Humility and Hospitality

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 calls us to service, rather than honor. God calls us to love the unknown, rather than the familiar. We come to this time of worship, to learn the way of Jesus and the love of God who is present with us in our ups and our downs.

Loving God, you are worthy of dedicating our lives to your way of love. Open our eyes to see the world as you see it. Give us the wisdom to witness to your presence in all people. Transform us in love, call us to love with a full heart, and to share your promises with all people.

We ofter our prayers for the universal church. May our words and actions bring honor to your name and teach us true humility.

Ever-present God, you call us to follow the way of Jesus, even when it challenges our relationships and the values of our culture. Help us to release our fears, nurture us in your ways and sustain us as we seek your way of love.

We ofter our prayers for those who suffer from sickness of mind, body, or spirit and all those who care for them.

Ever-present God, you call us to follow the way of Jesus, even when it challenges our relationships and the values of our culture. Help us to release our fears, nurture us in your ways and sustain us as we seek your way of love.

We pray for those who have finished their course in faith and for those whose life situations have meant moving away from us here.

Ever-present God, you call us to follow the way of Jesus, even when it challenges our relationships and the values of our culture. Help us to release our fears, nurture us in your ways and sustain us as we seek your way of love.

Ever-present God, help us to release our fears, nurture us in your ways, and sustain us as we seek your way of peace. We ask this through Jesus who taught us your way of love. Amen.

God of wisdom, open us to the work of your Spirit, that we may hear and faithfully respond to your holy word. Amen.

Luke 14:1, 7-14 ¹ On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath, they were watching him closely. ⁷ When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. ⁸ “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host, ⁹ and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. ¹¹ For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” ¹² He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers and sisters or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴ And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Where have you seen relationships redefined by the love of God? Who have you come to claim as a family member, against all odds? Who do you still label as useless? What would it take for you to see that person as a sibling in Christ?

God gives us more than we can ever earn and sustains us in ways we cannot imagine. With a spirit of generosity, let us freely offer ourselves and our gifts to the world.

God of Grace, we give thanks for your faithfulness to us, we give thanks for your hope in us, we rejoice in the knowledge of your unending love. In the light of your mercy, and confident in your love, we dedicate these offerings, and ourselves, to you. Amen.

May the artist who crafted you continue to shape your heart, may the Christ who commissioned you, charge you with purpose, may the Spirit that stirs you, help you along the way, that you may honor your creator and be a blessing to creation. Amen.