August 25, 2024 – Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost / Proper 16

Lectionary Readings

Semicontinuous

1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10–11), 22–30, 41–43
At the dedication of the temple, King Solomon prays to the Lord.

Psalm 84
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord; my soul rejoices in you.

Complementary

Joshua 24:1–2a, 14–18
The Lord desires that the wicked turn away from evil, and live.

Psalm 34:15–22
Teach me your way, O Lord: to turn from vanity and disgrace.

Ephesians 6:10–20
Love is the fulfillment of the law; put on Christ; salvation is near.

John 6:56–69
A difficult teaching; yet Peter says Jesus has the words of eternal life.

— Gathering —

Opening Sentences

How lovely is your dwelling place,
O God, most gracious host.
My soul longs, indeed it faints,
for the household of God.
Even the sparrow finds a home
and the swallow a nest
at your table of grace,
O homemaking God.
Our hearts and our flesh sing for joy
to you, the living God.

Prayer of the Day

Emanuel, God with us,
you desire for us to abide in you
as you abide in us.
But we are restless
and turn back from following you
because the way of wisdom,
the way of sacrifice,
the way of gratitude,
the way of interdependence
is more difficult than we expected.
May we proclaim with Peter,
“You have the words of eternal life,”
and with the psalmist,
“A day in your house is better
than a thousand elsewhere.”
May we linger with you at table
rather than driving through to other destinations,
finally present with you,
with each other,
and with our own spirits.
This we pray through the gracious invitation
of the one who set the table for us,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Friend. 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.

O Lord, you are near to the brokenhearted,
and you save the crushed in spirit.
Be near to us in our brokenness,
and love us into wholeness.
You are near to people who are hurting,
but we keep our distance to avoid hard conversations.
You envision a world where all needs are met,
but we hoard our possessions and cling to our power.
Be near to us in our brokenness,
and love us into wholeness.
By your mercy, forgive our sins.
By your grace, free us to try again.

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