Different Types of Pray-ers

October 26, 2025 Luke 18:9-14 Different types of pray-ers 20th Sunday after Pentecost Year C Prelude Greetings Call to Worship (inspired by Psalm 65) Leader: From the east and from the west, we come to praise God! People: Today we celebrate the ways God is at work in our world. Leader: From the fields ready for harvest to the majesty of the mountains, People: from the abundance of gentle rains to the blazing color of fall leaves Leader: God crowns the year with good blessings! People: And today we gather to praise God, Creator and Sustainer of life! (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Opening Prayer Bring us to deep silence, God, as we give thanks for the gifts you pour out on us and on all creation. Help us focus on you, and on the ways you sustain us in this life, even as we offer you our praise. AMEN. (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Song Lord I Want to be a Christian UMH 402 A Sermon for all Ages The Problem with Keeping all of the Rules Object: Picture of a camel Good morning, boys and girls. What is this picture I have in my hand? That's right, it's a picture of a camel. Today, I'm going to tell you a story by Rudyard Kipling about the problem of pride and how the camel got its hump. When God first created the earth and all the animals, He gave each of the animals a different job. All of the animals did their work, except the camel. Whenever the other animals asked the camel to do some work, the camel just said, "Humph!" and walked away. Whenever the other animals asked the camel to play with them, the camel just said, "Humph!" and walked away. You see, the camel thought that he was better than all the other animals. He had too much pride. So whenever the other animals talked to the camel, he just said, "Humph!" and walked away. Well, God didn't like for the camel to have so much pride. Because of his pride, the camel was not nice to the other animals. So God put a heavy hump on the camel's back to remind him of the time when he had too much pride and said, "Humph!" to all the animals instead of being nice. Of course, this is just make-believe. That is not really how the camel got its hump, is it? But it makes an important point. Our Bible story today is about two men who go to church to pray. The first man says his prayer very loudly. He acts like he is better than everybody else. He has too much pride. The second man prays quietly and asks God to forgive him of his sins. God listens to the prayer of the second man, because this man is not proud. God wants us to be like the second man. When we go to pray, we shouldn't act like we are better than others, and we shouldn't be a show-off about our religion. God likes us to be humble, and to glorify Him, not ourselves. Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan Call to Reconciliation When we pray to God, do we do so with pride in what wonderful people we are, or with that humble hope which recognizes how we have not lived as God’s children, and how we need God’s forgiveness and grace in our lives? Join me as we pray to our God, saying, (Lectionary Liturgies, Thom Shuman) Unison Prayer for Forgiveness Watching God, like the Pharisee, we think we can stick our thumbs into life, pull out a prayer, and congratulate ourselves for being such good Christians. Then, we remember the harsh words we have spoken this week, the hurt we have inflicted on someone we loved, the lack of compassion we failed to offer to someone who needed our help. Forgive us, God of Grace, and deal gently with us. May we become more like the tax collector - humble, penitent, acknowledging our faulty lives to you. Then, may we receive the mercy promised to us through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen. (Lectionary Liturgies, Thom Shuman) Silence is kept Assurance of Pardon Forgiven and healed, we open ourselves to the grace, the peace, the hope offered to us through our loving God. This is the good news we have received! Graced and blessed, we are able to live our lives for others, taking them by the hand to reach that finish line called the Kingdom. Thanks be to God. Amen. (Lectionary Liturgies, Thom Shuman) Passing of the Peace Scripture Luke 18:9-14 Sermon Different types of Pray-ers Are You Really Listening? In his book Directions, author James Hamilton shares this insight about listening to God: "Before refrigerators, people used icehouses to preserve their food. Icehouses had thick walls, no windows, and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the icehouses, and covered with sawdust. Often the ice would last well into the summer. One man lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn’t find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch. Amazed, the men asked him how he found it. I closed the door,'' the boy replied, “lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking.'' Often the question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are being still enough, and quiet enough, to hear. Yes, Jesus assures us that our heavenly Father always listens to us, but do we really listen to God? Do we follow the instructions of Psalm 46, "Be still, and know that I am God"? Eric S. Ritz, The Ritz Collection,www.Sermons.com Prayer is listening for God’s voice in our lives. When we pray we are connecting our lives to the source of all life. Prayer is at the heart of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Discipleship is connecting our lives and the world to the God. Prayer also lies at the heart of the gospel of Luke. Luke is intended to be a training manual for disciples. Luke demonstrates the power of prayer in all 24 chapters, from the birth of Christ to the resurrection – Luke shows the power of prayer, he tells us stories of Jesus praying, he models what prayer looks like, shoe shows ordinary persons praying, and he even shows how God answers prayer. In chapter 18, he gives us examples of three types of prayer in the mouths of three different lay persons. We didn’t look at the first part of chapter 18 – but it is the story of a faithful widow praying for justice and God hears her prayer. Our text for today is about 2 very different men with 2 very different prayers. When our children were small and we were trying to teach them to pray, we had three kinds of prayer: "Please prayers," Thank you prayers," and "Sorry prayers." S. Briscoe, Getting into God, p. 55. So the widow’s prayer was a please prayer, the pharisee’s prayer was a thank you prayer, and the tax collectors prayer was a sorry prayer. Actually in spiritual life there are five kinds of prayer. The five major types of prayer, intercession on behalf of others, adoration, confession, petition and thanksgiving. Luke gives models of all of them.As a matter of fact, there are 3 models of prayer in chapter 18. Last week we heard of the woman persistent in her prayer. – prayers of petition. You could say that the Pharisee was praying a prayer of adoration – even if it was adoration of his own faith. And the tax collector prayed a prayer of confession. Which is a better prayer? Which is better for us to pray? There is no comparison. There are times in our lives when we need to pray all five prayers. The comparison is not with the widow, the Pharisee and the tax collector. The comparison is with Jesus Christ – does the prayer draw us closer to Jesus. Luke gives us an example of all 5 types of prayer and I would encourage you to use them all at some point in your daily life. So when Jesus tells this parable, it is probably not based on a real story – Jesus is just using examples of people that he knows are in the crowd that day. Another major them of Luke is bridging the gap between insiders and outsiders. Jesus wanted to encourage the beloved community to understand those that they didn’t know so that they could open the door of acceptance. Tax collectors would have flocked to Jesus, because they didn’t feel accepted by the community. Tax collectors were nothing like IRS agents of today. They were considered traiters, because they would take money from their own people. Some time it made it to the government, most of the time it did not. They pocketed it. In a crowded room people would have felt uncomfortable around a tax collector. They were outsiders On the other hand, the pharisees were considered the ultimate insider. They were well respected and were looked up to as leaders. The pharisees were haters, they were in the crowd just to stalk Jesus and find something to criticize. Not only were they insiders, they were the authority for who was in, and who was out. When Jesus uses them in his parable, he is actually giving them a compliment. He is helping his followers understand their role in religious society. Pharisees were the first lay leaders – they studied the bible constantly, they did all that they could to support the congregation, they prayed for themselves and for others, they were expected to always go above and beyond. They were supposed to be better than anyone else. When he says thank you God that I am not like the other people, he is actually praying • Pharisee prays Psalm 17:3-5 “If you try my heart, if you visit me by night, if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress. As for what others do, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.” His prayers are sincere – yet Jesus points out that prayer is not just words, it is also attitude and actions. The pharisees words were close to God, his attitudes and actions were not. Being a better Christian is about connecting to others – reaching out, not looking down on people. C. S. Lewis once said, "A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and of course, as long as you are looking down, you can't see something that's above you." • The tax collector on the other hand prayed Psalm 51 - Tax Collector prays Psalm 51:1 "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions” In Jesus eyes, the pharisee’s prayer wasn’t wrong, and the tax collectors prayer was not right. Both are equal in God’s eyes. They are both children of God. The pharisee is a model of faith, and the tax collector is closer to the ordinary guy. Jesus knows that in our minds, we tend to look for the good guy and the bad guy. Jesus is counting on us finding good and bad in the story. We like to stalk out the bad, the wrong, the problem. There is a story of a famous well liked knight who was a dragon hunter. He took is task very seriously. Everything that he did during his day, was geared toward making him a better dragon hunter. He thought about dragons night and day. He spent every available minute practicing hunting dragons. For him, in order to catch a dragon, you have to think like a dragon, you had to understand their motivation. His every thought was directed toward hunting dragons. One day, after years of discipline, he happened to see his reflection while looking at a river, and he was horrified at what he had seen. After years of focusing on hunting dragons, he discovered that he had become the thing that he hated the most – he has become a dragon. If we leave the sanctuary this morning focusing on the faults of the pharisee – thinking that he is the bad guy – then the lessons of Jesus has failed you. Jesus wants you to see the self- righteousness in yourself. Our text actually stars out by saying – there were certain people in the audience who had become self righteous. Those people he is talking about is you and me. As soon as we start to draw the line between us and them, between right and wrong, between good and bad, between insider and outsider – Jesus can automatically be found on the other side than us. Humanity