Call to Worship

Adapted From Isaiah 35

Hear the promise of God!
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad!
the desert shall rejoice and blossom!

The flowers will fill with blooms,
 and rejoice with joy and singing.
Glory and majesty will fill the earth.

 We will see the glory of the Lord,   
the majesty of our God,
strengthening the weak hands,   
and making firm the feeble knees.

Say to those who are of a fearful heart,   
‘Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
God will come and save you.’

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then the lame will leap like a deer,
and the tongues of the speechless sing for joy.

For waters will break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
The beloved of the Lord will return with singing.
and overflow with everlasting joy!

Matthew 13:1-9 NRSV

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!’

Invitation to God’s Table

Seeds…. Grain…. What is the difference? Maybe variety, maybe type, certainly exactly how you process it, what you do with it! But, just a grain of wheat, corn, rice, in the hand, what is the difference? We did not eat much grain that looked like grain when I was a kid, but I remember one of my early visits with Rebecca’s family, when her mother served beef and barley soup. I remember also that we had to have some barely in our pantry when we were first married, with ambitions for the same. I remember looking at that barley, and recognizing how much we had sown and harvested much the same on the family farm.
Cooking it or sowing it- it’s just two steps in the same process. I don’t have barley today, but puffed rice (or other). It’s dry, so don’t eat it now. But I invite you to take, and receive it, knowing that we come together today, because of the loving sowing of God. Let us celebrate and receive God’s grace.

Invocation

God of goodness and mercy,
of gentleness and kindness,
of righteousness and faithfulness,
light of our salvation
That sustains our souls.

We pause and offer the daily tasks
that consume us to you,
seeking to remember
that we accomplish nothing
without your grace.

We submit to your will,
that we should love you
with our everything
and love our neighbors,
and even our enemies,
as ourselves.

Renew us and transform us
by your steadfast love
into people of your own heart.
Amen

Thomas Turner, adapted, http://everydayliturgy.com/

Matthew 13:18-23 NRSV

‘Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.’

We gratefully remember all that God has done and all that God has provided.
These treasures help us to continue to journey alongside each other.
They also help give us the strength and courage to reach out and share the hope we have found in God with others.
We give and share and love because God first loved us.

So let us believe in the promises of God!
Do not trust the advice of the wicked
But meditate on the word of God,
Sowing and cultivating, nurturing and reaping
God’s love, come to bring life to us.

Affirmation of Faith

People: Christ has made us his own.

Leader: It’s not because of our status or power,
our credentials or reputation.

People: Christ has made us his own.

Leader: It’s not because of our own righteousness,
but because of our faith in the One
who is God’s righteousness.

People: Christ has made us his own.

Leader: Let us press on, then, toward the goal of becoming like Christ!
By sharing in his sufferings, we receive the power of his resurrection.

People: Christ has made us his own.

Leader: May we push aside all that distracts us
all that trips us up
as we run the race set before us.

People: Christ has made us his own.

Leader: Above all, may we want to know Christ. May we be found in his grace, transformed by his love!

All: Christ has made us his own. Thanks be to God!

– Del Keeney, © 2020 Brethren Press

Help us to bear your compassion to those who are angry and hurting.
Give us courage to withstand irrational flames
that we may quench them with your mercy.
Help us to turn the other cheek
that we may soon embrace our enemies as friends.

Help us all to find our way together through this world’s challenges.
May the day come soon, when we will all sit together at your table,
sharing your bounty, in love and in peace.

Lord, hear our songs of thanksgiving
for waters that cleanse and heal and renew
and receive our joy
for the wondrous blessings you have given. Amen.