Lectionary Readings
Semicontinuous
2 Samuel 11:26—12:13a
Using the parable of a lamb, Nathan convicts David of his sins.
Psalm 51:1–12
Have mercy on me, O God, and cleanse me of my sin.
Complementary
Exodus 16:2–4, 9–15
God feeds the people in the wilderness with manna from heaven.
Psalm 78:23–29
The Lord rained down manna; the people ate and were filled.
Ephesians 4:1–16
There is one body and one Spirit; speak truth and grow in love.
John 6:24–35
Jesus teaches about the bread of heaven, food for eternal life.
— Gathering —
Call to Worship
In Christ we have what we need
to build God’s community of love.
Jesus calls us: Follow me.
In Christ we receive the bread of life.
Jesus calls us: Follow me.
In Christ we are filled.
Jesus calls us: Follow me.
Prayer of the Day
Bread of life and manna from heaven,
you provide for each of us and for all of us.
You join every ligament, knitting us together,
a whole body.
May each of our parts promote our common growth
as your love feeds us.
Nourish us, fill us, enliven us,
so that we can feed each other
and seek the good of each and all,
both near and far.
This we pray
through the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song
Thanksgiving For Baptism
At the baptismal font:
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
O Lord our God, we give you thanks
for the grace that is at work in us
through the gift of our baptism—
the sign of your threefold name,
the communion of your faithful people,
the promise of your glorious realm.
By the power of your Holy Spirit,
poured out upon us in baptism,
let your grace and peace grow in us,
until we gather at your heavenly throne
to give you thanks and praise forever;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession and Pardon
At the baptismal font:
It is only by the power of God
that we are able to stand against evil.
Trusting in God’s grace, let us confess our sin.
You are the Bread of Life, O God,
and you promise that we will never hunger again,
but we do hunger, O Lord, and often for the wrong things.
You feed us with grace, but we hunger for achievements.
You offer us peace, but we hunger for control.
You bless us with plenty to share,
but we are quick to hoard the gifts we call ours.
Forgive us, O Bread of Life, and by your forgiveness
teach us to hunger for things that you do:
to hunger for justice, to long for equality,
to work for the common good
until none of your children have to hunger for bread.
Lifting water from the font:
Now stand firm in your faith,
covered by the saving grace of God
and ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!
Thanks be to God.
— Word —
Prayer for Illumination
At the lectern or pulpit:
Faithful God, how blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Sanctify us by your Word and Spirit
so that we may glorify you
in the company of the faithful;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Scripture
Before the readings:
The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.
Listen to the word of the Lord.
Deuteronomy 6:4
After the readings:
Keep these words in your heart.
The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.
Thanks be to God.
Deuteronomy 6:6
Sermon
Ascription of Praise
After the sermon:
To the Lord our God, Alpha and Omega,
be all glory and honor forever. Amen.
Revelation 21:6
Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song
Affirmation of Faith
Time after Pentecost
The life, death, resurrection,
and promised coming of Jesus Christ
has set the pattern for the church’s mission.
His human life involves the church
in the common life of all people.
His service to men and women
commits the church
to work for every form of human well-being.
His suffering makes the church sensitive
to all human suffering
so that it sees the face of Christ
in the faces of persons in every kind of need.
His crucifixion discloses to the church
God’s judgment on the inhumanity
that marks human relations,
and the awful consequences
of the church’s own complicity in injustice.
In the power of the risen Christ
and the hope of his coming,
the church sees the promise
of God’s renewal of human life in society
and of God’s victory over all wrong.
The church follows this pattern
in the form of its life
and in the method of its action.
So to live and serve
is to confess Christ as Lord.
Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.32–33
Prayers of Intercession
God our provider,
hear our prayer.
We pray for an end to hunger . . .
Fill all people with the strength they need.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those living in drought . . .
Send water to nourish the earth.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who provide food for others . . .
Encourage them in their work.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those in positions of power . . .
Inspire them to practice equity
and to advocate for the poor.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who worry there is not enough . . .
Teach them to trust your provisions.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those
who are far from their homeland . . .
Surround them with companions along their way.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of the hungry and hurting,
satisfy us with your care,
that we may care for one another.
Through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
— Eucharist —
Invitation to Offering
At the communion table:
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,
to present yourselves as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God.
Let us offer our lives to the Lord.
Romans 12:1
Prayer of Dedication
At the communion table:
We give you thanks and praise, O God,
for you have chosen the poverty of the world
to make your people rich in faith.
Help us to put our faith into practice
through the offering of our lives—
giving food to the hungry,
clothes to the naked,
and shelter to the poor;
all for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord,
your Word made flesh. Amen.
James 2:5, 14–17
Great Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God:
You have heard our crying in the wilderness,
and you rain down your mercy upon us;
you provide the bread that we need this day.
Therefore we praise you, joining the song
of the universal church and the heavenly choir:
A Sanctus (“Holy, holy, holy”) is sung.
