Sunday,  October 27, 2024
Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost 
Mark 10:46-52 | "Take Heart"

Call to Worship (Inspired by Psalm 34)
One: Look to the Holy One and be radiant! Bless God at all times.
Many:  We praise God who is with us. We honor God who sustains, redeems, and delivers. 
One: Look to the Holy One and be radiant! Boast in the Holy One. 
Many: We seek the Holy One who hears our cries with grace, mercy, and compassion. 
One: Look to the Holy One and be radiant! Magnify God with me.
Many: O taste and see, hear and proclaim, touch and know that God is good. Bless the Holy One!

Invocation
Loving God, it is good to be with you in the company of the assembly. When we seek you, we find you. When we pray, you respond. When we listen, your voice sounds. Make your presence palpable in the places we gather. We come to be formed, informed, and transformed by your lavish and bountiful love for your glory and for all you hold within your heart. Amen.

Prayer for Transformation and New Life
Gracious God, break our hearts for what breaks yours. Forgive us for hearts that are sometimes cold with indifference. Forgive us for hearts sometimes hard with intractability. Forgive us for hearts closed with isolation. Open our hearts fully to compassion and companionship with our neighbor and your vision of a beloved kindom come. Amen.

Words of Grace
Beloved, your heart bears the heart of God. With the Holy One’s grace, heartbreak can transform into compassion, mutuality, and ministry that makes the love of God real in the world.  

Invitation to Generosity
Generosity begins as a decision from the heart. It reflects care and concern for the  needs of the world as well as trust for the abundance and plenty of God’s creation. Let us give from the gifts we have been given as a sign and act of faithfulness.   

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication
Loving God, bless us with increased generosity, trust, and faithfulness. Receive these gifts as an offering of praise. May needs be met, lives be changed, and hearts be warmed through our giving. Amen.

Benediction 
Take heart for God goes with you. Therefore,
May your heart love fully and boldly
May your heart love loudly and actively
May your heart love faithfully and miraculously.
Go in peace and love. 

Take Heart: Service Prayers for the Twenty-Third 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.