Liturgy: January 27, 2019 (Third Sunday After the Epiphany)

Call to Worship:

L: Our God has made a covenant with us!
P: Yes, our God has taken us by the hand and lead us out of the Land of Egypt.
L: Away from captivity and sin, through the wilderness, our God has taken us to a new place, alive with promise.
P: Our God has made a covenant with us!
L: Yes, our God has engraved this promise on our hearts.
P: Our God has written forgiveness and resurrection in our hearts; we are alive with the promises of God’s endless rule!
L: Let us worship our God, who writes the promise of eternal hope on our hearts.
P: Praise God! Praise God in heaven, on earth, and throughout all creation!

Inspired by Jeremiah 31:31-26

Confession and Pardon:

L: Jesus has brought the heavenly kingdom near!
P: But the evil forces of our world sneak in a steal way seeds. The fields of our hearts were left barren.
L: God has been generous with the promises of life!
P: But we didn’t let our roots grow strong and we withered under the pressures of a cruel world. We abandoned the promise and fled.
L: The Holy Spirit has sparked the eternal life in our souls!
P: But the things of this world distracted us. We lost sight of our hopes and forgot our promises.
L: Still, the promise is before us and God calls to us to join us at the feast table.
P: Where will the feast come from? We have not done our work.
L: God has sowed the seeds in ways we cannot understand. See how the harvest rises from the dust?
P: Clearly God has moved in our lives as well! We can feel our hearts bursting open like the flowers of spring.
L: Even with a single grain of faith, God can fill you with the bounty of eternal life.
P: We believe, God! Forgive us our disbelief. Grow your ways in our souls!
L: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
P: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
All: Praise be to God! Amen.

Inspired by Mark 4:1-34

Call to Offering:

A mustard seed might be the tiniest of seeds. It may seem small an insignificant when laid in the palm of an open hand. But when planted in good soil, it will produce thousands more. Likewise, when you invest your gifts in the rich soil of faith, God will grow the blessings more than one can imagine. 

Inspired by Mark 4:31-32

Prayer of Thanksgiving:

Almighty God, you have walked through the barren fields of our hearts and sowed the seeds of your faithfulness. Without your generosity, we would never be able to dream of living with you forever. As we offer these gifts to you today, we do so with joyful hearts and we ask that you allow these gifts to be used for your heavenly kingdom. Amen.

Inspired by Mark 4:31-32

Blessing:

“Don’t let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Bind them on your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will find favor and approval in the eyes of God and humanity.” (Proverbs 3:3-4, CEB)