Creation Has Been Entrusted to Us

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.

Faithful God, we give you thanks that nothing can separate us from your love. Receive us as beloved children so that we may enter your presence this day and abide with you forever; through Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Knowing the grace of God, we entrust our lives to God as taught to us by Jesus. God of Creation, protect this earth from our negligence that causes pollution and destruction; now we pray for…

God of peace, deliver the nations from poverty and violence; especially…

God of Redemption, build up your church in faith and faithfulness; especially…

God of healing, soothe the suffering with tenderness and strength; especially… All this we ask in the name of the one who welcomes us as beloved children in the eternal glory of your realm. In the name of Jesus the Christ we pray. Amen. Amen.

Loving God,as you spoke long ago through your prophets, speak to us here, speak to us now, through the power of your Spirit and the promise of Jesus. Amen.

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12 ¹Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, ²but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. ³He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. ⁵Now God did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels. ⁶But someone has testified somewhere, “What are human beings that you are mindful of them, or mortals, that you care for them? ⁷You have made them for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned them with glory and honor, ⁸subjecting all things under their feet.” Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, ⁹but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. ¹⁰It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. ¹¹For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, ¹²saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.”

We were created to live in relationship — with neighbors, friends, loved ones, and above all with God. Think about the relationships in your life. Where do you find partnership? Where do you feel the strain of separation? Who do you allow to get close to you, and who do you turn away? In what ways do those relationships reflect your relationship with God?

Here at Community Church, we celebrate “Open Communion.” Anyone who wishes to commune may come to God’s Table. You do not have to be sinless; God forgives you. You do not have to be perfect; God encourages you to grow. You need not belong to any church; God invites all people to this meal. It is enough to love and follow God with all your heart. This is what God asks us to do. Come to God’s Table in faith this day. Go from this place to live, and never be the same again. Let us commune as siblings in Christ.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

You created for yourself a world filled with diversity and blessed by your breath of life. Rainbow colors bloom in spring, summer breezes bring garden delight, and now as autumn comes our way, we see the work of your paintbrush upon every face and tree. In mercy, while we still held to the chains of our winter, of pride, self-righteousness, and historic egos you loved us steadfastly and delivered us as babes to reflect the beauty and diversity of your grace, to bring us into a community of love, hope, and peace.

And so, with all your people on earth in every place where two or more are gathered in your name and all the company of heaven who have gone before us, we praise your name and join their unending hymn: Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ. 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.

He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.

He prayed that we might be one, as he is one with you, and he asked that we might be known by the love we have for one another.

On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, 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, he 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.

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, together as a new creation and a new community around the globe may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood. By your Spirit help the body of Christ be one. Help the left hand and the right hand work as one in ministry to all the world. Help the eyes and the ears sense your present and coming kingdom. Bring the blessing of the diversity of the body to bear fruit 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. 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.

The heavens and the earth, the sun and moon and stars, the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea — all things belong to God, and to God all things return. Amen.

Dave Albulario, tenor John Fluker, pianist

Blessed are you, our Comfort. You have given Jesus, your only son, who taught us a new way to not only exist, but to thrive. With thanksgiving, we give of what you have provided, that your will may be done in this world. Give us the wisdom and courage to do so. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Go out into the world and live as children of God, holding tight to God’s hand, and may the Holy Spirit embrace us each day though the arms of those around us so that we know that we are loved and that we belong. Amen.