October 27, 2024 – Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost / Proper 25

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 —

Opening Sentences

God has gathered us in this place
from the corners of
[name(s) of your community(ies). This may be a single place name or a list.]
We’ve come from many kinds of dwellings and many kinds of families,
from the many places we work and learn.
From near and far(-ish),
we join our hearts and voices to glorify God.
We’ve come from
[name of a road, neighborhood, or town near your worshiping community] and
[name of a second road, neighborhood, or town near your worshiping community],
following detours between or beyond.
God welcomes all in this place.
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