is constantly trying to order ourselves regarding power and worth. The challenge of the Gospel is all people are beloved and that challenge is lived out in the Beloved Community (& the Kingdom of Heaven). In what ways are we humbling and exalting others or ourselves in appropriate (leveling) ways and inappropriate ways? Sometimes our greatest gifts, can become our greatest burden to listening to God clearly. The pharisee prayed a genuine prayer of thankfulness, but he focused on his gifts, and didn’t mention his faults. Discipleship is seeing others as beloved children of God- balancing love of God and love of other That is why prayer is so much a part of our discipleship. All 5 types of prayer ( intercession on behalf of others, adoration for God’s grace, confession of our sins, thankfulness and petition) need to be a part of our daily life. God hears the prayers of both the saints and the sinners. Our prayer life shapes our attitudes and our actions. May the grace that we receive from God be the grace that we pass on to others. Let us pray……. Song Leaning on the Everlasting Arms UMH 133 Pastoral Prayer We know that you listen to the prayers of the faithful, looking in our lives, and looking upon the world. Ask that you be with each and every person here and their concerns. Many things for us to pray about. • Pray for peace within the wars and disagreements in the world • Pray for the tensions in our country. We pray for people who are demonstrating and that you hear their concerns. • Pray for people in danger, and separated form families • Pray for many people and places that have been affected by hurricanes and horrible weather • People who are dealing with loss help in their grief • People who are dealing with illness of themselves and family members • Farmers who are working in the field, keep safe and not let labor be in vain • Violence and crimes unsolved. • Grace, peace, mercy Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment So the question still remains, who do you see yourself as in the story of the pharisee and the tax collector. Are we the model of what it means to be faithful to God, or are we just the ordinary person just trying to be faithful. Most of us are probably somewhere in between. And the next question is which of these two people would Jesus want us to model on our own faith journey? Does Jesus really want us to cheat those around us, and to hoard money for ourselves, and then ask for forgiveness without any thought of repentance. Jesus would probably want us to be more like the pharisee – the pharisee studied the bible, he served his church, he reached out to others, he was in constant communication with God, and he was very intentional about tithing. He took what he gave to God very seriously. If the bible called for him to give 10% of everything to God, he did that. Those are all of the lessons that we are reminded of during our stewardship campaign – giving our gifts, our prayers, our talents, our service and our witness. Jesus wants us to be like the pharisee - like a pharisee who has a little humility and an awareness of the prayers of others. Jesus does not discourage giving 10% of our income back to God. But the good news for us is that Jesus gives us grace. In today’s economy, when we look at our income. 10% may be way too much to give on a regular basis. He encourages us to pray and consider the cost and to give in a way that helps us to feel good about our gift. If 10% is too much, then perhaps we can consider 5%, or 2% or 1%. In a few weeks, we will be asked to consider our gifts to the church. I hope that we can all use our skill in prayer and connection to God as we commit our pledge for the year. God loves a cheerful giver, which is why we usually ask for a pledge and not a straight tithe. Jesus also stressed that when we give, that we consider the mission – what needs to be done and how much does it cost to do it. If each of us gives what we can – we can fulfill that mission. The mission of our church is to grow as disciples of Christ and to create a space for others to have a relationship with God, whether they are a pharisee or a tax collector. As we come to a time of sharing our tithes, offerings and gifts, Today, I invite you to look deep within your own self. What can you offer? What WILL you offer in gratitude for the ways Jesus lifts you up in his love, and God’s Spirit draws you close? Prayer of Thanksgiving God, we want to know, deep down, how we can live into the person you’ve created each of us to be. Receive the gifts we’ve offered here: the finances, the time, and the talents of each of our lives, but also the vulnerable recognition of our individual souls. Today, send us from this time of worship eager to be true followers of Jesus, who ate with sinners; crossed racial, social, and gender restrictions; and called ordinary folk to be his disciples. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook May we leave this house of worship today, quick to listen, slow to speak, open to hearing and responding to God’s truth. May God bless you and keep you, be kind and gracious to you, may God look upon you with favor and bring you peace. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Terri McDowell Ott) Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction What greater joy can we know that to go home justified because of our humility before God who redeems? Let us leave this place to live as we came in – openly and desiring to praise God and witness to a saving love. Go in humble grace. In Christ’s name. Amen. Derek Weber, March 2025 Additional Illustrations An Absolute Standard One rabbi said, "If there are only two righteous men in the world, I and my son are these two; if there is only one, I am he!" –Reminds me of two friends talking, one said, "We're the only two honest people left in the world, and sometimes I'm not so sure about you!" With a human measure, righteousness is relative, you can always find someone better and someone worse. Take the right point of comparison and you feel pretty good about yourself. A little boy announced to his mother, "I'm like Goliath. I'm 9 feet tall." "Why do you say that?" asked his mother. "Well, I made a little ruler and measured myself with it; I'm 9 feet tall!" Human standards don't count. The only evaluation that counts is by an absolute standard! The righteousness of God Himself; with that measuring stick, we all come up short! Lee Compson, Holier Than Who? ___________________________________ What Impresses God - Luke 18:9-14 There was a very lost, wicked, rebellious man who decided it would be good for business if he went down to the church and joined it. He was an adulterer, an alcoholic, and had never been a member of a church in his life. But when he went down to the altar to join the church, he gave public testimony to the church that there was no sin in his life, and that he had grown up in the church, and they readily accepted him as a member. When he went home he told his wife what he had done, and his wife, a very godly lady, exploded. She excoriated him for being such a hypocrite, and demanded that he go back to the church the next week and confess what he really was. Well, God used his wife to really break him, and he took it to heart. The next Sunday he went back to the church, walked down to the front again, and this time confessed to the church all of his sins. He told them he was dishonest, an alcoholic, an adulterer, and he was sorry. They revoked his membership on the spot. He walked out of the church that day scratching his head and muttered to himself: "These church folks are really strange. I told a lie and they took me in; and when I told the truth they kicked me out!" The Lord Jesus told a story of two men in a similar situation who had totally different results. One man tried to talk himself into God's kingdom, but he didn't make it. One man tried to talk himself out of God's kingdom and he did make it. Now Luke makes it plain who Jesus told this parable to. For he says in v.9, "Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others." I promise you, every one of you will find yourself somewhere in this story. Because at one time or another all of us are guilty of trying to impress God. You are going to learn, surprisingly, what does impress God, and what doesn't. I. The Pharisee Who Fooled Himself II. The Person Who Faulted Himself III. The Principle That Fulfills Itself _________________ Pride I heard about a fifth grader that came home from school so excited. She had been voted "prettiest girl in the class." The next day she was even more excited when she came home, for the class had voted her "the most likely to succeed." The next day she came home and told her mother she had won a third contest, being voted "the most popular." But the next day she came home extremely upset. The mother said, "What happened, did you lose this time?" She said, "Oh no, I won the vote again." The mother said, "What were you voted this time?" She said, "most stuck up." Well this Pharisee would have won that contest hands down. He had an "i" problem. Five times you will read the little pronoun "i" in these two verses. He was stoned on the drug of self. He suffered from two problems: inflation and deflation. He had an inflated view of who he was, and a deflated view of who God was. His pride had made him too big for his spiritual britches. James Merritt, Collected Sermons, ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc. Can You Hear the Music - Luke 18:9-14 Who doesn’t like an “attaboy!” when they do something good? It’s why we have “honor society” in school. It is the reason we have scholarship awards as we head into college. “Attaboy!” stands behind all those accolades high achievers get throughout life — Rhode’s scholarships, purple hearts, Silver stars, gold statues, merit raises for school teachers, making partner in a big firm, getting re-elected (in any organization, at any level). “Attaboys!” reward the gracious, good, above-and-beyond behaviors we see in others. Good persons deserve good things. The problem is that our vision of “good behavior” can get extremely myopic, extremely near-sighted. We only are able to see the good in those who stand closest to us. Those far off become, if not “bad,” at least “other.” “Otherness” is perhaps the most insidious form of prejudice. Why? Because “otherness” makes close closed. “Otherness” disassociates our close family and other loved ones from outsiders and strangers. As soon as we identify some people as “others,” the game is over. We have drawn up “us” vs. “them” battle-lines. In this week’s gospel parable the good-living, well-meaning Pharisee and the ne’r-do-well tax collector are set up as ideal types of the “acceptable” vs. the “other.” The contrast could not be sharper. The Pharisee examines himself, and finds no fault with himself. The tax collector lets God examine him, and throws himself on the bar of God's justice (receiving mercy as God does).Ironically, the Pharisee treats God as a debt collector and the Tax collector, who IS a debt collector, treats God as a Savior…. The Best Treatment for Loneliness Dr. Karl Menninger, the famous American psychiatrist, once gave a lecture on mental health & was answering questions from the audience. One man asked, "What would you advise a person to do if that person felt a nervous breakdown coming on?" Everyone there expected him to answer, "Consult a psychiatrist." To their astonishment he replied: Leave your house, go across the railroad tracks, find someone who is in need, and do something to help that person. Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com Everything He Says Is True When you read the story about the Pharisee, a number of specific statements are made about his piety. Please note this. Everything the man says about himself is true. For instance, when he says, “I thank you that I am not like other men,” indeed he wasn’t like other men. He had a standard of morality that was far above the standard of that day. When he said, “I fast twice a week;” it happens to be literally true. The Pharisees fasted on Monday and Thursday of every week. When he says, “I give tithes of all I possess,” he means he tithes on the gross and not on the net. He went beyond the Law of Moses. That’s no big deal; all the Pharisees did that. And when he says, “I am not a crook,” he really isn’t a crook. When he says, “I am not like this filthy tax collector,” he’s really not like that guy. When he says, “I do not commit adultery,” he really doesn’t commit adultery. He is faithful to his wife. When he says, “I am honest, I am faithful, I am zealous for my religion,” he means it and every word of it is true. He truly is a genuinely good man. When I read his prayer, I am reminded of that country song that says, “Oh, Lord, it’s hard to be humble, when you’re perfect in every way.” What we are to understand is this. When he prayed he was telling the truth. When he said, “Lord, you’re lucky to have a guy like me, because I’m one of the best guys I know,” it was really true. He really was a wonderful guy. While he prayed, people would be standing around watching. And they would say, “He’s a fine man.” While he prayed, they probably applauded. He was the kind of guy you’d want living next door to you. A good citizen. A law-abiding man. A good, religious kind of person. If he were to come to this church today we’d love him because he would be faithful, loyal, and give us a lot of money. We’d probably make him an elder or a deacon. He’s just that kind of guy. He looks really good on the outside. Everything he says about himself is absolutely true. Ray Pritchard, How to Be Right with God ___________________________________ The Cunning Craftsman In her play, "The Zeal of Thy House," Dorothy Sayers imagines a stonemason working on an intricate carving for the chancel of Canterbury Cathedral, who clumsily lets his tool slip and spoils the whole great piece of stone assigned to him. It is a sad moment as the valuable and custom-cut stone stands misshapen. The architect, however, takes the tool out of the artisan's hand and although he remonstrates with him for his clumsiness, begins to enact forgiveness. He redesigns out of the spoiled carving a new and different figure which has its own part to play in the ensemble of the Cathedral, and then permits the blundering mason to complete it in all its glory. "So works with us," concludes Dorothy Sayers, "the cunning craftsman, God." On reading it, I could not shake the phrase from my mind: "The cunning craftsman, God." As used, the word cunning does not mean some kind of craftiness which might be our modern interpretation. But taken in its pure sense it indicates skill, wisdom and ability. The phrase then really means that the Master artist God can take our blundering efforts and still make something useful out of them. He takes our mismanaged lives, our failed efforts, our missed marks, our shameful deeds, our alien attitudes, our sinful lives and out of his divine resourcefulness he saves the day by creating something new, worthy and wonderful that still has usefulness and beauty in the divine plan of things. It is a reassurance that we desperately need, but one on which we cannot presume. Allan J. Weenink, Only The Wounded Can Serve, CSS Publishing Co., Inc. ________________ What Kind of Sinners Can Be Members Samuel Colgate, the founder of the Colgate business empire, was a devout Christian, and he told of an incident that took place in the church he attended. During an evangelistic service, an invitation was given at the close of the sermon for all those who wished to turn their lives over to Christ and be forgiven. One of the first persons to walk down the aisle and kneel at the altar was a well-known prostitute. She knelt in very real repentance, she wept, she asked God to forgive her, and meanwhile the rest of the congregation looked on approvingly at what she was doing. Then she stood and testified that she believed God had forgiven her for her past life, and she now wanted to become a member of the church. For a few moments, the silence was deafening. Finally, Samuel Colgate arose and said, "I guess we blundered when we prayed that the Lord would save sinners. We forgot to specify what kind of sinners. We'd better ask him to forgive us for this oversight. The Holy Spirit has touched this woman and made her truly repentant, but the Lord apparently doesn't understand that she's not the type we want him to rescue. We'd better spell it out for him just which sinners we had in mind." Immediately, a motion was made and unanimously approved that the woman be accepted into membership in the congregation. God accepts us as we are. There's not a sin too black, not a deed too awful, not a thought too horrible for him to forgive. Larry R. Kalajainen, Extraordinary Faith for Ordinary Time, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. I Used to Be an Intellectual Albert Schweitzer was laboring one day, under the hot African sun, building his hospital at Lambarene. A large timber had to be raised into place, and try as he might, Schweitzer couldn't manage it. He looked up and saw a well-dressed African man standing in the shade of a tree, and asked him to lend a hand. "O, no," the man said, "I don't do that kind of work. I am an intellectual." And Albert Schweitzer, with five earned doctor's degrees, said, "I used to be an intellectual, but I couldn't live up to it." When we are Christians we don't have anything to live up to, no pretenses to maintain, no privileges to guard. We can't be too low in the eyes of the world. We can't be losers enough. There is a wonderful peace and freedom in that. William R. Boyer, Sorry, Thank You, Please _________________ Bent to the Ground A city boy visited his cousin who lived on a farm in the country for the first time. The city boy had never seen wheat growing in a field. It was an impressive sight for him, the wheat golden brown and ready for harvesting. He noticed that some of the wheat stood tall in the field, whereas some of it was bent low, touching the ground. The city boy said to his cousin, "I bet the ones standing tall are the best ones, aren't they?" His cousin smiled knowingly and reached over and plucked the head of one of the tall-standing wheat stalks and one that was bent to the ground. He rubbed each of them and the city boy saw that the tall one was almost empty of seeds. But the one bent to the ground was full of the promise of a rich harvest. R. Curtis Fussell, Deadly Sins and Living Virtues, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. Learn To Empty Yourself A martial arts student was meeting with his master and teacher at a table, having tea. The student said to his master, "I've learned all you have to teach me about defending myself. I want to learn one thing more now. Please teach me about the ways of God." The master took the teakettle and starting pouring the student's cup full of tea. Soon the cup was full and began to spill over onto the saucer. But the master continued to pour the tea until it spilled over the saucer and then onto the floor. The student finally said, "Stop, stop, the tea is spilling over. The cup can't take any more." The master then looked at the student and said, "You are so full of yourself that there is no room in your life for God. It is not possible for you to learn the ways of God until you learn to empty yourself." R. Curtis Fussell, Deadly Sins and Living Virtues, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. Worshipping Who She Used To Be Girolamo Savonarola was one of the great preachers of the fifteenth century. He preached in the great cathedral of Florence, Italy, which contained a magnificent marble statue of the blessed virgin Mary. When Savonarola started preaching at this great cathedral, he noticed one day an elderly woman praying before this statue of Mary. He then began to notice that it was her habit to come every day and pray before the statue. Savonarola remarked one day to an elderly priest who had been serving in the cathedral for many years, "Look how devoted and earnest this woman is. Every day she comes and offers prayers to the blessed Mother of Jesus. What a marvelous act of faith." But the elderly priest replied, "Do not be deceived by what you see. Many years ago when the sculptor needed a model to pose for this statue of the blessed Mother, he hired a beautiful young woman to sit for him. This devout worshiper you see here everyday is that young woman. She is worshiping who she used to be." The first and perhaps the deadliest of the seven deadly sins is pride. R. Curtis Fussell, Deadly Sins and Living Virtues, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. ____________________ They Only Ironed The Parts That Showed Mike Cope, in his article "Righteousness Inside Out," tells of inviting a college student and his girlfriend back to his home after church, to have lunch with him and his wife. "When we got to the house, I took off my suit coat and invited him to do the same. The boy hemmed and hawed for a long time until he could pull me aside, and what he whispered to me then reminded me of the way I used to live when I was in college." It seemed he had only ironed the cuffs and collar of his shirt. If he took off his jacket, his girl would see the rest of his shirt and know what a slob he was. He had only ironed the parts that showed. That was one of the major, ongoing complaints Jesus brought against the Pharisees, the religious leaders of his day. That they were phony. That they were not what they seemed to be. That they were hypocrites. That they only ironed the parts that showed. William R. Boyer, Sorry, Thank You, Please ______________________ Our Own Vices Dwight L. Moody and Charles Spurgeon were great preachers of the nineteenth century. Moody admired Spurgeon from a distance and looked forward to the opportunity of meeting him in London. On that historic day, Spurgeon answered the door with a cigar in his mouth. Moody was aghast. "How could you, a man of God, smoke that?" Spurgeon took the cigar from his mouth, put his finger on Moody's rather inflated stomach, smiled and said, "The same way you, a man of God, could be that fat." Because we are usually blind to our own vices, we are hardly qualified to judge others. Eric S. Ritz, The Ritz Collection,www.Sermons.com ____________________________ • Ask your congregation who they are- the tax collector or the Pharisee? Why do they think that? Who do they view as the other? Why? Do they feel they deserve to be exalted or humbled? In some ways this could be thought of as a modern day version of the old parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.
A Pharisee was a lay person, who committed to following the law to the letter. He did what was right all of the time. He tithed, the prayed, he studied the scripture, he lived right. The tax collector of Jesus day, was not the IRS man of today. The tax collector was thought of as a thief and a traitor. He stole from his own to give it to the government. Sometimes the money made it to the government, most of the time it did not. He kept it in his pocket. Jesus understood the plight of the tax collector very well – he had lunch with them all of the time. Jesus did not get along real well with the Pharisee.

