530PM † September 4, 2022
Whether this is your first time with us or your one thousand and first, we are glad that the Spirit has drawn you here today! A brief reception with refreshments will follow the service, and we encourage you to meet our pastors and members and/or share your email address so Good Shepherd can continue to welcome and encourage you.
GATHERING
The Holy Spirit brings us into community.
GATHERING SONG
Thrive
Casting Crowns
- Here in this worn and weary land where many a dream has died,
Like a tree planted by the water, we never will run dry.
So, living water flowing through, God, we thirst for more of You.
Fill our hearts, and flood our souls with one desire:
Chorus: Just to know You, and to make You known. We lift Your name on high.
Shine like the sun, make darkness run and hide.
We know we were made for so much more than ordinary lives.
It’s time for us to more than just survive; We were made to thrive.
- Into Your word we’re digging deep to know our Lord’s heart.
Into the world we’re reaching out to show them who You are.
So, living water flowing through, God, we thirst for more of You.
Fill our hearts, and flood our souls with one desire: (chorus)
WELCOME Pastor Jeff
CALL TO WORSHIP
In the name of the Holy Parent,
And of the + Son,
And of the Holy Spirit, whom we invite into this space. Amen
We gather to worship, to hear God’s word and share in the Lord’s Supper, to see the Spirit’s presence in the rainbow of people present here this evening. We gather to celebrate, but also to mourn, to rest, to repair, to reflect, to seek justice. We know that to bring our fullest selves before you and before one another, we need God’s guidance and healing in a difficult world. And so we pray:
We implore you, liberating God: break cycles of disconnection and harm. Provide the grace and trust that repairs us. Open our eyes to our neighbors who are near to us, and those who are far away. Heal our hearts, restore our trust and build our human community.
God created you, knows you, and names you good. As a called and ordained minister in the church of Christ, I proclaim that God loves you and calls you to abundant life, even in the midst of brokenness. As children of God, created in God’s image, you are created, known, and loved people, forgiven to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim God’s favor. Amen.
CONGREGATION SONG
All the Colors of the Rainbow
Songs for the Holy Other
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Lifegiving God, we give thanks for your never-ceasing creativity. From the dawn of time, to our parent’s womb, and in the age to come, your innovation is as endless as eternity. Today you are building us, your people, into a rainbow of many colors. In your Holy Spirit, we are beginning to see all things anew. In your child Jesus, the Word made human, you welcome us into the joy and diversity of your world, teaching us that those we thought were strange and cut off are members in your holy body. Be with us today as we wrestle with your word, celebrate your gifts, and join in your community with each other. Amen.
WORD
We learn about God through reading, preaching, and song.
FIRST READING SONG OF SONGS 2:8-17
The voice of my beloved!
Look, he comes, leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look, there he stands behind our wall, gazing in at the windows, looking through the lattice.
My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away,
for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the cliff,
let me see your face; let me hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
Catch us the foxes, the little foxes, that ruin the vineyards—
for our vineyards are in blossom.”
My beloved is mine, and I am his; he pastures his flock among the lilies.
Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the cleft mountains.
SECOND READING 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-27
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect, whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE Pastor Cassie
GOSPEL MATTHEW 6:25-34
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Parent feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the gentiles who seek all these things, and indeed your heavenly Parent knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
SERMON Pastor Cassie
CONGREGATION SONG
All Belong Here
The Many
- When you’re not sure who you really are, when all you feel is the shape of your scars,
And you have more wounds than you can count, open your eyes, look all around,
You aren’t alone, this is your home.
Chorus: Come and remember who you are here. Do this to remember who I am.
Come and remember you belong here. All belong here.
- When you don’t know how to forgive, when locked doors seem like the only way to live,
And you’ve got more questions than you can count, open your eyes, look all around,
You aren’t alone, this is your home.
Bridge: At this table come as you are, broken and bleeding’s ok.
