we fail to protect the earth and respect its limits. In your mercy, give us wisdom to walk in your ways, the will to seek things that truly matter, and the grace to renew relationships with you and with one another.
Lord, we want to grow in your love and show it to others. You offer us forgiveness and reconciliation in the face of our failures. You welcome us into relationship with you. You are our hope. Your love for us is deep and real, and it changes everything.
Lord, we pray that your transforming love will be active and present in our world, for you formed the earth to be a place of joy and abundance for all your creatures.
For food in all its variety and the people who grow, transport and market it, we give you thanks. These months of pandemic have shown us how much we depend on each other. We pray for those who do not have enough food, and for those whose agricultural supply is at risk through extreme weather, uncertain prices and social upheaval.
Help us care for the earth and its fruitfulness and for each other in our common need of its fruits.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
God of all the nations, you gather people together in communities to care for each other and enjoy each other’s company and creativity. Yet the pandemic has revealed there are so many vulnerable people, so many places where resources are not shared fairly.
We lift up to you the sick and broken-hearted, the lonely and the impoverished. Where there is division and exploitation, bring unity and peace with justice; where people are distracted, give wisdom to see what is important; where people are tired and anxious, bring strength and courage.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
God of compassion, you call us to be communities held together by prayer and love for our neighbors. We pray for a place of community for each and every person, where the church becomes a real, extended kingdom family. Your love is made complete as we love one another and are in fellowship together. Help us give witness to the nature of your Kingdom Family, that includes all races, tribes, genders and sexual orientations.
Where people mourn loss of any kind, provide comfort; where there is illness and pain, bring healing; where there is distress or discouragement, transform fear into hope. By your Spirit, equip us to serve one another in Christ’s name so that your compassion touches lives with love and mercy.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Loving God, hear our personal concerns and prayers, as we lift them to you now in the silence of our hearts.
Gracious God, we offer you these prayers in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior and friend, using the words he taught us to pray:
Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Disciples Listen to the Word of the Lord
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
SCRIPTURE LESSON
Psalm 119
GOSPEL LESSON
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
SERMON
Rev. Dr. John White
Disciples are Sent and Blessed to Serve God
CLOSING HYMN No. 340
This is My Song
This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;
but other hearts in other lands are beating
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.
My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
So hear my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.
This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth's kingdoms:
thy kingdom come; on earth thy will be done.
Let Christ be lifted up till all shall serve him,
and hearts united learn to live as one.
So hear my prayer, O God of all the nations:
myself I give thee; let thy will be done.
BENEDICTION
And now the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all now and always.
Amen.
PEACE
May the peace of the risen Christ meet you where you are and rest upon you. The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Share it!! It’s not for you to keep.
Let’s share it!
POSTLUDE
All songs not in the public domain are used by permission of CCLI #1124594
Thank you for all who helped lead worship this morning:
Gathering Music - Alexandria First
Welcome & Call - Rev. Ryan Irmer at Slackwood
Confession & Prayers of the People - Rev. Kathyrn Mustaro, Grace
Children’s Time - Rev. Larissa Kwong Abazia, Hillsboro
Psalm - Rev. Karen Hernadez-Granzen
Scripture & Sermon - Rev. Dr. John White
Hymn - This is My Song, PCUSA International Peacemakers
Benediction - Rev. Sharyl Dixon, Kingston
Postlude Music - Vince DiMura, Grace
Edited for worship by Mr. Peyton Dixon, Kingston
The Presbytery of New Brunswick, You, the Church: God’s hands and heart in the world.