A God for Everyone

October 19, 2025 Jeremiah 31:27-34 A God for Everyone 19th Sunday after Pentecost Prelude Greeting Call to Worship We have gathered once again, Lord of all and Lord of us. We come to lift our prayers, and to sing your praises once again. We come to ask and hope and long to see your justice in the land. We worship in that hope and will work in that Spirit. Derek Weber, March 2025 Opening Prayer Holy God, we turn to you this morning, aware of the gift you give us in scripture. You offer us your truth in story, in song, and in hard teachings. Help us recognize the goodness of what’s offered. Encourage us to seek what you offer. Challenge us to discipline ourselves to learn. Inspire us celebrate the love which expands in us as we draw closer to you and to your ways. AMEN. (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Song Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart UMH 500 A Sermon for all Ages Grapes and apples Good morning, everyone! Have you ever eaten a grape that was really sour? (Make a funny face—pucker up!) Yeah, it makes your mouth wrinkle up, doesn’t it? Let’s pretend I gave you a sour grape, and then your friend’s mouth puckered up instead of yours! Wouldn’t that be strange? That’s what the people in the Bible were saying in Jeremiah’s time. They said, “The parents ate sour grapes, and the children’s teeth were set on edge.” That means, “We’re having a hard time because of what someone else did.” But God said, “No more sour grapes! I’m going to plant something new.” God wanted each person to take care of their own heart and choices. God said, “I will plant and watch over you.” Isn’t that wonderful? (Chat GPT.5) Object: an apple for display and apple seed packets, enough for everyone Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you like apples? I do, too. I want to tell you a little story today about a famous man named Johnny Appleseed. His real name was John Chapman. Back around 200 years ago, John Chapman traveled all across the United States planting apple orchards. Everywhere he went all across America, John Chapman planted apple seeds. He loved apples, and he believed they were healthy for people, and so he planted them wherever he went. And soon people started calling John Chapman by the nickname of Johnny Appleseed. We can be thankful that Johnny Appleseed decided to spread good stuff like apple seeds wherever he went. But Johnny also spread a weed called dog fennel everywhere he went. Johnny thought that dog fennel was a good plant, but actually it's not. The dog fennel weed gets into gardens and crops, and keeps the good crops from growing. Also, dog fennel weed is really smelly. So everywhere Johnny Appleseed went, he spread a good thing, apples, and he spread a bad thing, dog fennel weed. You know, you and I are like Johnny Appleseed. Each day, we choose whether to spread good stuff or bad stuff in other people's lives. If we are nice to other people, if we share our things, if we tell other people about God's love, then we are spreading good things in their lives. If we are mean to other people, if we are rude, if we don't show God's love to others, then we are spreading bad things. We can choose what we spread. This new year, let's choose (start handing out the apple seed packets) to only spread the apple seeds. Let's spread goodness wherever we go. Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan Prayer for Transformation and New Life Beloved God of All, We often feel deserted by Divine Justice and Peace, especially after absorbing the news each day. We allow ourselves to fully walk away from spreading Good News of your love and grace after feeling the lack of mercy in our world. We would rather be silent in places of comfort instead of shining your light in our pain-present reality. Our hearts can not bear knowing of any further wrongdoings. Open our souls to your healing. Embolden us to be persistent in our quest to do justice and love kindness. May we follow your light when the shadows attempt to swallow our resolve. Amen. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Michelle Torigian)) Words of Grace Our souls continue to open to the healing and hope of God. May we embrace the glow of God’s grace as we seek ways to care for our neighbors. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Michelle Torigian) Testimonies Joe and Joellyn Byers Scripture Jeremiah 31:27-34 Sermon A God for Everyone The Blame Game Sour grapes culture in the bible Jeremiah’s use of the blame game The last chapter of Jeremiah – change of heat and a change of tone. Very heavy seems like there is no hope A town with no hope A Little town in Maine, flagstaff was scheduled to be flooded in order to make way for a new damn. People knew for months that their town was doomed. Roofs needed to be repaired, buildings needed to be fixed. But no one was willing to spend on a house that they knew was going to be destroyed in the future any way. People noticed that as time got closer for the town to be destroyed – thinks started to look more and more bedraggled. No one was willing to fix anything or clean up anything. There was no hope, there was no freedom, no reason to try to do anything different. If God doesn’t love you, if God is threatening to divorce you and to forget all about you – what is the point of living in God’s will? Why obey laws that are designed to mess you up? Jeremiah knew that he had to create a new future, a future with hope, a promise that if you mess up, God will let you start all over again. God wont hold sin against When we have no hope, we don’t try. Song that God loves you. Gives us three promises – thus says the lord 3 promises. Final message that god loves you, and will be with you Boy and the comic books Son moved by fathers tears Wangerin has a wonderful story, called "Matthew, Seven, Eight, and Nine" about how he tried to stop his son Matthew from stealing comic books. He tried various uses of the law over several years and continued to fail. Finally, he resorted to something he rarely used: a spanking. He did it deliberately, almost ritualistically, and he was so upset when he finished that he left the room and wept. After pulling himself back together, he went in to Matthew and hugged him. A number of years later, Matthew and his mother were doing some general reminiscing, and Matthew happened to bring up the time when he kept stealing comic books. "And you know why I finally stopped?" he asked. "Sure," she said, "Because Dad finally spanked you." "No!" replied Matthew, "No, because Dad cried." He cared for me, and his tears made all of the difference. Tone of the Hebrew religion starts to change. Less about blame shame and guilt and more about love, forgiveness, mercy. Jeremiah’s story is about hope through God’s love. Understands us – wants us to succeed. So that we can show love to others Piano teacher A piano teacher once told her students, “My goal isn’t that you play from memory—it’s that you play from the heart.” Years later, one student became a nurse. During a long night shift, she sat beside a dying patient and quietly hummed that same piece she’d learned years ago. She said, “I didn’t need sheet music. The song was still in me.” Finally all familiar with passwords – if you don’t write it down, you lose it Don’t need a password for Gods love - inside of us. Mission We are God’s co-gardeners. The mission field isn’t just “out there”—it begins in the soil of our hearts and spreads wherever God plants us. When we invest our prayers, presence, gifts, and service, we join God’s renewal project. Discipleship True discipleship is not memorizing commands but embodying Christ’s compassion. It’s when forgiveness flows naturally, generosity feels joyful, and service springs from love—not duty. Stewardship Stewardship is not a program—it’s a response of people whose hearts are alive to God’s presence. When the covenant is written on our hearts, generosity becomes second nature. We give, serve, and care because we know God personally. Let us pray….. Song Love Divine, All Loves Excelling UMH 384 Prayers of the People (Do not print) O Lord our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You created the heavens and the earth and placed us in your world to glorify and enjoy you forever. And yet we have recognized the despair, dismay, and injustice; the violence and the disasters of the world in which we live. We seek to be faithful to you and your glory and yet, our hearts and souls are unsettled and troubled. We come to you in need of the healing and peace that only you can provide. And so, we pray for rest. We pray for rest for those weary from the demands of a culture that has turned us into consumers. Rest for those weary from unmet requests and unjust treatment. Rest and healing for those weary from illness, grief, loneliness, and loss. We pray for attention. We pray for attention for those distracted by too many good things. We pray for attention for those who feel like a pinball instead of a plant with roots running deep. We pray for attention to your gifts of grace that we might know delight. We pray to say no. We pray to say no to destructive forces and idols that pull us away from you, O Lord. We pray to say no to the ways we take your creation for granted and destroy what you have placed in our care. We pray to say no to all that addicts us to unhealthy behaviors and relationships. We pray for nourishment. We pray that we might nourish our souls with your Word. We pray that we might nourish our bodies with fruits, vegetables and exercise. We pray that we might nourish our minds with the truth. We pray for the log in our eyes. We confess that we are overly concerned with the behavior and belief of others. We confess that we fail to accurately see our own faults and failings. We confess that we pull back from others instead of working together for justice, freedom, and peace. We pray that you might speak to us. We pray that your Word might dwell within us and be engraved upon our hearts. We pray for the right words to speak in troubled times. We pray that your Spirit might give us eyes to see and ears to hear the new Word you are still speaking today. We pray for wonder and awe. We pray that beyond our hope and imagination, you might bring peace to war-torn lands. We pray that you might surprise us in the ordinary after long waits. We pray that we might see your fingerprints in our own. Finally, we pray for all those needs unnamed that trouble and unsettle our souls, needs known to you and bigger than we can handle on our own. Into your hands, O Lord, we place these prayers, longing for the day when you will make all things new. As we wait with anticipation and hope, we join our voices with disciples of all the ages to pray as Jesus has taught us, “Our Father …” (Presbyterian Outlook, Matthew Rich) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Jesus asked the question in Luke 18: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Today as we come to our time of offering, let’s recognize this is one act which demonstrates our faith. We give because we have faith, expressed through the ministries and work of this congregation (name one or two). We give because we have faith, knowing our financial support will help build up this congregation, allowing us to show God’s love in the midst of apathy, distrust, and selfishness. We give because we have faith in Jesus, the one who taught his followers to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the least – to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. So this invitation is for each and all of us to give financially, to give our talents, to give our time. Give in response to the abundance we have received: life, air, water, food, and so much more! Let us share our morning tithes, gifts, and offerings. Prayer of Thanksgiving Generous God, thank you for your abundant gifts by which our lives are blessed. Thank you for the ways you offer us your commandments and decrees to support the destitute and care for the widows and orphans. Thank you now for these gifts and for each one who has given, that we might use these resources to help create life on earth as it is in heaven. AMEN. (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook May the God of Hope stir us to awaken to Divine dreams. May the Christ of Light embolden us to use our voices May the Spirit of Peace fill us with the resolve to transform our world. With help from the Holy One, we will never lose heart! (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Michelle Torigian) Community Time – Sharing of Joys and Concerns Benediction Here in this place, God transforms us into disciples, so we may share the grace etched upon our hearts. Here with these people, compassion is written on our hearts, so we may join Jesus in bringing justice to all. Now, in these moments, the Spirit is breathed into us, so we can be as persistent as God in bringing hope to the world. © Thom M. Shuman Additional illustrations You could answer every question on the Jeopardy board in the Bible category and still not have a living relationship with God. That's knowledge about God. And it has very little use in life. But personal knowledge of God comes from a relationship with the Lord. We get this knowledge when we invite Jesus to become the Lord and Savior of our lives. Only when we make that commitment do we begin to know the Lord in a personal way. A father took his young son to a major league baseball game along with one of the father's friends. The father's friend had a son who was a pitcher for one of the major league teams. It was the father's intention to stay after the game and have his friend's son introduced to his own boy. After the game, the trio made their way to the locker room door and waited for the players to come out. As they waited for his friend's son to come out, some of the star players pushed away the fans and made a dash for their cars. Other players came out and signed autographs, but the boy didn't really get to talk to any of them. But when his father's friend's son came out, because the lad was with his dad, the player took the time to shake his hand, to talk to him, and to greet him as a real human being. After that experience, the young boy paid a lot of attention to that player's career. He did so because he felt he had a relationship with the player. He had met him face to face, and that made all the difference. A symbol of God’s love A baby bird asked his mother, that is air – she said no words to her baby, she just spread here wings and flew. A baby fish asked its mother- what is water – she said nothing, she just swished her tail and started to fly. A baby ant ask his mother what is dirt, she said nothing she just dug a little more. A baby child asked her mother what is love – she opened her arms and hugged the baby. A God fearer asked God what is forgiveness – he sent his son to the cross to die for you. What better promise do you need of God’s love for you? Live your live dwelling in the love of God.

