Sunday Jul 5, 2020
If you are alone, please read the Leader part silently and the read together out loud.
If you are in a group have one person read the leader part out loud.
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Leader: Trusting in the mercy of God, let us confess our sin.
Say together: Reconciling God,
we confess that we do not trust your abundance,
and we deny your presence in our lives.
We place our hope in ourselves and rely on our own efforts.
We fail to believe that you provide enough for all.
We abuse your good creation for our own benefit.
We fear difference and do not welcome others
as you have welcomed us.
We sin in thought, word, and deed.
By your grace, forgive us; through your love, renew us; and in your Spirit, lead us;
so that we may live and serve you in newness of life. Amen.
Leader: Beloved of God, by the radical abundance of divine mercy
we have peace with God through ☩ Christ Jesus,
through whom we have obtained grace upon grace.
Our sins are forgiven. Let us live now in hope.
For hope does not disappoint,
because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
Say Together: Amen.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Say together: You are great, O God, and greatly to be praised. You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Grant that we may believe in you, call upon you, know you, and serve you, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
READINGS
First Reading: Psalm 145:8-14
The LORD is gracious and full of compassion. (Ps. 145:8)
8The LORD is gracious and full | of compassion,
slow to anger and abounding in | steadfast love.
9LORD, you are | good to all,
and your compassion is over | all your works. R
10All your works shall praise | you, O LORD,
and your faithful | ones shall bless you.
11They shall tell of the glory | of your kingdom
and speak | of your power,
12that all people may know | of your power
and the glorious splendor | of your kingdom.
13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; your dominion endures through- | out all ages.
You, LORD, are faithful in all your words, and loving in | all your works.
14The Lord upholds all | those who fall
and lifts up those who | are bowed down. R
Second Reading: Romans 7:15-25a Life captive to sin is a catch-22 existence in which we know good but do not do it and do things we know to be wrong. Through Jesus Christ, God has set us free from such a futile existence.
15I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.
21So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. 22For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, 23but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25aThanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Gospel: Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Jesus chides people who find fault with both his ministry and that of John the Baptist. He thanks God that wisdom and intelligence are not needed to receive what God has to offer.
[Jesus spoke to the crowd saying:] 16“To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
17‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; 19the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
25At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
SERMON
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Say together: Called into unity with one another and the whole creation, let us pray for our shared world.
Leader: We pray for the church. Sustain us as we share your word. Embrace us as we struggle to find our common ground. Lift up leaders with powerful and prophetic voices. Free us from stagnant faith. Lord in your mercy,
Say together: Hear our prayer.
Leader: We pray for the well-being of creation. Protect the air, water, and land from abuse and pollution. Free us from apathy in our care of creation and direct us toward sustainable living. Lord, in your mercy,
Say together: Hear our prayer.
Leader: We pray for the United States celebrating their nationhood. Guide leaders in developing just policies and guide difficult conversations. Free us from patriotism that hinders relationship-building. Lead us to expansive love for our neighbor. Lord, your mercy,
Say together: Hear our prayer.
Leader We pray for all in need. For all who are tired, feeling despair, sick, or oppressed (especially struggling through this pandemic). Take their yoke upon you and ease their burdens. Give your consolation and free us from all that keeps us bound. Hear us, O God. Lord, in your mercy,
Say together: Hear our prayer.
Leader: For what else to the people of God Pray?
Say together: Hear our prayer.
Leader: Receive these prayers, O God, and those too deep for words; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Say together: Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
Say together: Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
BLESSING
Say together: Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
God, the creator, ☩ Jesus, the Christ,
and the Holy Spirit, the comforter,
bless you and keep you in eternal love. Amen.
DISMISSAL:
Leader: Go in peace. Christ is with you.
Say together: Thanks be to God.