John 4:1-42, Psalm 42:1-3

Narrative Lectionary, Year 4
Jan. 30, 2022
John 4:1-42, Psalm 42:1-3

Opening Prayer
Read Psalm 42:1-3

Let us pray:
In times of distress and trouble, Lord, when we wonder about where you are in the difficulties, we know that you are offering a drink that quenches all thirst.  The drink of eternal life.  We come to your well today to drink of this water that we may know that even if this life is hard, we can find joy in your kingdom
Amen.

Prayer of Preparation
Christ Jesus, we approach with worship the Father in spirit and truth that we may know more of your Spirit and your Truth.  Teach us with your words flowing down like living water into the depths of our spirits.  Amen.

Intercessory Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are more than a prophet, you are our God.  Many are coming to the well looking for that which can quench their thirst.  They hope that they will find something that will soothe their pain and suffering.   They hope that they will find something to end the abuse and oppression.  They hope that they can find something to heal their bodies and minds.  They hope that they will find something that will give them power, wealth, and respect.  They hope that they will find something to dispel the hurts of their lives.  They hope that they will find something to cure the problems in their relationships.  You have said you are the provider of the drink that will quench thirst forever and cause the fountain of eternal life to spring forth.  We need to drink of this water and those for whom we pray need to drink of it.  Lord give us this water.  We recognize you as the one who has covenanted with the church and we come to you forever more to receive of this gift.  We pray it in your name with one voice…Our Father…Amen

Communion
Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him,
  who earnestly repent of their sin
  and therefore seek to live in peace with one another.
Therefore, let us confess our sin before God and one another.

O Lord God,
There are times in our lives when we have failed to see you as the provider of the water that quenches all thirst.
We have looked to other sources.
We have tried to quench our own thirst.
And in our attempts to do so, looking to ourselves as the authority of all things
We have failed to follow your example in the ways that we love others
Our relationships with those dearest to us have been harmed
We have made a bad name for your church
And we have presented a poor witness
As we drink now from your cup, let these sins and the ones we confess in silence be forgiven

Silence

Amen

Hear the good news:
  Christ offered us water that quenches all thirst and food that is the will of God
  He drank of the cup that takes away our sin
  dying for us while we were yet sinners;
  that proves God’s love toward us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
Glory to God. Amen.

As a forgiven and reconciled people, we have offered ourselves and our gifts to God.  And so we give thanks for those gifts we’ve received:

Jesus, you’ve shown us that your covenant is without end for all people and expects nothing in return.  Yet because we love you, we bring our gifts to you and pray that you will use them for your will and that we can show people what your love looks like.  Amen.

We lift up our hearts to you because
It is right, and a good and joyful thing,
  always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
  Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

When you made us and set us in the garden
  we were to care for your earth
   and follow you in a day of rest
    in order to worship.

We failed in this and you gave the law and the prophets to redirect us.
We still failed and you sent among us Jesus so that even when we fail,
   we are forgiven.
And so with your people on earth and all the company of heaven
  we praise your name and join in their unending hymn:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.  Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest.

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ.
He gave to us a water that never stops flowing
  the water of life
  poured out for us in His death and resurrection
  in order to make a new covenant with us so that
  we can live forever in the kingdom of God.

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 in thanksgiving
  as a holy in living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,
  and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.

By your Spirit, make us one with Christ,
  one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world,
until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

Through your Son Jesus Christ, with your Holy Spirit in your holy Church,
  all honor and glory is yours almighty Father God, now and forever.

Amen.

This is the body of Christ, broken for you – Take and eat. Amen.

This is the blood of Christ, poured out for the forgiveness of sins – Take and drink. Amen.

