March 9, 2025
Lent 1C
Luke 4:1-13 | "Famished"

Call to Worship (Inspired by Psalm 91)
One: Are you restless and unsettled? This place is for you.
Many: Let us worship God!
One: Are you hungry for love and hope? This place is for you.
Many: Let us worship God!
One: Are you searching for direction? This place is for you.
Many:Let us worship God!
One: Do you have love to share? This place is for you.
Many: Let us worship God together!

Invocation
Whether we feel alone, or accompanied, God is with us. Let us open ourselves to recognize God’s presence within us and among us. Amen.

Prayer for Transformation and New Life
Gracious God, you hold us, but in times of stress, we fear that we are all alone. We hunger for easy comfort, even knowing that our appetite will return. We aim for power over uncertainty, forgetting that control is an illusion. Forgive us for choosing distraction to escape from chaos. Bring our focus back to you, to your word, your presence, and your child Jesus. Amen.

Words of Grace
God reaches out to us, eagerly drawing us close, forgiving our sins through God’s unending grace. In the name of Christ, you are forgiven.

Invitation to Generosity
Recognizing that all that we have comes from God, let us offer back to God, not our leftovers, but the first and best of what we have received.

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication
Dear God, use these gifts, and our lives, to feed and nourish, spreading your love where it is most needed.

Benediction
Friends, God knows your hungers, and wants to feed you. As you are fed, go into the world to share with others. May you trust that the blessings of God go with you this day and always. Amen.

Famished: Service Prayers for the first Sunday in Lent was written by the Rev. Ruth Garwood, a transitional pastor in the Heartland Conference, a certified facilitator of Sacred Conversations to End Racism, and a certified InterPlay leader.