Bulletin – Sunday, September 8, 2024 – First Sunday of Creation / Welcome Sunday
Sunday, September 8, 2024
First Sunday of Creation / Welcome Sunday
We Gather as People of Faith
Welcome
Announcements
Lighting the Christ Candle
As a sign of God’s Spirit at work in the world, we light this candle. May its light brighten our spirits, and may the light of God shining through us brighten the world.
Call to Worship
One: Place your trust in God.
All: God’s faithfulness is unshakeable.
One: May our worship this day strengthen our faith.
All: May our faithfulness be unshakeable.
One: May our words and actions be good and true.
All: May we grow in godliness each and every day.
Hymn – “Come in, Come in and Sit Down” (VU #395)
Come in, come in and sit down,
You are a part of the family.
We are lost and we are found,
And we are a part of the family.
You know the reason why you came,
Yet no reason can explain;
So share in the laughter and cry in the pain,
For we are a part of the family.
God is with us in this place,
Like a mother’s warm embrace.
We’re all forgiven by God’s grace,
For we are a part of the family.
Come in, come in and sit down,
You are a part of the family.
We are lost and we are found,
And we are a part of the family.
There’s life to be shared in the bread and the wine,
We are the branches, Christ is the vine,
This is God’s temple, it’s not yours or mine,
But we are a part of the family.
There’s rest for the weary and health for us all;
There’s a yoke that is easy, and a burden that’s small.
So come in and worship and answer the call,
For we are a part of the family.
Come in, come in and sit down,
You are a part of the family.
We are lost and we are found,
And we are a part of the family.
Prayer of Approach and Confession
One: Lord of mercy and compassion, be with us this day as we hear of the healing love of Jesus. Remind us that we are also recipients of his compassion and we are called to bring the same hope and love to others. Prepare us for service as we speak our confessions to God.
All: Patient Lord, you know us so well. We are fascinated by healing and can talk all day about the miracles, but we do not understand the compassion of Christ. We often say, “Just heal us; or Just make me rich; or Just make things go better at work” or other such deals and then we promise our faithfulness and witness. But in our hearts, we just don’t get it. Please forgive us, Lord, when our greed and fear get in the way of understanding. Help us to know the transformational power of your love. Get us ready to be faithful witnesses to you in all that we say and do. It is in Jesus’ Name that we pray. Amen.
Words of Assurance
Sung Response – “O Beautiful Gaia” (MV #41)
O beautiful Gaia,
O Gaia, calling us home.
O beautiful Gaia,
Calling us on.
We Hear God’s Word
Prayer of Illumination
Gracious God, as we turn to your Word for us, may the Spirit of God rest upon us. Help us to be steadfast in our hearing, in our speaking, in our believing, and in our living. Amen.
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23
“A good name is more desirable that great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all.
He who shows wickedness reaps trouble, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed. A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.
Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.”
Scripture Reading: Mark 7:24-37
“Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
“First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”
“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.
Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.
After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened”). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church
Thanks be to God!
Hymn – “Teach Me God to Wonder” (VU #299)
Teach me, God, to wonder, teach me, God, to see;
Let your world of beauty capture me.
Praise to you be given, love for you be lived,
Life be celebrated, joy you give.
Let me, God, be open, let me loving be;
Let your world of people speak to me.
Praise to you be given, love for you be lived,
Life be celebrated, joy you give.
Let me, God, be ready, let me be awake,
In your world of loving my place take.
Praise to you be given, love for you be lived,
Life be celebrated, joy you give.
Teach me, God, to know you, hear you when you speak,
See you in my neighbour when we meet.
Praise to you be given, love for you be lived,
Life be celebrated, joy you give.
Meditation
Anthem – “With Open Hearts”
With open hearts, open arms, open minds
There is welcome in this place, there is welcome in this space,
There is welcome with embrace with open hearts.
A place of caring and acceptance,
Openness and trust, actions that are just.
All are welcome here, a place of belonging.
With open hearts, open arms, open minds
There is welcome in this place, there is welcome in this space,
There is welcome with embrace, with open hearts.
A place for risking and affirming,
Radical and bold, no one fits a mold.
All are welcome here, a place of inclusion.
With open hearts, open arms, open minds
There is welcome in this place, there is welcome in this space,
There is welcome with embrace, with open hearts.
A place for healing and releasing
Brokenness and pain, hurt that’s been sustained.
All are welcome here, a place for receiving.
With open hearts, open arms, open minds
There is welcome in this place, there is welcome in this space,
There is welcome with embrace, with open hearts.
A place to question and to wonder,
Liberating views, relevant and new.
All are welcome here, a place for engaging.
With open hearts, open arms, open minds
There is welcome in this place, there is welcome in this space,
There is welcome with embrace, with open hearts.
We Respond to God’s Word
Invitation to Share
Offering Response – “For the Gift of Creation” (VU #538)
For the gift creation, the gift of your love,
And the gift of the Spirit by which we live,
We thank you and give you the fruit of our hands.
May your grace be proclaimed by the gifts that we give.
Offering Prayer
Prayers of the People
One: When you hear: Beloved God, please responds with Awaken our faith and guide our hearts.
We Go Into God’s World
Hymn – “Take My Life and Let it Be” (VU #506)
Take my life, and let it be consecrated, all for thee,
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love;
Take my feet, and let them be swift and purposeful for thee.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from thee,
Take my intellect, and use every power as thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it thine, it shall be no longer mine,
Take my heart, it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne.
Take my love: and I will pour at thy feet its treasure store,
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for thee.
Benediction
Response – “When You Walk from Here” (VU #298)
When you walk from here, when you walk from here,
Walk with justice, walk with mercy, and with God’s humble care.
