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Worship Order for
Sunday
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after
reading Isaiah
11:1-10
We usually sing
#195,
"It came
upon a midnight clear," in the cold of December as we celebrate the
birth of Jesus. However, this vision of "peace on earth, good
will to all" is not a Christmas relic. Rather, it shines like a
beacon for all of life. If you are able, please stand and sing,
pushing back the "woes of sin and strife" and the
"two thousand years of wrong," with what the "prophet
bards (like Isaiah) foretold." Make this a song of praise to
the One behind this vision of a peaceable kingdom... Besides, on a
hot July day, it’s nice to sing a December carol. Amen?
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Opening
Prayer
Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, Spirit of counsel and of
power, Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD (Isaiah
11:2), come and open our hearts and minds to your vision,
your story, your challenge to us this day. We open our doors to you,
who stand and knock, waiting to be welcomed in. May our praise be in
the attentiveness of our spirits to you, as well as in the words we
speak or the songs we sing throughout this service of worship. May
we hear the lion roar and the lamb bleat. May we see the hungry who
lie at our feet. May we bless those who curse and pray for those who
mistreat. May we follow Jesus, simply, peacefully, together. Amen.
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Affirming
our faith
Leader: Jesus taught us to speak of hope as the coming of God's
kingdom.
ALL: We believe that God is at work in our world
turning hopeless and evil situations into good.
We believe that goodness and justice
will triumph in the end
and that tyranny and oppression cannot last forever.
One day all tears will be wiped away;
the lamb will lie down with the lion,
and justice will roll down like a mighty stream.
Leader: True peace and true reconciliation are not only
desired,
they are assured and guaranteed in Christ.
ALL: This is our faith.
This is our hope.
Hymnal, #711, South African creed,
20th c.,
Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace,
Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
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Responsive Prayer
Almighty God,
from whom comes each good gift of life,
we remember your loving kindness and your uncounted mercies
as we join in grateful praise.
For
all your gifts to us and to our human race;
for our life and the world in which we live,
we give you thanks, O God.
For
the order and constancy of nature;
for the beauty and bounty of the world;
for day and night, summer and winter, seed-time and harvest;
for the varied joys which every season brings,
we give you thanks, O God.
For
the work we are enabled to do,
and the truth we are permitted to discover;
good there has been in our past,
and for all the hopes which lead us on toward better things,
we give you thanks, O God.
For
all the joys and comforts of life;
for homes and families;
for our friends;
for the love, sympathy, and goodwill of persons near and far,
we give you thanks, O God.
For
all cultures, wise government and just laws which order our common
life;
for education and all the treasures of literature, science,
and art,
we give you thanks, O God.
For
the discipline of life;
for the tasks and trials which train us to know ourselves
and which bring us to accept one another,
we give you thanks, O God.
For
the desire and power to help others;
for every opportunity of serving our generation in ways large
or small,
we give you thanks, O God.
For
the gift of Jesus Christ, and everything which is ours as his
disciples;
for the presence and inspiration of your Holy Spirit
throughout our days,
we give you thanks, O God.
For
the tender ties which bind us to the unseen world;
for the faith which dispels the shadows of earth
and fills the closing years of life with the light of hope,
we give you thanks, O God.
ALL: God of all grace and love,
we have praised you with our lips
for all the richness and meaning that life holds for us.
Now
send us into the world to praise you with our lives,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. AMEN
Hymnal
#721, from
The Hymnal of the United Church of Christ, ©1974.
United Church Press, 700 Prospect Ave., E.,
Cleveland, OH 44115-1100
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Returning
our Tithes and Offerings
"Lord,
when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you
something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite
you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see
you sick or in prison and go to visit you?" ...
Good
question! ... As you return your offering just now,
allow the response of the "Son of Man" speak to your
spirit - nudging, encouraging, nagging, perhaps even judging -
saying, "whatever you did (or did not do) for one of the
least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did (or did not do)
for me."
Ushers?
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Dedication
Lord God, thank you for the ability to hear and see you in "the
least of these," and for the wisdom to respond to human need,
even when we do not see and hear you. Bless these offerings in Jesus’
name. Amen.
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Benediction
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(para traducir a español, presione la bandera de España)
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