Worship Liturgy ~ Kamloops United Church
The Fifteenth Sunday of Pentecost – September 1, 2013
Season of Creation – Ocean Sunday

We Gather as People of God

Hymn Sing and Welcome
Music for Centering with the Lighting of the Christ Candle and the Procession of the Prayer Box

Call to Worship
On this Labour Day Long weekend, let us gather in this place.
We gather for many reasons: to offer our worship to God; to be with one another; to celebrate the Sacrament of Communion and to go forth from here refreshed to serve with Spirit for another week. Let’s gather in worship as we pray together our Opening Prayer.

Opening Prayer
O God, open to us today the sea of your mercy.
Water us with full streams from the riches of your grace
and from the springs of your loving kindness.
Make us children of quietness and heirs of peace.
Kindle in us the fire of your love and justice.
Strengthen our weakness by your power and bind us close to you and to each other and to all creation. Amen.

Singing: Voices United # 222 ‘Come, Let Us Sing’

Prayer of Confession
O God, our beginning, our foundation, and our future,
We confess that we often complain before seeking understanding.
We order the universe and define justice according to our own needs.
May we humbly seek the divine wisdom of your creation.
May we work for a justice that includes all in the present day and for the future generations.
May we care for your creation now and forever. Amen.

Singing: More Voices # 21 ‘Open Our Hearts’ (x2)

An Assurance of God’s Love
The Holy One who sets the foundations of the earth is with us still, revealing the great mystery and beauty of creation. May we be assured that God’s love, freedom and forgiveness are with us still.
All things shall be well. All manner of things shall be well. Thanks be to God.

A Time for All Ages

Singing: More Voices # 144 ‘Like a Healing Stream’

We Listen for God’s Living Word

     The Book of Job 38:1-18 ‘God answers Job from the whirlwind.’
     The Gospel of Luke 5:1-11 ‘Jesus calls the first disciples.’
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church. Thanks be to God.

Reflection: ‘Oceans Apart’ – Rev. D. Bruce Comrie

We Respond in Faith

Singing: Voices United # 563 ‘Jesus, You Have Come to the Lakeshore’

Our Pastoral Prayers followed by the Lord’s Prayer (Voices United # 959)
O Creator God, on this Ocean Sunday we ask for your help to respect your creation and to do so with humility and hope.
Be especially with those who are working for the sustainability of your oceans, rivers and lakes….

O Christ, we come before you with deep concerns for the nations of the world and human community. We pray for the people of Syria, Egypt, other nations in the Middle East and those in the Western world as well. As we come to grips with the horror of war and how to respond, grant all those involved your wisdom and desire for peace with justice….

O Holy One, on this Labour Day long weekend we pray for those who strive for the rights of workers around the world. Be with them and with all who seek fair working conditions and adequate employment we pray….

O Sustaining Spirit, we pray for your church close by and far away. Today, we especially pray for the staff, volunteers and campers at Camp Fircom, a United Church camp on Gambier Island as they recover from a fire that destroyed their newly build hall….

O Gracious One, as another school year begins we hold before you all those who are returning to school and those that support them. Grant them a good year, one full of learning and success we pray…

O Healing One, we bring before you those who are ill….those who are grieving, those who are going through stress and difficult transitions….and those who have been named through our prayer box…..We pray for any who are on our hearts and minds and we offer prayers for ourselves as well….We pray in the name of Jesus Christ we pray as we sing the Lord’s Prayer…..

The Passing of the Peace
May the Peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.

Our Offering with Doxology: 
Our offering is not a secondary part of the service. It does not play second fiddle to the sermon or our singing or prayers or even Communion. Rather, our offering is just as important as everything else we do in the service. Think about it. In our offering we can say thanks to God in a very tangible way. Our offering of time, talent and money supports the mission and ministry of our church. Without it, our church in its’ present form would not exist. So, our offering does at least two things today. We get to say thanks to God and our church can carry on Christ’s mission. Neither one of those things is secondary. Both are primary. Let’s present our offering with grateful and generous hearts.

More Voices # 191 ‘What Can I Do?’ (x2)

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication
We trust O God that there are things we can do and bring and say and sing. We can sing for joy, we can say a prayer, we can bring our love and we can do our share. As we present our offering today we do so with hearts of thanksgiving that it may be used for your purposes in our congregation and in the wider church through the Mission and Service Fund. We ask your blessing upon us and these gifts we pray. Amen.

We Celebrate the Sacrament of Communion
Let’s greet one another with the greeting found in your worship bulletin:
God be with you!                   And also with you!
Lift up your hearts.                We lift them up to God!
Let us give thanks to God.    It is right to offer thanks and praise.

Let us pray:
Blessed are you, gracious God, Creator of light, Giver of all life, Source of love.
Your song of wisdom rang out before the world began;
your ancient love still touches us and stirs within us.
Even when we turn away from you, you keep faith with us.
You send messengers, to prepare the way through the wilderness of our living,
to guide us in the path of wholeness, to call us to repent.
In Mary, woman of your promise, you showed us courage and faith.
In the fullness of time, you sent us your greatest gift,
Jesus, the Christ, our prince of peace and herald of hope.
So it is that we praise you, singing,

(Voices United # 951 “Holy, Holy, Holy”)
Holy, holy, holy, my heart, my heart adores you!
My heart is glad to say the words: You are holy, God!
Santo, santo, santo. Mi corazon te adora!
Mi corazon te sabe decir: Santo eres Dios!

On the last night he spent with his friends, Jesus took an age-old tradition of his people and transformed it into something new. He took bread, staple food of his land, blessed and broke it, and gave it to those around him saying, “Take, eat, this is my body, broken for you. Whenever you do this, remember me.”

After supper he took a cup of wine, common drink of his people, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink this, all of you, this is the new covenant in my blood. Each time you do this, remember me.”

By remembering Jesus in this way now, we claim our common heritage as we proclaim the mystery of faith…
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

By these signs of bread and wine, we recognize the longing of our hearts for a time when all humanity will be one family – when justice and compassion will be the way we live according to the Holy One we seek.
O Holy Spirit, be poured out upon us and these gifts. Unite us and strengthen us to live the resurrected life of Christ in the world.
Praise be to God, the Source of Love!
Praise be to Christ, Love incarnate!
Praise be to the Spirit, Love’s power!
Praise be to God! Amen
My friends, these are the gifts of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!

At this time, I am going to ask the adult servers to please come forward. Come, for all is now prepared!

(Communion continues…during the receiving of the elements you may sing M.V. # 202 ‘Bread for the Journey’ and M.V. # 193 ‘God Bless to Us Our Bread.’)

(Words offered to those receiving the elements.)
Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.
Jesus Christ, the Cup of Blessing.
(When the congregation has received, the servers receive the elements and then are seated.)

Prayer after Communion
Eternal God, we thank you that you have called your people from east and west, and north and south, to feast at the table of Jesus Christ. Keep us faithful to your will. Go with us to the streets, to our homes, and to our places of labour and leisure- that whether we are gathered or scattered, we may serve with peace in the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

We Are Sent Forth to Serve

Hymn: Voices United # 625 ‘I Feel the Winds of God Today’

Announcements and Celebrations of the KUC Community

Commissioning and Benediction
Go forth from here called by Christ to profoundly respect God’s creation.
Go forth in humility and hope.
Go in peace.
And now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God and the Communion of the Spirit
be with us and all of creation now and forever more. Amen.

Sung Closing: More Voices # 214 ‘May God’s Sheltering Wings’

(Parts of today’s liturgy were adapted from the Iona Abbey Worship Book and from SeasonsFusion Pentecost 2, 2013. Used with permission.)