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Prelude: We Are One
Acknowledgement
Welcome
Gathering Hymn: 468 CP To Abraham and Sarah
To Abraham and Sarah the call of God was clear:
“Go forth and I will show you a country rich and fair.
You need not fear the journey, for I have pledged my word
that you shall be my people and I will be your God.”
From Abraham and Sarah arose a pilgrim race,
dependent for their journey on God’s abundant grace;
and in their heart was written by God this saving word,
“That you shall be my people and I will be your God.”
We of this generation on whom God’s hand is laid
can journey to the future secure and unafraid,
rejoicing in God’s goodness and trusting in this word,
“That you shall be my people and I will be your God.”
Gathering Sentences (Before the Amen)
Spirit is in our midst
Spirit is in our hearts
Spirit calls
Spirit challenges
Trust in the Holy One, for Spirit brings life
Our hearts are open wide; our trust is true.
Come Holy Spirit, come. Renew your whole creation, nature and grace, soul and body, and all manner of matter. Move in and around us and fill us with your creative energy and extravagant light. May our hearts be open, may our hearts be stirred, for the work of love to which you call us and the hope of the world for which we labour. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen
Collect Almighty God, without you we are not able to please you. Mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
The Proclamation of the Word
A Reading from the book, Genesis 12.1–9
Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’
So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’ So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved on to the hill country on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and invoked the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on by stages towards the Negeb.
Living word of God live in our lives today
Psalm 33.1–12 Refrain I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt with me richly.
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright. Praise the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings. Sing to him a new song; play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt with me richly.
For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt with me richly.
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth. He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he put the deeps in storehouses.
I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt with me richly.
Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt with me richly.
The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt with me richly.
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans 4.13–25
For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become ‘the father of many nations’, according to what was said, ‘So numerous shall your descendants be.’ He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith ‘was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now the words, ‘it was reckoned to him’, were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
Living word of God live in our lives today
Gradual Hymn: 612 CP Healer of our Every Ill
Refrain: Healer of our every ill, light of each tomorrow;
give us peace beyond our fear, and hope beyond our sorrow.
You who know our fears and sadness,
grace us with your peace and gladness.
Spirit of all comfort: fill our hearts. Refrain
In the pain and joy beholding
how your grace is still unfolding,
give us all your vision: God of love. Refrain
Give us strength to love each other,
every sister, every brother.
Spirit of all kindness: be our guide. Refrain
You who know each thought and feeling, teach us all your way of healing. Spirit of compassion: fill each heart. Refrain
The Lord be with you And also with you
The holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew 9.9–13, 18–26
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.
And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax-collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax-collectors and sinners?’ But when he heard this, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’
While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, ‘My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.’ And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.’ Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And instantly the woman was made well. When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute-players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, ‘Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. And the report of this spread throughout that district.
The Gospel of Christ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Homily Affirmation of Faith
(by Tim Tate, Lead Pastor, Warrenton UMC. Posted on www.warrentonumc.org,
Inspired by Matthew 25:16-20, Matthew 9:35-38)
I believe in a God who created all things and seeks for all to be in communion as God’s people. I believe in Jesus Christ who showed us how to share love, and who commissioned us to go out into the highways and byways inviting all to be a part of God’s work in the world. I believe in the Holy Spirit who leads and guides us into the world, then touches the lives of those around us in ways that make them receptive to love. I believe in the harvest and the call for laborers to receive and respond, sharing light and life with the world. Amen.
Prayers of Reflection (written by John Birch, and posted on his Faith and Worship website)
God our Creator, in whose love we live and move, we pray for a world crying out to feel loved, wanted, cherished and unique. Heavenly Creator, source of all love, hear our prayer. We pray for a world torn apart by conflict and war. A world that lives uneasily in a climate of fear with no clear vision for future days. Heavenly Creator, source of all hope, hear our prayer. We pray for a world that thinks less of others than of self. A world where division between nations, race, religion neighbour and family leads to distrust. Heavenly Creator, source of all peace, hear our prayer. We pray for a world that is short on happiness, too busy to enjoy this world you have created, too preoccupied with living to appreciate life. Heavenly Creator, source of all joy, hear our prayer. We pray for a world where spiritual longing is satisfied by fashionable notions and temporary solutions with no thought for tomorrow. Heavenly Creator, source of our Salvation, hear our prayer. We pray for a world that needs to know your love, your hope, your peace, your joy and Salvation. A world that needs to know it is special, unique and is uniquely loved by the Creator. Amen.
