Liturgy: Feb. 10, 2019

Call To Worship

Republican, Democrat, or Independent, we have come here to kneel before God’s mighty throne. Liberal, Conservative, or somewhere in between, we have come here to be fed by God’s divine hand. Man, woman, or child we have come here to hear God speak holy words to us. Sinner, saint, or maybe a bit of both, we are weary from the hardness of this world. Come! Come and find rest in this place. From the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia to the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho, from the Missouri Ozarks to the Rocky Mountains, from the Great Plains to the High Desert, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, our lives have converged at this one point where we have all come to praise God. So let us lift our voices in celebration as we join together in song.

Inspired by Matthew 25:31-40

Confession and Pardon

L: When we stand before the throne will our Shepherd sort us with the sheep, or with the goats?
P: Let us stand with the sheep! Let us rest in the shadow of the Good Shepherd!
L: Did you feed him when he was hungry?
P: When did we see the Shepherd hungry?
L: Did you give him a drink when he was thirsty?
P: When did we see the Shepherd thirsty?
L: Did you welcome him when he was a stranger?
P: When was the Shepherd a stranger?
L: Did you clothe him when he was naked?
P: Surely our Shepherd was never naked!
L: Did you care for him when he was sick?
P: When was the Shepherd sick?
L: Did you visit him in prison?
P: Our Shepherd in prison? Never!
L: Hear the Shepherd’s voice and recognize it as he speaks to us: “When you have done it for the least of humanity, you have done it for me.”
P: Forgive us, Good Shepherd! Forgive us for failing to hear the cries of the needy. We have not shared the good things you have given us. We have been selfish and self-absorbed. We looked away when our neighbor’s suffering made us uncomfortable. We closed our hearts to those who seemed so far below us. 
L: And yet, our Shepherd was with them. Even as we walked away, pretending not to see them, our Shepherd was there amongst the hurting, the lonely, the lost, and the suffering. 
P: Forgive us, Good Shepherd!

(Moment of Silent Confession)

L: The Good Shepherd hears us when we cry out to him for mercy. Let your hearts and your minds be at peace, knowing that your sins have been forgiven. 
P: Amen.

Inspired by Matthew 25:31-40