Sunday,  October 20, 2024
Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost 
Mark 10:35-45 | "Ransom for Many"

Call to Worship (Inspired by Psalm 104)
One: Today we gather to worship, with all our hopes, weariness, joys, and concerns swirling within us. We gather to worship One who both ascends above our condition and descends to meet us in the midst of them.
Many: Bless the Holy One, O my soul. O Creator, my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty.
One: We are humbled and grateful that the Majestic God knows our names and seeks our presence.  
Many: Bless the Holy One, O my soul. O Creator, my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty. 
One: We raise our spirits as one body, strengthening, fortifying, and encouraging one another as we honor The Holy One’s glorious and precious name. 
Many: Bless the Holy One, O my soul. O Creator, my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty.

Invocation
Magnificient God, you are worthy of our praise, reverence, and honor. You come to us, and you come for us. Your embrace saves us from the condemnation of this world. Your tangible example leads us on a path to disrupt the sinful systems of oppression that keep your creation from life abundantly. Your presence assures us that your covenant is everlasting and true. With thanksgiving and awe, we worship you. Amen.

Prayer for Transformation and New Life
Liberating God, break us free from all the ways this world enslaves and ensnares your people. May our hearts be infused with your compassion. May our works be filled with your generosity. May our lives be testaments that new life in freedom, in love, and in you are possible. Transform us by your Spirit each day to be the part of you the world needs from us. We trust in your mercy and grace to make room and empower us to make it so. Amen.

Words of Grace
Beloved, even now, the Holy One supplies the means to rewrite your story. God will strengthen you in your weakness, direct you in your uncertainty, and encourage you in your weariness. God has formed you, sustains you, and will be with you through it all. 

Invitation to Generosity
The invitation to give is a gift not a debt. We share our resources because we were created to be mutually dependent upon one another. When we give generously, we demonstrate our faith in God’s generosity, provision, and abundance. Therefore, let us give with thanksgiving and love for God and our neighbor.   

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication
Good and Generous God, receive these gifts as an offering of our love and lives. May they be used to benefit your people and to honor your holy name. Amen.

Benediction 
Go in the freedom of new life in Christ.
Go in the liberty that transcends the ways of the world.
Go in the hope, power, and peace of the good news. Amen.

Ransom for Many: Service Prayers for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost Year B was written by the Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay who serves as Minister for Worship and Theology for the United Church of Christ.