54C - Sunday 22C — 56C - Sunday 24C
See also my posts from 2013, 2016, 2019, 2022
WE GATHER BEFORE GOD (Psalm 139:1-6)
Lord God, you know me through and through;
you know my sitting down, and my getting up.
You sense what I am thinking from far away;
you understand my journeying and my resting.
In fact, you are familiar with the way I do everything;
even before I speak, you know what’s on my mind.
You are in my past, and in my future,
you surround me with your love
and your reassuring hand is upon me.
This wonderful knowledge is beyond my understanding;
it surpasses everything, and is beyond my grasp.
PRAYER OF ADORATION AND THANKSGIVING (Ps.139:1-6)
Lord God, you know me through and through;
you know my sitting down, and my getting up.
You sense what I am thinking from far away;
you understand my journeying and my resting.
In fact, you are familiar with the way I do everything;
even before I speak, you know what’s on my mind.
You are in my past, and in my future,
you surround me with your love
and your reassuring hand is upon me.
This wonderful knowledge is beyond my understanding;
it surpasses everything, and is beyond my grasp.
PRAYER OF APPROACH (including Ps.139:13-18)
Ever present God of grace,
by your Spirit you gather us to worship you;
you who formed my very consciousness,
and wove me together in my mother’s womb
you who are so awesomely wonderful
you whose creativity is so marvellous.
Lord God, you know me through and through;
even my bones, being formed in secret,
in the depths of the earth, were not hidden from you.
Your eyes saw my embryo
and in your book are all written down
days that were planned before any of them occurred.
Your thoughts of me, Lord God, are difficult to comprehend
and far beyond counting
If I tried to count them, they would be more than grains of sand
and if I came to the end, I would not have summed you up.
Engage us by your word and change us:
open our ears to hear you
open our eyes to see what we might become
open our hearts to follow in the way
you have shown to the world in Jesus. Amen.
OFFERING
Generous God,
we offer our lives
and these symbols of our daily living.
By your Holy Spirit give us the courage
to follow the way of Jesus;
to maintain our saltiness, our passion,
for the justice and peace
which Jesus’ proclaimed. Amen.
A CREATIVE MOMENT – Luke 14:25-33
Symbols such as an electronic calculator, building plans or architectural drawings, the cross (from two weeks ago), and an open purse/wallet/money-bag could provide a visual theme for today.
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.)
God who knows us through and through,
who knows our troubles and our joys;
be also present to those we name
in word and silence:
the lost, bewildered, lonely, brokenhearted, grieving,
and those for whom life has begun anew,
that they may know the peace
of your intimate presence …
(The Prayers of the People continue)
Looking for contemporary music and song resources?
Try David MacGregor’s Together to Celebrate
| HYMN SUGGESTIONS FOR SUNDAY 23C |
|
| Be thou my vision | TIS 547 |
| God, who stretched the spangled heavens | TIS 163 |
| Lord in the strength of grace | TIS 483 |
| Safe in the shadow of the Lord | TIS 644 |
| Sing, all creation, sing to God in gladness | TIS 61 |
| Spirit of truth, essential God | TIS 426 |
| Stand up and bless the Lord | TIS 449 |
| What shall I do my God to love, | TIS 122 |
| When Christ was lifted from the earth | TIS 248 |
| You are before me, Lord, you are behind | TIS 87 |
| Your hand O God has guided | TIS 456 |
| JEREMIAH 18:1-11 |
|
| God of Jeremiah, grieving | TIS 679 |
| The church’s one foundation | TIS 457 |
| We are your people, Spirit of grace | TIS 468 |
| PSALM 139:1-6, 13-18 |
|
| Forth in thy name O Lord I go | TIS 571 |
| I am alone, yet not alone | TIS 605 |
| I’ll praise my maker while I’ve breath | TIS 90 |
| Lord of creation to you be all praise | TIS 626 |
| O love that wilt not let me go | TIS 602 |
| One God, one living God | TIS 742 |
| You are before me, Lord, you are behind | TIS 87 |
| PHILEMON 1-21 |
|
| Brother, sister, let me serve you | TIS 650 |
| Help us accept each other | TIS 648 |
| Joyful, joyful, we adore you | TIS 152 |
| Our God our help in ages past | TIS 47 |
| Where there is charity and love | TIS 434 |
| LUKE 14:25-33 |
|
| God, you touch the earth with beauty | TIS 610 |
| Let him to whom we now belong | TIS 563 |
| Take up your cross, the Saviour said | TIS 583 |