Sunday,  June 7, 2026
Second Sunday after Pentecost | Year A
Genesis 12:1-9 | "Journeyed on by Stages"

Call to Worship (inspired by Psalm 33)
One: Rejoice in the Holy One! God loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of God's steadfast love.
Many: The Voice created the heavens and the earth. Praise God with loud shouts!
One: Rejoice in the Holy One! God loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of God's steadfast love.
Many: Let our voices ring and sing a new song. Let us turn toward the Creator in awe.
One: Rejoice in the Holy One! God loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of God's steadfast love.
Many: Happy are the people who seek God's counsel, who seek God's heart, and who seek God's kindom. Rejoice in the Holy One!

Invocation
Wonderful God, we delight in your presence. We find shelter in your abiding and enduring love. You humble us, Holy Love, by gathering us as a people. Thank you for being our Companion and Guide on this journey. Receive our songs, prayers, and openness. Nourish us from the fountain of your word and the hospitality of your table. May we find hope and inspiration, courage and direction, community and resolve as we worship you. Amen.

Prayer for Transformation and New Life
Holy One, through the Prophet Hosea, you declared, "I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." We confess that, at times, we offer the ritual and routine of religious practices rather than a discerning heart that breaks with compassion and beats for justice. Strengthen us to the tenderness of knowing you, O God, more deeply, loving our neighbors more justly, and embracing our lives more fully.

Words of Grace
Community of Faith, rest assured that renewal and revival is possible and available to us. Let us embrace our rituals to sing even old songs as if they are new, pray routine prayers as if they have been written in our hearts, and join in worship as if this were the first or last time. The Holy One makes all things new, and that may be so in us this day and every day. 

Invitation to Generosity
Let us share the gifts of life and love given to sustain us on the journey. Our generosity strengthens communities and witnesses to the love of God in the world. May our time, talent, and treasure testify to the goodness and abundance of God's creation. 

Prayer of Dedication and Thanksgiving
Holy One, as we worship you through our giving, we dedicate these gifts to the work of your kindom come and our hope that your will be done in our community and world. Amen.

Benediction 
As you go from this gathering, 
Find hope in the journey
Cultivate joy in the journey
Give love in the journey
Share peace in the journey
And trust that the God of the journey
Will be with you now and always

Journeyed on by Stages: Service Prayers for the Second Sunday after Pentecost Year A was written by the Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, Minister for Worship and Theology for the United Church of Christ.