Worship Elements: January 16, 2022

September 2nd, 2021

Second Sunday after the Epiphany

Color: Green
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 36:5-10; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; John 2:1-11

Theme Ideas

God's grace and love are bright and shining gifts to a dark and hurting world. We find this echoed in today's readings: "Your steadfast love ...extends to the heavens" (Psalm 36:5); "You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, / and a royal diadem in the hand of your God" (Isaiah 62:3); "Jesus ... revealed his glory" (John 2:11). God's love is made manifest in many ways, including the gifts of the Spirit, as mentioned in the Corinthians reading. Our worship today should show how members of Christ's body, the church, bring forth God's love.

Call to Worship (1 Corinthians 12)

There are many gifts, talents, and abilities given by God.
But there is only one Spirit.
There are a variety of things we can do to serve the Lord.
But it is the same Lord we all serve.
There are many activities we can do to serve God:
teach, sing, clean, preach, play, work...
But all these are activated by God.
There are many manifestations of God's Spirit
in the world.
It is impossible to list them all.
To say that one is better than another is foolish.
God gives to each as God chooses.
Thanks be to God!

Call to Worship (Psalm 36)

No matter how far we wander from you, O God,
your steadfast love finds us.
No matter how unjust the world seems to us, O God,
your steadfast righteousness sustains us.
No matter how vulnerable our lives seem to us, O God,
your steadfast presence gives us hope.
No matter how unloved and uncared for we feel, O God,
you hear our cries and answer our prayers.
Thanks be to God!

Contemporary Gathering Words (Isaiah 62, John 2)

With God, all things are made new.
We are made new creatures in Christ!
The mouth of the Lord has spoken.
We are made new creatures in Christ!
The old things have passed away.
We are made new creatures in Christ!

Praise Sentences

We lift up our voices in praise.
God's steadfast love never fails.

Opening Prayer

Gracious and loving God,
source of all wholeness, forgiveness, and mercy,
may your Spirit
heal those who are torn,
mend those who are broken,
and protect those who are fragile.
Enable us, O God,
through the gift of your steadfast love,
to remember who we are
and whose we are.
In your love,
may we be true and faithful disciples
of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
in whose name we pray. Amen.

Opening Prayer (1 Corinthians 12)

God of all good gifts,
we thank you and praise you.
Your Spirit has touched our lives,
bringing wisdom, ability, strength, courage,
and passion.
Enable us to use our gifts
in service to you and to others.
In all that we do,
and in all that we are,
may your name be glorified,
that your kingdom will be with us
and reside here on this earth.
We pray this in the name of your Son,
our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Unison Prayer or Prayer of Confession (John 2)

Lord, we need a miracle today.
Like Jesus changing water into wine
at the wedding feast in Cana,
we need a miracle today.
We are tired, Lord, of the hurts of this world.
We are discouraged
in the face of injustice, war, poverty, and indifference.
We need a miracle today, Lord.
Your steadfast love, like a mighty mountain,
will not be moved.
Your gifts, as many as the mighty winds,
cannot be counted.
Your glory, like a mighty torch,
will not be put out.
Lord, crown us with your love.
Show us your glory,
that in you we may be moved
to acts of kindness, love, justice, and mercy.
Lord, we need a miracle today. Amen.

Benediction

And now, from the One who is indeed the giver
of all good gifts:
go and share what God has given you;
go and proclaim that God's love is here;
go in the power of God's Spirit
to make all things new.

Benediction (Psalm 36, 1 Corinthians 12)

Drink deep of God's love.
God's love endures forever!
Drink deep of God's Spirit.
God's Spirit endures forever!
Feast on the abundance of God's gifts.
God's gifts never end!