Benediction
Continue to come to the fountain of water that Jesus offers
Drink deeply from the grace of the Father
Drink deeply from the love of the Son
Drink deeply in the unity of the Spirit

John 3:1-21, Ps. 139:13-18

Narrative Lectionary, Year 4
Jan. 23, 2022
John 3:1-21, Ps. 139:13-18

Opening Prayer
Read Psalm 139:13-18
Let us pray:
O God,
you took the time to
carefully create the cosmos,
from the darkness of the days
to the light of long-ago.
when you set the stars in their celestial orbits
you tilled the topsoil for the trees
and placed the plants in the peat.
then you hammered humans out of the humus.
for six days our work is to watch over the world.
today is the day that our work is to worship you
send your Spirit as we celebrate your Son.
Amen.

Prayer of Preparation
Son of Man, we hear your word and pray that it in the hearing and preaching of it, it would begin to form in our inner parts into that which causes us to be born again from above and that like the psalmist we could recognize how precious your thoughts are to us, O God.  Amen.

Offering Prayer
Lord Jesus, before anyone is born, they begin very small.  Before anyone is born again, their faith begins very small.  We know that you can transform something small into something great and so we pray now over the offerings we’ve received that you would take whatever quantity it is and make it much larger so that we, your church, can do your work.  Amen.

Intercessory Prayer
Father God, we thank you that you allow us time for our faith to grow and develop.  We thank you for the testimony of the Bible and sending others to mentor us into becoming your followers.  When we see the hurt in the world around us, the pain and suffering, the illness and death, the grief and sorrow, the mistreatment that is practiced against fellow man, the abuse and addictions, and all the other concerns of our hearts in this church, this town, this country and world, we pray, O Lord, with a cry of “how can this be?”  We don’t understand your ways and plans for this world Lord Jesus, but we do understand that you came into this world, not to condemn it but to save it.  So while we suffer and see our neighbor suffer, we look forward to the day when you will save this world and we will be made perfect in your sight.  Until that day, continue to form us and all of the inward parts of our faith to be your true disciples.  We pray it in your holy name in one voice with your prayer…Our Father…Amen 

Benediction
The Lord has invited us to come into the light
The light of love from God
The light of salvation through Jesus
The light of being born anew in the Spirit
Seek the light in you and help to form it in others
Amen

Psalm 106:1-12, Numbers 27:1-11, Luke 11:33-36

Revised Common Lectionary
Daily Reading
Jan. 12, 2022

Opening Prayer
Lord, we give thanks for your eternal love and for the great things you have done for your people.  We want to do what is right and to be among those who are your chosen ones that inherit the kingdom and join in giving eternal praise.  Send your Holy Spirit among us now as we gather to worship in the matchless name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Intercessory Prayer
Son of God:
You asked us to not hide our light because it will be known by others who see us.  But we also know that there are times when the enemy wants to steal our light or convince us to hide it.  This can come at times when we face the great difficulties of the world such as death and grief, illness and hospitalizations, injuries to both of physical body and our psyche, abuse and bullying, discrimination and marginalization.  Help us to show our light so that those who are having a difficult time showing theirs will feel more as if they can defeat the forces that want to take it or cause them to hide it.  In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray with His prayer… Our Father…Amen.

Communion 
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
And also with you.

Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him,
who earnestly repent of their sin
and seek to live in peace with one another.
Therefore, let us confess our sin before God and one another.

Psalm 106:5-12 says:
We have sinned, even as our ancestors did;
    we have done wrong and acted wickedly.
When our ancestors were in Egypt,
    they gave no thought to your miracles;
they did not remember your many kindnesses,
    and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.
Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
    to make his mighty power known.
He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
    he led them through the depths as through a desert.
He saved them from the hand of the foe;
    from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.
The waters covered their adversaries;
    not one of them survived.
Then they believed his promises
    and sang his praise.

 And so we pray forgiveness for the sins that we have committed.

