Lectionary Readings
Semicontinuous
Genesis 21:8–21
Hagar and Ishmael are sent away, but God remains with them.
Psalm 86:1–10, 16–17
Be gracious to me, O God; save the child of your servant.
Complementary
Jeremiah 20:7–13
Jeremiah laments the terror all around, but must speak God’s word.
Psalm 69:7–10 (11–15) 16–18
Zeal for your house consumes me; save me from my enemies.
Romans 6:1b–11
Crucified with Jesus, we are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ.
Matthew 10:24–39
Jesus says: Do not fear for your life; take up your cross and follow.
— Gathering —
Opening Sentences
Do not be afraid:
God hears our cries when we are lost.
Do not be afraid:
God does not leave us abandoned.
Do not be afraid:
God is with us, now and always.
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:
We have died to sin; yet we continue to live in it.
God’s grace abounds so we might move past our sins.
Trusting that promise, let us confess.
Gracious God,
we try to follow your word:
to put others above ourselves,
to remember that we are all bound together as your beloved children,
to seek the common good instead of our own interests.
But it is so easy for our lesser selves to get the better of us.
We succumb to jealousy, vindictiveness,
callousness, and indifference.
In your mercy, send your healing
to those we have hurt,
and to our own misguided souls
so that we may follow you once more.
Lifting water from the font:
We are united in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection:
he has saved us from sin so that we might live in God.
Thanks be to Jesus Christ, who frees us from sin!
— Word —
Prayer for Illumination
At the lectern or pulpit:
Holy, Holy, Holy One,
guide us by the Spirit of truth
to hear the Word of life you speak,
and to give all glory, honor, and praise
to your threefold name;
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
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
Let us pray in the Spirit, who helps us in our weakness,
interceding with sighs too deep for words.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
In the Spirit, we pray for the church . . .
As we have been united in Christ’s death,
let us be one in the joy of resurrection—
set free to take up the cross and follow.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
In the Spirit, we pray for the earth . . .
Spring up with your surprising grace
in the wilderness and wasteland.
Be merciful to the earth you have made.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
In the Spirit, we pray for all nations . . .
Where old family feuds divide nations
and close neighbors are worlds apart,
give blessing; put an end to hate and fear.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
In the Spirit, we pray for this community . . .
Redeem those who are mocked and mistreated.
Restore those who are cursed and cast aside.
Hold them in your hands and save them from evil.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
In the Spirit, we pray for loved ones . . .
Draw near to those who are in distress;
deliver those whose lives are sinking in despair.
Answer them with the abundance of your love.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
In the Spirit, we pray to you, O God,
confident that all things work together for good
for those who love you
and are called according to your purpose.
Above all, we give you thanks, O God,
that nothing can separate us from your love
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Romans 8:26, 28, 39
— 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:
God of unending gifts,
we praise you for your abundant goodness.
As you are generous, we want to be generous too.
May the gifts we bring
extend your generosity into the world,
so that all people may be made whole
by your goodness and grace. Amen.
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 are the defender of those who are cursed and cast out.
When terror is all around, you hear our cries and come to save.
How can we fail to speak of you, and bless your name?
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 came to cast out fear with love, promising us that
if we give our lives away, we will receive them in fullness.
Still, he calls us to take up our cross and follow him.
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.
Immerse us each day in the grace of our baptism,
so that, having died in Christ, we may walk in newness of life.
Consider us dead to sin and alive to you, our God.
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:
Holy Spirit, you have filled us with your life.
Christ our Savior, you have embraced us in your love.
God our Mother, you have fed us with your grace.
Now send us out into your beloved world
to share your life, your love, your grace with all.
Blessing and honor and glory to you,
holy, holy, holy Lord. Amen.
— Sending —
Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song
Blessing and Charge
At the doors of the church:
May the blessing of the Trinity—
holy, holy, holy Lord—
be with you now and always. Alleluia!
Isaiah 6:3
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here I am; send me!” Amen.
