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Preparation for Worship
Songs: Ask yourself and the people who will be worshipping with you (kids included), ““What are some of the songs we sing that focus on God’s graciousness toward us?”
Play them on Spotify, sing them acapella, or create your own instrumental arrangement.
Bible: You will need a Bible to read from the scriptures. You can use this doc or your phone as well, but I’d recommend using an actual Bible.
This week’s liturgy is based on the following texts:
Genesis 24:34-38,42-49, 58-67, Psalm 145:8-14, Romans 7:15-25a, Matthew 11:16-19,25-30
You can decide who will lead the different movements of this gathering. It would be great for every person to have a part.
Gathering
Gathering Words
In the Bible, in Matthew 18:20, the scripture says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I’m there with them.” We believe that the church is not a building. The church is made up of people. So, we have gathered here in the spaces in which we live to be the church. We will worship God together. We trust that God is here with us, and God is at work among us.
Call to Worship
Leader: We will exalt you, O God!
We will praise your name forever!
All: We will praise you every day;
Yes, we will praise your name forever!
Leader: Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
No one can measure his greatness.
Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;
let them proclaim your power.
All: We will praise you every day;
Yes, we will praise your name forever!
Leader: We will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor, and your wonderful miracles.
The Lord is righteous in everything he does;
He is filled with kindness.
All: We will praise you every day;
Yes, we will praise your name forever!
Leader: The Lord is close to all who call on him,
Yes, to all who call on him in truth.
He grants the desires of those who fear him;
He hears their cries for help and rescues them.
All: We will praise you every day;
Yes, we will praise your name forever!
Leader: The Lord protects all those who love him,
but he destroys the wicked.
We will praise the Lord,
And may everyone on earth bless his holy name forever and ever.
All: We will praise you every day;
Yes, we will praise your name forever!
Song of Praise
Sing one song that focuses on giving thanks to God and God’s work in the world.
Some suggestions:
Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)
For other song ideas click here.
Psalm Reading
The psalmist writes in Psalm 145,
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.
10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
[The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.]
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
Song of Response
Prayer of Preparation
Loving and Gracious God,
You are tender to all who call upon you with repentant and believing hearts.
Bless us, we pray, with your presence today.
Teach the little ones who have gathered to learn your ways,
inspire those who seek your wisdom,
open our ears to hear what you have to say to your people.
Lead us in holiness and righteousness in this time together.
We ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Listening
(The time of listening is a series of reading the scripture, re-telling the story, and paying attention to where God is stirring your hearts as you listen. Invite everyone to listen to the words of the scriptures and to be ready to re-tell the story.)
Hear the New Testament reading from Romans chapter 7.
15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Hear the gospel reading from Matthew chapter 11.
16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, 17 “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”
25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.[a] 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Re-Telling
Start with the New Testament reading, what was said in that reading? Go around the circle and try to retell the text from memory. Turn to the Gospel reading. Retell that text from memory.
Paying Attention
What words or phrases grab your attention?
Why do people seem to find themselves doing the things they do not want to do? Why do people struggle so much to do the things they do want to do?
What is challenging about these texts? What is comforting about these texts?
What are some areas in our lives where we need to experience God’s grace?
What will we carry into this week from this text?
What can we pray for this week?
Responding
Song of Response
Prayers of the People
Prayer is a conversation with God. We join our hearts and voices to offer our prayers to God.
O God, hope of the world, we thank you that you have given us an enduring hope—one which cannot disappoint us or mislead us. We thank you, that through our faith in Jesus Christ, you enter into every believing heart and change lives that have been torn apart by the darkness of this world…
We pray, O God, for your people today. Help them, and us, to lay aside the works of darkness. May we trust more and more in you to lead us. Help us to remember that our faith is alive in you….
We pray today, O God, for those who have lost hope and for those who have never had it. Give those we lift before you in our hearts a new and abiding vision of what you have done, and what you are doing, and what you will do, to save and redeem your people and the creation itself. We ask, O God, that all might see and believe and discover their purpose and the purpose of all that is and all that is yet to be….
We lift before you, O God, those who are sick or suffering and who are in need of a touch from you…
We ask all this of you, O God, knowing that you are our hope and our salvation, a very present help in times of trouble, and the one whose purpose is to grant and new and abundant life to us and our world…
And now we pray together the prayer you taught us to pray saying,
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.
Sending
Benediction
As you go from here, remember this:
the same Spirit of God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead,
also lives in you,
breathing new life and freedom into your hearts and minds.
So go from here with joy and confidence,
knowing that God Is at work within you.
We go in joy and peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
Closing Song
Living Room Liturgist 