The Grateful One

October 12, 2025 Luke 17:11-19 18th Sunday After Pentecost Year C The Grateful One Prelude Greeting Call to Worship Whether we live in an apartment or a house; if we reside in the suburbs or the city: God tells us to pray for the places where we live. Whether we are exiles or prisoners for the gospel; if we are young, old, insider, outcast: God says, 'when you search for me, you will find me.' Whether we have been wandering and lost; or if we have lived in the same place all our lives: God says, 'I will gather you from all your places and bring you home. (Lectionary Liturgies, Thom Shuman) Invocation Loving God, Compassionate Architect, You are the bearer of all our souls, the hope of all possibilities when walls surround us. You carve paths in mountainous regions when our roads appear blocked. You build bridges between people separated by gaps and distances. May we be ones who create channels so that your children continue to form relationships with one another and with you. Amen. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Michelle Torigan) Song Lord of the Dance UMH 261 A Sermon for all Ages Children’s Sermon: “Remember to Say Thank You!” Scripture: Luke 17:11–19 Theme: Gratitude, Mission, Discipleship, and Stewardship [Gather the children and sit with them at the front] Good morning, friends! Today I want to tell you a story Jesus told about ten people who were very, very sick. They had something called leprosy — it made them hurt, and no one wanted to be around them. They couldn’t go home. They couldn’t hug their families. They couldn’t even go to church! One day, Jesus was walking down the road — and those ten sick people saw Him coming. They shouted from far away: “Jesus! Master! Have mercy on us!” Do you know what Jesus did? He didn’t walk away. He saw them. He loved them. And He said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they walked away — before they even got there — they looked at their hands, their arms, their faces… and they realized: They were healed! All ten were healed! Isn’t that wonderful? But here’s the sad part — only one of them came back. One man ran back to Jesus, threw himself down, and said, “Thank you, Jesus! Thank you for healing me!” And Jesus said, “Weren’t there ten? Where are the other nine?” [Object lesson idea: 10 bandages] Let’s pretend these bandages are for the ten people. (You can place ten bandages or stickers on the children’s hands or sleeves as you talk.) Ten were healed… but only one came back to say thank you. So let’s take one bandage and put it right here on my hand — this one stands for the thankful one. Now, what do you think Jesus felt when that one person came back to thank Him? Yes — happy! Loved! When we remember to say thank you — to God, to our parents, to our teachers, to anyone — we make their hearts happy. And we make our hearts happy too. Connecting to Mission, Discipleship, and Stewardship You know, when we say thank you to God, it’s not just with our words — it’s also with what we do. • When you help a friend — that’s mission. • When you pray, learn about Jesus, and come to church — that’s discipleship. • When you share what you have — your time, your toys, your offering — that’s stewardship. Every time we do those things, we’re saying: “Thank you, Jesus, for loving me! I want to love others, too.” [Closing activity suggestion] Invite the children to think of one thing they’re thankful for. Go around and let them share: “I thank God for ______.” Then invite them to say together: “Thank you, Jesus!” (Encourage them to say it loudly like the healed man did!) Closing Prayer Let’s pray together: Dear Jesus, Thank You for loving us and healing us. Thank You for our homes, our families, our church, and all our blessings. Help us remember to say thank You — not just with our words, but with our actions, by helping others and sharing what we have. Amen. Generated by ChatGPT 5 Call to confession (based on 2 Timothy) Even when we are faithless, God remains faithful. Assured of God’s grace, let us confess our sin together: Prayer of confession (based on Luke 17) Holy God, When we are in need, we cry out for your mercy and healing. Yet, we confess that too often, we are confident in our own strength. We take the blessings to which we feel entitled and continue on our way, rather than returning to you in worship and praise. Jesus, have mercy on us! It is easy to take for granted the ease of life we so often experience, while failing to question why others are pushed to the margins and excluded. It is tempting to take pride in our health and strength rather than confronting ableism in all its forms. Jesus, have mercy on us! Help us to grow in compassion for all people. Redirect our paths so that we return to you, offering our praise and gratitude, now and always. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Stephanie Sorge) Assurance of pardon (based on 2 Timothy) The saying is sure: If we have died with Christ, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. We are clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Our sin is forgiven! Thanks be to God. (Presbyterian Outlook, Stephanie Sorge) Prayer for illumination God of Wisdom, By the power of your Holy Spirit, open us to receive your Word today. Lead us in wisdom and courage as we seek to follow Jesus, in whose name we pray, amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Stephanie Sorge) Scripture Luke 17:11-19 Sermon Grateful One Magic Words When our grand-daughter Sarah was two years old, she was extremely active. She was always busy, always moving and always in a hurry… because at two years of age, she had already realized that there are so many exciting things to do and see and experience in this incredible world God has given us. One day Sarah interrupted her play-time just long enough to run into the kitchen in search of a mid-afternoon snack. Hurriedly, she said to her mother: “Banana, Momma, Banana!” Jodi, her mother, handed her a banana. Sarah quickly grabbed the banana and turned to rush back out of the kitchen. However, before she took very many steps, her mother said: “Sarah, come back. What are the magic words?” Sarah screeched to a halt, turned back around and said: “Please! Thank You! You’re Welcome! God Bless You! And I Love You, Mommy!” At this point, Sarah got a second banana!... And a warm hug! The magic words Sarah’s mother was looking for were “Thank you.” She got more than that… but those were the words she was looking for… because Sarah’s mother knows how important it is… for us to learn how to stop and say thanks.” James W. Moore, Collected Sermons,www.Sermons.com We all know the importance of the magic words – thank you. We have all been taught that lesson, and more than likely we have taught that lesson to countless others. The words thank you are the key to today’s lesson. We are encouraged not just to say those words, and to say those words boldly. We are encouraged to live them. During our stewardship campaign, we are encouraged to think about mission, discipleship and stewardship. Mission, discipleship, and stewardship are not separate things — they are one living response to grace. Mission — seeing others and going where Jesus leads. Discipleship — turning back to Christ again and again. Stewardship — giving back from grateful hearts. All three of those things begin with the magic words – thank you. But they don’t end there. Thank you is so much a part of our lives that we get comfortable and start to take those words for granted. Those words might be present in our hearts, but sometime we forget to say them out loud. Sort of like the story of Ed Spencer. This story is near to me, because Ed went to the same seminary that I went to. And even though this story happened in 1860 – I know exactly where it happened. Northwestern’s campus looks a lot different today then it did then. At one time most of the campus was right next to Lake Michigan. Until the 60’s or 70’s when they filled a lot of the lake in to build more buildings. Ed Spencer’s story is one of gratitude – or the lack there of. Most of us have felt the sting of ingratitude, but few have felt it as painfully as Ed Spencer. He was a divinity student at Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. On September 8, 1860. Spencer was drawn into a situation that changed the direction of his life. That night he was awakened by the shouting of fellow seminary students, who reported that there was a shipwreck directly off shore from Winnetka. A cruise ship had collided with a lumber freighter and was sinking. Ed Spencer jumped out of bed, dressed in a hurry, and ran the three miles to Winnetka. It was a stormy night and the lake was tossing vigorously. Few would be rescuers were willing to brave the turbulent waters and the dangerous undertows. Ed was a strong swimmer, from his childhood days of swimming the Mississippi near his home in Rock Island. He jumped right in and proceeded to pull people to shore one after the other. He had to fight huge waves and painful buffeting from pieces of debris. By the light of dawn he had personally rescued fifteen survivors. As he was warming himself by the fire with a cup of coffee, a cry came that there were two more survivors clinging to flotsam for dear life. Despite his sheer exhaustion, je jumped in and barely made it to the hunk of shipwreck. He manages to draw them in with his last ounce of strength, after which he collapsed on the breach. That night, 287 people lost their lives but of the 98 who were saved, Spencer personally rescued 17. Ed Spencer never got back to seminary. He spent the rest of his days as an invalid in California. As an old man, he was interviewed by a Los Angeles newspaper and asked what he recalled in particular about the rescue. Spencer replied “Only this: of the seventeen people I saved, not one of them every thanked me.” (the story is based on “A Window on the Mountain” by Winston and Winnie Pearce). This story is special to me, but I think that we can all relate to Ed’s feelings of someone forgetting to say thank you, when we did the right thing, when we made a sacrifice, and someone didn’t say thank you. Even Jesus expresses his disappointment in today’s scripture story. