Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

Color: Green
Scripture Readings: Exodus 32:1-14; Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23; Philippians 4:1-19; Matthew 22:1-14

Call to Worship #1

L: Look around at this wondrous world!
P: God’s mighty acts in creation are magnificent!
L: Look around at the diversity of God’s people!
P: Diversity is to be celebrated for we have much to learn from each other.
L: Come, let us offer praise and prayer to God.
P: Let us celebrate all God’s goodness, for even in the midst of the horrible storm, God is with us. AMEN.

Call to Worship #2

L: You have been invited to a special feast.
P: We need more details, for our schedules are very busy.
L: This is celebration of commitment between God and God’s people.
P: Maybe next time, we have other plans. What is God going to do if we don’t come?
L: Your response is noted. There are many others who would be delighted to come, even on a last minute notice. God looks forward to greeting them and celebrating with them.
P: Will we get a second chance? God forgive us for placing our schedules and other plans before coming to your celebration. AMEN.

Call to Worship #3

[Using THE UNITED METHODIST HYMNAL, p. 120 (refrain only) “Your Love, O God”, offer the following call to worship as directed below]

L: The depth, breadth and height of God’s creation knows no bounds
P: We are called to be stewards of God’s world.
Choir: singing refrain only of “Your Love, O God”
L: Who is exempt from the love of God?
P: Even though we turn away from God, God’s love is still poured out to us.
Choir: singing refrain only of “Your Love, O God”
L: God, heal our wounded spirits, encourage and inspire us to do your will.
P: Be present with us as we grow and learn in our faith. AMEN.
All: singing refrain only of “Your Love, O God”

Gathering Prayer

Patient and persistent God, we are grateful that even when we get sidetracked, you are with us. Be in our hearts and spirits today as we learn of your love through creation. AMEN.

Opening Prayer

Lord of diversity and union, we call upon you this day to open our hearts to your love, our ears to your words, our eyes to see the needs of those both near and far, and our spirits to do your will. Be with us and give us courage and inspiration for the future of your world, O Lord. AMEN.

Prayer of Confession

God of infinite forgiveness, we implore you this day to forgive those many times in which we have turned our backs on you by turning away from the needs of the voiceless, the hopeless, the helpless. We let ourselves get distracted by schedules and activities which drain us of energy and enthusiasm. Light a fire under us, O God, that we may again feel the exciting challenge of being your people. Heal our wounds of indifference and apathy; bring us together in harmony and joy to serve you and your creation with peace, justice, and hope. It is in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, that we offer this prayer. AMEN.

Words of Assurance

Feel the powerful warmth of God’s love for you! God is with you, healing and restoring your lives and bringing you peace. This is the good news from our persistent and patient God. AMEN.

Morning Prayer

Gracious Lord, your faithful community has gathered this day. We desire your healing mercies in our lives and in the lives of friends and family. Those who are lost, alienated, alone; who suffer from illnesses, who mourn, who feel hopeless are in our hearts this day. We bring to you names of these dear ones as we pray this morning. Let us lift up names of those who suffer from all forms of pain and alienation.

[Here the congregation may offer prayers of concern for people and situations.]

Lord, in your neverending mercy, hear our prayers.

We also gather as a community in support of each other. We come to celebrate the wondrous events in our lives and in the lives of family and friends. Let us lift up names of those who rejoice in the many blessings brought to them.

[Here the congregation may offer prayers of joy for people and situations.]

Lord, in your great goodness, hear our prayers of joy.

For all these things, both sorrowful and joyful, we rejoice that God continues to be with us. Let us resolve to focus our lives on God’s loving and healing presence and become bearers of God’s good news through our words and our actions of love and mercy. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.

Benediction/Sending Forth

Build a fire under us and within us, O Lord. Enable us to joyfully go into your world to serve your people and in doing so serve you also. Go in peace, dear friends. AMEN.

Children’s Time

Good morning! I want to tell you a special story. God gave a party. God invited the strongest, the wealthiest, the smartest, the leaders of the community. But they could not come. They had many other things to do than to come to God’s party. So God sent out his messengers, but this time they were instructed to invite anyone who would come. This meant those who were not the strongest or the richest, or the smartest, or leaders in the community, although God’s invitation remained open to them also. And these people, the second ones invited, came to the party. They were excited that God had invited them and they wanted to see and hear about God’s plans. Well, the party was a huge success! The people left the party knowing that God really cared about them and wanted them to help God spread the word of God’s love. They were happy to do this, and many of them gave their lives so that others would hear this same good news! Nice story, huh? God calls each one of us special. God invites each one to be part of God’s group of friends who will care for all creation and for each other. In preparation, God has given each one of us special gifts, special talents and ways we can be of help. You are called. Many of you don’t know yet what your special gift or talent is, but God will reveal it to you when you are ready. I invite you to get ready for God’s party of service by learning as much as you can about God’s world and about helping others. That’s the good news today! God loves you always. AMEN.

