55B - Sunday 23B — 57B - Sunday 25B
CALL TO WORSHIP (from Psalm 19)
Come into this sacred space to worship God
whose teaching is perfect;
whose directions are sure.
Come into this holy place to worship God
whose standards are right;
whose commandment is clear;
whose judgements are true.
Come with holy fear —
to be given life, and made wise,
to have your heart stirred and your eyes opened wide.
Come — let us worship God.
Let the words of our mouths and the whispering of our hearts
be according to your will, O God.
PRAYER OF ADORATION AND CONFESSION (from Psalm 19)
Your glory, O God
is declared in the holy silence of the heavens,
and told in the silent succession of day and night.
No speech, or word or voice is heard;
yet they speak to all the world,
and their words reach to the ends of the earth.
The sun joyfully leaps across the sky,
from one end of the heavens to the farthest reaches,
and nothing is hidden from its heat or light.
So nothing that we do or say or whisper in our hearts
is hidden from you, Lord God.
Release us from darkness we hide deep within our lives.
Let our lives be radiant with holy fear;
delighting in your teaching,
receiving insight from your commandments
and wisdom from your encouraging.
Enliven our desire for your everlasting judgements
over wealth or fame:
to enjoy the sweet drippings of the honeycomb,
that are to be found
in right relationship with those around us,
and with you. Amen.
OFFERING
Gracious God,
the gifts we bring are signs
that our faith is expressed
not in words alone
but in our daily living,
following the way of Jesus. Amen.
A CREATIVE MOMENT – James 3:1-12, Mark 8:27-38
(a) The reading itself offers a basis for the Prayer of Confession which could occur after the sermon/homily/reflection, i.e. as part of the congregations response to the service of the word.
A glass of fresh water and a glass of brackish water could provide a symbolic focus.
(b) The question, Who do you say I am?? offers an opportunity for the congregation to express their own convictions and doubts and questions about who Jesus is for them. Conversation/sharing might be facilitated by pictures/ posters/projected images of Jesus as seen from a variety of ethnic and cultural perspectives, or of the ways in which followers of Jesus have lived out who he is for them.
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
(A prayer to gather the spoken and silent concerns/joys/thanks expressed by the congregation and lead into a more structured Intercession with connection to the lections for the day. Sometimes this prayer borrows lightly from other sources e.g. Uniting in Worship 2 or publications of the Iona Community.)
Gracious and eternal God,
whose glory is declared
in the holy silence of the heavens,
and told
in the silent succession of day and night,
hear the cries of our world:
the lost, lonely, bewildered, brokenhearted, grieving.
Rejoice with those who rejoice and give thanks today;
Comfort those whom we have named
on our lips and in our silence;
those whose troubles are known only to you;
in Jesus’ name…
(The Prayers of the People continue)
Looking for contemporary music and song resources?
Try David MacGregor’s Together to Celebrate
Or metrical psalms? Try Dale A. Schoening’s Sing the Psalms
| HYMN SUGGESTIONS FOR SUNDAY 24B | ||
| Christ is our cornerstone | TIS 433 | AHB 344 |
| Ising the almighty power of God | TIS 1 19 | AHB 40 |
| In the cross of Christ I glory | TIS 349 | AHB 265 |
| Sing praise and thanksgiving, | TIS 107 | AHB 25 |
| When Christ was lifted from the earth | TIS 248 | SA 93 |
| Proverbs 1:20-33 | ||
| Be thou my vision | TIS 547 | AHB 455 |
| God of grace and God of glory | TIS 61 1 | AHB 543 |
| Lord of creation, to you be all praise | TIS 626 | AHB 557 |
| Lord, your almighty word | TIS 447 | AHB 61 |
| Nature with open volume stands | TIS 343 | AHB 259 |
| O Lord of every shining constellation | TIS 157 | AHB 103 |
| O Spirit of the living God | TIS 405 | AHB 318 |
| Psalm 19 | ||
| Father, Lord of all creation | TIS 631 | AHB 567 |
| God who stretched the spangled heavens | TIS 163 | AHB 112 |
| God your are clothed with life | TIS 193 | AHB 423 |
| God’s law is perfect and converts | TIS 8 | |
| Let all creation dance | TIS 187 | |
| Morning has broken | TIS 156 | AHB 91 |
| Nature with open volume stands | TIS 343 | AHB 259 |
| Sing a new song, sing a new song | TIS 166 | AHB 102 |
| Stars and planets flung in orbit | TIS 186 | |
| The day of resurrection | TIS 361 | AHB 277 |
| The heavens shall declare the glory of his name | TIS 746 | |
| The skies tell the glory of God | TIS 7 | |
| The voice of God goes out through all the world | TIS 282 | SA 86 |
| This is my Father’s house | TIS 149 | |
| We all believe inGod who made | TIS 435 | |
| James 3:1-12 | ||
| As a chalice cast of gold | TIS 476 | |
| God be in my head and in my understanding | TIS 549 | AHB 456 |
| Strengthen for service, Lord, the hands | TIS 496 | |
| Take my life and let it be | TIS 599 | AHB 520 |
| Mark 8:27-38 | ||
| Come down, O Love divine | TIS 398 | AHB 310 |
| Community of Christ | TIS 473 | |
| God of grace and God of glory | TIS 61 1 | AHB 543 |
| I danced inthe morning | TIS 242 | AHB 183 |
| I’m not ashamed to own my Lord | TIS 562 | AHB 470 |
| Lord Jesus Christ, you have come to us | TIS 526 | AHB 451 |
| O love how deep, how broad, how high | TIS 194 | AHB 6 |
| Praise to the Holiest inthe height | TIS 141 | AHB 79 |
| Take up your cross the Saviour said | TIS 583 | AHB 496 |