Sing Praise to God
Service Prayers after Pentecost
Proper 23 (Semicontinuous)

Jeremiah 29:1; 4-7    Psalm 66: 1-12   
2 Timothy 2:8-15    Luke 17:11-19

The prophet Jeremiah tells the exiles living in Babylon to live their lives in this foreign place by making themselves at home and working to support the community where they are living. They are to remember God’s promise to them that God would one day send them home to Jerusalem. They are to keep their focus on God. We might hear Psalm 66 as a strong invitation to praise God who, in spite of persistent testing, always brings God’s people to a place of refreshment for the soul.  In 2 Timothy Paul teaches “Christ” at the center of our lives and offers an encouragement to present ourselves to God as we try to do our best. In so doing we praise God. In Luke Christ grants a request for healing. One of the ten recognized the gift and took the time to praise God with the kind of fervor suggested in Psalm 66. These passages repeat a theme of using our voices, our bodies and our lives to praise God with energy, a sense of aliveness, and purpose. God is present and is to be recognized.

Call To Worship

Leader:             A word of encouragement came from prophet to people;        

People:            Live a life that is full – build, plant, eat, love, multiply--

                        Pray for your communities

                        Keep God in the center of all that is.

                        We enter into worship today with hope in our hearts

                        For something happens here

                        that reminds us that we can live as God desires

                        God has made a promise of faithfulness to us

                        and we can trust the promise.

Hymn Suggestions   To You, O God, All Creatures Sing    TNCH 17                                                                             

                                 Sing Praise to God, Who Has Shaped  TNCH 22

Invocation

            We stand in awe of you, Most Gracious God.

            You love your people no matter the circumstance.

            You want us to live meaningful lives

            with you at the center.

            So, we say to you, Loving God - Come!

            Send you Holy Spirit to dwell with us in our worship.

            Open our hearts to receive and our minds to be challenged

            by the teachings of Jesus the Christ.

            This we pray.                                                                 Amen.

Confession

Leader:             Let us pray:

                        We cannot sing our praise to you O God,

People:            when we dishonor your creation.

                        We cannot sing our praise to you O God,

                        when we use our voices to defame others.

                        We cannot sing our praises to you O God,

                        when we claim for ourselves the honor due to you.

                        We cannot sing our praises to you O God,

                        when we fail to recognize your healing work.

                        In order that we might sing

                        we need you and nothing else at the center of our lives.

                        Place new desires in our hearts so that

                        we sing to you and to you alone.

                        We make this prayer to you, O God

                        from the places within our being

                        where a reminder of your love is needed.

 Assurance 

            Even when we feel ourselves exiled and far from you,

            even when we forget to sing your praises,

            You assure us that you have not forgotten us!

            We are comforted by your promise of forgiveness and love.

 Call to Offering

            Most Gracious God,

            You provide for us in ways that we do not always recognize.

            In this moment, we pause

            to express our gratitude for your provisions.

            We accept this invitation to offer our gifts as an opportunity

            to say thank you for your many blessings.

Prayer of Dedication

            Accept these gifts as evidence of our desire

            to participate with you in the care of your beloved.

            These gifts symbolize our thanksgiving for all that you provide.

            Through these gifts we praise you, O God.                  Amen.

Benediction

            Go forth singing God’s praises,

            remembering God’s promises and blessings.

            Joyfully give back to the world

            the love you have received

            believing that

            God loves all creation and abides with us.

Sing Praise to God: Service Prayers for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost was written by Henrietta Stith Andrews, a retired UCC Pastor who served as Associate Conference Minister in Michigan.  Rev. Andrews  is a certified Spiritual Director and presently residing in Southfield, Michigan.

Copyright 2010 Local Church Ministries, Congregational Vitality and Discipleship Ministry Team, United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH  44115-1100.  Permission granted to reproduce or adapt this material for use in services of worship or church education.  All publishing rights reserved.