Reconciling in Christ 2007

Reconciling in Christ Worship

Service of Affirmation and Inclusivity

Below is the order of worship for this service. Please feel free to use its liturgy, litanies and prayers as best suits your worshiping community. The anthems, hymns and scripture texts are suggested only, please feel free to use others as appropriate. The direction (spoken over music) means that I would like to have your musician play softly under the spoken words.

Order for Worship

As you are able: ▲ = Please stand. ▼= Please sit

Prelude & Lighting of the Candles

▲ Litany of Welcome (spoken over music):

P: We gather now in the name of Christ, the one who calls us to bring in the kingdom of God: a kingdom not of houses, not of land, but a kingdom of love and acceptance, a kingdom where we are God's hands in this world.

Song: We Are All One in Christ/Somos Uno(English/Inglés)

Text: anonymous; tr. Gerhard Cartford, b.1923

Music: SOMOS UNO, anonymous

Tr. copyright Augsburg Fortress

We are all one in Christ, we are one body....

P: Welcome each other. Welcome the stranger. Welcome all who come. As Christ welcomed everyone, no matter what their background, no matter what their social status; as Christ welcomed enemies and friends, outcasts and leaders, foreigners and neighbors, let us open our hearts and homes and lives. Let us be Christ to everyone we meet.

Song: We Are All One in Christ/Somos Uno(English/Inglés)

P: Welcome to this place. Welcome to this worship. Let us praise the God of all who has brought us here. Let us learn of God's love and share that love where ever we go. Be welcome here, for this is God's house.

.Song: We Are All One in Christ/Somos Uno(English/Inglés)

Gathering prayer:

A: Let us pray,

C: O God, we know the way of love is through Your Son Jesus Christ. Inspire us to pour out that love to people everywhere: in our homes, our communities, our nation, our world. Amen.

.GATHERING SONG: Built on a Rock

Music: KIRKEN DEN ER ET GAMMELT HUS, Ludvig M. Lindeman, 1812-1887

Built on a rock the church shall stand,

even when steeples are falling;

...longing for life everlasting.

We are God's house of living stones,

built for his own habitation;...his grace,

blessings upon them bestowing.

Yet in this house, an earthly frame,

Jesus the children is blessing;...

granting his children the kingdom.

Prayer of the Day:

God of love, giver of life, you know our frailties and failings. Give us your grace to overcome them, keep us from those things that harm us, and guide us in the way of salvation, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

▼ First Lesson Amos 6:1a, 4-7

Response:

L: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

Psalm 146: Praise the Almighty

Text: Johann D. Herrnschmidt, 1675-1723; tr. Alfred E. R. Brauer, 1866-1949, alt.

Licensor: Licen-Sing, Copyright Administrator: Openbook Publishers

Music: LOBE DEN HERREN, O MEINE SEELE, Seelen=Harfe, Ansbach, 1664

Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore him!.... Hallelujah!

Trust not in rulers; they are but mortal.... Hallelujah!

Blessed, oh, blessed are they forever whose help.... Hallelujah!

.Second Lesson: 1 Timothy 6:6-19

Response:

L: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

▲ Holy Gospel: Luke 16:19-31

Response:

L: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

▼ Music for Meditation

Message

▲ THEME SONG: Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life

Text: Frank M. North, 1850-1935, alt.

Music: WALTON W. Gardiner, Sacred Melodies, 1815

1 Where cross the crowded ways of life,

where sound the cries of race and clan,

above the noise of selfish strife,

we hear your voice, O Son of Man.

2 In haunts of wretchedness and need,

on shadowed thresholds dark with fears,

from paths where hide the lures of greed,

we catch the vision of your tears.

3 From tender childhood's helplessness,

from human grief and burdened toil,

from famished souls, from sorrow's stress,

your heart has never known recoil.

4 The cup of water giv'n for you

still holds the freshness of your grace;

yet long these multitudes to view

the strong compassion in your face.

5 O Master, from the mountainside

make haste to heal these hearts of pain;

among these restless throngs abide;

oh, tread the city's streets again;

6 Till all the world shall learn your love,

and follow where your feet have trod;

till glorious from your heav'n above

shall come the city of our God.

Testimony of faith:

We believe in one God, who is Creator, maker of all we see and all we don’t see. Who is King of the universe: Source of all creation!

We believe in one God, who is Jesus Christ, God from God, Light from Light, true God and true human. He is one with the Creator; the Word made flesh, our Messiah: Savior of all creation!

We believe in one God, who is Holy Spirit, Breath of God moving among us. Who is one with the Creator; one with the Christ; our Comforter and our Guide: Mentor of all creation!

Litany for Reconciliation

The people described below are real. I either know them personally, or learned of their stories from family and friends. LF

Song: Go! Go My Chosen One - vs. 1 - No Refrain

“Go, Go, My Chosen One” by W. Michael Aguilar III, © Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.

Do you see the faces of those whose lives are lost? .... Can you feel their pain? I call you in my name!

.(Spoken over music)

P: Hear the words of a receptionist in Portland:

A: My heart aches even as I smile; my parents kicked me out of my home at age 16 when I told them I was gay.

C: O Lord, may we always be a safe place, a healing place, a place blessed to say

All: All are welcome here.

P: Hear the words of a girl from Alexander:

A: My face is calm even as my stomach tightens; my classmates shun me and make fun of me every day.

C: O Lord, may we always be a safe place, a sustaining place, a place blessed to convey

All: All are welcome here.

P: Hear the words of a woman in Nashville:

A: I will never forget it. The day they burned a cross on my front yard.

C: O Lord, may we always be a safe place, a comforting place, a place blessed to demonstrate

All: All are welcome here.

