The Second Sunday after Pentecost | Proper 7
June 19, 2022
“Fear of the Truth”

Call to Worship (Psalm 42)
One: As a deer longs for flowing streams of water, our souls reach out to seek our God.
Many: Where is our God? In the cleansing of the rain, in the refreshing of a pool, in the predictability of a faucet.
One: With glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, our voices lift toward our God.
Many: Where is our God? In the melody of voices raised in concert, in the stillness of silence, in the cacophony of spontaneous praise.
One: As deep calls to deep, we come to worship the Living God.
Many: Where is our God? In the echoes of our prayers, in the reverence of bowed heads, in the hope of raised faces. The Holy One is with us.

Invocation
Holy Wisdom, we hear you calling us to gather and to hope in your name. Ignite sacred courage in us to proclaim the good news of justice from the comfort of the sanctuary to the public witness of the city gates. Inspire a compelling vision of a gracious, beloved, and empowered community  that propels us to confront inequities, challenge privilege, and participate in your creative work in our time. Renew our hope for humanity so that we might rejoice in this inhabited world and delight in our siblings. Amen.

Prayer for Transformation and New Life
Holy and Gracious God, fear seeks to be our constant companion. It stifles us with its overwhelming presence and prolific imagination. Fear surrounds us and blocks our vision and your path. Fear keeps us from picking up our cross as much as it suppresses our joy in you. Fear invites us to believe the easy lie rather than confronting the hard truths necessary for your kindom to come. Too often, we cast off your perfect love in favor of insidious fear. Forgive us for choosing fear when we could have you, your presence, and your way as our companion on our journey. Empower us to reject fear and all that fall complicit in dampening your truth.

Words of Grace
Romans 5:1b–2a reminds us that “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand.” That grace promises the glory of transformation through the acknowledgement of need for it. New life awaits as “hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (v.5) Receive grace, embrace transformation, and enter the newness of life in which Christ fashions our struggles into character and hope. 

Invitation to Generosity
The gifts of God come generously and abundantly. We hold, nurture, and amplify them as they are entrusted to our care. We respond faithfully by sharing them for the good of community and creation. In this act of faith and trust, we transform our resources of time, talent, and finances into the good news in the world.

Prayer of Dedication and Thanksgiving
We give you thanks, God Our Help, for the abundance of the gifts you have planted in us as seeds that we may share in bloom. May these offerings be received and magnified for your glory.

Benediction
May peace be with you as you confront lies with truth and fear with hope. May the Abiding One strengthen you to stand in truth and hope. May the Living Water refresh you with new streams of righteousness. May Wisdom be the voice you follow now as you go out into the world, encouraged and embolden, and renewed.

Fear of the Truth: Service Prayers for the Second Sunday after Pentecost | Proper 7 were written by Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, Minister for Worship and Theology, United Church of Christ.

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