Meditation Prayer (silently)

God of amazing surprises, whose proclamation of peace through the risen Christ startles us yet washes over us with refreshing joy, we are eager to see Jesus and to trust that the purity of life we know through him is worth emulating. Put us in touch with truth that cleanses and makes whole so we can relate to others in ways that reconcile and redeem. Amen.

Prelude

Welcome and Announcements                                                                   

Call to Contemplation                                

Call to Worship     (quietly responsively)                       

     L:  God has set apart those who are faithful.

          Our creator will hear us when we call.

     C:  God puts gladness in our hearts and minds.

          We will lie down in safety and sleep in peace.

     L:  Beloved, we are God’s children now.

          What we will be has not yet been revealed.

     C:  We are here to remember Jesus Christ.

          We want to be like the One who lived by love.

     L:  Our faith strengthens us for each day’s living.

          God empowers our ministries of caring.

     C:  We trust God whose children we are.

          We look forward to what God will reveal to us.

Prayer of Invocation (in unison quietly)                                  

God of our ancestors, author of life, source of Easter good news, we are drawn together again by the mystery of life and death. We call on you, so far beyond our knowing, with a mixture of faith and doubt. Let your face shine on us as we put our trust in you. Draw together the fragments of our busy lives around the central core of love which you provide, that we might relate to one another as whole people. Grant us a fuller sense of what is right and good and help us to live at our best. Amen

Old Testament         Leviticus 16:8–10  &  Genesis 22:1-14                         

Sermon     “The Opposite of Patience”         Rev. Fred Meade

Offertory Invitation   (Please put offering in the plate by the door as you leave)

Offertory Prayer of Dedication (in quiet unison)

We give with joy, gracious God, for you have been with us even when we were unfaithful. You have kept us in safety through times of grave distress. We can call on you in all times and places, in life and in death, knowing that your strength is available to sustain us. We give now that your church may be empowered in the proclamation of good news and the transformation of human life. Amen.

A Time of Silent Prayer

Pastoral and The Lord’s Prayer

Response                                   

Benediction

Postlude