Present Time

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.

God of Peace, your call, at times, appears to divide us from one another. Help us overcome our fears and respond in courage. Give us faith to build the unity that is beyond our sight. Give us eyes to recognize the signs before us. We ask this in the confidence of children following the way of Jesus. Amen.

God of Peace, you have blessed us with the inheritance of grace that we might live as people of justice, loving kindness, and peace. Stir in us your power, and fill us with divine love strong and true, that we may be always eager to follow the way of Jesus that leads to your promised reign of peace. Amen.

We pray for all peoples of faith. May discord among religions and denominations yield to your greater teaching of love and may we enjoy a common commitment to building your kin-dom around us.

We pray for the world. Prod us to engage in acts of mission and service to one another, and to creation as a whole, that honor your love for us. We pray for those who hold authority in government. Enable policymakers to enact justice, transforming places of violence and conflict into havens of sanctuary and peace.

We pray for all those in our community who are suffering the burden of illness, distress, or any kind of pain.

We remember those who have finished their course in faith and joined the great cloud of witnesses.

Loving ever-present God, give us clarity of vision, and make us ready to serve you in the faces of those we encounter in the days ahead. We seek this unity in the name of Jesus who taught us the way of love. Amen.

God of wisdom, we eagerly seek your guidance in our lives and in the world. By your Spirit, speak your word to us, and give us your grace to recognize the abundant signs of your care for us, so that we might be freed to act in the world with courage and abandon. Amen.

⁴⁹“I came to cast fire upon the earth. How I wish that it was already ablaze! ⁵⁰I have a baptism I must experience. How I am distressed until it’s completed! ⁵¹Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, I have come instead to bring division. ⁵²From now on, a household of five will be divided—three against two and two against three. ⁵³Father will square off against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” ⁵⁴Jesus also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud forming in the west, you immediately say, ‘It’s going to rain.’ And indeed it does. ⁵⁵And when a south wind blows, you say, ‘A heat wave is coming.’ And it does. ⁵⁶Hypocrites! You know how to interpret conditions on earth and in the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret the present time?

The Present Time is meant to look different than it does. The present time is meant to be more loving; it is meant to more closely resemble the way of Jesus. What does it mean for us that Jesus uses fire which can be so destructive as the metaphor for transformation? How does his teaching on divisions within families inform your own relationships? Have you been following the way of Jesus or have those whom you have been divided from? What might you do to reset and restore relationships? What might you do to bring about the kin-dom of God?

Mindful of the abundance we have received in Christ, we offer ourselves and our gifts to the world. Amen.

We trust O God, in your provision and loving kindness. Use these gifts and our lives that we might bear your fruit with praise and thanksgiving. We ask this in the confidence of your guidance and love. Amen.

God is present to us, calling us to attend to our lives and our world. Confident in God’s provision and direction we go forth inspired, seeking reconciliation in places of division, honoring the light of those on the margins, and filled with gratitude for God’s promises. May the God of creation and restoration give you the confidence in the daily tasks set before you. The God of love and compassion, assure you of your identity as a child of God. May the Holy Spirit’s guidance inspire and mold you in the way of Love and may the blessing of God Creator and Sustainer, be with you and remain with you always. Amen.