CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Gracious and Everliving God, hear our grateful prayer. We have come to worship and to praise your name, to lift ourselves out of the affairs of the world and focus all our thoughts upon you, and upon the indwelling of your Spirit in each of us. Encourage our understanding of our part in your kingdom come. We confess our tendency to be ruled by the world’s visions of scarcity, of lack of not enough. We put our whole trust in human institutions and depending upon the guarantees individuals offer us for just for just a few dollars more. Make us wise, O Lord. When we start looking for guarantees; when we are desperate to have the world revolve at the rate we require; when we cannot be satisfied unless all of our needs are met, remind us that your love, grace and mercy have been, from the beginning, designed to supply all of our needs. Amen.
PREPARING FOR THE OFFERING
I love Nectarines. I am so glad that God created a furless peach just for me. If not for the nectarine I would have to confine myself to eating canned peaches, or peach pie, or drinking peach nectar. I look forward to August when the nectarines arrive at Costco all perfect, and juicy and sweet. Of course it’s hard for one person to eat a dozen nectarines, so I have become a sort of nectarine evangelist, sharing the fruit with others. One nectarine proselyte declared that these nectarines were addicting. He keeps coming back for more. Oh that people would find the gospel as tasty.
UNISON OFFERTORY PRAYER
Glorious God we are glad to work for the transformation of the world through our support of the church and its ministries. Our prayer is that all of the children of creation can come to know you and experience the abundance of your love and mercy. May our offerings help to bring relief to those in dire circumstances, oppressed, imprisoned, isolated, and forgotten, be they close at hand or far away. In the name of the Christ we pray. Amen.
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