Come, tax collectors and sinners.
Come, you who make and enforce rules
indiscriminitely
without forethought or compassion
and you who write those rules
into law.
Come, you grumblers 
who worry more about the impact
of Jesus-followers on your bottom line
than about how Jesus-followers
are helping the downtrodden,
oppressed,
and voiceless.
Even you are welcome in the courts of the Lord.
Come and give thanks for God's
amazing grace!

Compassionate Creator,
Hear our prayers for fathers and mothers
who are estranged from their children
or find their relationships stressed
because of differing understandings
of what it means to serve you.
Grant us serenity to accept the things we cannot change,
courage to change the things we can,
and the wisdom to know the difference,
even as we seek to follow you.

Redeeming Savior,
Hear our prayers for spouses 
estranged from each other
after years of commitment and sharing life together
because of differeng understandings
of what it means to be a your disciple.
Grant us serenity to accept the things we cannot change,
courage to change the things we can,
and the wisdom to know the difference,
even as we seek to follow you.

Holy Spirit,
Hear our prayers for siblings
at odds with one another
after lifetimes of common experiences
because of differeng understandings
of what it means to serve you.
Grant us serenity to accept the things we cannot change,
courage to change the things we can,
and the wisdom to know the difference,
even as we seek to follow you.

Take Up Your Cross, the Savior Said
O Jesus, I Have Promised
Jesus Calls Us
Here I Am, Lord
In the Cross of Christ I Glory
Go To Dark Gethsemane
Blessed Jesus, At Your Word
I Have Decided to Follow Jesus
How Clear is Our Vocation, Lord

The doors are flung open
for disciples
and for those who want to be disciples
and for those who are fearful
of the cost of discipleship
but are still curious
about what it means
to follow Christ.
Come and listen and learn.
Calculate the cost,
and decide.
Come and worship the Lord your God.

You are holy, God of Majesty,
and worthy of glory, and honor, and praise!
In gratitude and wonder, we lift our hearts before you.
Be present, we pray, with host and guest
at every table
in every time and place,
and breathe new life into their fellowship
as humility gives way to meaningful exchange.
Be present, we pray, with those invited to the banquet
and those who are excluded
because of their limitations
or their race
or gender
or their cultural background
or their orientation,
or their lack of authority
and power.
Breathe new life into their community
that all may be welcomed equally
in Christ's name.
Be present, we pray, as both host and honored guest,
and season the conversations 
with kindness and with love,
that all may be nourished, redeemed, and empowered
​as only you can do. 

Here I Am, Lord
What Wondrous Love is This?
Deck Thyself, My Soul, with Gladness
Come Down, O Love Divine
Lord God, Your Love has Called Us Here
The Church of Christ in Every Age
As We Gather at Your Table
Our Cities Cry to You, O God

Come to the banquet!
ALL are invited!
Come, and sit at the Table
with your siblings in Christ
of all races and cultures,
of different gender identifications,
of a variety of belief systems
and physical abilities
and mental health variances,
of a number of socio-economic
circumstances
and degrees of power.
The last shall be first,
and the first, last,
and all will be welcome
​in the courts of the Lord.