We pray forgiveness for the ways we are even unaware that we have done things to harm others.
We ask your help in making changes in our lives and in the world to be sure that all are treated with love and compassion.
We pray now individually to you in confession of our sins...Amen

Hear the good news:
Christ died for us while we were yet sinners;
that proves God's love toward us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

Glory to God Amen

Let us give our thanks and praise.
For it is right, and a good and joyful thing,
always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
You formed us in your image
and breathed into us the breath of life.
each person on this earth, all genders, all races, all ethnicities, all nationalities
were made in your image and meant to be equals in front of you.
When we turned away, and our love failed,
your love remained steadfast.
You delivered us from captivity,
made covenant to be our sovereign God,
and spoke to us through the prophets.

And so,
with your people on earth
and all the company of heaven
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

 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.
Even he would bring this love to all people and asked us to show it to each person the same
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.

When the Lord Jesus ascended,
he promised to be with us always,
in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit.

 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.

 Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

 Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,
and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be for the world the body of Christ,
redeemed by his blood. 
By your Spirit make us one with Christ,
one with each other,
and one in ministry to all the world,
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 Father,
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 break is a sharing in the body of Christ.

 The cup over which we give thanks is a sharing in the blood of Christ.

 The body of Christ, given for you. Amen.

The blood of Christ, given for you. Amen.

Benediction
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.

Go forth in peace.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with you all. Amen.

John 2:13-25, Psalm 127:1-2

Narrative Lectionary, Year 4
Jan. 16, 2021
John 2:13-25, Psalm 127:1-2

Opening Prayer
Psalm 127:1-2
Lord, build your house here.  Build it in this town and let the foundation be Jesus Christ, our Rock and Redeemer.  Let His Holy Spirit that dwells among us guide us in our worship today so that our faith will be the support beams.  May what we do honor and glorify your holy name, O God, and may it reach those who need to hear of your great love.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Prayer of Preparation
Heavenly Father, your house is holy.  We want to show you that we believe through what we do and say here.  Let this time of hearing and meditating on what your Scriptures teach us be a time that leads us to making our time with you more sacred.  In the Name Jesus the Christ, Amen.

Offering Prayer
Father God, it would be very easy, so easy in fact that we often do it, to give our offerings with the wrong attitude.  To give with the mindset that our gifts are out of obligation to do the right thing.  But instead our gifts are to be given with the mindset that this is an offering of thanks and praise for your gift to us of grace in Jesus Christ.  Let these gifts not just support this building, but let them be in support of your mission that you’ve called us to.  With honor and praise we give in the name of the Messiah, Amen.

Intercessory Prayer
Son of the Father:
We want to give you thanks for having been with us today in our time of worship.  We do not deserve the grace and mercy that you offer to us, a broken people who sometimes even fail to worship in the right way or with the right attitude.  But you give it to us without asking anything in return except to love God and love neighbor.  We are doing our best, but know that we all stand in need of your healing of our brokenness.  With your entry to the Temple you sought to heal a broken system.  We ask now that you enter into lives of those who are broken by grief or mental illness, those who are broken by disease, sickness, or chronic illness, those who are broken by abuse, discrimination, or unfair treatment.  We ask Lord healing on all of this and more that we’re aware of in our hearts and even the things that we haven’t heard about.  We ask it in your holy and precious name in one voice with your prayer…Our Father…Amen

Benediction
Let what you do this week be done in such a way that Jesus knows you believe
Let Him know you believe that the Father loves you
Let Him know you believe that Jesus offers grace
Let Him know you believe that the Spirit binds you together with one another
Amen

John 2:1-11, Psalm 104:14-16

Narrative Lectionary, Year 4
Jan. 9, 2022
John 2:1-11, Psalm 104:14-16
Epiphany and/or Baptism of the Lord Sunday

Opening Prayer
Our Lord Jesus, the Glory of God Manifested:  We want to see your glory; we want to believe; our faith might be weak at times and we may need or want to see signs as proof.  Thank you for the signs that you have given and may this time be praising and honoring to you because your Spirit comes upon us to give us the faith that we need to lift up our hearts to you.  Amen.

Prayer of Preparation
God of all: You are the host of the banquet.  The bread and the wine are here.  And the word that you have spoken through John the Evangelist has been shared.  Bless us now as we feast on the word to learn your of your love.  Amen.

