5/8/2018 0 Comments Call to Worship, E7BWelcome, witnesses, with stories to tell.
Welcome, winners, to whom the lottery fell. Welcome, bystanders, wondering what lies ahead. Welcome, fearful, whose hearts are filled with dread. Welcome, leaders, with decisions to make. Welcome to worship where the Lord is glorified for God's sake!
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5/4/2018 0 Comments Prayers of the People, E6BEternal Source of Unconditional Love,
hear our prayers for those who are on the outside, for those who long to experience belonging, for those who ache for community, for those whose hearts are shattered and whose spirits are broken. Make of your church a welcoming space, a community of grace, a place of deep relationship, where all may enter in. Spirit of the Living God, move among those who are relegated to submissive roles as well as those who claim positions of power, that the first may be last and the last may be first and all may gather at the Table with greater appreciation for the gifts that each one brings. Risen Redeemer, Savior, Friend, resurrect in us hearts that are open and love that is full. Claimed in baptism as heirs of the promise, fill us to overflowing with the grace that has enveloped us, so that all around us may experience your amazing and extravagant grace in and through your Body at work in the world: those who are hurting, those who are grieving, those who are anxious, those who are fearful, those who are lonely, those who are addicted, and those who are marginalized. Help us to live as children of the light, building bridges to span the divides we constructed between us, opening wide the circle in gracious hospitality, and breathing hope into dark places. 5/2/2018 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, E6BCall to Confession
God calls us to be an inclusive community that seeks to live according to God's desire for God's kingdom, but over and over, we judge and in judging, exclude those we deem not fit. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38) Prayer of Confession Forgive us, Lord, Forgive us, please, for the church has adopted the manner of exclusive country clubs and decided who can be in and who must not. Race and gender and sexual orientation and gender identification become measures for deciding who can lead and who must not instead of assessing spiritual gifts and faithfulness. We behave as those who are privileged ... judge and jury ... claiming Scriptural authority, but did not Jesus call those considered least? Forgive us. Circumcise our hearts, that we might be humbled before you and before those whom we have called "lesser." Open us to the joy of diversity and the new life it breathes as all your people are welcomed to love and serve in Jesus' name. Assurance of God's Grace As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Galatians 3:27), and in Christ's name, 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~ 5/1/2018 0 Comments Call to Worship, E6BCome you, for whom inclusion lies just beyond your reach,
Trusting God will welcome you and bridge the fearful breach. Come you soldiers in your armor, patrolling borders, keeping out. Remember who it was that welcomed you, the undevout. Come you who long for freedom ... for safety ... for hope, Be grafted to the Body; expand our world scope. The water is for everyone, the feast at Table, set. Come and worship, believers. Come and worship without threat. |
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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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