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Where Life and Worship Intersect

4/28/2020 0 Comments

Call to Worship, E4A

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The Good Shepherd calls his sheep by name
and leads them out.
We follow because we know his voice.
Whoever enters through the Good Shepherd's gate
will be saved.
We will come in and go out and find pasture.
Whoever enters through the Good Shepherd's gate
will have life
and have it abundantly.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God!
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4/22/2020 0 Comments

Prayer of Confession, E2A

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Call to Confession
​

The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23 Let us confess our sin before God, and seek God's mercy.

Prayer of Confession, E2A

We are disheartened, Lord.
We are confused and looking for answers,
trying to make sense of the indescribable.
We are searching for hope,
and struggling to see what is right in front of us.
Forgive us, we pray.
Open our eyes to see you
in the healer who companions our loved ones
when we cannot be there,
in the deliverer of surprises,
in the carrier of Good News.
Open our ears to hear you
in the Word that never changes
and yet is always dynamic and relevant,
in the kindness of a stranger,
in the patience of a teacher.
Open our hearts to recognize you
in the breaking of bread,
in the gathering of friends near and far,
in the flash of a moment when everything
becomes clear.
We want to witness
to the miracle of resurrection life,
but first, we have to encounter it
ourselves.

Assurance of God's Grace

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has redeemed his people. Luke 1:68 In the name of Jesus Christ, we 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 Zoom-counter this day~
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4/21/2020 1 Comment

Call to Worship, E2A

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​All who find themselves discussing
recent tragedies,
looking for light in the darkness,
stop on the journey, and listen.
All who are blinded by grief
and confusion,
trying to make sense out of that
which does not,
stop on the journey, and pay attention.
All who are weary of traveling
yet still thoughtful of traveling companions,
stop on the journey, and offer hospitality,
for the one who walks alongside you ...
the hungry, tired, anxious, at-risk stranger,
is none other than the risen Christ.
1 Comment

4/17/2020 0 Comments

Prayer of Confession, E2A

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Call to Confession

Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 Let us confess our sin before God and seek God's mercy.

Prayer of Confession, E2A

Isolated in our various "upper rooms," Lord,
the fear can be consuming.
We struggle to hold on to
the truths you have taught us,
to the beliefs we hold dear,
to the hope of a future
where light overcomes darkness
and death is truly swallowed up in victory.
Forgive us, we pray.
Stir in us a spirit of renewal.
Give us the courage to keep on
keeping on,
and the patience to wait.
Help us to make the most of this time
to focus our attention on you,
to spend time with you,
to just be present and listen for you,
so that when the time comes to safely lift
shelter-in-place
we can walk out stronger for having experienced
your presence before us,
behind us,
beside us,
among us,
and within us.
May it be so.

Assurance of God's Grace

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:17 In the name of the risen Christ, we 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 Zoom-counter today. ;)
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4/16/2020 0 Comments

Call to Worship, E2A

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​All who are isolated
and living in fear,
peace be with you.
All who are angry and
feeling betrayed,
peace be with you.
All who are doubting
and refusing to trust,
peace be with you.
Christ is risen!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
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4/11/2020 0 Comments

Prayers of the People, Easter Sunday, Year A

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​Risen Savior,
we stand outside the empty tomb
alone
and wondering.
We know how the story ends,
and we are overwhelmed with relief
and gratitude.
We have seen your sacrifice
in the healers
obedient, even to death.
We have seen your compassion
in the first responders,
who stand ready to care for those in distress.
We have seen your faith
in the religious leaders
who comfort all who grieve
loss of life
and loss of life as we knew it.
We have seen your commitment to justice
in those feeding the hungry
and those legislating to pay workers
furloughed from their jobs.
We have seen your strength
in those who have overcome
and in those who have rallied around them
from afar.
We have met you in so many
unexpected places, Lord,
and we recognize you.
Your rising among the disciples
who sew masks
and make porch drops delivering groceries
and call to check in on your people
reminds us that the celebration of Easter
is not limited to cathedrals
with grand hymns
and large choirs,
but is made known to us even as we hide
in isolation.
Thanks be to God!
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4/8/2020 1 Comment

Prayer of Confession, Easter Sunday, Year A

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Call to Confession

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let us confess our sin before God, who sent God's only Son to save us, and seek God's mercy.