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to meet his fate/ destiny. He is nervous about the trip because at this point he has no idea of what will happen in Jerusalem. He takes the long way on his journey. He travels north through no man’s land in hopes of reaching more people. He is not at home, but he is a long way from his destination. He is on the border of insiders and outsiders, between the clean and the unclean, between religion and rejection. Some of the most important lessons in the bible happen when Jesus is on his journey. All throughout Luke, Jesus teaches us that the borderland is where mission happens – where we come out of our comfort zone in order to meet the needs of others. During Jesus’ journey he hears the cries of 10 lepers as they ask for help. Even in the midst of his own uncertainty he is willing to reach out and help others. He can’t save himself, but he knows that he does what he can to save others. Jesus doesn’t heal them directly, he tells them to go to church talk with the pastor, reclaim your life Jesus tells them that their faith heals them. All ten take off on their healing journey – only one comes back to say thank you. That’s one more than returned to Ed Spencer. But even Jesus asks – where are the other nine, weren’t they healed as well? So even Jesus reminds us of how important it is to say thank you. It is a reminder for all of us who follow Jesus. God’s grace comes to us all. I am sure there were others who were grateful, but they just never returned to make their feelings known. Ten were healed. One came back. Ten received mercy. One entered relationship. Discipleship begins in that turning back — not just enjoying the gift, but seeking the Giver. The Samaritan comes back praising God in a loud voice. He falls at Jesus’ feet — the posture of worship, the symbol of surrender. He returns not to earn healing, but because his heart overflows. That’s what discipleship looks like. It’s not checking boxes or being perfect; it’s choosing, day after day, to turn back toward Jesus. It’s reorienting our hearts toward gratitude and relationship. The other nine obeyed the instruction — and that’s good! But the one who returned discovered something deeper: that following Jesus isn’t just about what He can do for us — It is about who he is us 3. Stewardship: Gratitude That Gives Back When the man comes back, he doesn’t whisper thanks. He shouts it! He praises God with a loud voice. His gratitude is contagious — public, generous, overflowing. That’s what stewardship really is. Stewardship is not just about money — it’s about living thankfully. It’s recognizing that everything we have — our breath, our blessings, our bank accounts — are gifts of grace entrusted to us by God. And the natural response to grace is generosity. When we give to the church — when we support missions, pay apportionments, maintain the building, care for our pastors, and reach our neighbors — we’re not paying bills. We’re praising God with a loud voice. Every pledge card, every volunteer hour, every offering is a modern way of falling at Jesus’ feet and saying, “Thank you, Lord. You’ve healed me. You’ve blessed me. I give myself back to You.” “Your faith has made you well,” Jesus says. But the word He uses — sozo — means “made whole,” “saved.” The nine were healed physically, but one was healed completely — in body, mind, and spirit. Gratitude completed the healing. Generosity completed the faith. Jesus was disappointed in the other nine, but they still experience his grace. They are not wrong or bad. This story is important because the one who said thank you, is a model for us. He shows us what it means to be thankful. In order to live a life of thankfulness we have to 1. Look at our lives with appreciation 2. Identify your blessings 3. Practice disciplines that cultivate a life of gratitude He is a model for us, so that we can be a model for others. Not only do we encourage them to say thank you, but to live a life of thankfulness. The Seeds of Discouragement An old legend tells how a man once stumbled upon a great red barn after wandering for days in a forest in the dark. He was seeking refuge from the howling winds of a storm. He entered the barn and his eyes grew accustomed to the dark. To his astonishment, he discovered that this was the barn where the devil kept his storehouse of seeds. They were the seeds that were sown in the hearts of humans. The man became curious and lit a match. He began exploring the piles of bins of seeds round him. He couldn’t help but notice that the greatest majority of them said, “Seeds of Discouragement.” About that time one of the devil’s helpers arrived to pick up a load of seeds. The man asked him, “Why the abundance of discouragement seeds?” The helper laughed and replied, “Because they are so effective and they take root so quickly.” “Do they grow everywhere?” the man asked. At that moment the devil’s helper became very sullen. He glared at the man and in disgust he said, “No. They never seem to grow in the heart of a grateful person.” Keith Wagner, But Are We Grateful? What seeds are being planted in our lives, seeds of discouragement or seeds of gratefulness. The First Billionaire The very first person to reach the status of billionaire was a man who knew how to set goals and follow through. At the age of 23, he had become a millionaire, by the age of 50 a billionaire. Every decision, attitude, and relationship was tailored to create his personal power and wealth. But three years later at the age of 53 he became ill. His entire body became racked with pain and he lost all the hair on his head. In complete agony, the world's only billionaire could buy anything he wanted, but he could only digest milk and crackers. An associate wrote, "He could not sleep, would not smile and nothing in life meant anything to him." His personal, highly skilled physicians predicted he would die within a year. That year passed agonizingly slow. As he approached death he awoke one morning with the vague remembrances of a dream. He could barely recall the dream but knew it had something to do with not being able to take any of his successes with him into the next world. The man who could control the business world suddenly realized he was not in control of his own life. He was left with a choice. He called his attorneys, accountants, and managers and announced that he wanted to channel his assets to hospitals, research, and mission work. On that day John D. Rockefeller established his foundation. This new direction eventually led to the discovery of penicillin, cures for current strains of malaria, tuberculosis and diphtheria. The list of discoveries resulting from his choice is enormous. But perhaps the most amazing part of Rockefeller's story is that the moment he began to give back a portion of all that he had earned, his body's chemistry was altered so significantly that he got better. It looked as if he would die at 53 but he lived to be 98. Rockefeller learned gratitude and gave back from his wealth. Doing so made him whole. It is one thing to be healed it is another to be made whole. It appears that the one leper who returned and threw himself at Jesus' feet in gratitude was not only healed he was saved by his thanksgiving. "Rise and go," Jesus said, "your faith has made you well." Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com When we give to the church — when we support missions, pay apportionments, maintain the building, care for our pastors, and reach our neighbors — we’re not paying bills. We’re praising God with a loud voice. Every pledge card, every volunteer hour, every offering is a modern way of falling at Jesus’ feet and saying, “Thank you, Lord. You’ve healed me. You’ve blessed me. I give myself back to You.” “Your faith has made you well,” Jesus says. But the word He uses — sozo — means “made whole,” “saved.” The nine were healed physically, but one was healed completely — in body, mind, and spirit. Gratitude completed the healing. Generosity completed the faith. Illustration: The Circle of Grace Think of God’s grace like a circle. God gives to us — that’s the first half. We give back to God — that completes the circle. When we give thanks, serve others, and share resources, we keep that circle of grace turning. The more we give, the more gratitude grows. And the more gratitude grows, the more joy we find. That’s stewardship — living in the rhythm of God’s generosity. Bringing It Home: Mission, Discipleship, Stewardship Together Mission, discipleship, and stewardship are not separate things — they are one living response to grace. Mission — seeing others and going where Jesus leads. Discipleship — turning back to Christ again and again. Stewardship — giving back from grateful hearts. When we live this way, our church becomes more than a building; it becomes a movement of grace in motion. Imagine if every one of us lived like that one grateful leper — if every day, we found a way to turn back, give thanks, and give back. What might our community look like? What might our conference look like? What might our world look like? Closing Challenge So this week, remember the ten — and be the one. When you pray, return thanks. When you serve, see those others miss. When you give, do it with joy. And when you speak, let gratitude be loud enough for the world to hear. Because gratitude isn’t complete until it becomes action. Faith isn’t whole until it becomes service. And worship isn’t full until it overflows in generosity. Jesus said to the one who returned, “Rise and go; your faith has made you whole.” May He say the same of us. Closing Prayer Let’s pray. Gracious and generous God, You meet us in the borderlands of life — in the in-between spaces where we often feel unseen. Thank You for seeing us, healing us, and calling us to follow. Forgive us for the times we rush ahead, forgetting to return in gratitude. Help us to live like the one who came back — joyful, generous, and grateful. Send us out in mission, keep us faithful in discipleship, and shape us into good stewards of all You’ve entrusted to us. Make us whole, Lord, that others may find wholeness through us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Am Song Through it All UMH 507 (sing twice) Prayers of the People (do not print) Compassionate God, you are God of all creation. Only you know the expanse of the cosmos and every small and hidden corner of creation. You have created us in love, and we join all of creation in singing to the glory of your name. We give thanks for your generous provision. Thank you for the basic elements that sustain life, and the joy and beauty that enrich it. We give thanks for your works of healing. While we live in a world still marked by pain and suffering, we acknowledge gifts of health and strength. For prayers answered, bodies healed, relationships restored, and hope that displaces despair, we give you thanks. We give thanks for your diverse creation. While we often get mired in our own particular lives, your care and concern cross all boundaries and borders. We are grateful for all of the different people in the world, each created in and reflecting your image. May we always return to you in gratitude and praise. We pray for the many needs in our world. We pray for those living in war zones, and all who have been displaced by violence, disaster, and trauma. Bring your peace and healing to the nations, and make us all ready to receive and support siblings in need. Help us to see our shared humanity, which is greater than the divisions we create and uphold. We pray for your most vulnerable children, especially those who are pushed to the margins, neglected, and worse. It can be easy to keep them out of sight and out of mind, to hold them at arm’s length as the perpetual “other,” or to look at their situations and simply give thanks they are not our own. We ask for miracles that change the difficult and deadly circumstances so many face, and that you ignite our own compassion. Give us wisdom to know how to respond, and the courage to act. We pray for all who are hurting, in body, mind or spirit. Jesus, have mercy, and heal what is broken. We pray for broken bodies, broken hearts, broken relationships, and broken spirits. Creator of all, re-create this world, so we can live in shalom together. We offer the prayers of our hearts… All of these we offer to you, including those that are known only to you (Presbyterian