Words for Worship

August 2 – Season of Creation: Bread of Life – Holy Communion

Welcome
In today’s first reading God invites all who are hungry or thirsty to receive food and drink without cost. Jesus feeds the hungry multitude and reveals the abundance of God. In Holy Communion, even in special circumstances, we remember all who are hungry or poor in our world today. As we share the bread of life, we are sent forth to give ourselves away as bread for the hungry.

Song    All who hunger, gather gladly       Worship 461

All who hunger gather gladly; 
holy manna is our bread.
Come from wilderness and wand’ring. 
Here in truth we will be fed.
You that yearn for days of fullness,
all around us is our food.
Taste and see the grace eternal.
Taste and see that God is good.

2   All who hunger, never strangers; 
seeker, be a welcome guest.
Come from restlessness and roaming.
Here in joy we keep the feast.
We that once were lost and scattered
in communion’s love have stood.
Taste and see the grace eternal.
Taste and see that God is good.

3   All who hunger, sing together,
Jesus Christ is living bread.
Come from loneliness and longing.
Here in peace we have been fed.
Blest are those who from this table
live their days in gratitude.
Taste and see the grace eternal.
Taste and see that God is good.

Text: Sylvia G. Dunstan, 1955-1993
Text © 1991 GIA Publications, Inc., 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638. www.giamusic.com. 800.442.3358. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Prayer of the Day
Glorious God, your generosity waters the world with goodness, and you cover creation with abundance. Awaken in us a hunger for the food that satisfies both body and spirit, and with this food fill all the starving world; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Praise and Thanksgiving Worship 689
Praise and thanksgiving, God, we would offer
for all things living, you have made good:
harvest of sown fields, fruits of the orchard,
hay from the mown fields, blossom and wood.

2   God, bless the labor we bring to serve you,
that with our neighbor we may be fed.
Sowing or tilling, we would work with you,
harvesting, milling for daily bread.

3   Father, providing food for your children,
by Wisdom’s guiding teach us to share
one with another, so that, rejoicing
with us, all others may know your care.

4   Then will your blessing reach ev’ry people,
freely confessing your gracious hand.
Where you are reigning, no one will hunger;
your love sustaining showers the land.

Text: Albert F. Bayly, 1901-1984, alt.

Text © Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Children’s Time –

First Reading
A reading from Isaiah 55 –
Ho, everyone who thirsts,
  come to the waters;
 and you that have no money,
  come, buy and eat!
 Come, buy wine and milk
  without money and without price.
 ²Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
  and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
 Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
  and delight yourselves in rich food.
 ³Incline your ear, and come to me;
  listen, so that you may live.
 I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
  my steadfast, sure love for David.
 ⁴See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
  a leader and commander for the peoples.
 ⁵See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
  and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
 because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
  for he has glorified you.
Word of God, word of Life. Thanks be to God.

Halle, Halle, Hallelujah          Worship 172
Halle, halle, hallelujah.
Halle, halle, hallelujah.
Halle, halle, hallelujah.
Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Gospel: Matthew 13:45-52
The gospel is from Matthew:
Now when Jesus heard [about the beheading of John the Baptist], he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. ¹⁵When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” ¹⁷They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” ¹⁸And he said, “Bring them here to me.” ¹⁹Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. ²¹And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

Message – Deacon Kari Alice Olsen

Song – The Church of Christ, in Every Age Worship 729

1   The church of Christ, in ev’ry age
beset by change, but Spirit-led,
must claim and test its heritage
and keep on rising from the dead.

2   Across the world, across the street,
the victims of injustice cry
for shelter and for bread to eat,
and never live before they die.

3   Then let the servant church arise,
a caring church that longs to be
a partner in Christ’s sacrifice,
and clothed in Christ’s humanity.

4   For he alone, whose blood was shed,
can cure the fever in our blood,
and teach us how to share our bread
and feed the starving multitude.

5   We have no mission but to serve
in full obedience to our Lord;
to care for all, without reserve,
and spread his liberating word.

Text: Fred Pratt Green, 1903-2000
Text © 1971 Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, whose steadfast love is everlasting, whose faithfulness endures from generation to generation. Amen.

Trusting in the mercy of God, let us confess our sin.
Silence is kept for reflection.