At this table eat and be filled, come and drink in this grace. (short musical interlude) (bridge) (chorus)
PRAYERS Pastor Josh
PASSING THE PEACE
May the peace of God be with you all. And also with you.
You are invited to share the peace with those around you however you feel comfortable—
a handshake, wave, high five, etc.
MEAL
God invites us to be nourished in the presence of Jesus.
THE THANKSGIVING
Let us pray together.
Ever-creating God, we remember that we were formed in your image, in all our diverse identities, in our bodies and sexualities and genders. Our breath is the same breath that hovered over the waters when the world was made. We remember that even as we walked away from you or were rejected by others, you still remembered us. You continued to seek us out, even when we forgot who we are.
We remember your son, Jesus, who put on a body like ours, and taught us what it meant to be fully human. He touched the untouchable, healed the incurable, and welcomed those who had given up hope of ever finding love and unconditional acceptance. Through him we see a path toward liberation, in the holy task of eating together, and in learning to see one another as beloved, just as you have seen us.
On the night that one of his best friends would betray him, Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Every time you do this, remember how much I love you.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is a sign of a new promise in my blood, poured out for you and for all people to heal brokenness and be forgiven. Drink this, and remember how much I love you.
And so we pray, with boldness and in our need, that your Holy Spirit would come among us, and on these gifts of bread and cup. Make of them the body and blood of Christ, brought to life in our sharing, to nourish us as we walk in your way of justice and love. Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
Let us pray as Jesus taught us, each in the words or language of our choice.
Our God in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kin-dom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kin-dom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
INVITATION TO COMMUNION
This is God’s table, and there are no limits to whom God loves and invites.
The meal is ready; come and be nourished!
COMMUNION
At this table, Christ is both host and meal, and offers himself to all who hunger and thirst for his presence. We believe that he is truly present in this sacrament.
When you come forward, the pastor will place bread in your hand. Gluten-free wafers are available upon request. You can receive wine by taking a cup from the tray (the cups in the center contain white grape juice).
If you do not wish to commune, you are welcome to come forward and receive a blessing.
If you need to receive communion in your seat, simply notify an usher.
No one is too young to receive this sacrament, though some families wish to give their children some instruction before they take their first communion. If a young child accompanies you, please indicate to the pastor whether they should receive bread or a blessing.
COMMUNION SONG
Need You Now
Plumb
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
May we who have fed at Wisdom’s table
Take her welcome out to where tables are reserved and doors are closed;
May the Spirit drive us to break our bread on the altar of the world. Amen.
SENDING
God blesses us and the work of loving and justice-seeking we do in the world.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
BLESSING
May the love of the vibrant Creator,
the peace of the radical Healer,
the joy of the challenging Spirit,
the hope of the Three in One
surround and encourage you,
tonight and forevermore. Amen
SENDING SONG
10,000 Reasons
Chorus: Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul; worship Your holy name.
Sing like never before, O my soul; I’ll worship Your holy name.
- The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning, its time to sing Your song again.
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me,
Let me be singing when the evening comes. (chorus) - You’re rich in love and you’re slow to anger.
Your name is great and Your heart is kind.
For all your goodness, I will keep on singing;
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find. (chorus) - And on that day, when my strength is failing,
The end draws near and my time has come;
Still, my soul will sing Your praise unending,
Ten thousand years, and then forever more. (chorus)
DISMISSAL
And now go in peace. Love wholeheartedly. Live as you were created. Thanks be to God!
Thank you to those who helped with worship today…
Worship Leaders Rev. Cassie Hartnett, Rev. Jeff Goodrich, Rev. Josh Fitterling
Ushers Julie, Kirby
Lectors Kristin, Pat
Acolyte Lee
Livestream Ernie
New Direction Praise Band Randy, Michelle, Lawrence & Sam
Altar Care Katie, Trudy & Stephanie
From Sundays and Seasons.com. © 2022 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #27028. New Revised Standard Version Bible, ©1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. CCLI#1313879. OneLicense # A-716488