Lectionary Readings
Semicontinuous
Job 42:1–6, 10–17
Now Job answers the Lord, and repents; God restores his fortunes.
Psalm 34:1–8 (19–22)
I will bless the Lord at all times; I cried, and God answered me.
Complementary
Jeremiah 31:7–9
The Lord says: I will gather my people from the ends of the earth.
Psalm 126
Those who went out weeping will come home with shouts of joy.
Hebrews 7:23–28
Jesus is a high priest forever; his own sacrifice was once for all.
Mark 10:46–52
Jesus restores Bartimaeus’s sight: Your faith has made you well.
— Gathering —
Call to Worship
God gathers everything together for good.
Come, let us worship God.
In Christ we have a high priest
who intercedes for us.
Come, let us worship God.
Take heart; in Christ we are made well.
Come, let us worship God.
Prayer of the Day
God of restoration,
help us to recognize your healing work in our lives
and strengthen our faith for the seasons
when that work is still in progress.
May we cultivate the kind of hope
that teaches us of your love.
As a prism spills colors through light,
may we share your restoring love
everywhere we go. 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.
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us.
Heal us of our blindness, O Lord,
for it is a blindness we have chosen.
We close our eyes when faced with suffering of the world,
turn our gaze away from the needs of our neighbors,
and blur our faces in the mirror,
lest we recognize your image.
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us.
Heal us of our blindness,
and open our eyes to the beauty of your grace.
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:
Sovereign God, let your Word rule in our hearts
and your Spirit govern our lives
until at last we see the fulfillment
of your realm of justice and peace;
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
Restore our fortunes, O Lord;
hear our prayer.
We pray for people who have faced affliction . . .
Give them new life and hope in you.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for refugees and people in exile . . .
Gather them up in your great love.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who struggle with sin . . .
Forgive them and lead them in right paths.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who are afraid to act . . .
Strengthen them to do your will.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for all who must beg for bread . . .
Give us compassion for people in need.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for all who long for healing . . .
Give them faith and make them well.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
that those who have gone out weeping
may come home with shouts of joy;
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:
To you, O God, we offer our lives—
our abundance, our poverty,
all that we have, all that we are—
a sign of our great thanksgiving
for the treasure of your grace.
Take and use us for good
in the world that you so love;
we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Mark 12:41–44
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:
When we were lost and wandering in exile
you gathered us up and brought us home;
you turned our weeping into shouts of joy!
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 welcomed the poor and gave sight to the blind.
Even now, to those who call on him for mercy, he says:
Go; your faith has made you well.
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.
Receive our prayers through Jesus Christ, our great high priest,
who offered his life as a sacrifice for all,
and now lives forever to intercede for us with grace.
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:
Blessed are you, O Lord our God,
creator and ruler of the universe,
for your have satisfied our souls
with this feast of your grace.
Keep us faithful in your service
until your realm of glory comes;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
— Sending —
Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song
Blessing and Charge
At the doors of the church:
The blessing of the holy, triune God,
who was and is and is to come—
first and last,
beginning and end,
Alpha and Omega—
be with you now and always. Alleluia!
Revelation 1:8
Go in peace to love the Lord your God
with heart and soul and mind and strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself. Amen.
Mark 12:29–31
Artist’s Mother Opening a Door
Edouard Vuillard, 1892
Additional Materials
Congregational Song
GATHERING
- O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing (AZMON’S GHOST) WAS 3001 (O)
- Arise, Your Light Is Come! (FESTAL SONG) GTG 744 (E)
- Come, Join the Dance of Trinity (KINGSFOLD) WAS 3017 (E)
- I’ll Praise My Maker (OLD 113TH) GTG 806 (G)
WORD
- It Is a Thing Most Wonderful (HERONGATE) AM 145 (O)
- Within Our Darkest Night (DANS NOS OBSCURITÉS) GTG 294 (O)
- In the Cross of Christ I Glory (RATHBUN) GTG 213 (E)
- The Woman Hiding in the Crowd (SIMMONS) GTG 178 (G)
EUCHARIST
- Sign Us with Ashes (PHOENIX) GTG 433 (O)
- Seed, Scattered and Sown (SEED SCATTERED) GTG 531 (E)
- Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling (SOFTLY AND TENDERLY) GTG 418 (G)
SENDING
- O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go (ST. MARGARET) GTG 833 (O)
- O Beauty Ever Ancient (ANCIENT BEAUTY) GTG 650 (E)
- Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (HYFRYDOL) GTG 366 (G)
Psalms and Canticles
Psalm 34:1–8 (19–22)
Metrical
- The Lord Will Listen [5.5.5.6] GWA 185
- Know That God Is Good [MUNGO NI MWEMA] GTG 659
Responsorial
- I Will Bless the Lord at All Times PAS 34 A (alternate)
- Come Bless the Lord PP 66
Psalm 126
Metrical
- He Has Done Great Things for Me [GREAT THINGS] AAHH 507
- When God Delivered Israel [SHEAVES] PH 237
Responsorial
- Those Who Sow in Tears P&C 131
- Our Mouth Was Filled with Laughter PAS 126 B
Organ Music
- SLANE, Step It Up! Volume 3: Hymns from the Isles, arr. Meirion Wynn Jones, World Library Publications (E)
- “Jesus, Priceless Treasure,” Ten Chorale Improvisations, Set 3, op. 9, Paul Manz, CON (MA)
- “’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus,” The Essential Collection for the Church Organist, Book 1, arr. Lloyd Larson, HOPE (E)
- “Petit Offertoire,” Organ Music for Manuals, Book II, César Franck, OUP (E)
Anthems for Adult Choirs
- “My Eyes for Beauty Pine,” Herbert Howells, OUP, SATB, org (M)
- “O Taste and See,” Ralph Vaughan Williams, OUP, SATB, org (E)
- “Sometimes a Light Surprises,” Craig Courtney, BP, SATB, pno (M)
- “Salmo 150,” Ernani Aguiar, earthsongs, SATB, acap (A)
- “Laudate Dominum,” W. A. Mozart, LG, SATB, sop, pno (M)
- “Phind’ukhulume,” Mzwandile Mabuza, WAL, SATB, acap (A)
Art
- Lord, That I May See, Matyas Church, Hungary, 1970 (VDL)
- Healing of the Man Born Blind, di Buoninsegna Duccio, 1307 (VDL)
- Following Christ, Anneke Kaai (AK)
