Elements from this morning’s gathering

Call to Worship

We come here today,
not for our own gain,
not to prove our worth,
but to remember the One who gave it all away.

We come,
setting aside our ambitions,
laying down the weight of our own desires.

Jesus—
who had it all,
who was it all,
didn’t hold on,
didn’t grasp,
but emptied Himself,
became like us,
so that we could become like Him.

We come,
to follow the way of surrender,
the way of love that asks nothing in return.

Let us not cling to our own importance,
but look to the needs of our neighbor.

For Christ walked among us,
not as a celebrity,
but as a servant.

Washing feet,
befriending the fringe,
carrying burdens,
giving His very life.

A humble obedience,
even to the point of death.
The ultimate display of love.

So here we stand:
challenged,
humbled,
grateful.

Here we are,
ready to love like our Servant King.
Amen.

Prayers of the People

We’re going to spend a few minutes engaging in prayer together as a community.

I’ll offer a prompt for prayer, then provide space for you to lift up the prayers of your own heart.

Lift up your prayers for the upcoming election.

Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Now, let’s pray for our Nation, President, and all in authority.

Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Finally, on this All Saints Day, let’s pray for unity and charity to mark our relationships as Christ-followers.

Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

O God, who made us in your own image, renew the bonds of charity that uphold our civic life.

Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth.

Send us honest and able leaders who do right by you and others. Deliver us from poverty, prejudice, and oppression. Teach us to love our enemies.

We anticipate the day when peace will prevail with righteousness and justice, and in your good time, you enable us to all stand reconciled before you in Jesus Christ, in whose Name we pray, Amen.

Scripture Readings

A Reading from Matthew 6:25-33

‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.