Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Leader: When we witness our work bear good fruit and rejoice in all God has done among us…
People: we gather for worship.
Leader: When misunderstanding and misinformation threaten to divide instead of unite us…
People: we gather for worship.
Leader: When we dance together in the joy of knowing we belong to God and one another…
People: we gather for worship.
Leader: When we stumble and bumble our way forward as God’s grace guides us into greater love and deeper communion…
People: we gather for worship. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, May 2024.
Opening Hymn
Gather Us In TFWS 2236
Prayer of Confession
Gracious and loving God, open our hearts so that we are able to admit to you the fullness of our lives – that which is beautiful and good, and that which is hurtful and hateful.
Our hearts are hard, and cannot feel love for our neighbors. Soften them with your love.
Our hands are clenched tight and we cannot open them to give or receive. Open them with your grace.
Our feet are planted too firmly and we cannot move to where you take us. Invite us to dance with you.
We confess that we are unable to change on our own. That we are more likely to resist your call than follow it. We let the sins in our life prevent us from worshipping you fully. Forgive us, we pray. Forgive our sins, and empower us to be imitators of Christ in love and service. Amen.
Words of Assurance
Leader: Hear the good news! There is no heart so heard that God cannot soften it, no fist clenched so tight that God cannot open it, no foot so firmly planted that God cannot move it, and no sin so great that God cannot forgive it. May you know that through God's love for you, your sins are forgiven.
People: Glory to God! Amen.
Passing of the Peace
First Reading:
2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12B-19
Sermon:
Call to Worship by Pastor Kevin Rutledge
Hymn of Response
What Gift Can We Bring UMH 87
Tithes and Offerings
Offertory Response
Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow UMH 95
Offertory Prayer
Gracious God, in this sacred moment of offering, we recognize your sovereignty and mercy. As we present our gifts, may they reflect our gratitude for your presence in our lives, amid the complexities and uncertainties of our journeys. Guide us to dance with abandon, even amid our doubts and struggles, trusting in your steadfast love and grace. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer and Lord's Prayer
Announcements
Closing Hymn
Forward Through the Ages UMH 555
Benediction
Said Each Week as A Communal Prayer:
Send to us all the people who feel unwanted and unloved in other places, and if they can't come to us, send us to them.
Postlude