Art for the Altar/Worship Center

Cover the altar/worship center with a bright green cloth so that it drapes down to the floor. Place fancy dishware and glasses on the table, put paper hats and streamers across each place so that the streamers cascade down the front of the altar/worship center. Place crutches, a wheelchair, a walker near the front of the altar/worship center and drape streamers across them also. You may use flowers on the altar/worship center if you wise. Candles should be pillar candles, making sure that their flames are not near the streamers.

Scripture into Script

Reader 1: The Lord prepared a special banquet and invited some of the most influential people in the community, believing that they would also spread news of God’s joy. God sent God’s messengers out with the invitations, excited about the prospect of dining with these people and sharing the good news. The invitations were not well received.

Singer or Reader: I cannot come! I cannot come to the table, don’t trouble me now. I have married a wife, I have bought me a cow. I have fields and commitments that cost a pretty sum. Pray, hold me excused. I cannot come.

Reader 2: When the messengers returned, they were concerned about what to tell God. Deciding that honesty was the best policy they told God that all those to whom they had gone had turned down the invitation. God wanted to know why. It has to do with other commitments and schedules — it seems that their lives had new foci and they just couldn’t add another thing to it. God was deeply saddened. God knew that so much had been given to these people, that they should share, but instead they were just too busy to spend time with God. Exactly what did they say? God demanded.

Singer or reader: I cannot come. I cannot come to the banquet, don’t trouble me now. I have married a wife, I have bought me a cow. I have fields and commitments that cost a pretty sum. Pray, hold me excused. I cannot come.

Reader 1: God looked about in disbelief. God was ready to punish them for their faithlessness, but then God had another idea. If those can’t come, I want all my messengers to go out to the highways and byways, to the small towns, cities, slums, places where people worked hard and were faithful to God’s word. Tell them all to come, God said. Don’t hold back. Bring in everyone who will come; even those who are ill, lame, afraid, afflicted, lost, alone. I have a place at the table for them. The feast will be celebrated with these dear ones.

Reader 2: So the messengers went out and did as directed. A great host of people came, people in all conditions of wellness and sickness, of wealth and poverty, of hope and hopelessness. They brought in people whom others rejected; they brought in those who had done wrong. … in essence, they brought in a great gathering of people. God was so delighted to see these people. To them, God gave the great feast and even more, God’s undying love and presence.

Message Movers

Declining the invitation

We’ve all done this, declined invitations. Sometimes our ill health or injury gets in the way; other times we are in sorrow; ……there are a whole host of reasons we decline invitations.

In our Gospel lesson, the king invites those of great importance — but they have too many other things going on in their lives, so they reject and decline the invitation of the king. So the next invitation goes out to those who were not the first chosen — these were the common ones, the workers, the impoverished. I am sure that king would have been pleased if some of those first invited ones had attended, but the king was not going to reserve a seat for them. If there was still room left over, they could come in.

It is easy for us to make a jump to the comparisons of the Pharisees, who would have among those first invited because of their status and influence in the community and those who were poor, perhaps foreign born or “Gentiles” as they were so often called. But I believe that the comparison can go further — or perhaps closer … to us.

There are so many ways God invites us to celebrate and then to serve. But it is easy for us to get side-tracked. Needing to work on Sundays can be a block to attending the celebration; having family responsibilities, even if they are sports or other social events, can get in the way.

What have we gained by accepting God’s invitation to the banquet? What have we lost?

Are we healed, strengthen, given courage, inspired, challenged by declining God’s invitation? We still maintain that the demands of living in today’s “day and age” determine our responses. That may be the reason, but isn’t it wonderful that God does not use excuses to exclude us from God’s love and goodness. God never declines our prayers, even though our impatience tells us that we want an answer and we want it right now. God does answer – we just have to be ready to listen.

Come to the banquet of God’s forgiveness and healing love! Feel the power of God’s love poured on you and through you to others in need. Welcome, for this place, humble though it is, is a house where the spirit of God dwells in us and through us. And we go from this placed enabled to serve others with that same love. Come to the feast! It has been prepared just for you. AMEN.