Outlook, Stephanie Sorge) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment An old song includes the words, “Such as I have, I give you, willingly.” That describes the scene reported in Luke 17, where Jesus willingly healed the ten people known as lepers and one of them willingly turned back to praise God and thank Jesus for healing him. Can you identify a time when you willingly gave something life-changing to another? Someone might tell of giving a healthy kidney to someone on dialysis. Another might tell of giving a car no longer needed to a person struggling without transportation. Yet someone else might offer a remembrance of giving shelter to a person displaced by a hurricane, or being released from prison. Here at ___________ Church, we regularly give ______________ (describe an outreach which is a central part of your church identity). Your tithes and offerings help us make possible life-changing gifts as one way of living out lives of discipleship. Today, let’s rejoice and offer our praise to God as we share the resources we brought to offer. Prayer of Thanksgiving For the financial gifts shared today, for the time and talent which is yet to be shared, for the opportunity to more truly become “disciples” (followers of Jesus), as we offer our gifts and ourselves…we give you our thanks, God of Life and Love! AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Having prayed for the places where we live, we go forth. God sends us into the apartments and homes, into the streets and playgrounds to bring hope. Having gathered with God's people of every age, we go forth. We will join Jesus in serving folks whose birthdays are celebrated in decades, and newborns who are facing poverty and fear. Having shared prayers and songs with friends and strangers, we go forth. We will welcome those who the world forgets but who God loves, as surely as we have been embraced by the Spirit. (c) Thom M. Shuman Community Time Joys and Concerns Benediction Get up and go on your way! Go from this place to be builders of God’s beloved community. See the face of Christ in each person you meet. Follow the Spirit, wherever she may lead. Now go in peace. (Presbyterian Outlook, Stephanie Sorge)

Mission and Discipleship

October 5, 2025 World Communion Sunday 17th Sunday After Pentecost Psalm 137 Mission and Discipleship Year C Prelude Greeting Good morning on this first Sunday of October – It is good to see each and everyone of you here. It is also glad to see those who I can’t see on Facebook. No matter who we are – we all are a child of God, Gods grace is with us, and god has called us into this space. Welcome – god is glad that you are here, and wants you to feel comfortable and at home. October always starts our with world communion Sunday – where are reminded that God calls us to be the hands and feet of grace. We re reminded of the stories of others, and as John Wesley used to say the world is my parish – we are all one no matter where we are in the world. This is also the first day of our stewardship campaign – where we are encouraged to think about our commitment to our church. Our theme for the next six weeks will be mission, discipleship and stewardship. This is an interesting time in the church, lots of special things are happening this time of year. Let us begin as we feel the presence of God all around…… Introit Call to Worship LEADER: Come, all who sit by rivers of sorrow, who have hung up their hope and wondered if God still sings. PEOPLE: We come carrying exile in our bones, dislocation in our hearts, and longing in our prayers. LEADER: This is the table where memory is honored, where story is sacred, where strangers become siblings. PEOPLE: We come to taste and see that the Lord is good, to feast on grace, to believe again in belonging. LEADER: table is set. Around the world, across languages and landscapes, a holy PEOPLE: We come not because we are worthy, but because Christ calls us in love. ALL: Come, let us worship the One who welcomes, the One who remembers, the One who feeds the whole world with hope. Opening Prayer Gracious God, with grateful hearts we gather to bring you praise. May your praises fill the whole earth. We are thankful for your mighty works, and for the tender care you give us. We praise you with our voices, our bodies, our instruments, ourselves. We join all of creation to give you praise. In the name of your Son, our Lord, amen. (Peace and Global Witness, Charles Wiley) Song Bread of the World UMH 624 A Sermon for all Ages ITEMS TO GATHER • A globe or world map; • Small pieces of different kinds of bread (pita, tortilla, challah, etc.) or pictures of bread; • Communion cup (or grape juice box) SCRIPT Good morning, friends! Today is a special day in our church called World Communion Sunday. That means Christians all over the world…people in Africa, Asia, South America, and right here in our own city…are all celebrating communion today. We are all different, but Jesus brings us together like one big family! Look at this globe. Can you find a place you’ve heard of or where someone you love lives? (Pause and let a few respond.) People there and there and there and there and even us right here are taking communion today! Isn’t that amazing? And look at this bread…different kinds of bread from around the world. Do you recognize the bread we use here in our church? Just like the bread might look different, the people might look or sound different, yet they’re gathered with church friends to eat the bread and drink the juice. No matter who eats the bread or where they eat the bread, we all remember Jesus’ love for each of us and how he taught us to love like God loves. When we take communion, we remember Jesus and his life. We remember that Jesus loves us, and we are called to love others too. No matter where they live or what kind of bread they eat. So today, let’s thank God for people all around the world, and let’s remember we’re part of one big family...Jesus’ family. church? Just like the bread might look different, the people might look or sound different, yet they’re gathered with church friends to eat the bread and drink the juice. No matter who eats the bread or where they eat the bread, we all remember Jesus’ love for each of us and how he taught us to love like God loves. When we take communion, we remember Jesus and his life. We remember that Jesus loves us, and we are called to love others too. No matter where they live or what kind of bread they eat. So today, let’s thank God for people all around the world, and let’s remember we’re part of one big family...Jesus’ family. Have children repeat after you phrase by phrase as Dear God, Thank you for loving everyone, Everywhere in the world. Help us to share your love, With all your people. We love you God. Thank you for loving us. Amen. Dear God, thank you for loving everyone in the world. Help us to share your love with all of your people. We love you God. Thank you for loving us. Amen Derywhere in the world. Help us to share your lo Affirmation of Faith The Nicene Creed UMH 880 Anthem Scripture Psalm 137 Sermon Mission and Discipleship Introduction: When the World Feels Strange Have you ever felt like the world around you has changed so much that you hardly recognize it anymore? Like the ground beneath your feet has shifted—and suddenly, you’re not quite sure where you belong? That’s where the people of God found themselves in Psalm 137. They were exiles—taken from their homeland, dragged to Babylon, and surrounded by a foreign culture that didn’t share their faith, their values, or their hope. They sat by the rivers of Babylon and wept. Their harps—symbols of worship—hung silent on the trees. Their captors mocked them: “Sing us one of your happy songs about Zion!” But the people couldn’t. Their hearts were broken. Their faith was shaken. And they cried out, “How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” ________________________________________ I. Exile: A Reality Then and Now For the Israelites, exile was literal. They were torn from Jerusalem, from the Temple, from everything that gave their lives structure and meaning. But exile comes in many forms. Today, exile might look like this: • A church that once thrived but now feels empty. • A believer who feels out of place in a world that has forgotten God. • A person whose faith feels foreign even in their own home. We too sit by the rivers of Babylon at times—longing for a world that once felt more faithful, more grounded, more holy. Illustration: I once visited a congregation that had nearly given up. Their pastor said, “We’ve been shrinking for so long that we stopped dreaming. We hung up our harps.” But then they started a small food pantry. Week after week, hungry families began to come. Soon, worship attendance grew—not because people came for food, but because they found hope. That church learned to sing again in a strange land. ________________________________________ II. The Temptation to Silence The psalm says, “We hung up our harps.” That’s not just a poetic line—it’s a spiritual danger. When life gets hard, when ministry feels futile, when culture shifts away from faith—it’s tempting to go silent. To stop singing. To stop serving. To stop believing our small efforts matter. But discipleship is not conditional. We are called to follow Jesus even in exile. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let them deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) Faithfulness is not about comfort—it’s about calling. Even when the land feels foreign, the mission remains. Illustration: A missionary in Eastern Europe once said, “We came thinking we’d build a church. Instead, we learned to plant seeds of hope in soil that looked barren. Now, people are singing who didn’t even know the song before.” Disciples don’t hang up their harps—they tune them to God’s heart, wherever they are. ________________________________________ III. Remembering Who We Are The exiles said, “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill.” Even in Babylon, they remembered who they were—the people of God. Memory became their survival. They couldn’t sing for Babylon, but they could sing to God. Mission begins with memory. Before we can go out into the world, we must remember who sent us. Before we serve, we must remember Whose we are. In baptism, we were named and claimed. In the Great Commission, we were sent: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… and remember, I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:19–20) The exile wasn’t the end of the story. It was the training ground for renewal. ________________________________________ IV. Singing as an Act of Resistance To sing in exile is to resist despair. It’s to declare, “God is still God, even here.” Think about the spirituals sung by enslaved Africans in America. In the deepest oppression, they sang, “Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home.” Those songs were acts of resistance and faith—songs that said, “You may chain my body, but you can’t silence my soul.” That’s what mission looks like: singing hope into hopeless places. Illustration: When Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Acts 16, they didn’t despair—they sang hymns. And Scripture says, “the prisoners were listening.” That’s discipleship. The world listens