It is God who lovingly gave us the breath of life. May all our days be occasions of thanksgiving for the gifts of life and grace.
It is Jesus who, though he was equal with God, would not exploit his divinity.
Instead he emptied himself, for our sakes, becoming one like us. Because he first loved us, his name shall be on our lips at dawn and dusk. He is our Good News forever.
When Jesus was crucified, and died with forgiveness on his lips, it was God who raised him from the dead so we would know God’s kingdom has no end. Not only do we receive new life in Jesus Christ, but eternal life, as well.
It is Jesus who promised us a constant companion and helper, even the Holy Spirit. Present at Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit is a witness to the truth of Christ. That same Spirit is a witness in the moment of our baptism. We listen for the voice of the Spirit speaking the language of redemption to our souls.
The Church is peopled with disciples of Jesus seeking to love one another. We gather spiritual strength from our unfettered worship of God the three-in-one. Refreshed and renewed we work out our salvation, side by side, united heart, body and mind in ministry to all the world.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Holy and Wondrous Lord, God of Power and God of Love, we have accepted your very special invitation by entering this sanctuary. You have consecrated this space to be a place of spiritual rest, where peace of mind is freely offered and can be gained. We have come to understand that with your wondrous blessings come invitations that challenge us and call us to engage in hands on ministry to one another and the world beyond these doors. Even with the overcrowded schedules we keep, help us create discipleship moments. It may be something as simple as deciding to stop talking about ourselves and our woes, and listen to someone else’s story over enchiladas and lemonade. Wondrous God we thank you for bringing people into our lives whose courage and stamina gives us a whole new outlook on our own good fortune. Continue to invite and challenge us so that we may grow and mature spiritually. In the name of the Christ we pray. Amen.
THE OFFERING INVITATION
How many of you receive invitations to parties, weddings, charity balls and fancy events? How many of those invitations ask you to RSVP? I think most folks know that those 4 capitalized letters are some kind of code asking for a yea or nay to the invite or E-vite. I don’t think we put much thought into what they stand for unless we are fans of Emily Post. For all we know they could stand for: reply special vegetarian preference or reply selection veal or prime rib or respond soon verbally by phone? Actually the letters abbreviate a French phrase: Répondez s'il vous plait, translated Respond, if you please. The act of RSVP-ing is simply an act of courtesy. These days our calendars get so full, half of the time we forget we RSVP’d, “Yes,” and fail to show up to the event. Many more folks ignore the invitation altogether. If we understand invitations to be a nice gesture, we should understand that to respond is the appropriate courtesy. I invite you to this time of offering. As the plate is passed, Répondez s'il vous plait.
UNISON OFFERTORY PRAYER
Gracious God, we have come to understand that offering our gifts is an act of worship just as important as praying, singing and attending to your word in scripture. We believe that what Christ’s Church is able to accomplish through the gifts we offer, glorifies your name. Ever seeking to discern your will and way for us, our hearts are full as we labor side by side with our brother and sister Christians. As you have entrusted us with much we respond in kind lending our hearts and hands to heal a broken and hurting world. Empower us to serve wholeheartedly in Christ’s name. Amen.
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