Month: September 2016

NL Worship Resources: October 9, 2016

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Lectionary 28

Color: Green
Closest RCL Sunday: Proper 23A (28A)
Readings: Gospel Text: Luke 23:34 | Sermon Text: Exodus 32:1-14 (Golden Calf)
Psalm Suggestion: Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23
Prayer of the Day (WorkingPreacher): Faithful God of an unfaithful people,
The people of Israel doubted your power and turned to other gods to fulfill their needs. We too, turn to other gods, seeking acceptance, power, and independence. Show us how to live humbly in you, and walk in your ways, in the name of the one who offered true power to all humanity, Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen.

You can find words of Confession and Absolution along with a Call to Worship that I wrote here.

Suggested hymns based on the Sermon text:

ELW #696 Jesus Calls Us; o’er the Tumult
ELW #716 Lord of All Nations, Grant Me Grace
ELW #343 My Song is Love Unknown
ELW #864/865 Praise, My Soul, the God of Heaven
ELW #871 Sing Praise to God, the Highest Good
TFF #104 Holy Spirit, Light Divine
(ELW=Evangelical Lutheran Worship; TFF=This Far by Faith)

Suggested hymns based on the Gospel text:

ELW #579 Lord, You Give the Great Commission
ELW #343 My Song Is Love Unknown
LBW #112/113 Jesu, in Thy Dying Woes
LBW #183 The Son of God Goes Forth to War
(ELW=Evangelical Lutheran Worship; LBW=Lutheran Book of Worship)

Other options based on both:

“It Was Love” By Phillip LaRue, Allen Salmon, et al. As performed by Abandon.
“You Are Merciful To Me” By Ian White.
More contemporary suggestions here.

Prayers of Intercession:

With the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, let us pray for the church, those in need, and all of God’s creation

A brief silence.

Keep your church faithful in belief and proclamation, O Lord; and bless the ministries of congregations, synods, and national churches. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Send your abundant and healing life to the world, O Lord; and bless the work of farmers, laborers, and all working to harvest the bounty of the earth. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Grant wisdom and insight to the leaders of the world, O Lord; and bless the nations with peace and justice. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Bind up the brokenhearted, O Lord; and bless all who bring words of comfort and hope into difficult situations. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Bring healing and wholeness to all in pain, O Lord; and bless doctors, nurses, and all who offer aid to those in need. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Here other intercessions may be offered.

Send us greater vision, O Lord; and bless us with the example of the saints of the past and the present. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

NL Worship Resources: October 2, 2016

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Lectionary 27

Color: Green
Readings: Gospel Text: Luke 22:14-20 | Sermon Text: Exodus 12:1-13; 13:1-8 (The Promise of Passover)
Prayer of the Day (WorkingPreacher): Lord God of grace and liberty,
On the night of the Passover the sacrificed lamb became a sign of freedom and you freed the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. In Jesus, you sacrificed your son as a gift, thereby freeing all humanity from sin and death. Help us live into this new life, teaching us to serve you in faithfulness as you have served us. To you we offer our gratefulness in the name of the one who turned slavery into new life, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

You can find words of Confession and Absolution along with a Call to Worship that I wrote here.

Suggested hymns based on the Sermon text:

ELW #522 As We Gather at Your Table
ELW #326 Bless Now, O God, the Journey
ELW #370 Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands
ELW #363 Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain
ELW #361 The Day of Resurrection
ELW #483 Here is Bread
ELW #542 O Living Bread from Heaven
WOV #670 Go Down, Moses
(ELW=Evangelical Lutheran Worship; WOV=With One Voice)

Suggested hymns based on the Gospel text:

ELW #474 Bread of Life from Heaven
ELW #491 Come, Let Us Eat
ELW #472 Eat This Bread
ELW #494 For the Bread Which You Have Broken
ELW #471 Let Us Break Bread Together
LBW #226 Draw Near and Take the Body of the Lord
LBW #95 Glory Be to Jesus
LBW #213 I Come, O Savior, to Your Table
LBW #127 It Happened on That Fateful Night
LBW #211 Here, O My Lord, I See Thee
WOV #701 This Is My Body
(ELW=Evangelical Lutheran Worship; LBW=Lutheran Book of Worship; WOV=With One Voice)

Other options based on both:

“Amazing Love” By Graham Kendrick.
“Behold The Lamb (Communion Hymn)” By Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, et al.
“Broken and Poured Out” By Kevin Bueltmann.
More contemporary suggestions here.

Prayers of Intercession:

With the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, let us pray for the church, those in need, and all of God’s creation

A brief silence.

God of salvation, work through your church that the Good News of the world’s redemption through Christ be proclaimed loud and long. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of the waters, bring order out of the chaos we have caused and strengthen our resolve to steward the waters of the earth that all might know your providence. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of the nations, stir our leaders to hope and trust in you that your peace and justice might be realized. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of promise, strengthen our faith in your creative and redemptive activity in the world that we might join in your liberating work. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of hope and freedom, grant that hope to all who suffer (especially, …), that they might be freed from pain and anxiety. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Here other intercessions may be offered.

