Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
 
September 13, 2020                                                                                              

10:00 a.m.

 
Opening Ourselves to Worship

 
Welcome
 
Call to Worship (People’s response in bold.)
Leader: You have been called to the banquet.
People: This is the feast.
Leader: You have been summoned to the wedding.
People: This is the feast of life and light.
Leader: From the streets and the byways, God has invited us.
People: We have come to the banquet that has no end. Alleluia! Amen!
 
Opening Hymn: We Gather Together
 
Invitation to Confession
 
Prayer of Confession
You invite us to your feast, O God, and we do not come. You beg us to give thanks for life, and we fail in our thanksgiving. You have made for us a wonderful earth, and we neglect the gift. Forgive us for what we have done and for abandoning the pathway you desire for us. Be our guide and conscience. Turn our feet and hands to your will, that all we do might give glory to you. Amen.
 
Assurance of Forgiveness
The God of peace, who calls all creation to live in unity, hears your plea. In the spirit of feasting and thanksgiving, in the mercy of Almighty God, you are forgiven! People: In the spirit of feasting and thanksgiving, in the mercy of Almighty God, you are forgiven! For the sake of Christ Jesus, our Savior, who died and rose from the dead to destroy the shroud of despair, rejoice!
 

Hearing God’s Word

                                                                                                                                            
Prayer for Illumination
Your word, O God, is a feast all its own. Let your Holy Spirit open our minds to your call to listen, for we know your holy Word heals and reconciles your people. Amen.
 
Epistle Lesson: Philippians 3:4-14
 
The Children’s Time to Lead Us                   
 
Gospel Lesson: Matthew 22:1-14                                                     
Leader:  This is the Word of God for the People of God.  People: Thanks be to God.
 
Sermon: Rev. Lorrin Radzik
 
Affirmation of Faith: The Apostles’ Creed 
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
                                                              

Transforming Our Lives & the World

 
Prayers of the People
Let us pray for the needs of the world, saying, Hear us, O God; your mercy is great.
That all in our community may know what is God’s and what is Caesar’s, and may have the courage so to live, hear us, O God; your mercy is great.
That as the Lord guided Cyrus for the sake of Israel, God will guide our country, its leaders, and its citizens, hear us, O God; your mercy is great.
That justice and peace will be the signs of our trust in God, hear us, O God; your mercy is great.
That the church, in the spirit of Paul, may preach the gospel not merely in words but in the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, hear us, O God; your mercy is great.
That each of us, following Jesus, may be truthful, courting no one’s favor, but living with simplicity and honesty, hear us, O God; your mercy is great.
That like the apostle, all the people in the church may live their faith and labor in love for the poor, the homeless, the imprisoned, the persecuted, and the sick, and that by God’s power the suffering of all creation may be relieved, hear us, O God; your mercy is great.
That wherever there is violence, especially within a family, we may be enabled to confess our part in allowing this darkness to continue. We have shut our eyes to the bruises and shut our ears to the cries of fear and pain. That your healing may come to all homes, hear us, O God; your mercy is great.
That we may remember with gratitude the witness of those who have kept faith in your triune name, hear us, O God; your mercy is great.
Into your hands we place the well-being of all creation, trusting that you see and know the needs of all, through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.
                                              
Lord’s Prayer
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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass 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.
 
Invitation to Generosity
 
Offertory
 
Prayer of Dedication
God of compassion and generous love, we give you thanks for the riches of Earth, which sustain our lives and which you have created for our joy. We thank you for Jesus, whose life, death, resurrection, and ascension renews our strength and revives our hope. We give you thanks for the Holy Spirit, who comes among us, invites us to dine with each other and with you, and keeps us in faith. Bless these gifts for the sake of those in need and the work of your church. In peace, we pray our thanksgiving. Amen.
 
Closing Hymn: My Faith Looks Up to Thee
 
Benediction
 
 
 
Permission to print and podcast/stream the music (not in public domain) is obtained from CCLI with license #20417540
 
Today’s liturgy was adapted from: “Feasting on the Word Worship Companion, Year A, Volume 2, Proper 23