The Time after Pentecost / Ordinary Time – Liturgical Text – 56.1

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.
The prayer of confession is included here.

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.

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.

Prayer for Illumination

At the lectern or pulpit:
Time after Pentecost, Trinity Sunday
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.

Time after Pentecost, All Saints’ Day
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.

Time after Pentecost, Reign of Christ
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.

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

Ascription of Praise

After the sermon:
To the Lord our God, Alpha and Omega,
be all glory and honor forever. Amen.
Revelation 21:6

Affirmation of Faith

Time after Pentecost, Trinity Sunday
Jesus Christ is God with humankind.
He is the eternal Son of the Father,
who became human and lived among us
to fulfill the work of reconciliation.
He is present in the church
by the power of the Holy Spirit
to continue and complete his mission.
This work of God,
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
is the foundation of all confessional statements
about God, humanity, and the world.
Therefore, the church calls all people
to be reconciled to God and to one another.
Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.07

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

Time after Pentecost, Thanksgiving Day
Life is a gift to be received with gratitude
and a task to be pursued with courage.
People are free to seek life
within the purpose of God:
to develop and protect the resources of nature
for the common welfare,
to work for justice and peace in society,
and in other ways to use their creative powers
for the fulfillment of human life.
Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.17

Time after Pentecost, All Saints’ Day
The risen Christ is the Savior of all people.
Those joined to him by faith
are set right with God
and commissioned to serve
as God’s reconciling community.
Christ is head of this community, the church,
which began with the apostles
and continues through all generations.
Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.10

Time after Pentecost, Reign of Christ
Biblical visions and images of the rule of Christ,
such as a heavenly city, the household of God,
a new heaven and earth, a marriage feast,
and an unending day
culminate in the image of the kingdom.
The kingdom represents God’s triumph
over all that resists the divine will
and disrupts God’s creation.
Already God’s reign is present
as a ferment in the world,
stirring hope in all people
and preparing the world
to receive its ultimate judgment and redemption.

With an urgency born of this hope,
the church applies itself to present tasks
and strives for a better world.
It does not identify limited progress
with the kingdom of God on earth,
nor does it despair
in the face of disappointment and defeat.
In steadfast hope,
the church looks beyond all partial achievement
to the final triumph of God.
Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.54–55