12.06.17 Ordinary 11B English

Prelude:  Prelude and Fugue in G Major, op. 37, no. 2 (Felix Mendelssohn)

Song:  When the Christ walked the earth (John Bell, alt./PERSONENT HODIE, Medieval German) GC *
Call to Worship (Jeremiah 31)

One:  Shout for joy to the Holy One, our God,

All:  who loves us with an everlasting love,

as a father loves his children;

One:  who gathers us together from the north and the south,

the east and the west;

All:  who leads us beside quiet streams,

and shows us the way we should go.

Song:  God of Adam, God of Joseph (Fred Kaan/FARRELL, Thomas J. Porter) GC
Prayer of Confession Unknown and Psalm 103

One:  O God,
All:  we confess the blindness that is not even aware of sinning;
One:  the pride that dares not admit that it is wrong;
All:  the selfishness that can see nothing but its own will;
One:  the righteousness that knows no fault;
All:  the callousness that has ceased to care;
One:  the defiance that does not regret its own sins;
All:  the evasion that always tries to make excuses;
One:  the coldness of heart that is too hardened to repent.
All:  God, we are sinners; be merciful to us.

—Silent reflection—

One:  The Holy One is like a father to us,

compassionate and merciful,

filled with endless love.

God is not easily angered,

and does not remain angry forever.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so strong is God’s love toward us.

And as far as the east is from the west,

so far has God removed our sins from us.

All:  We may be at peace:  we are forgiven!

Thanks be to God!

Song of Praise:  Playful God (Andrew Pratt/EM) *
Prayer of the Day BDP

God of Mary and Joseph, keep alive in us the faith that you are still at work in ordinary people, accomplishing extraordinary things. When we become anxious, and cannot discern your pattern in the jigsaw of our affairs, bring us back to the basics of trust and obedience. Lead us forward, one step at a time, one day at a time. Give us the humility to leave the overall picture to your generous and ingenious providence.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!

Sh'ma Israel (Tsvika Pik)
Reading from Hebrew Scripture:  Proverbs 3:1-12 (non-lectionary)
Alleluia (Howard Hughes) WOR *
Gospel Reading: Matthew 18:1-25 (non-lectionary)
Sermon:  Christmas as Father's Day
Canticle (spoken)(Rev. Dr. Chuck Robertson)

All:  Hail, Joseph, filled with courage, God is with you!

Blessed are you among fathers, and blessed is the son you love, Jesus.

Holy Joseph, true human father of our Savior, 

Thank God for the example of responsible parenthood you give us. 

Amen!

Hymn:  Joseph heard the troubling news (Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, TEMPUS ADEST FLORIDUM, Piæ Cantiones 1582) Textweek
Affirmation of Faith 

One:  In every place and every time, in every relationship and every interaction,

All:  You are God.

One:  You are God to the poor and to the wealthy,

All:  to the weak and to the powerful;

One:  You are God to the believer and to the doubter,

All:  to the religious and to the atheist;

One:  You are God to the courageous and to the fearful,

All:  to the fighter and to the peacemaker;

One:  You are God to the leader and to the follower,

All:  to the parent and to the child;

One:  You are God to all,

All:  and Your grace and love extends to all.

One:  And while we may seek to keep You to ourselves, while we may try to hoard Your blessings,

All:  You have come to all, You are available to all, and all who want You will find that You are there.

One:  We praise You that our small self-interests are not enough to keep You from being the great and all-embracing God that You are.

All:  Amen.

Prayer Song:  O Wisdom, breathed from God (O Antiphons and NCH editors/CONDITOR ALME SIDERUM, Sarum chant)
Prayers of the People
Announcements
Song:  Every day now Jesus is born (Juan Antonio Espinosa, English EM) MV

*seasonal for June
obviously Father's Day got a lot of air time today


Forces:
Soprano
Tenor/Guitar
Tenor/Bass Guitar
Organ/Piano