August 18, 2013 "WILD GRAPES"

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Wondrous and forgiving God, we aren’t sure why we feel so embraced by your presence when we gather in this holy sanctuary; maybe it is because we have entered with the intention of being fully and warmly embraced by your presence. We come with hope in our hearts that we will discover purpose in our participation. We come in search of meaning, confessing our need to feel relevant in the world, not redundant. We come to offer ourselves, not because we desire accolades, recognition, or rewards, but to feel your pleasure. We so relish these sacred moments when we can retreat from the demands of the world outside and let our spirits waltz with yours. Lord, help us realize when we are running on that Monday through Saturday treadmill, that you are running right beside us and you won’t get out of breath. Amen.
PREPARING FOR THE OFFERING
What do you expect from God? Max Lucado wrote: Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. Faith is the belief that God will do what is right. How often do we look back on an event or something that happened in our lives and say, “You know, that worked out better than I thought it would. I didn’t think it would at the time, but God must have known something I didn’t know.” If we believe that God has the best intentions for us, can we also trust that, no matter what, God has the best intentions for the gifts we offer, be they prayer gifts, service gifts, witness gifts, participatory gifts or monetary gifts?
UNISON OFFERTORY PRAYER
Pour out your glorious Spirit of Blessing upon these our offerings most loving and gracious Lord. May every ministry they support, every program they nurture, every comfort they provide glorify your name. We are indebted to you for our every breath and blessing, however we give not because of our indebtedness, but because of our gratefulness. We offer these tokens of thanks in the name of the Christ. Amen.