October 11 Worship
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Download the Worship Bulletin Here
Worship will be live streamed on Grace's YouTube channel (above), and the video recording uploaded here afterward.
We Gather
CENTERING WORDS
Draw near to God, and God will draw near to us, as we serve and minister together.
PRELUDE
WELCOME and CALL TO WORSHIP
Invited by God,
we gather to worship.
Partnering with God,
we gather to grow in faith and to change the world.
OPENING HYMN No. 647
Give Thanks
(You are invited to meditate on the hymn below.)
Give thanks with a grateful heart;
give thanks to the Holy One;
give thanks because we’re given Jesus Christ, the Son. (repeat)
And now let the weak say, “We are strong”; let the poor say, “We are rich because of what the Lord has done for us!”
(repeat)
Give thanks. Give thanks.
CALL TO PRAYERS
We cannot come before God unless we first are honest with ourselves about who we are, about the mistakes we make, and about how well or poorly we care for others. In this spirit, let us offer our prayers to God.
PRAYERS OF CONFESSION & INTERCESSION
Beloved God, we gather in the shelter of your love, grateful for the banquet of worship you have prepared for us. Focus our hearts and our minds on the beauty of this time, the blessings of our lives, and the fullness of your message. Strengthen our call to fulfill our role as your partners in ministry to the world.
Gracious God, you know how often we miss your invitation and ignore your banquet of grace and abundant love. Clear the clouds from our eyes, that we may see your call to partner and serve with you. Clear our calendars, that we don’t miss your invitation to love and serve the world. Clear our minds and soothe our troubled souls, that we may remember and treasure the opportunity to receive your abundant grace and your loving nourishment. Nourish us with your forgiveness and your mercy, that we may rejoice fully in this time of worship. In your love and grace, we pray.
Let us lift our prayers to God for the brokenness of this world and for the needs of our community and our hearts.
Silence
ASSURANCE OF GOD WITH US
Rejoice in God, whose grace is ours. Rejoice in the power of love!
SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST
We are blessed by a peace that passes all understanding, a grace that transcends all logic, and a love that breaks all bounds. With joy, let us share these amazing gifts, as we greet one another in peace. The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!
And also with you.
We Reflect
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
God of prophets and parables, as we gather to listen to the scriptures read and proclaimed, may we hear your voice, and in hearing, may our lives be transformed by your grace.
SCRIPTURE LESSON
Exodus 32:1-14
GOSPEL LESSON
Matthew 22:1-14
SERMON Entitlement
Rev. Kathryn R. Mustaro
We Respond
OUR GIFTS OF SACRIFICE and THANKSGIVING
Invitation
Come with thanksgiving, to offer your gifts and honor to God.
Thank you for sending your offerings. They make a great difference to our church’s work in the world.
Musical Meditation
Prayer of Dedication
Gracious God, thank you for your abundant love and your nourishing grace. Thank you for the gifts we return to you now. Bless these gifts, that they may become for others signs of your abundant love and vessels of your nourishing grace. Amen.
We Are Sent
CLOSING HYMN No. 701
Lord, Prepare Me
(You are invited to meditate on the hymn below.)
Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary,
pure and holy, tried and true.
With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living
sanctuary for you. (repeat)
BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE
Please join us for prayers and fellowship on ZOOM at 10:40 a.m..
All songs not in the public domain are used by permission of CCLI #1124594.
Centering Words, Call to Worship, Prayer of Confession & Intercession, Assurance of God With Us, Sharing the Peace of Christ, Invitation to the Offering and Prayer of Dedication - Scifres, Mary. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2020 . Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition.
Call to Prayers - The Worship Sourcebook (Grand Rapids: CICW, Faith Alive Resources and Baker Books 2004) 85.