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.

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. Amen.

Prayers of the People
Confident of your care and helped by the Holy Spirit, we pray for the church, the world, and all who are in need.
A brief silence.

You take resources that appear to be meager, bless them, and there is enough. May your church trust that what you bless and ask us to share with the world is abundantly sufficient. As we remember the church throughout the world, we especially remember our siblings in Masimike, Iringa, Tanzania. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Your bountiful creation offers sustenance and life for all creatures. Protect this abundance for the well-being of all. Reverse the damage we have caused your creation. Replenish ground water supplies, provide needed rains in places of drought, and protect forests from wildfires. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You offer yourself to all the nations and peoples of the earth, inviting everyone to abundant life. Bring the prophetic vision to fullness, that all nations will run to you and that nations who do not know you will find their joy in you. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Hear the anguish of tender hearts who cry to you in suffering and satisfy their deepest needs. Bring wholeness and healing to those who suffer in body, heart, soul, and mind (especially those we think of now………………………………………….). Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You offer freely the fullness of salvation. Give our congregation (name) such a welcoming heart, that our words and actions may extend your free and abundant hospitality to all whom we encounter. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You gather your saints as one, united in the body of Jesus. Bring us with all your saints to the heavenly banquet. We remember with love and thanksgiving the saints we have known. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

In the certain hope that nothing can separate us from your love, we offer these prayers to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Peace
Johm riab sua.
Selam.
The peace of Christ be with you all. And also with you.

Offering

Offering Prayer
God of goodness and growth, all creation is yours, and your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens. All around us are signs of your abundant grace. Nourish us through these gifts, that we might proclaim your steadfast love in our communities and in the world, through Jesus Christ, our strength and our song. Amen.

Song    God Extends An Invitation Worship 486
Nuestro Padre nos invita       

ENGLISH
God extends an invitation
to the table of creation,
where there’s wine and light and bread.
Here we gather in thanksgiving
and we offer all our living.
 Here the feast of life is spread;
here the feast of life is spread.

SPANISH
Nuestro Padre nos invita
a la mesa de la vida,
donde hay vino, luz y pan;
y nosotros nos reunimos,
y lo nuestro compartimos,
pues así es la comunión;
pues así es la comunión.

Text: Miria T. Kolling; Spanish and English tr. Gerhard M. Cartford, b. 1923
Spanish and English text © 1998 Augsburg Fortress.

Great Thanksgiving

The Story of Communion

Lord’s Prayer

Invitation to Communion
Friends of Jesus, come to the table.
Receive nourishment for your journey.

Song    We Come to the Hungry Feast Worship 479

1   We come to the hungry feast
hungry for a word of peace.
To hungry hearts unsatisfied
the love of God is not denied.
We come, we come to the hungry feast.

2   We come to the hungry feast
hungry for a world released
from hungry folk of ev’ry kind,
the poor in body, poor in mind.
We come, we come to the hungry feast.

3   We come to the hungry feast
hungry that the hunger cease,
and knowing, though we eat our fill,
the hunger will stay with us; still
we come, we come to the hungry feast.
Text: Ray Makeever, b. 1943
Text © 1982 Ray Makeever, admin. Augsburg Fortress.

Prayer after Communion
God of the welcome table, in this meal we have feasted on your goodness and have been united by your presence among us. Empower us to go forth sustained by these gifts so that we may share your neighborly love with all, through Jesus Christ, the giver of abundant life. Amen.

Cambodian Lord’s Prayer

Blessing
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.

Song    Amen, we praise your name O God Worship 846
Amen, siakudumisa
[This is call & response – A leader sings the words in parentheses]

ENGLISH
(Sing praises!) Amen, we praise your name, O God!
(Sing praises!) Amen, we praise your name, O God!
(Sing praises!) Amen, amen. Amen, amen.
Amen, we praise your name, O God! (Sing praises!)

ORIGINAL
(Masithi!) Amen siakudumisa!
(Masithi!) Amen siakudumisa!
(Masithi!) Amen, bawo. Amen, bawo.
Amen, siakudumisa! (Masithi!)
Text: South African traditional

Dismissal
Go in peace. Christ is with you.
Thanks be to God.