P: Hear the words of a man in Rockford:

A: My eyes flinch even as I walk tall; my church asked me to leave when they found out I was a transvestite.

C: O Lord, may we always be a safe place, an accepting place, a place blessed to advertise

All: All are welcome here.

Song: Go! Go My Chosen One - vs. 2 - No Refrain

“Go, Go, My Chosen One” by W. Michael Aguilar III, © Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.

Do you hear th evoices, the cries of the oppressed? .... Can you feel their pain? I call you in my name!

P: Hear the words of a woman from Long Island:

A: I don’t ever want to go to Germany. I’m afraid of what I’ll feel; many of my relatives died in concentration camps.

C: O Lord, may we always be a safe place, a loving place, a place blessed to proclaim

All: All are welcome here.

P: Hear the words of a woman in Chicago:

A: My lips harden even as I breath deeply; my friends of 30 years ordered me from their house when they found out my sons were gay.

C: O Lord, may we always be a safe place, a consoling place, a place blessed to assert

All: All are welcome here.

P: Hear the words of a sex offender from Columbia County:

A: I messed up big time. I know God has forgiven me, but I also know society never will.

C: O Lord, may we always be a safe place, a supporting place, a place blessed to impart

All: All are welcome here.

P: Hear the words of a woman from Los Angeles:

A: I can’t return to worship. My church excommunicated me because I divorced my abusive husband and I feel unworthy.

C: O Lord, may we always be a safe place, an affirming place, a place blessed to express

All: All are welcome here.

Song: Go! Go My Chosen One - vs. 3 & Refrain

“Go, Go, My Chosen One” by W. Michael Aguilar III, © Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.

Do you feel the anger, the pains of misery? .... And you feel their pain? I call you in my name!

Refrain: Go! Go my chosen one and be my hands....And I'll be by your side. Go! Go my chosen one.

.. P: In a world where hurts are easily dealt to others by individuals and groups,

C: We seek to heal.

P: In a world where oppression hides behind social acceptance,

C: We do our best to uncover our blindness.

P: In a world where injustice is common,

C: We work to be advocates for those wronged.

P: In a world filled with prejudice and hate, fill us with love, O Lord,

C: That we may be a people who love the loveless, touch the outcast and welcome the stranger. Let us speak the words of acceptance.

P: Amen.

C: So be it, Lord.

Greeting of peace:

P: May the peace of the Christ Jesus be with you,

C: And also with you.

P: Let us share the peace of God, the peace which knows no bounds.

▼ Offering/Special Music

▲ Offering Prayer:

A: Let us pray. Lord of Love,

C: You gave us the greatest gift of all, our Savior Jesus Christ. We ask that you accept the gifts we bring: our goods, our time and our talents. Use them as You will for your purpose. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Prayers of the Community

Lord's Prayer:

P: Let us pray,

C: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

PRAYER SONG: Lord Listen to your children praying

Text: Ken Medema, b. 1943

Music: CHILDREN PRAYING, Ken Medema, b. 1943

Lord, listen to your children praying,... send us love, send us pow'r, send us grace.

Eucharistic Prayer:

P: You know that you were ransomed from the useless way of life

not with perishable things,

silver and gold,

But with the costly blood of Christ—

as a lamb without blot or blemish.

Christ having been known before the foundation of the world

was made visible at the end of time for your sake,

through him the faithful are in God

Who raised him from the dead and gave him glory,

So that your faith and hope are in God.

1 Peter 1:18-21

Blessed is the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ

who has blessed us in Christ

with every spiritual blessing in the heavens;

Just as God chose us to be in Christ

before the foundation of the world,

God chose us to be holy and blameless

before God in love.

God destined us for adoption through Jesus Christ

According to the favor of God’s will,

For the praise of the glory of God’s grace

which God gave us in the beloved, Jesus Christ,

In whom we have redemption through his blood—

the forgiveness of our sins—

According to the riches of God’s grace

Which he lavished on us

in all wisdom and insight.

God has made known to us the mystery of the divine will

According to the favor which God set forth in Christ

As a plan for the fullness of time

to sum up all things in Christ—

all the things of heaven

and all the things of earth in him—

In whom we also were chosen,

destined according to the purpose of the one

who sets everything in motion

According to the council of God’s will

For we exist to praise the glory of God—

we who first hoped in Christ.

Ephesians 1:3-12

For I received from the Lord

that which I also handed down to you—

that the Lord Jesus

in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;

and after giving thanks, He broke it and said,

“This is My body, which is for you;

do this in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way also He took the cup after supper, saying,

“This cup is the new covenant which is in My blood;

do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,

you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

I Corinthians 11:23-26

▼ Distribution of Communion

▲ Dismissal from Communion:

P: Now may the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ keep you always in God’s grace.

C: Amen.

.THANKSGIVING SONG: The Peace of the Lord

First time: English/Inglés, Second time: Spanish/Español

Text: Anders Ruuth; tr. Gerhard Cartford

Music: LA PAZ DEL SENOR, Anders Ruuth

The peace of the Lord, ... for all God's children.

La paz del Señor,, ... todos alcanzará.

Post- Communion Prayer:

A: Lord of all life and light, you sustain us with your very self, giving us food for our journey. Grace us with your continuing presence that we may be an active part of your work in our world, sharing the message of Christ Jesus that all may come to know The Way, The Truth and The Life.

C: Amen.

Blessing:

P: The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, And be caring towards you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26

C: Amen.

▼ Announcements

▲ SENDING SONG Lord, I Lift Your Name On High

Text: Rick Founds

Music: LORD, I LIFT YOUR NAME, Rick Founds

A: Go in Peace serve the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God!

Postlude