I wish I could say that I carefully planned out our Acts series so that World Communion Sunday would correspond to Peter’s vision-fueled defense of eating with uncircumcised men. (Acts 11:1-18) But I can’t. It was all Holy Spirit . . . or dumb luck. But it is working out well. Below are a couple…
This Sunday we are celebrating the work of our little church and encouraging people to step forward and serve according to their gifts and passions. Here are some of the worship pieces we will be using: –One of my favorite calls to worship from Ann B. Day, which you can find here. –A hymn I…
This Sunday will be our final Sunday in a series on Jesus’ disciples. I will preach on Luke 24:36-53–Jesus’ final instructions to his disciples. Plus we will share communion together this week. Call to Worship Leader: We come this morning to spend time on the path with other disciples. Side 1: Others who are wondering.…
This prayer of confession and assurance of pardon is adapted from the Message version of Ephesians 2:1-10. Holy God, there is always a temptation to be mired in that old stagnant life of sin. We let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell us how to live. We fill our lungs…
Here at Peace Mennonite we’re starting a series on the disciples that will take us through to Advent. This week’s disciple is Judas–who is fun to begin with, plus his story works well with communion Sunday. Call to Worship As Jesus requested, the table has been prepared, and all are welcome at the meal.…
This coming Sunday, we are beginning a worship series on Jesus’ disciples–so I’m starting it off with the call stories in Matthew 4:18-22 and 9:9. The idea in the first responsive line in the call to worship is to have each person say his or her own name. This will take some prior explanation by…
This Call to Worship and Prayer of Confession are based on this week’s Gospel reading from the lectionary. (You know I am a liturgy nerd when I read the lectionary texts and write prayers for FUN while I’m on Sabbatical!) Call to Worship Some of us are exhausted. We come to rest. Some of…
The worship piece this week is a prayer of confession and assurance of pardon based on the New Testament lectionary readings for the upcoming Sunday. Blessings to all who are planning worship this week! Prayer of Confession (based on Mark 6:7-13) Holy One of Nazareth, We see you calm storms, heal illness, even restore life,…
I saw that Psalm 130 is coming up as a lectionary reading for July 1. What a beautiful, heartbreaking piece of poetry! I just posted a sermon I wrote on Psalm 130 back in 2006. (Hard to believe I’ve been preaching that long!) And here is a simple responsive reading from Psalm 130 that can…
God of the foolish cross, tottering down the streets of Jerusalem on a donkey, You are not the savior we expect. Your power doesn’t look like the power we want our God to demonstrate. Your wisdom makes no sense to us. We are happy to join the crowd, waving branches, But not so sure we…
Spacious Faith 