Welcome

Opening Litany[1]:
We come to worship this morning from different places.
O God, do not be far from us.

We come to worship this morning for different reasons.
O God, do not be far from us.

We experience the presence of the Spirit in different ways.
O God, do not be far from us.

We hear Jesus’ words with different ears.
O God, do not be far from us.

“Deny yourselves.”
O God, do not be far from us.

“Take up your cross.”
O God, do not be far from us.

“Follow me.”
O God, we thank you for drawing near to us wherever we are in our lives.

Confession and Forgiveness:
Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God, the keeper of the covenant, the source of steadfast love, our rock and our redeemer.
Amen.

God hears us when we cry, and draws us close in Jesus Christ. Let us return to the one who is full of compassion.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Fountain of living water,
pour out your mercy over us. Our sin is heavy, and we long to be free.  Rebuild what we have ruined and mend what we have torn.  Wash us in your cleansing flood.  Make us alive in the Spirit to follow in the way of Jesus, as healers and restorers of the world you so love.  Amen.

Beloved, God’s word never fails. The promise rests on grace: by the saving love of Jesus Christ, the wisdom and power of God, your sins are + forgiven, and God remembers them no more. Journey in the way of Jesus.
Amen.

Prayer of the Day:
Let us pray.
O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life. Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

First Reading: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
¹When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. ²And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” ³Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, ⁴“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. ⁵No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. ⁶I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. ⁷I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

¹⁵God said to Abraham, “As for Sarah your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. ¹⁶I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Gospel: Mark 8:31-38

This is the Holy Gospel according to Mark, the 8th chapter.
Glory to you, O Lord.

³¹Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³²He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

³⁴He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. ³⁶For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? ³⁷Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? ³⁸Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

Children’s Sermon

Sermon

Hymn of the Day

Apostle’s Creed:
Let us confess our faith using the Apostle’s Creed:
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
            creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.*
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession:
Relying on the promises of God, we pray boldly for the church, the world, and all in need.

Prayers continue with each petition ending:

. . . Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.

We entrust ourselves and all our prayers to you, O faithful God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Sharing of the Peace

Announcements

Offering
https://tithe.ly/give_new/www/#/tithely/give-one-time/468062

Sending Litany[2]:
Abandon the illusion you’re a self-contained individual.
Be a part of this wounded world, and find yourself with Christ.

Set aside your own desires, give yourself fully for others; be the hands and heart of Jesus.

Renounce self-protection, accept your brokenness, and reach out for love.

Let go of your own plans. Join in the healing of the world. You will not be alone.

Follow your soul, not your ego. Follow it right into people’s suffering. Follow it right into the heart of God.

Pour yourself out; let the world pour in; then you are one with the Beloved.

Lord’s Prayer:
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us saying:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
      hallowed be thy name,
      thy kingdom come,
      thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
      as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
      but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
      forever and ever. Amen.

Benediction:
You are what God made you to be:
Created in Christ Jesus for good works, Chosen as holy and beloved, Freed to serve your neighbor.

God bless you + that you may be a blessing, in the name of the holy and life-giving Trinity.
Amen.

Dismissal:
Go in peace. Share the good news.
Thanks be to God!

 

Prayer Requests:
Gladys Fawcett,  family and friends of Pete Shearer, Tom Burns, Megan Brodsky, family and friends of Bob Berger, Shirley Hauck-Troxell, Ryan Caris, family and friends of Frank Danowsky, Gretchen Becker, Deb Fern, Kay Keister, Annette Baker, Courtney Price, Cami Zimmerman, Helen Barsh,  Jamie, Matt Koch, Bob Keifer, Peg Swinehart.

 

Portions reprinted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, copyright 2006.  Used by permission of Augsburg Fortress, license #SBL09796L.  Music reprinted from the ELW, by permission of OneLicense, license #A712349.  Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.   Used by permission.

 

[1] Adapted from Joanna Harader, and posted on Spacious Faith. http://spaciousfaith.com/

[2] Adapted from Thom Shuman, and posted on Lectionary Liturgies. http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.ca/