Children of Light, gather in!
Come and test your thoughts, words, and deeds
against the goodness, justice, and truth of God
demonstrated in Jesus.
Children of God, you are light. 
Let the light of Christ shine in and through you!
We will worship the Source of Light together. 

Gather in, you who have been declared
righteous
before God
because of Jesus.
Gather in, and experience the joy
of God's amazing grace!
Gather in, you who are suffering
because of the callousness
and lack of compassion
of those who claim their justification
and sanctification
and still behave in ways
that are at odds with the Law of Love.
Gather in, and know 
that you are beloved.
Gather in, people of God,
and be reconciled to God
and with one another,
for we are all one in the Body of Christ.
Let us worship God together!

Exodus 17:1-7 www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2017%3A1-7&version=NRSVUE

Psalm 95 www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2095&version=NRSVUE

Romans 5:1-11 www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%205%3A1-11&version=NRSVUE

John 4:5-42 www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%204%3A5-42&version=NRSVUE

The focus passage for A Place of Grace this week is Romans 5:1-11. All liturgy will be based on this passage. What in Romans 5:1-1 inspires or encourages you? Share you thoughts here: www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1353112293524687&set=a.549399683895956. 

Genesis 12:1-4a www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2012%3A1-4a&version=NRSVUE

Psalm 121 www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20121&version=NRSVUE

Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%204%3A1-5%2C%2013-17&version=NRSVUE

John 3:1-17 www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203%3A1-17&version=NRSVUE

The focus passage for A Place of Grace this week is Romans 4:1-5, 13-17. All liturgy will be based on this passage. What in Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 encourages or inspires you? Share your thoughts here:  www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1347074454128471&set=a.549399683895956. 

God of grace,
Hear our prayers for mercy:
Sin is not reckoned where there is no law,
yet we have chosen not to follow
your law
while we hold others to it.
We have chosen not to follow our own laws,
while we hold others to it.
We have chosen unjust laws
that unfavorably harm those whom we label
"enemy,"
stacking the deck against them
while creating wealth and security
for us
and those who look like us.
This, too, is sin,
and we know it,
yet we do it anyway.
Hear our prayers, O Lord,
for the marginalized among us,
whose adherence to the laws we impose upon them
still does not grant them safety or dignity.
Hear our prayers for the lawmakers
and the law enforcers
that they might be oriented
to justice for all
and not for some.
Hear our prayers, O God,
for your people everywhere,
that we might speak boldly
in the face of injustice,
and courageously speak truth to power,
unsettling every space where comfort is guarded
more fiercely than justice,
and inviting people of diverse backgrounds
to share their perspectives
and bring wisdom and discernment. 
Be present in all spaces, Lord,
where laws are made and enacted,
that Love might become the supreme law
and grace might override the instincts
of those who grab for power.
In Jesus' name we pray,
Amen.

Call to Confession

Behold we were brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did our mothers conceive us. (Psalm 51:5) Let us confess the sin into which we were born and seek God's mercy:

Prayer of Confession 

God, forgive us.
Out of our human propensity for sin
we have caved to temptation
and blamed our circumstances
or the people around us
or society's ills 
for our own failures 
to live in the light and love of Christ,
whose life revealed
welcome for the stranger,
compassion for the broken,
generosity toward the poor,
grace for the imprisoned,
freedom for the oppressed,
and peaceable living with our enemies.
The sin we have perpetuated
has resulted in death --
not just of our own spirits,
but the livelihoods,
the spirits,
and the very lives
of our neighbors and friends
and even our own.
We have chosen death over life,
following Adam 
instead of Christ.
In your mercy, forgive us, we pray.
Help us to live into the justification
you have pronounced for us,
binding us to you in Christ's name,
as your children forever.

Assurance of God's Grace

Hear the good news: If death came through one man, life has come through One who is greater. Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. Scripture declares, “God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) In Jesus Christ, you are justified — declared righteous — not by your striving, but by his obedience. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. Thanks be to God.


Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another.
The peace of Christ be with you.
Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this week. 

*Photo credit to Crystal Holmes, who took this picture for A Place of Grace use. Thank you, Crystal!