Call to Worship

Opening Sentences

Leader: We Come to You, O God, as a self. We have no other way.

People: We Come to You, O God, as individuals. We have no other way.

Leader: We are each a unique genome, an original, not a carbon copy.

People: You made us this way! You gave us each names.

Leader: Grant us balance, true realization of our selves and true connection to You.

People: And grant us community, the chance to blend our flavors into a great whole.

Offertory Prayer

We give from individual pockets to a common purse. We give from narrow rivulets into a great stream. We give from isolation into community. Bless what comes together and let it do good, for ever widening rivers and streams that finally achieve the justice that you set flowing from the original mountains.

Prayer of Confession

Sometimes we act too small . We let people walk over us, we make believe that we don’t matter only to erupt in volcanic anger minutes later. Other times we act too large. We forget how to say we’re sorry. We take offense when someone else thinks we have done something wrong. Get us to the right size, O God, as valued creatures of Your holy hand and as people meant to link to each other in blessed community. Teach us how to get life right—to get to the right size —and teach us how to link, knowing that we won’t get it right the first or second or third time but that still You drive us to blessed community. In the name of Jesus, true Man and true God. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

For people who get put down by others, we pray.

For people who are too big for their britches, we pray.

For people who have too little self-esteem, we pray.

For people who have too much self-esteem, we pray.

Gather us into one blessed community, here in our own congregation, here in our own community and beyond these homes into our nation and our world. Let us be strange to no one, not the least or the greatest of people. Keep in our hearts the just claims of the poor to be a part of community. Keep in our hearts your vision of one large, colorful world where no one sits on the head of anyone else but rather where all are equal, free and capable of oneness.

Let us be led by the saints to the place You originated in creation, a place of great personal space for every diverging creature—and a place that knows how to give You great praise. Remind us that the world was not made for us but we for the world—and include the animals and the plants in that great waking up morning, destined from the beginning of time. We pray through Christ our Creator. Amen.