Bulletin – Sunday, August 27, 2023 – Thirteenth After Pentecost

Sunday, August 27, 2023
Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost

Approach

Lighting the Christ Candle:

One:   We light this Christ candle as a symbol of Christ’s presence here with us today. But Christ is not just here in this place. Christ is with us always wherever we go.
All:      May the light of Christ expose us to Christ’s love, so we too may shine today and always.

Call to Worship:

One:   Children of the Living God, go where I send you!
All:      Who are you that we should listen?

One:   I Am Who I Am.
All:      Who are you that we should go?

One:   I am the God of your Mothers and Fathers, the God of your Grandmothers and of your Grandfathers. I Am Who I Am.
All:      Where should we go?

One:   To the places where my people are bound.
All:      Where should we go?

One:   To set my people free.
All:      Where should we go?

One:   Go to the world.
All:      Alone?

One:   Never! I am with you—always and all ways.
All:      Thanks be to God!

Hymn – “It’s a Song of Praise to the Maker” (MV #30)

It’s a song of praise to the Maker, the thrush sings high in the tree.
It’s a song of praise to the Maker, the gray whale sings in the sea,
And by the Spirit you and I can join our voice to the holy cry
And sing, sing, sing to the Maker too.

It’s a call of life to the Giver when waves and waterfalls roar.
It’s a call of life to the Giver when high tides break on the shore,
And by the Spirit you and I can join our voice to the holy cry
And sing, sing, sing to the Maker too.

It’s a hymn of love to the Lover; the bumblebees hum along.
It’s a hymn of love to the Lover, the summer breeze joins the song,
And by the Spirit you and I can join our voice to the holy cry
And sing, sing, sing to the Maker too.

It’s the chorus of all creation; it’s sung by all living things.
It’s the chorus of all creation; a song the universe sings,
And by the Spirit you and I can join our voice to the holy cry
And sing, sing, sing to the Maker too.

Prayer of Approach and Confession:

Holy One, there are times you ask us difficult questions, like “what do you believe?” or “Who am I?” or “Who are you?” There are times we know the answers. There are times we aren’t sure. There are times we know that we don’t know. So, we pray not because you do not know us already but because we do not know ourselves yet and seek ourselves with you. We pray that you shed your grace upon us and go with us into the dark, untended, shameful, scary corners of our lives. Ease the frantic, swollen pride by which we claim too much for our efforts and credit too little those of others, stifling our gratitude to them and to you.

Help us to keep in check our belittlement of others by our words of blame or our collusions that exclude thus demeaning and dividing us all. Show us the way out of the illusion that our burdens are heavier than those of others. Liberate us to share our struggles honestly so we may embrace the miracle of our humanity. Let us see our lives are far more than they seem and help us trust enough the truth of us that you know so well. We ask that you forgive us our trespasses and so to start to heal our waiting souls. Amen.

Words of Assurance:

One:   The Good News is that no matter whether we know or we don’t know, you are with us and within us…holding us. Teaching us, loving us into being.
All:      The Good News is that we are loved and forgiven.

One:   The Good News is that when we accept this love and forgiveness, we can live it and show it to others.
All:      Thanks be to God. Amen.

The Word

Prayer of Illumination:

Encouraging God, open our hearts to hard words and our minds to deep truths. Nudge us with your spirit and inspire us with your love to receive your message into our hearts and into our lives. Amen.

Scripture Reading             Exodus 3:9-15

⁹ The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. ¹⁰  Now go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” ¹¹  But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” ¹²  He said, “I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

¹³ But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” ¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” ¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.

Scripture Reading:           Matthew 16:13-18

¹³ Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God!

Hymn – “Are You a Shepherd?” (MV#126)

Are you a shepherd, good shepherd who leads us
Safely through danger, while calming our fears?
Are you a father who shelters and feeds us,
Shares in our laughter and wipes away tears?

Yes, you are shepherd, parent and teacher,
But you are greater than all that we know.
Holy and living, loving and giving,
God, you are with us wherever we go.

