Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Leader: Lord, you woke us up this morning and set us on our way.
People: We are thankful for this space and the ways we are allowed to worship you.
Leader: Sometimes we forget that it is you God who enables us to do the things that we do.
People: We often stray from the ways you have taught us to follow.
Leader: Today, we promise not to lean to our own understanding.
People: We remember that you are our compass, and our source.
Leader: You are our God above any other god, and we thank you for your grace.
All: Open our spiritual eyes and ears to hear more from you and act as the children you created us to be.
Opening Hymn
Sweet Hour of Prayer UMH 496
Prayer of Confession
Holy God. We forget quickly that following You doesn’t always mean we are doing something active; it may mean we need to sit, ponder, reflect, and wait.
We confess that we often stray from Your path. We rush ahead without seeking Your will, we become impatient and anxious, and we neglect the quiet moments of communion with You. We have not loved as You have called us to love, nor have we trusted in Your timing. We ask for Your forgiveness for our impatience and our failure to trust in Your leadership. Hear the confessions of our hearts as we seek your forgiveness and mercy.
(Silent Confession)
Renew our hearts and minds so that we may learn to rest in Your presence and follow Your lead with faithful obedience. Help us to focus on being with You right now and resting in Your leadership. Strengthen us to wait upon You, knowing that in Your time, all things are made beautiful. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Words of Assurance
Leader: Beloved in Christ, know this: God is merciful and patient, abounding in steadfast love. When we seek forgiveness with contrite hearts, we find it. Through God's grace, our sins are forgiven, and we are made new.
All: Glory to God, Amen!
Passing of the Peace
First Reading:
Exodus 16
Sermon:
No Time Is Wasted by Pastor Kevin Rutledge
Hymn of Response
One Bread, One Body UMH 496
The Great Thanksgiving
Communion
Tithes and Offerings
Offertory Response
Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow UMH 95
Offertory Prayer
Holy and active God, we thank you that with you, no time is wasted. We thank you for all the different kinds of ways we spend time together as a church community and in service to your people. Bless what we give today so that we can keep doing life together and spreading your joy and love in the world. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer and Lord's Prayer
Closing Hymn
He Leadeth Me UMH 128
Announcements
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
This Week's Reading Plan
| Day: |
Reading: |
|
Monday
|
Proverbs 8:22-31
|
|
Tuesday
|
Colossians 3:23
|
|
Wednesday
|
1 Timothy 1:12-20
|
|
Thursday
|
Romans 8:12-14
|
|
Friday
|
Galatians 6:9
|
|
Saturday
|
Matthew 19:26
|
|
Sunday
|
John 11:1-37
|
Reflections and Caring Conversations
Please use the prompts and prayers below to aid you in your devotions for this week.
OPTIONAL SPIRITUAL PRACTICE FOR THE WEEK:
Engaging in acts of creativity, wonder, or play can help open us up to new possibilities within and around us when we don’t know where we are going. This week, take some time out to do something you enjoy. Take a walk. Paint. Listen to a comedian and laugh. Play with your grandkids. The activity does not need to have a purpose or end-goal. Sometimes, just getting outside of our own heads is enough to open us up to something we were closed off to before.