Lift Up Your Voice and Shine

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.

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.

Almighty God, through the testimony of those who know your love

you have guided us to ask for what we need. Our Lord Jesus called

his disciples to live as a city on a hill and a lamp on a stand, that all

may see the glory of God.

We pray for the church, the community of disciples. Grant that

we, who claim the name of Christ, may shine as light into our

dark world.

Our brother Paul led the church, not by lofty words of human wisdom,

but by wisdom born of your Spirit.

We pray for those who serve the church; let our pastors,

teachers, and those who minister in the name of Christ forsake

worldly knowledge that perishes and be led by your truth.

Blessed are those who honor your commandments, O Lord.

We pray for our world, for the governments and for its leaders.

May all who rule honor justice and compassion and serve the

common good that the people may flourish.

You teach us to offer food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the

afflicted. I

We pray for the sick, the hungry, the poor, the homeless, and

those who are oppressed. Let your church minister to those in

distress and bear witness to your abiding compassion for all

who suffer.

To you, O God,

we pray, through Christ, with Christ, in the unity of the Holy

Spirit, forever and ever.

Amen.

Lord, open our understanding by the power of the Holy Spirit, that as the Word is proclaimed we may receive holy wisdom to understand the gifts you have bestowed on us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Isaiah 58:1-12 1 Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. ² Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God. 3“Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. ⁴ Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. ⁵ Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? ⁶ Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? ⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? 8Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. ⁹ Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, ¹⁰ if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. ¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. ¹² Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in. Matthew 5:13-20 ¹³ You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. ¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. ¹⁷ Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Questions for Reflection: Rev. Johan Dodge

What does it mean to have the mind of Christ, and how do I live with

the mind of Christ in my daily activities? If I let my light shine, what

will others see in me? Will others see Jesus? Will they give glory to

God?

We are pleased to offer both white and red grape juice. If you are afraid of

Here at Community Church we celebrate “Open Communion’.

Anyone who wishes to commune may come to our Lord’s Table. You

do not have to be sinless; God forgives you. You do not have to be perfect; but God is encouraging you to grow. You need not belong to

this or any church; God Invites all people to this meal. It is enough to

love the Lord and follow Him with all your heart. This is what God

asks us to do. Come to our Lord’s Table in faith this day. Go from

this place to live, and never be the same again. Let us commune as

brothers and sisters in Christ.

Pastor: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Pastor: Lift up your hearts.

People: We lift them up to the Lord.

Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

People: It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Pastor: It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and

everywhere to give thanks to you, Almighty God, creator of heaven

and earth. Before the mountains were brought forth, or you had

formed the earth, from everlasting to everlasting, you alone are God.

You created light out of darkness and brought forth life on the earth.

You formed us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life.

When we turned away, and our love failed, your love remained

steadfast. You delivered us from captivity, made covenant to be our

sovereign God, and spoke to us through your prophets. And so, with

your people on earth and all the company of heaven we praise your

name and join their unending hymn:

People: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven

and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed

is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the

highest.

Pastor: Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ, in whom

you have revealed yourself, our light and our salvation. In his baptism

and in table fellowship Jesus took his place with sinners. Your Spirit

anointed him to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to

the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those

who are oppressed, and to announce that the time had come when

you would save your people. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to this your Church, delivered us from

slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water

and the Spirit.

On the night in which he gave himself up for us, Jesus took bread,

gave thanks to you O God, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples,

and said: “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in

remembrance of me.”

When the supper was over Jesus took the cup, gave thanks to you,

gave it to his disciples, and said: “Drink from this, all of you; this is my

blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the

forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance

of me.”

And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,

we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living

sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the

mystery of faith.

People: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

Pastor: Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these

gifts of bread and fruit of the vine. Make them be for us the body and

blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ,

redeemed by his blood. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one

with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ

comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet. Through

your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church, all

honor and glory is yours, almighty God, now and forever.

People: Amen.

Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we

all partake of the one loaf.

The bread which we have eaten is a sharing in the bread of Christ.

The cup over which we give thanks is the sharing in the cup of Christ.

Eternal God, we give you thanks for this holy mystery in which you have given yourself to us. Grant that we may go into the world in the strength of your Spirit, to give ourselves for others, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. INVITATION TO THE OFFERING — Kelly Frankiewicz Like a spring whose waters never fail, God calls us to share what we have received. Let us offer ourselves and our gifts to God.

Loving God, we give thanks for all you have given to us and praise you for your astounding goodness. Receive the dedication of our hearts, minds, and bodies for the ministry of your church. Bless our offering for the work of your kingdom, and give us wisdom for the right use of all you have provided, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jesus said, let the light of God within you shine before others as your good works that they may practice loving kindness in response to the light and the love of God. 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.