Welcome

Opening Litany^[1]:
Strength is commanding the wind and sea to obey.
Strength is wielding a slingshot in the face of a raging giant.
Strength is accepting vulnerability from inside the boat.
Strength is standing in solidarity with the powerless.
Strength is turning a cheek.
Strength is loving an enemy.
We come to worship a God who redefines our vision of strength.

Confession and Forgiveness^[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.

O God, sometimes we are like David, and sometimes Goliath: forgive us for our two-sided nature.  We face the powerful with righteous anger, but cling to any sense of power that we attain.  We are grateful when grace is extended to us, yet remain absent-minded of this when others have wronged us.  We treat our own as family, yet ignore sisters and brothers whom we see only from a distance.  As people of paradox, we long for oneness with ourselves and others, with Christ and creation, so that justice and love may flow freely.  Forgive us for our two-sided nature and lead us by your Spirit 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^[3]:
Let us pray.
O God, our faith in your power and your providence is strengthened today upon the experience of David in his encounter with Goliath. You remind us that there is nothing in all creation that is more powerful than your word in all its glory. Help us, O God, to cling to your living word and to root ourselves in it, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.

Reading: 1 Samuel 17:1-11, 24-58
1Sam. 17:1   Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. ² Saul and the Israelites gathered and encamped in the valley of Elah, and formed ranks against the Philistines. ³ The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. ⁴ And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. ⁵ He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. ⁶ He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. ⁷ The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. ⁸ He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” ¹⁰ And the Philistine said, “Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together.” ¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

1Sam. 17:24   All the Israelites, when they saw the man, fled from him and were very much afraid. ²⁵ The Israelites said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. The king will greatly enrich the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter and make his family free in Israel.” ²⁶ David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” ²⁷ The people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.”

1Sam. 17:28   His eldest brother Eliab heard him talking to the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David. He said, “Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart; for you have come down just to see the battle.” ²⁹ David said, “What have I done now? It was only a question.” ³⁰ He turned away from him toward another and spoke in the same way; and the people answered him again as before.

1Sam. 17:31   When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul; and he sent for him. ³² David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” ³³ Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” ³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ David said, “The LORD, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “Go, and may the LORD be with you!”

1Sam. 17:38   Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. ³⁹ David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.” So David removed them. ⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.

1Sam. 17:41   The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. ⁴² When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. ⁴³ The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.” ⁴⁵ But David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, ⁴⁷ and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’S and he will give you into our hand.”

1Sam. 17:48   When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

1Sam. 17:50   So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, striking down the Philistine and killing him; there was no sword in David’s hand. ⁵¹ Then David ran and stood over the Philistine; he grasped his sword, drew it out of its sheath, and killed him; then he cut off his head with it.

When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. ⁵² The troops of Israel and Judah rose up with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron. ⁵³ The Israelites came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. ⁵⁴ David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent.

1Sam. 17:55   When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” ⁵⁶ The king said, “Inquire whose son the stripling is.” ⁵⁷ On David’s return from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand. ⁵⁸ Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

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

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

Sending Prayer^[4]:
We have remembered today how the strong can be defeated by the weak.
We have remembered how the exalted and the mighty can be overcome by those who are humble and lowly.
We pray, O God, for all those who are oppressed in the shadows of giants.
We pray for those who must contend with forces greater than they.
Send us in faith, granting courage to those in fear, acting for those in bondage, and bringing about liberation for our neighbors.
Amen.

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] written by Katherine Hawker, 1997.  Posted on Liturgy Outside. http://liturgyoutside.net/

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

[3] Adapted from Rev. Richard Fairchild, and posted on Kir-shalom. http://www.rockies.net/

[4] Adapted from Rev. Richard Fairchild, and posted on Kir-shalom. http://www.rockies.net/