Sunday, October 12, 2025
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Luke 17:5-10 | “Return to Give Glory”

Call to Worship (Inspired by Psalm 66)
One: We celebrate the Holy One who eases our souls.
Many: Come and see what God has done!
One: We celebrate the Holy One who keeps us from slipping.
Many: Come and see what God has done!
One: We celebrate the Holy One who steadfast love sustains us.
Many: Come and see what God has done!

Invocation
Loving God, Compassionate Architect,
You are the bearer of all our souls, the hope of all possibilities when walls surround us.  You carve paths in mountainous regions when our roads appear blocked. You build bridges between people separated by gaps and distances.  May we be ones who create channels so that your children continue to form relationships with one another and with you.  Amen.

Prayer for Transformation and New Life
Holy One, Creator of All,
As your Spirit nudges people from all experiences and lands into our lives, we often turn the sign from “Come In!  We’re Open!” to “Sorry, We’re Closed.”  It’s easier for us to draw the curtains and remain in the shadows than open ourselves up to the light, to healing, and all the possibilities that God sends our way.  May your Spirit swing open our souls to all possibilities of newness.  May our unlocked minds notice the ways your presence fills our hearts with expanding love and hope.  Amen.

Words of Grace
One: In each season of our lives, God’s grace continuously transforms our hearts.  May we return our gratitude and celebrate the glory of God in our Alleluias and Amens.

All: Alleluia and Amen!  Thanks be to God!

Invitation to Generosity
God calls us to plant and build, heal and seek the well-being of all.  As we share our gifts with the church and community, may we recognize that sharing our talents, treasures, and time benefits all of creation.

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication
Divine Crafter of Joy,
Through your great works, we see your glory.  Through our work together, we reflect your glory to a world of pain.  May we deliver your dreams and build your Realm here on earth.  Bless the work of our hearts as we move into a future filled with hope and living your visions.  Amen.

Benediction
As we move about God’s Realm this week,
May we recognize the Spirit’s movement in forging new pathways
May we recognize the Christ’s movement in shaping communities of gratitude,
And may we recognize the Divine’s movement in fashioning a world in which all have the means to thrive.
Amen!

Return to Give Glory: Service Prayers for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost was written by Rev. Michelle L. Torigian , an ordained UCC minister in Belleville, Illinois.