Pastoral Prayer
Heavenly Father, although the hour had not come at the wedding feast, it did come for our Lord Jesus.  With great thanksgiving we praise you for your love in sending your Son.  The wine offered in Cana took away the shame of the host and hostess.  The mercies that you can offer to your sons and daughters for whom we pray can take away so much more than shame in many cases!  Just as you provided from nothing for them, do so for those who suffer today.  Give strength, heal illnesses, mend the minds, take away the abuse, end the addictions, stop the bullying, let the wars waged grind to a halt.  We pray this and so much more knowing that you can do all things.  With thanksgiving we praise you and pray your prayer: Our Father… Amen.

Communion
Christ our Lord calls to his Table:
all and earnestly repent of their sin
and seek to live in peace with one another.
Therefore, let us confess our sin before God and one another.

Lord we have sinned.
  Sometimes we think something is too big.
  Sometimes we think that it is not anything that can be solved.
  Sometimes we let people go hungry and thirsty.
  Sometimes we don’t invite all to our table.
For these sins and the ones we will confess in our hearts,
  we beg your mercy.
silence

Hear the good news:
The signs are told to us to show how God’s glory is manifested.
  We know that one of these signs is resurrection of our Lord.
  This sign is the proof that our lives will never end
     because He has mercy and
He died for us while we were yet sinners;
  proving God’s gracious love toward us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
Glory to God! Amen

As a forgiven and reconciled people, we have offered ourselves and our gifts to God.  And so we give thanks for those gifts we’ve received:

Jesus, you provided in abundance.  Let these gifts be transformed to be so abundant that we cannot imagine the good that will be done with them to further to message of your gospel in this world.  In Your Holy Name, Amen.

 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,
Father Almighty (almighty God), creator of heaven and earth.
When the garden was first made,
  the fruits and vegetables grew in abundance;
  but our sin caused us to be sent away from it, and
  we had to till the ground with sweat to produce just enough to live.
But You, Lord, came to be with us and blessed us with more than we’ll ever need.
  Especially this includes more grace than we’ll need.
And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

 Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. 

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ.
  Who gave everything to create His church
By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection,
by the delivery from slavery to sin and death,
by the new covenant through water and the Spirit.

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.

Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. 

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,
and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.

 Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church,
all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father (God ), now and for ever.

Amen.

Benediction
Take of the abundance of grace that you have received and share it with those around you
The grace of God
The love of the Son
The communion of the Spirit
Amen.

Psalm 72, Jer. 37:7-14, John 1:10-18

RCL Daily Readings, Year C, Jan. 5, 2022
Psalm 72, Jeremiah 37:7-14, John 1:10-18

Opening Prayer
Word made flesh, who dwelt among us: we pray now to you that we could behold your glory in the coming hour as we see our prayers heard and answered.  May we as the children of God have our belief in you increased because of our worship.  But help us to not let our belief pend on the signs of answered prayers and rather let our belief be simply enough that we believe you will answer them.  In the name of the only begotten Son of the Father, Amen.

Intercessory Prayer
Our Lord Jesus, the righteous King’s Son:
We pray today for the needs of the world.  You know that there are many people who do not know peace, who do not know abundance, who do not know life with suffering.  These people are here in our church, they are in this town, they reside in this state, in this country and throughout the whole world.  We know, having felt the peace of your Spirit in our lives, that there will be a world with abundance, a world without suffering.  We look forward to that day and we ask that you would lead us in helping other people to know it too.  In Jesus Name we pray with His prayer: Our Father… Amen.

Confessional Prayer:
Our Lord God, we confess to you the sins that we have committed in not being a people who have brought peace and abundance; for not being a people who have cared for the marginalized, the poor, the suffering.  Lord God, we pray that you would forgive and give us the grace to make the changes that are needed in our lives, in our church, and in this world.  Please grant your mercy for these sins and the ones we confess in the privacy of our hearts and prayers to you…Amen.