WELCOME

OPENING LITANY[1]:
Come all who are weary of wealth, of poverty, of power, of struggle, of division

Come all who are heavy-laden with too much, with too little, with anxiety, with fear, with anger

Come all who have hope for liberation, for peace, for freedom, for the kingdom

Christ calls us to come to worship
To rest from the things that are troubling us
To learn what Christ can teach of life
To realize what we can offer to others
And so to return into the world to serve
Let us worship God

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENSS[2]:
Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God,
whose steadfast love is everlasting,
whose faithfulness endures from generation to generation.

Amen.

Sisters and brothers, let us not let sin control the way we live. Let us not give in to sinful desires. Rather, let us offer ourselves to God, whose mercy has brought us from death to life.

Silence is held for reflection.

Loving God, we confess that we have sinned. Even though we want to do what is right, we do not always succeed. Not only do we fail to do what was right, but at times we consciously choose to think and act in ways we know are wrong. We sin in thought, word, and deed. By your grace, forgive us; through your love, renew us; and in your Spirit, lead us; so that we may live and serve you in newness of life.
Amen.

Friends, hear this:
Through the life, death and resurrection of + Jesus Christ, we have been set free from the power of sin! It no longer needs to control us. Be at peace: your sins are forgiven! Go out, and live in the light of Christ.

Thanks be to God!

PRAYER OF THE DAY:
Let us pray.
You are great, O God, and greatly to be praised. You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Grant that we may believe in you, call upon you, know you, and serve you, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

FIRST READING: Romans 7:15-25
¹⁵ I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.

²¹ So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. ²² For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, ²³ but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

This is the Holy Gospel according to Matthew, the 11^th chapter.
Glory to you, O Lord.

GOSPEL: Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
¹⁶ “But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,

¹⁷ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’

¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; ¹⁹ the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; ²⁶ yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. ²⁷All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

²⁸ “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

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

CHILDREN’S SERMON

SERMON

HYMN OF THE DAY

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:
http://www.pilgrimpaths.co.uk/Finger%20Labyrinth%20and%20Prayer%20Guide%20Leaflet.pdf

Called into unity with one another and the whole creation, let us pray for our shared world.

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

Receive these prayers, O God, and those too deep for words; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

SHARING OF THE PEACE

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

SENDING LITANY[3]:
We have gathered in this place to worship,
because Jesus invites us to come!

We come as we are,
with our faith and our doubts,
with our successes and our failures,
because Jesus invites us to come!

We come with what we have,
bringing with us the events and experiences of this past week,
because Jesus invites us to come.

Let us go, carrying Jesus’ invitation for the world.

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:
Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

God, the creator, + Jesus, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, the comforter, bless you and keep you in eternal life.

Amen

DISMISSAL:
Go in peace. Christ is with you!
Thanks be to God!

Prayer Requests:

Frank Danowsky, Marie Tanner, Sonja Noll, Irene Stark, Peg Swinehart, Alice Snyder, Greg Seibert, Harold Snyder, family and friends of Bill Krause, Colette Richards, Pat Thomas, Gladys Guffey, Terry Funk, Darv Krouse, Rob Lockwood, Kevin Hosey, Terry Smith, Rodney Heckert, Barbara Neilson, and Rebecca Otuszewski.

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 I Am Making All Things New, written by Rosie Venner. Posted on the WSCF Europe website. http://wscf-europe.org/mozaik-issues/mozaik-25-the-powers-that-be/worship-i-am-making-all-things-new/ and the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand. http://www.presbyterian.org.nz/

[2] Adapted from https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2011/06/confession-assurance-romans-7.html.

[3] Adapted from https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2011/06/call-to-worship-proper-9a.html.