Isaiah 6:8
“Hagar and Ishmael”
The Macklin Bible, W. Artaud and William Bromley, 1794
Additional Materials
Congregational Song
GATHERING
- Deep in the Shadows of the Past (O) SHEPHERDS’ PIPES GTG 50, PH 330
- Come and Fill Our Hearts / Confitemini Domino (O) CONFITEMINI DOMINO GTG 466
- Baptized in Water (E) BUNESSAN GTG 482, PH 492
- Christ Our Peace (G) PANATA STB 261
WORD
- Jesus Knows the Inmost Heart (G) LOE DE ÍSÁ GTG 427
- You Are the Lord, Giver of Mercy (O) WAYFARING STRANGER GTG 437
- Lord, Why Have You Forsaken Me (OG) DISTRESS, CONDITOR ALME SIDERUM GTG 210, PH 168
- Like a Child (OG) LIKE A CHILD STF 2092
EUCHARIST
- Save Me, O God; I Sink in Floods (OG) SALVATION GTG 478
- Thee We Adore, O Hidden Savior, Thee (OE) ADORO TE DEVOTE GTG 495, PH 519
- We Who Once Were Dead (OE) MIDDEN IN DE DOOD GTG 502
- Joyous Cup (G) Tony Alonso G3 929
SENDING
- Do Not Be Afraid (OG) ISAIAH 43 GTG 76
- God, Be the Love to Search and Keep Me (OG) GREEN TYLER GTG 543
- Take Up Your Cross, the Savior Said (G) BOURBON GTG 718, PH 393
- I Am Crucified with Christ (G) Donna Guenther CCLI #4048857
Psalms and Canticles
Psalm 86:1–10, 16–17
Metrical
- Incline Your Ear, O Lord, to Me [DANBY, PROSPECT]; GTG 844, PP 158 (with refrain)
- Lord, My Petition Heed [MASON]; PAS 86A, LUYH 889
Responsorial
- For Love Is Lord of All; CP2 5
- Be with Me, Lord, When I Am in Trouble; PAS 86B
- You, O Lord, Are Good and Forgiving [ROUEN]; HTP2 12
Psalm 69:7–10 (11–15), 16–18
Metrical
- Save Me, O God; I Sink in Floods [SALVATION]; GTG 478, PAS 69A
- Let My Shame Not Touch Your People [8.7.8.7 D]; SGP 99
Responsorial
- Answer Me, O God, in Your Great Mercy [TENDER THOUGHT]; HTP2 13
- If You Love Me; PAS 69B, LUYH 418
- Lord, Draw Near; PAS 69C
Organ Music
- “Triptych on ‘Adoro te devote,’” Charles Callahan, MSM (M)
- “Prelude,” Prelude, Fugue and Variation, op. 18, no. 3, Cesar Franck (M)
- “Halle, Halle, Hallelujah,” Three Global Songs, John A. Behnke, HOPE (E)
Anthems for Adult Choirs
- “God’s Love Is Alive in Us,” Mark Patterson, CGA, SATB, children’s choir, pno (M)
- “Come, Ye Disconsolate,” Terre Johnson, MSM, SATB, pno (MA)
- “Out of the Depths I Cry,” G. F. Handel, arr. Hal Hopson, HF, 2 pt mx, keybd (E)
- “Pilgrim’s Hymn,” Stephen Paulus, Paulus Publications, SATB div (A)
- “The Apple Tree,” K. Lee Scott, HIN, SATB, org (E)
- “The Name of Jesus,” Craig Courtney, BP, SATB, hd (M)
- “God So Loved the World,” John Stainer, ECS, SATB (MA)
- “Do Not Fear,” Fred Gramann, ECS, SATB (M)
Handbell Music
- “Kyrie,” Cathy Moklebust, 2–5 oct, CGA, CGB480, Level 3
- “Adore te devote,” William E. Moats, 3–5 oct, GIA, G-8366, Level 2+
- “Will You Come and Follow Me,” Susan T. Nelson, 3–5 oct, opt C inst, AGEHR, AG35289, Level 3
Art
- Hagar and Ishmael, from the Macklin Bible, W. Artaud and William Bromley, 1794 (VDL)
- Carrying the Cross of Christ, Gabriel Loire, mosaic, Aberdeen, UK (VDL)
- Undaunted, Carol Aust (EYE)
