Lectionary Readings
Semicontinuous
Ruth 1:1–18
Ruth decides to go with Naomi to Judah: Where you go, I will go.
Psalm 146
Happy are those who put their trust in the Lord, the God of Jacob.
Complementary
Deuteronomy 6:1–9
Hear, O Israel: The Lord alone is our God; you shall love the Lord.
Psalm 119:1–8
Happy are those who seek God and walk in the ways of the Lord.
Hebrews 9:11–14
By the blood of Christ, our high priest, we will be made clean.
Mark 12:28–34
Jesus summarizes the commandments: to love God and neighbor.
— Gathering —
Call to Worship
Follow God’s commandments,
which are for all generations.
Jesus calls us: Follow me.
Follow to be freed for meaningful worship.
Jesus calls us: Follow me.
Follow by loving God and neighbor
with everything we have.
Jesus calls us: Follow me.
Prayer of the Day
God who guides us,
you ask us to give our whole selves to you,
but we live in a world
that claims we should hold different priorities.
As we seek faithfulness
amidst all that demands our attention and affection,
teach us what it means
to be centered in your love. 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.
Holy God, you call us to love you with all our heart,
and with all our soul, and with all our mind.
Forgive us when selfishness takes up too much of our heart,
when worry seems to crowd wonder out of our soul,
when fear causes us to close our minds to anything new.
Holy God, you call us to bear with one another in love.
Forgive us when we cannot love our neighbors.
Forgive us when we cannot love ourselves.
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
O Lord our God,
hear our prayer.
We pray for elders among us . . .
Teach us to honor and cherish them.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for children and youth . . .
Guard and guide them as they learn and grow.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those affected by violence . . .
Bring peace and put an end to bloodshed.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for all living creatures . . .
Show us how to live in right relationship.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for people of faith in every place . . .
Help us to love and serve you together.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for our neighbors . . .
Help us to love them as you love us.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord our God,
keep your commandments in our hearts,
that we may follow you faithfully;
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:
You delivered us, and our ancestors, from captivity,
and promised us a land flowing with milk and honey.
You are our God, O Lord—you alone.
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 showed us what it means to love you
with heart and soul and mind and strength,
and how to love our neighbors as ourselves.
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.
Lead us to that holy place—not made with human hands—
where Christ our Savior has offered himself for our redemption,
and where we may live to worship you forever.
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
Naomi and Ruth
Jacob Symonsz Pynas, before 1650
- Additional Materials
Congregational Song
GATHERING
- Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart (MORECAMBE) GTG 688 (O)
- The Day of Resurrection! (LANCASHIRE) GTG 233 (E)
- The God of Abraham Praise (LEONI) GTG 49 (O)
- I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord (ST. THOMAS) GTG 310 (G)
WORD
- Jesus, Priceless Treasure (JESU, MEINE FREUDE) GTG 830 (E)
- Above the Voices of the World around Me (REPTON) AM 114 (E)
- We’ve Come This Far by Faith (THIS FAR BY FAITH) GTG 656 (G)
- Like a Mother Who Has Borne Us (AUSTIN) GTG 44 (G)
EUCHARIST
- When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (ROCKINGHAM) GTG 224 (E)
- In the Singing (BREAD OF PEACE) GTG 533 (E)
- I Love the Lord, Who Heard My Cry (I LOVE THE LORD) GTG 799 (G)
SENDING
- Lord, I Want to Be a Christian (I WANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN) GTG 729 (O)
- O Sing to the Lord (CANTAI AO SENHOR) GTG 637 (O)
- To God Be the Glory (TO GOD BE THE GLORY) GTG 634 (E)
Psalms and Canticles
Psalm 119:1–8
Metrical
- This Is the Day / Este es el día [ESTE ES EL D.A] GTG 391
- Blest Are the Uncorrupt in Heart [RICHMOND] PH 233
Responsorial
- Oh Lord, My Delight PAS 119 G
- Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet UMH 840
Organ Music
- ROMEDAL, Augsburg Organ Library: Reformation, arr. Robert Buckley Farlee, AF (ME)
- “Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices,” Ten Chorale Improvisations, Set II, Op. 9, Paul Manz (ME)
- “Antiphon III,” Fifteen Pieces, Marcel Dupré, HWG (M)
- “O Waly, Waly / The Gift of Love,” Step It Up! Volume 3: Hymns from the Isles, arr. Meirion Wynn Jones, World Library Publications (ME)
Anthems for Adult Choirs
- “Song of Ruth,” David Childs, SBMP, SATB, pno (M)
- “Song of Ruth,” David Hamilton, GP, SAB, pno (E)
- “The Gift of Love,” Hal Hopson, HOPE, SATB, pno (E)
- “Beati Quorum Via,” C. V. Stanford, BH, SATB, acap (A)
- “If Ye Love Me,” Peter Wilby, Banks Music, SATB/solo, keybd (M)
- “Ubi Caritas,” Maurice Duruflé, Durand Editions, SATB, acap (A)
Art
- Sunrise, Sunset, Edie Mae Herrel, 1983 (VDL)
- Come Unto Me, Little Children, William H. Johnson, 1944 (VDL)
- Creation of Birds and Animals, Palatine Chapel, Palermo, Italy, 12th century (VDL) (PD)
