____________________________________________________

 

Call to Worship  (based on Psalm 125)

L: Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
P: As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time on and forevermore.
L: For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous might not stretch out their hands to do wrong.
P: Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts.
L: Come, let us worship God!

 

Invocation

The rich presence of God, the beginning and end of all that is good, be with you now and always.

And also with you.

Let us pray. Almighty and eternal God, you know our problems and our weaknesses better than we ourselves. In your love and by your power help us in our confusion and, in spite of our weakness, make us firm in faith; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

 

Reading and Prayers around the Gospel Lesson

from "Celebrating Together: Prayers, liturgies and Songs from Corrymeela Community, Northern Ireland.

Leader: How wide is our circle of concern and love?
Reader 1: Sometimes it is drawn tightly around myself, quietly keeping others out.  Reader 2: Sometimes it is large enough to take in only my own family and friends - those I call "Loved ones"
Reader 3: Sometimes it is a circle drawn around my estate, my religious tradition, my political tradition, my country, my race.
Reader 1: Why are you asking? How wide should the circle of those we care for be?

   Reading of Mark7:24-37 could be inserted here

Reader 1: God, help me to understand the answer Jesus gave to the question, "Who is my neighbor? About a man on the road who needed help. About those who refused it - and the one person who gave it.
Reader 2: Make me more aware that whether I know them or not, even whether I like them or not, all people everywhere are my neighbors.
Reader 3: Make me more sensitive to the needs of those I meet at home, in the shop, along the street, anywhere.
Leader: Jesus, as we are confronted by the needs of all our neighbors in this world, may we remember how you responded to the people you met every day. May we follow your example and reach out to others offering friendship and help in practical ways. And in so doing, may we discover you in the neighbors we serve.

 

Prayer for the World and it Peoples:
(Church of Scotland 20th century)

O God, you are the hope of all the ends of the earth, the God of the spirits of all flesh.  Hear our humble intercession for all races and families on earth, that you will turn all hearts to yourself.
Remove from our minds hatred, prejudice, and contempt for those who are not of our own race or color, class or creed, that, departing from everything that estranges and divides, we may by you be brought into unity of spirit, in the bond of peace. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Almighty God, we confess that we are so often swept up in the tide of our generation.  We have failed in our calling to be your holy people, a people set apart for your divine purpose.  We live more in apathy born of fatalism than in passion born of hope. We are moved more by private ambition than by social justice. We dream more of privilege and benefits than of service and sacrifice. We try to speak in your name, without relinquishing our glories, without nourishing our souls, without relying wholly on your grace.
Help us to make room in our heart and lives for you.  Teach us to live in the intricate balance between faith and works, between being and doing, being nourished and serving others.  Forgive us, revive us, and reshape us in your image. Amen.

 

Prayer for a Generous Heart

God of Love and God of Justice, lead us by your Spirit in the ways of generosity and hospitality toward our fellow human beings.  May we never forget where we came from and that what we have received from you is a gift.  Help us overcome any    judgmental attitudes, biases, and all the "isms" that wreak havoc in our society and even in our churches.  Teach us to walk in the generous and loving way of Jesus, the Christ, so that your name may be magnified above all the earth. Amen.

Stewardship Prayer:

 

Lord Jesus, I give you my hands to do your work.
I give you my feet to go your way.
I give you my eyes to see as you see.
I give you my tongue to speak your words.
I give you my mind to think as you think.
I give you my spirit so that you may pray in me.
I give you my self so that you may grow in me.
So that it is you, Lord Jesus,
who lives and works and prays in me.
Amen.

 

Prayer of Humble Access

We do not presume to come to this thy table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies.

We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table.

But thou art the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy.

Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to partake of this Sacrament of thy Son Jesus Christ, that we may walk in newness of life, may grow into his likeness, and may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.

 

Closing Prayer:
(traditional Gaelic)

May the road rise to meet you,
may the wind be always at your back,
may the sun shine warm upon your face,
may the rains fall soft upon your fields,
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Amen.