when God’s people sing through suffering. Every act of love, every meal shared, every prayer whispered in a broken world is a song of the Lord in a strange land. ________________________________________ V. The Hard Ending: Anger and Hope Psalm 137 ends with disturbing words—violent, vengeful cries for justice. They sound shocking to modern ears. But don’t dismiss them too quickly. They are the honest cries of a wounded people longing for God to set things right. Mission and discipleship don’t mean pretending everything is fine. They mean bringing our whole selves to God—anger, grief, and all—and trusting Him to transform our pain into purpose. Through Christ, God took the cry for vengeance and turned it into a call for redemption. “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) The cross is where exile ends—and mission begins again. ________________________________________ VI. Application: Singing Where You Are So what does it mean to sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? It means this: • If your workplace feels hostile to faith—sing there by living with integrity. • If your community feels broken—sing there by serving. • If your church feels small—sing there by loving one another deeply. Illustration: One small rural church in Illinois—just 15 members—started “Mission Meals.” Once a month, they made hot dinners for anyone who needed them. Over time, they served hundreds. One woman said, “I came for food, but I found family.” That’s singing the Lord’s song in Babylon. ________________________________________ VII. Conclusion: Don’t Hang Up Your Harp The world may feel strange. The culture may shift. The church may shrink. But our mission has not changed. We are disciples of the risen Christ, called to love, serve, and witness in every land—familiar or foreign. We sing not because life is easy, but because God is faithful. So take your harp off the tree. Lift your voice again. Because the world still needs to hear the song of God’s grace. “Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things.” (Psalm 98:1) ________________________________________ Closing Prayer Lord, when the world feels foreign, teach us to remember You. When we are tempted to give up, help us to keep singing. Let our lives be songs of hope, faith, and love— until every land, and every heart, becomes Your home. In Jesus’ name, Amen. sermon written by Chapt GPT version 5 Song One Bread, One Body Pastoral Prayer God of the rivers and the wilderness, of Babylon and Jerusalem, we come to you today with the deep ache of a world that still knows displacement. We pray for all who are wandering, refugees fleeing war, immigrants seeking welcome, souls lost in systems that forget their name. May they find rest. May they find home. We pray for the ones whose faith feels the size of a mustard seed, tiny, unsure, overwhelmed. May they know that even the smallest act of trust can plant forests of transformation. Help us show up, as servants, as neighbors, as those willing to set the table for others. We lift up those in sorrow, those grieving loss, carrying illness, navigating fractured relationships. Hold their brokenness with tenderness. Bring healing where healing can come, and peace where it cannot. We pray for the church universal, each congregation celebrating Communion this day, each voice singing in their own key of grace. Let our unity not erase our difference, but celebrate it, a foretaste of the kingdom where every tribe, every language, every story has a place. And God, where the world breaks trust and justice is delayed, let your Spirit stir us toward equity, let your church rise to embody compassion, and let your table always remain open, never guarded. In the name of Christ who breaks bread with the broken, we pray. Amen.WORSHIP & PRAYER Lord’s Prayer A Stewardship Moment Invite several folks to bring coins or bills from a variety of countries (or use images on the screen), to help identify how congregations around the world are receiving an offering this morning. Whether we share kwatcha, francs, pesos or dollars, we are invited to bring an offering today, to support this congregation and our world-wide ministries. (Describe one or two specific outreach ministries which are underwritten by your offering.) From the smallest coin to the largest check, every gift is valued, appreciated and will be used to sustain the work of Christ in the world. With generous hearts and open hands, let us share our offering. We all work together to build the kingdom of God, to being all to the table of God. We have an opportunity to give, but you also received. In your bulletin in a gospel dollar – to remind us that the currency we give to God is all the same in Jesus eyes, he uses our gifts to spread the gospel to the world and to people who need to hear it. If you take the time to look at the gospel dollar – you will see that it has all of the lessons of the new testament, all of Jesus words to us, all that Jesus wanted us to know. As we gp through the next six weeks, I invite you to hold onto it – to remind us of the importance of mission, stewardship and discipleship. Even though it is in the form of a dollar bill, stewardship is so much more than how much we put in the offering plate. It is how we live out God’s word in our life. It is what we do to serve others. It how well we listen to God. The dollar that you receive is a reminder of what it means to be a disciple of God. I would invite you to hold onto it during the stewardship campaign to remind us of what the next six weeks is all about, you can pass it on to someone else. Some people have used it in addition to their tip to encourage others and to tell others about the gospel. Or you can return it into the basket in the narthex. Let us remember to be generous disciples living in mission together. Offertory Prayer Generous God, You have set a table that stretches from Charlotte to Kinshasa, from Bogotá to Seoul. You have fed us with grace and invited us into your holy community of justice and joy. So now, we offer back to you a portion of what we have received. May our gifts, of money, time, and lives, be used to extend your welcome, to build tables in places long denied a feast, and to nourish hope in hearts still waiting for home. Bless and multiply these gifts for your glory and your people. Amen. Intro to Communion By the rivers of Babylon, they sat down and wept. They hung up their harps and could not find the strength to sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land. Psalm 137 doesn’t ease us in; it begins with grief and rage, a people displaced and aching. And yet, on this World Communion Sunday, we come to the table bringing our own songs and silences, our own longings for home, wholeness and healing. The question is not merely how to sing, but what it means to sing when your heart is heavy, your identity is questioned, and your community feels fractured. Psalm 137 is not an abstract metaphor. It names the human experience of dislocation, emotional, spiritual, political. Many people today, immigrants, exiles, refugees, the displaced and the disillusioned, still sit by rivers with harps hung up. And yet this day, across time zones and nations, we lift up the cup and break bread. We proclaim that there is a table wide enough for every pain, every accent, every story. We do not forget the city of God because the table reminds us of where we belong, and with whom. Rowan Williams writes of the Eucharist as a place where we come not because we’re good at being faithful, but precisely because we are not. We come not because we’ve figured it out, but because we’re still lost in many ways. And yet Jesus invites us in, week after week, to sit and eat and remember. To be known. To be transformed. Communion is more than ritual. It is more than nostalgia. It is a prophetic declaration that in a world of walls, there remains a place where the table extends further than we ever dreamed. It is a declaration that in a culture of me-first, there is still a gathering centered around mutuality, grace and a Savior who feeds all without condition. World Communion Service. UMH 13. (do not print all of the words) The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. The pastor may lift hands and keep them raised. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty (almighty God), creator of heaven and earth. You have made from one every nation and people to live on all the face of the earth. And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven we praise your name and join their unending hymn: The pastor may lower hands. Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. The pastor may raise hands. Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your Church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit. He commissioned us to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth and to make disciples of all nations, and today his family in all the world is joining at his holy table. The pastor may hold hands, palms down, over the bread, or touch the bread, or lift the bread. On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: "Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." The pastor may hold hands, palms down, over the cup, or touch the cup, or lift the cup. When the supper was over he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said: "Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." The pastor may raise hands. And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith. Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. The pastor may hold hands, palms down, over the bread and cup. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood. The pastor may raise hands. Renew our communion with your Church throughout the world, and strengthen it in every nation and among every people to witness faithfully in your name. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet. Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father (God ), now and for ever. Amen. Copyright: “The Great Thanksgiving for World Communion Sunday,” Copyright © 1972 The Methodist Publishing House; Copyright © 1980, 1985, 1989, 1992 UMPH. Used by permission. Announcements Trustee meeting next week Closing Prayer for Facebook Go now as those who have been fed, not only with bread and cup, but with remembrance, mercy, and the wild welcome of Christ. Let your faith, even if only a mustard seed, uproot indifference, plant compassion, and prepare a place for someone else to be seen, to be heard, to be healed. Wherever you go, Babylon or Jerusalem, downtown or dirt road, may you carry the table with you. And may the Spirit of God go before you to stir courage, walk beside you to offer peace, and dwell within you to keep setting the table of grace. Go in love, go in justice, go in belonging. Amen. Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction Let us go from this place trusting that God is with us and for us in every place. May the grace of our Lord Jesus, the love of God, and the companionship of the Holy Spirit be with you and abide with you this day and forever-more. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) At the end print These worship resources are part of the World Communion Sunday pastor and leader kit. They can be adapted for your context and integrated into your worship service