Blessed is Jesus Christ, our Savior:
Jesus is the bread you sent down from heaven;
he is the true bread, giving life to the world:
your enduring promise and our eternal food.
The words of institution are included here.
Remembering your goodness and grace,
we offer ourselves to you with gratitude
as we share this joyful feast.
A Memorial Acclamation (e.g., “Christ has died”) is sung.
Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon this bread and cup;
make us one in the body and blood
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Help us to lead a life worthy of your calling:
a life of humility and gentleness, patience and love,
keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Through the Lord Jesus Christ,
in the unity of the Spirit,
we bless you, God of glory,
now and forever.
An Amen is sung.
Lord’s Prayer
Breaking the Bread
Communion of the People
Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song
Prayer after Communion
At the communion table:
God of glory, in this holy feast
you have made us one with Christ
and with that great multitude of the faithful—
those who hunger and thirst no more
and worship night and day in your temple.
Lead us in the paths of righteousness
and guide us to the springs of the water of life,
until we join the choir of the redeemed,
singing: Salvation belongs to our God
who is seated on the throne,
and to the Lamb: Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
— Sending —
Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song
Blessing and Charge
At the doors of the church:
The blessing of the one God—
Spirit, Son, and Father—
be with you now and always. Alleluia!
Ephesians 4:4–6
Lead a life worthy of your calling,
giving glory to God in all things. Amen.
Ephesians 4:1
Elijah
Basilian Aleppian Order collection of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, 18th Century
Additional Materials
Congregational Song
GATHERING
- Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah (CWM RHONDDA) GTG 65 (G)
- All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly (HOLY MANNA) GTG 509 (G)
- Baptized in Water (BUNESSAN) GTG 482 (E)
WORD
- I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say (KINGSFOLD) GTG 182 (G)
- Lord, Speak to Me That I May Speak (CANONBURY) GTG 722 (O)
- Thy Word Is a Lamp unto My Feet (THY WORD) GTG 458 (O)
- We Are One in the Spirit (THEY’LL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS) GTG 300 (E)
EUCHARIST
- Eat This Bread (BERTHIER) GTG 527 (G)
- Bread of the World in Mercy Broken (RENDEZ À DIEU) GTG 499 (G)
- Pan de vida eterna (SANTO) FJ 94 (G)
- One Bread, One Body (ONE BREAD, ONE BODY) GTG 530 (E)
SENDING
- Hallelujah! We Sing Your Praises (HALELUYA! PELO TSA RONA) GTG 538 (G)
- God Be with You Till We Meet Again (RANDOLPH) GTG 541 (G)
- I, the Lord of Sea and Sky (HERE I AM (Schutte)) GTG 69 (O)
- Lord, You Give the Great Commission (ABBOT’S LEIGH) GTG 298 (E)
Psalms and Canticles
Psalm 51:1–12
Metrical
- Give Me a Clean Heart [IRREGULAR] AAHH 461
- Gracious Lord, My Heart Renew [REDHEAD] PAS 51 O
Responsorial
- Cast Me Not Away From Your Presence UMH 785
- God of Mercy PP 100
Psalm 78:23–29
Metrical
- I Do; Don’t You? [IRREGULAR] OLOF 505
- Alleluia! Sing to Jesus [WORTHY IS THE LAMB] RIL 346
Responsorial
- People of the Lord GTG 632
- Open Your Ears, O Faithful People (easy Hebrew refrain) PAS 78C
Organ Music
- “Hope of the World,” DONNE SECOURS, The Concordia Hymn Prelude Series, vol. 23, arr. Donald Busarow, CON (E)
- “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken,” AUSTRIAN HYMN, The Essential Collection for the Church Organist, vol. 1, Joseph Haydn, arr. Gordon Young, HOPE (M)
- DUNDEE, 36 Short Preludes and Postludes on Well-known Hymn Tunes, Set 1, Healy Willan, IMSLP (E)
- “One Bread, One Body,” Augsburg Organ Library: Baptism and Communion, John Foley, arr. Ron Schmoltze, AF (M)
Anthems for Adult Choirs
- “Many Gifts, One Spirit,” Allen Pote, HOPE, SATB, pno (E)
- “Create in Me,” Victor Johnson, LOR, SATB, pno (E)
- “Come Before the Table,” Karen Marrolli, MSM, SATB, perc (M)
- “Panis Angelicus,” Cesar Franck, CPDL, SATB, solo, org (M)
- “One Faith, One Hope, One Lord,” Craig Courtney, LOR, SATB, pno (E)
- “For the Bread Which You Have Broken,” David Schelat, MSM, SAB, keybd (E)
Art
- The Lamb, Paul Klee, 1920 (VDL)
- Fruits (Wapu), Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe, 2021 (MoMA)
- Shelter (Masiko), Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe, 2018 (MoMA)
- Madonna Lactans, from “Enchiridon Poeticum,” Hans Baldung, 1515 (MET)