God of Israel, lead us to the promised land you have prepared for all people and keep us steadfast in your word. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

Confession and Absolution & Call to Worship for Sept 18-Oct 30

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I don’t often write words of Confession and Absolution, as I like many of the ones provided in other resources. But I thought I might take a stab at writing one here with the NL texts for September and October in mind. Let me know what you think and if it’s something I should work on doing more often. I have also been enjoying the Call to Worship from the “This Far By Faith” hymnal that our parish used over the summer, so I tried my hand at one of those too.

Confession and Absolution

In the name of the Father,
and of the ☩ Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Faithful God of hope and compassion,
you work healing and wholeness into the world
and show your care to all people.
By the power of your Holy Spirit,
open our eyes and hearts to see
how we are unfaithful and lacking in mercy,
that we may confess our sin
and know that life is found only in you.
Amen.

Knowing the difference between good and evil,
let us confess our sins to God our Creator.

Silence for reflection and confession.

Faithful God,
we confess that we have not been faithful to you:
we regularly worship other gods,
we build idols out of symbols, ideologies, and ourselves,
we choose our desires over yours,
and we serve our wants over others’ needs.
We confess that we do not obey your rule
and for this we rightly deserve to die.
And so we look to you for mercy and forgiveness,
knowing that we do not deserve it.
We ask that you remember us
and take pity on us,
for the sake of your anointed,
Jesus Christ, who died that we might live.
Amen.

Just as God heard the cry of Hannah
and the lamentation of the widow,
so too, God hears our confession.
And just as God acted in their lives,
so does God act in our lives;
bringing grace and mercy
through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Know that through the work of the Holy Spirit
God has redeemed you and forgives you all your sins.
Amen.

Call to Worship

God made the heavens and the earth,
and formed us from dust, breathing into us the breath of life.
O come, let us worship our Creator!

God made a covenant with our spiritual forefather, Abraham,
and promised him a multitude of descendants.
O come, let us worship the God of promise!

God rescued Israel from the house of slavery,
and showed redemption through the blood of the Lamb.
O come, let us worship the God of salvation!

God worked through the lives and words of the prophets,
and continues to work in our lives today.
O come, let us worship the God of providence!

O come, let us worship!

NL Worship Resources: September 25, 2016

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Lectionary 26

Color: Green
Readings: Gospel Text: Luke 6:35 | Sermon Text: Genesis 37:3-8, 17b-22, 26-34; 50:15-21 (God Works through Joseph)
Prayer of the Day (WorkingPreacher): God of dreams and hope,
You spoke to Joseph in his dreams, and those dreams led him to great danger. Yet you used the challenges in his life to save the lives of others. In you, no good thing is accidental. You work in us and through us, even when we are not aware of your presence. Help us to know that you are with us, and that only you are capable of turning all evil to good. We pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.

Suggested hymns based on the Sermon text:

ELW #648 Beloved, God’s Chosen
ELW #605 Forgive Our Sins As We Forgive
ELW #603 God! When Human Bonds Are Broken
ELW #721 Goodness Is Stronger Than Evil
ELW #764 Have No Fear, Little Flock
ELW #707 Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us
LBW #483 God Moves in a Mysterious Way
DATH #81 Instruments of Your Peace
W&P #68 I Was Glad
(ELW=Evangelical Lutheran Worship; LBW=Lutheran Book of Worship; DATH=Dancing at the Harvest; W&P=Worship & Praise)

Suggested hymns based on the Gospel text:

ELW #700 Bring Peace to Earth Again
ELW #729 The Church of Christ in Every Age
ELW #612 Healer of Our Every Ill
ELW #716 Lord of All Nations, Grant Me Grace
ELW #359 Where Charity and Love Prevail
(ELW=Evangelical Lutheran Worship)

Other options based on both:

“Every Move I Make” By David Ruis.
“Jesus, Friend Of Sinners” By Mark Hall, Matthew West. As performed by Casting Crowns.
“Scandal Of Grace” By Joel Houston, Matt Crocker. As performed by Hillsong United.
More contemporary suggestions here.

Prayers of Intercession:

With the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, let us pray for the church, those in need, and all of God’s creation

A brief silence.

Bless your church, O God, with dreams of your kingdom come and your will being done; that your reign of mercy and peace be brought about. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Bless the earth, O God, with wholeness and abundance; that all might know the glory of your creative and sustaining power. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Bless the leaders of nations, O God, with humility; that all might know that you alone are God. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Bless the dreamers, O God, with vision and insight; that they might proclaim your love in artistry, music, and imagination. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Bless all who suffer, O God, (especially, …), with healing and comfort; that their peace may be found in you. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Here other intercessions may be offered.

Bless us, O God, with the knowledge of your love shown through the lives and witness of the saints who now rest in you. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.