We Are All Fruit

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Gracious God, when our spirits lift at the beauty of the day, you are Lord; and when chaos threatens to overwhelm and we dread the next news cycle— still, you are Lord. Always you are creating, redeeming, sustaining. Speak then your mercy into this place until we discover the courage to open our eyes, unclench our hands, and move toward our neighbor in need, until all the world rises and moves with the rhythm of your grace; for we long to honor the name of Jesus, by whose breath we pray. Amen.

Spirit of Life, in the beginning you hovered over creation; still you

brood over the world. We pray for the earth that mourns: for rivers

smeared with waste and ground stripped and ravaged. Do not let us

wait too long; do not let us know disaster. Teach us, who are foolish,

what it means to do good.

We pray for your scattered children: for, for the people of Haiti,

Congo, and other troubled but forgotten regions whose

heartbreak is old news, whose loss is relentless. We pray for all

who cannot rest in safety, who must remain alert to signs of

danger because their countries are riven by war or because their

homes are torn by violence or because they have no shelter but

the street. [silence]

Help us to move with compassion toward those who are in need.

We pray for neighbors who are troubled in mind or body or

spirit: for mothers who face hard illness, for brothers haunted by

anxious thoughts, for children who do not know whom they can

trust. In the silence of this room we lift the names and faces we

know into the light of your love: [silence]

Search them out; bring them home.

God of holy love, of power and truth, help us neither to bow to

fear, nor to be silenced by chaos. Instead, move us resolutely

toward your world in need; until we share the mercy we have

discovered in your name. We thank you for each sign of your

stirring: for the songs of children, the lingering sunlight, the

knitting of shattered bones....

You are present in each reminder of life’s grace. Patient and persistent God, let that grace and mercy overflow from

our lives that we might honor your name in the world; for we pray in

the name of Jesus, who came to seek and save what was lost.

Amen.

Mighty God, you spoke the world into being; speak now to our hearts. By the power of your Spirit, make these ancient words live, that we might be shaped into your people, eager to bear your claim in the world and to give flesh to your future. For we pray in the name of Jesus, who leads us into life. Amen.

Luke 15:1-10 ¹ Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. ² And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” ³ So he told them this parable: ⁴ “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ ‘Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. &“Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ ‘Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Questions for Reflection: Rev. Johan Dodge How are you a lost sheep, in need of someone to come and search

for you? How are you a religious leader, grumbling at the

community’s disintegrating standards? How are you called to engage

in the search for others who live in isolation from God and

community?

INVITATION TO THE OFFERING — Virginia Olejnik

Time and again, God clears a path for us to seek the way of life, to do

good, to become a refuge for the poor. That path lies before us. With

joy, let us offer our gifts and our lives in trust.

Holy One, receive these offerings as you receive our lives. Gather our false starts and uncertain efforts, our generosity and our reluctance. Enliven us with your breath and make your purposes known that our lives might show forth your glory. For we pray in the name of Jesus and by the power of your Spirit. Amen.

Siblings in Christ, we have a choice. We can stand on the margins of the feast, grumbling about the other guests, or we can join in the dance of seeking and saving, feeding and being fed. May the Creator's holiness burn away our complacency, may the Living Word expose our foolishness, may the Spirit of mercy turn us home, that God’s grace might spill from our lives, giving hope to a perishing world. Blessed Be the Tie that Binds Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. Amen.