Are you a mother, good mother who bears us,
Comforts, protects us and helps us to rest?
Are you a teach who daily prepares us,
Challenging students to offer their best?

Great, gentle shepherd, forever beside us,
Lead all your children in paths that are right.
Great, loving parent, wise teacher, you guide us.
We want to love you and bring you delight.

Meditation – “Who Do People Say I Am?

Hymn – “Deep in Our Hearts” (MV#154)

Deep in our hearts there is a common vision;
Deep in our hearts there is a common song;
Deep in our hearts there is a common story,
Telling Creation that we are one.

Deep in our hearts there is a common purpose;
Deep in our hearts there is a common goal;
Deep in our hearts there is a sacred message,
Just and peace in harmony.

Deep in our hearts there is a common longing;
Deep in our hearts there is a common theme;
Deep in our hearts there is a common current,
Flowing to freedom like a stream.

Deep in our hearts there is a common vision;
Deep in our hearts there is a common song;
Deep in our hearts there is a common story,
Telling Creation that we are one.

Offering Invitation:

We offer ourselves and our gifts to God. Everything we have is a gift from God. We give in response to God’s generosity, as a sign of our commitment to serve Christ with our whole selves. Let us present our offerings at this time

Offering / Response: VU #540

Grant us, God, the grace of giving,
With a spirit large and free,
That ourselves and all our living
We may offer faithfully.

Offering Blessing:

Loving God, with hearts filled with joy, we offer these gifts of thanks, honour and praise today. We ask that they be blessed and used according to our purpose, that the kin-dom of God will be fulfilled and Christ will come in his glory. Amen.

The Response

Prayers of the People

One:   God who dwells with us.
All:      God who dwells within us.

One:   God who calls us to dwell together. Bless us now as we gather our thoughts in prayer. Jesus said we should not let our hearts be troubled, but they are…troubled for this world, this place. Yet Jesus assures us that there is a place for those who hunger and thirst, a place of banquets and grace for all. A place for those farmers trapped in unfair trade, for those families dispossessed. We pray for them. A place for those oppressed and downtrodden; a place of liberation and just; for those children of sectarianism; for those families divided. We pray for them. There is a place for those who mourn; for those who hurt…a place of healing and comfort Today we pray for all those we know and those we do not know who are struggling in body, mind, and spirit. Names we speak aloud or hold silent in our hearts…

Time of reflection…

One:   Jesus said we should not let our hearts be troubled, but they are, troubles for this world and this time one earth. So, we pray for ourselves, this church, this community that we might have the grace to walk in God’s way, with God’s sense of truth and with God’s vision for life. In silence we pray for ourselves…Compassionate God, hear our prayers. We pray now as Jesus taught his followers…
All:      Our Father/Mother, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen

Hymn – “May the God of Hope” (VU #424)

May the God of hope go with us every day,
Filling all our lives with love and joy and peace.
May the God of justice speed us on our way,
Bringing light and hope to every land and race.

Praying, let us work for peace, singing, share our joy with all,
Working for a world that’s new, faithful when we hear Christ’s call.

May the God of healing free the earth from fear,
Freeing us for peace, both treasured and pursued.
May the God of love keep our commitment clear
To a world restored, to human life renewed.

Praying, let us work for peace, singing, share our joy with all,
Working for a world that’s new, faithful when we hear Christ’s call.

Benediction

God of Grace, found in all humanity; Holy Presence seen in all faces: we give thanks for this faith community that believes all may be fed; that believes the living water is poured out that new life might be shared. Therefore, go forth from this sacred time and place into the world and be a Christ seeing God in the ordinary places, in the ordinary face, in the ordinary events of your daily lives. May God bless you and keep you always. Go in Peace.

Response

Show us Christ in one another.
Make us servants strong and true.
Give us all your love of justice,
So we do what you would do.
Let us call all people holy.
Let us pledge our lives anew.
Make us one with all the lowly.
Let us all be one in you.