The Peace
The Offertory Hymn: 482 CP Come and Journey with a Saviour
Come and journey with a Saviour who has called us from our birth,
who has washed us in the waters, and who loved us on the earth.
Come and journey, journey inward, come and seek him deep within,
where he meets us in our living, in our striving and our sin.
Come and journey, come and journey with a Saviour who has come. We are all God's sons and daughters; in the Spirit we are one.
Come and journey, journey outward, telling others of his name, telling others of his glory, of his cross and of the shame. Come and journey, journey outward, where that cross calls us to care, where injustice and where hunger and the poor call us to share. Come and journey, come and journey with a Saviour who has come. We are all God's sons and daughters; in the Spirit we are one.
Come and journey, journey upward. Sing his praises, offer prayer. In the storm and in the stillness find his presence everywhere.
Come and journey, journey onward; all our gifts we now shall bring to the building of a city that is holy, Christ its King.
Come and journey, come and journey with a Saviour who has come. We are all God's sons and daughters; in the Spirit we are one.
Prayer over the Gifts
Merciful God and Father, in Adam’s fall we were born to death; in the new Adam we are reborn to life. In all we offer you this day may we share a taste of your eternal kingdom. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen
Eucharistic Prayer 1
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right that we should praise you, gracious God, for you created all things. You formed us in your own image: male and female you created us. When we turned away from you in sin, you did not cease to care for us,
but opened a path of salvation for all people. You made a covenant with Israel, and through your servants Abraham and Sarah gave the promise of a blessing to all nations.
Through Moses you led your people from bondage into freedom; through the prophets you renewed your promise of salvation.
Therefore, with them, and with all your saints Who have served you in every age, we give thanks and raise our voices to proclaim the glory of your name.
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth of your glory are full.
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is one who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth of your glory are full. Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest. Holy God, source of life and goodness, all creation rightly gives you praise. In the fullness of time, you sent your Son Jesus Christ, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all.
He healed the sick and ate and drank with outcasts and sinners; he opened the eyes of the blind and proclaimed the good news of your kingdom to the poor and to those in need. In all things he fulfilled your gracious will.
On the night he freely gave himself to death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread, and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: this is my body which is given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”
After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Gracious God, his perfect sacrifice destroys the power of sin and death; by raising him to life you give us life for evermore. Therefore, we proclaim our hope.
Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory.
Recalling his death, proclaiming his resurrection, and looking for his coming again in glory, we offer you, Father, this bread and this cup. Send your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts, that all who eat and drink at this table
may be one body and one holy people, a living sacrifice in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory is yours, almighty Father, now and for ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (sung: Cameron)
Breaking of the Bread
“I am the bread of life,” says the Lord. “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry;
whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are they who trust in him.
These are the gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
The Communion
Hymns during Distribution: Dakota Hymn Drive Us Out
Prayer after Communion
O God, we have shared in the mysteries of the body and blood of Christ. Nourish us by this feast, that we may live the risen life and serve you faithfully in the world. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen
Glory to God,
whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Blessing
Announcements
Closing Hymn: 312 CP Sing a New Song unto the Lord
Refrain: Sing a new song unto the Lord;
let your song be sung from mountains high.
Sing a new song unto the Lord, singing Alleluia.
Yahweh’s people dance for joy.
O come before the Lord
and play for him on glad tambourines,
and let your trumpet sound. Refrain
Rise, O children, from your sleep;
your Saviour now has come.
He has turned your sorrow to joy,
and filled your soul with song. Refrain
Glad my soul, for I have seen
the glory of the Lord.
The trumpet sounds; the dead shall be raised.
I know my Saviour lives. Refrain
The Dismissal Filled with God’s praises we glorify our creator.
May peace be with us all, now and forever. Amen. Alleluia
Postlude: Though Mountains May Fall
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