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Good Morning and Welcome to Worship! Worship is often the first place that new people come into contact with this growing community of faith. And so, if you are joining us for the first time, I say to you what is said every Sunday: You are welcome here. Here is a place where all are welcome. For such is the love of God for God’s Very Good Creation.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise God, all creatures here below; praise God above, ye Heav'nly host: praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kindom 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 kindom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Eternal God, your steadfast love endures forever. We pray today for those who have been called or elected as leaders, that they may be guides by your voice and by the voices of their people.

We pray for the pastors and teachers of the church, especially our newly elected Bishops; that they may faithfully teach and empower those entrusted to them.

We pray for those who are poor and in need of assistance, and for ourselves that we may tenderly care for them. We pray for the victims of war and other forms of violence, that we may be good news for them both in word and in deed.

We pray for the sick and infirm and those who are spiritually hungry, that we may be a message of compassion.

Good Shepherd, Source of Loving Kindness, bring us together through the teachings of Jesus and break down the dividing walls between us. Be our peace and by your Holy Spirit renew our citizenship in your Kin-dom. Amen.

Holy Spirit, come and dwell in us. Place Jesus in us so that he is the source of your spring of life that draws us together and transforms us into a sacred place where steadfast love and action will meet, and loving kindness and peace will kiss each other. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 ³⁰The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. ³¹He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. ³²And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. ³³Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. ³⁴As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. ⁵³When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. ⁵⁴When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, ⁵⁵and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

¹¹So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision” — a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands — ¹²remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. ¹⁵He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. ¹⁷So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; ¹⁸for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, ²⁰built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. ²¹In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; ²²in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

The author of Ephesians told them they would be built into a dwelling place place for God. This dwelling place was not one built of cedar, it was to be a living, moving, and breathing place for God to dwell. How is God in the Holy Spirit living in you? What might you do to make more space for the Spirit in your life? What control do you need to turn over to God to allow the Spirit in?

God spreads a table of blessings before us. Let us express our gratitude by giving a portion of what has been given to us.

God of green pastures and still waters, bless these gifts that we have been given that they may become part of your banquet for the world. Amen.

We have been restored in the presence of our God. Let the Spirit build us together into a living dwelling — a living banquet for the world. Amen.