Prelude
Announcements
Call to Worship based on Psalm 27
One thing I have asked of the Lord,
People of God: this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
People of God: all the days of my life;
to behold the beauty of the Lord
People of God: and to seek God in the temple.
Who is it that you seek?
People of God: We seek the Lord our God.
Do you seek God with all your heart?
People of God: Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Do you seek God with all your soul?
People of God: Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Do you seek God with all your mind?
People of God: Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Do you seek God with all your strength?
People of God: Amen. Christ, have mercy.
Confession and Forgiveness based on Psalm 51
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit, a broken heart filled with regret and remorse. This heart God will not despise. We are a broken people. Trusting in God’s mending ways, let us confess our sins before God and one another:
Silence for reflection
Let us pray. Have mercy on us, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy, blot out our transgressions.
People of God: Wash us thoroughly from our iniquity and cleanse us from our sin. For we know our transgressions, and our sin is ever before us.
Against you, you alone, have we sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
People of God: Indeed, we were born guilty, sinners when our mothers conceived us. You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach us wisdom in our secret hearts.
Purge us with hyssop, and we shall be clean; wash us, and we shall be whiter than snow. Let us hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from our sins, and blot out all our iniquities.
People of God: Create in us a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within us. Do not cast us away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from us. Restore to us the joy of your salvation, and sustain in us a willing spirit.
O Lord, open our lips, and our mouths will declare your praise. The Lord creates in us clean hearts; God puts new and right spirits within us. We are not cast away from the presence of the Holy One, and the Holy Spirit is not taken from us. In Christ, we are restored to the joy of God’s salvation; and by God’s grace, our spirits are remade to follow God’s will.
People of God: Thanks be to God!
Gathering Hymn
ELW #715 Christ be Our Light
Prayer of the Day
Assisting Minister: Let us pray. God of courage and strength, be our light when we are afraid. Cover us with your gentle wings, and help us accept your grace and guidance. Give us patience to wait for you. People of God: Amen.
Reading
Psalm 27
Assisting Minister: The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh—my adversaries and foes—they shall stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
One thing I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.
Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD.
Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, LORD, do I seek.
Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!
If my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will take me up.
Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence.
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
The word of the Lord. People of God: Thanks be to God
Sermon Rev. Sarah Wilson
Hymn
Seek Ye First
Prayers of the People
Assisting Minister: Trusting in God’s abundant mercy, let us offer our prayers for a world in need.
A brief silence.
Assisting Minister: We pray for the church. For wisdom to heed the voices of prophets in our midst who cast a vision of God’s promised future. For courage to welcome people whom society rejects. For resolve to serve all in need. God, in your mercy, People of God: hear our prayer.
Assisting Minister: We pray for creation. For the Fox River, Crystal Lake, Lake Michigan, and all rivers, lakes, oceans, and streams. For lands experiencing scorching heat, drought, or wildfires. For conservation organizations and environmental activists. For scientists working on clean energy solutions. God, in your mercy, People of God: hear our prayer.
Assisting Minister: We pray for this nation and all nations. For presidents, governors, and legislators. For judges, juries, district attorneys, and public defenders. For military personnel. For those who are incarcerated. Guide us in ways of freedom that promote the common good. God, in your mercy, People of God: hear our prayer.
Assisting Minister: We pray for those in need. For exiles, immigrants, refugees, and those seeking asylum. For victims of harassment, torture, or abuse. For those who are ill, grieving, or need your care, especially Marsha, the Knight family, the Daharsh (day-harsh) family, Frank, Peggy, Rori, Susan, Grace, Alice, Gus, Denise, Leslie, Brian, Jessica, Jeanne, Barb, Cecil (see-sil), Stan, Ryleigh, Dylan, Sandy, Hopie (hope-y), Allen, Bunny, Patricia, Michael, Beth, Betty, Tom, and those we name silently or aloud <pause>. God, in your mercy, People of God: hear our prayer.
Assisting Minister: We pray for children. For their safety at home and in childcare settings. For their flourishing at summer programs and camps. For the many people who care for them including parents and grandparents; childcare workers and teachers; coaches, counselors, and mentors; pediatricians and psychologists. God, in your mercy, People of God: hear our prayer.
Please offer your own prayers of joy or concern, ending with “God, in your mercy,”
We respond with “hear our prayer.”
Assisting Minister: We give thanks for Mitchell and all the saints and prophets who have received the free gift of God, which is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. May their lives of humble service inspire us in faith. God, in your mercy, People of God: hear our prayer.
Receive our prayers and answer us, O God, in the name of Jesus Christ. People of God: Amen.
Children’s Sermon Rev. Sarah Wilson
The Peace (Please share peace by waving or showing the peace sign.)
The peace of Christ be with you always. People of God: And also with you.
Offering
Let us pray. God of field and forest, sea and sky, you are the giver of all good things. Sustain us with these gifts of your creation, and multiply your graciousness in us, that the world may be fed with your love, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. People of God: Amen
Communion
The Lord be with you.
People of God: And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
People of God: We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People of God: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread and gave thanks; he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me. Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
And now let us pray with confidence in the words that Jesus taught us:
People of God: 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
Invitation to Communion
Assisting Minister: All people are called to Christ’s table. Come, eat what is good.
For our at-home worshippers, you may take communion using these words:
The body of Christ, given for you.
The blood of Christ, shed for you.
Communion Songs
ELW #881 Let All Things Now Living
ELW #883 All People That on Earth Do Dwell
ELW #764 Have No Fear, Little Flock
ELW #781 Children of the Heavenly Father
Table Blessing
And now may the body and blood of our ☩ Lord, Jesus Christ, strengthen you and keep you in his grace. People of God: Amen
Prayer after Communion
Assisting Minister: Let us pray. We thank you, generous God, for the refreshment we have received at your banquet table. Send us now to spread your generosity into all the world, through the one who is our dearest treasure, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. People of God: Amen
Blessing
The God who calls across the cosmos and continually offers us shelter ☩ bless, keep, and sustain you now and to the end of the age. People of God: Amen
Sending Hymn
ELW#866 We are Marching in the Light
Dismissal
Assisting Minister: Go in peace knowing that God is our light. People of God: Thanks be to God.
Thank you to those serving us today
Pastor: Rev. Sarah Wilson
Worship Assistant: Rachel Brewer
Acolyte: Kyle Drews
Music: Gloria Peetz ~ Song Leader: Megan Criscione
Altar Guild: Nancy Nehls
Usher/Greeter: John & Denise Ulaszek
Sound Board: Sally Skalany
Producer: Mark Gates ~ Graphics: Dawna Gates
Counters: Marianne Barstow & Karen McKune
From sundaysandseasons.com. Copyright © 2023 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved
Confession and Forgiveness based on the work of Amy Loving, posted on The Worship Closet
Call to Worship (based on Psalm 27) (from the Northumbria Community website.www.northumbriacommunity.org/offices/morning-prayer/)