Prayer of Confession
Jesus, every week we read stories and sing songs about how you have gone before us, conquering death, claiming life, showing us a way to live. Yet we believe we can make our own choices, in our own freedom, to have the life we want. And so we choose, and choose, and choose, and discover our freedom has been constrained by a culture that uses our choices to shape us. We discover our lives are not quite what we hoped for. We discover death still frightens us. So we come to you, to ask for another chance to try to follow you into the path of life and peace and hope. Give us a taste of what freedom really means, so we may truly live as God created us to live.

Silent Prayer

Words of Assurance
Every breath may be a turning to God, to God’s path, to the way Jesus lays before us. Begin anew, and be made whole. Amen.

Continue reading "Prayer of Confession and Words of Assurance | Christ the King" »

Filed under Christ the King | Prayer of Confession
Posted by Michelle M. Hargrave at 7:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What have we to do with a king?
We follow Jesus, king of the Jews.
We know where we have to go.
He will guide our feet in the path of peace.
We can find our own way.
He has gone before us.
We can face whatever comes.
He has conquered death.
Then let us worship God, our Creator,
and Jesus, the one who has gone before
the one who leads the way.

Continue reading "Call to Worship | Christ the King" »

Filed under Call to Worship | Christ the King
Posted by Michelle M. Hargrave at 7:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

God - whose love envelopes each of us, whose passion for justice and kindness challenges us, whose care for all life inspires us - give us grace. May your Spirit dance delightfully through our lives. In grace, give us peace in the face of things that cannot be changed - our genetic make-up, our genealogy, past hurts and mistakes. In grace, give us courage to change what should be changed - our unloving attitudes, our narrow perspectives, our cynical hearts, injustice, our too easy resort to violence. In grace, give us wisdom so that we can distinguish between those things that cannot be changed and those that can and should be so that we don't spend needless energy in the wrong direction. In Christ, who changes lives. Amen.

Continue reading "Prayer - adapted from Reinhold Niebuhr" »

Filed under Ordinary Time | Prayer
Posted by David Bard at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sovereign God, creator and ruler of time and space. You sent your Word into the world not for judgment, but for redemption. Let us hear your saving words that, by your Spirit, we may be transformed and know the things that make for joyful and holy living; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Continue reading "Christ the King | Prayer of Illumination" »

Filed under Ordinary Time | Prayer of Illumination | Trinity
Posted by Lawrence Lee at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(This version is revised and expanded for production at First United Methodist Church in Wapakoneta, Ohio on June 3, 2007)

Cast
Paul – apostle and radio show host
Lydia – Paul’s sidekick
Luke
Phil – from Philippi
Gail – from Galatia
Earl – from Ephesus
Rhonda – from Rome
Carrie – from Colossus
Cory – from Corinth
Thelma – from Thessalonica
Timothy
Titus

Lydia – Good morning East Asia and all the ships at sea! It’s time for Paul Live. Heeeere’s Paul!

Paul – Good morning all! I’m your host, Paul the Apostle, and I’m here to answer your questions. I’m here with my good friend, Lydia of Thyatira. She and I met up one day by a river and I saved her from a life of wealth and influence. Isn’t that right, Lyd?

Lydia – Don’t even remind me! I can honestly say my life has never been the same. I gave up a job in the fashion industry to join your show. But I suppose I wouldn’t have it any other way… except for the coffee. Can’t we get better coffee?

Paul – (laughs) We’ll see what we can do about that. The phone banks are full, so let’s go to Luke on 1. What’s up Luke?

Lydia – Hi Luke!

Continue reading "Paul Live (revised and expanded)" »

Filed under 1 Chronicles | 1 Corinthians | 1 Thessalonians | 1 Timothy | 2 Corinthians | 2 Thessalonians | 2 Timothy | Acts | Colossians | Ephesians | Galatians | Philemon | Philippians | Play | Romans | Titus
Posted by Lawrence Lee at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I lift up my eyes looking for hope. Who will send help?
My help comes from the Lord, who made the stars above and the ground below.
The Lord does not sleep, but provides shade from the burning sun, and shelter from the stormy blast.
The Lord will guard us as we go out and as we come in.
Thanks be to God.
Thanks be to God.

Continue reading "Call to Worship | Psalm 121" »

Filed under Call to Worship | Psalms
Posted by Lawrence Lee at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A star shines in the heavens!
On earth God breaks forth in unexpected ways.
Those who look up will see the star of hope and promise.
But there are those who cannot be bothered to dream and star gaze.
They will occupy themselves with things that are "practical" and "important" with their eyes fixed on closer horizons.
They keep their world small and manageable.
But the wise stare heavenward to read signs in the stars in a world of ever expanding horizons.
Practical folk call them foolish dreamers, but the scoffers will never find treasure hidden in a stable.

Continue reading "Call to Worship | Epiphany" »

Filed under Call to Worship | Epiphany | Matthew
Posted by ironic1 at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Tell the timid to take heart.
The Lord our God will come!
Tell the poor to take heart.
The Lord our God will come!
Tell the orphan to take heart.
The Lord our God will come!
Tell the grieving widow to take heart.
The Lord our God will come!
Warn the tyrant to keep watch.
The Lord our God will come!
Warn the unjust to keep watch.
The Lord our God will come!
Warn the haughty to keep watch.
The Lord our God will come!
Warn the oppressor to keep watch.
The Lord our God will come!

Continue reading "Call to Worship | Advent" »

Filed under Advent | Call to Worship
Posted by ironic1 at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Cast
Paul – apostle and radio show host
Luke
Phil – from Philippi
Gail – from Galatia
Earl – from Ephesus
Rhonda – from Rome
Carrie – from Colossus
Cory – from Corinth
Thelma – from Thessalonica
Timothy
Titus

Paul – Good morning East Asia and all the ships at sea! It’s time for Paul Live. I’m your host, Paul the Apostle, and I’m here to answer your questions. The phone banks are full, so let’s go to Luke on 1. What’s up Luke?

Luke – Hi, Paul, I’m writing this history of the church and I was doing some research into your past. Weren’t you once called “Saul” and didn’t you use to persecute Christians? I have evidence that you were the coat check boy at the stoning of Stephen. Is this true?

Continue reading "Paul Live" »

Filed under 1 Corinthians | 1 Thessalonians | 1 Timothy | 2 Corinthians | 2 Thessalonians | 2 Timothy | Acts | Colossians | Ephesians | Galatians | Philemon | Philippians | Play | Romans | Titus
Posted by ironic1 at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Cast
Mr. Q – moderator (or Ms. Q if female)
Matthew – scholarly and thoughtful
Mark – excited, talks quickly and to the point
Luke – nurturing and affirming
John – esoteric and mysterious, a little “out there”

Mr. Q – Good day. I’m Mr. Q and welcome to Cross Talk. Today on Cross Talk we have as our panelists four experts on the life of Jesus of Nazareth. I’d like to welcome Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Our time is limited, so let’s get right to it. Tell us about Jesus’ humble beginnings… Mark.

Mark – Jesus’ ministry starts immediately with his baptism by John the Baptist and then immediately he is driven out to the desert by the Holy Spirit and then immediately he goes…

Matthew – I think you are getting ahead of yourself there, Mark. I’ve studied Jesus’ beginnings quite carefully and it all began when an angel came to Joseph, of the lineage of King David, in a dream, and told him that his betrothed, Mary, would bear a son by the Holy Spirit.

Continue reading "Cross Talk - The Gospel Debate" »

Filed under John | Luke | Mark | Matthew | Play
Posted by ironic1 at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)