Prayer of Confession, Easter Sunday, Year A

Here we are, God,
with an empty tomb in front of us,
and still we refuse to follow ...
still we refuse to believe.
We claim to be your disciples, yet
we stand outside, confused and confounded
by the vastness
of your love,
unable to comprehend what it means to love another
to the point of obedience on the cross.
Why would you choose the isolation of death
over communal life
even if it means that others will die?
Why would you not put yourself ahead of those
who stand in judgment?
God, Almighty, we do not understand!
Forgive us.
Open our eyes to this miracle of life!
Help us to see that LOVE WINS!
Teach us the compassion and grace
to love as you have loved us
in the sure and certain hope
that one day soon,
the face coverings will be laid aside,
and we will walk out into the world
where we will truly see you as we have never seen you before
and rejoice.
And then, we will know what love is
because we will have learned what it means
to lay aside one's life for another.
May it be so.

Assurance of God's Grace

God did not send God's Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. In the name of the risen Christ, we are forgiven! Alleluia! Amen.

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 day.
1 Comment

4/7/2020 0 Comments

Call to Worship, Easter Sunday, Year A

​Come from your places of darkness and despair.
Light has overcome darkness!
Come from your tombs of hopelessness.
Death has been swallowed up in victory!
Come out from hiding.
LOVE WINS!
He is risen!
He is risen indeed!
Alleluia! Amen!
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4/4/2020 0 Comments

Prayers of the People

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​We are nearing Jerusalem,
and the way feels treacherous.
We are aware of growing tensions
among our own ranks.
We long to celebrate,
but before we race to the empty tomb
we must first endure the pain
of the cross.
Be present with us, Lord,
as our loud hosannas turn to desperate cries
of angst and fear.
The world is in turmoil
as we wrestle with the unfamiliar,
hardly knowing how to answer the questions
that are raised in our midst.
Be present with us, Lord,
as we walk down unknown paths
with fear and trembling.
Give us faith in times of trial,
that whatever the present holds,
the future is secure
in Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you forever.
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4/1/2020 0 Comments

Prayer of Confession, Palm Sunday, Year A

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Call to Confession

In fear and trembling, we approach the throne of grace and call upon the name of the Lord, seeking mercy and forgiveness. Let us confess our sin before God.

Prayer of Confession, Palm Sunday A

Have mercy on us, Son of David!
Have mercy on us!
You told us do justice
and love kindness
and walk humbly with our God.
Yet we choose to look the other way
when the vulnerable are ignored
and those on the fringes
are further marginalized.
We choose to look toward our own interests
rather than the interests of others.
We choose to embrace anger and hatred
and prejudice
over mercy and hospitality.
We choose arrogance and entitlement
over humility and servanthood.
Still we gather and shout "Hosanna"
and lay our hopes before you
as you move among us,
humble
and exhibiting the very antithesis
of what we have chosen
and reminding us what we say we believe.
Have mercy on us, Son of David!
Have mercy, indeed!
Place your yoke upon us
and teach us,
for you are gentle and humble in heart,
that we might find rest for our souls.

Assurance of God's Grace

But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.” (Hosea 1:7) In the name of Jesus Christ, we 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 day.
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    Author

    Julie served as a Commissioned Ruling Elder in a Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation for thirteen years. She now absolutely delights in filling the pulpit for colleagues upon request, and looks forward to opportunities to do so. Her reformed perspective is sprinkled with humor and presented with authenticity, and she is open to creatively deconstructing worship as a means to helping congregants explore worship in transformational ways.

    Julie and her husband, Ray, are parents of three adult children, and grandparents of four energetic and imaginative little people. She is an introverted-with-enough-extrovert-balance-to-keep-her-social, perfectionistic-with-hopper-tendencies, time and goal-oriented, kaleidoscopic, and insatiably curious child of God.

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Julie participated in the 25th Seminar for Certified Zentangle(R) Teacher Training in June, 2019, trained by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. In addition to creating art as a personal spiritual practice, Julie also incorporates the Zentangle(R) method in Prayer Art Retreats in a variety of contexts, including church groups, friend gatherings, and at a local art gallery. Check out the Upcoming Events page for a calendar of events, or use the Contact Us page to inquire about scheduling an event with your group!
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