Sunday, July 12, 2026
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost | Year A
Genesis 25:19-34 | "Granted Prayer"

Call to Worship (inspired by Psalms 119 and 65)
One: Praise is due to the Holy One, whose ways are the joy of our hearts.
Many:  The Faithful One holds our lives and our hands. Happy are we who praise the Holy One!
One: Worship is due to the Holy One, whose revelation illuminates our path.
Many: The Just God is righteous. Happy are we who follow the Holy One!
One: Love is due to the Holy One, whose compassion, peace, and strength satisfies the prayers spoken and unspoken.
Many: The Sovereign God answers prayer. Happy are we who love the Holy One!

Invocation
God who gathers us together, we delight to be in community with you and one another. Let your word be proclaimed in truth. Let us burst into songs that reflect the depths of our spirits. May our prayers be formed in your name and granted by your wisdom. May we know you, Divine Mystery, and ourselves better and deeper because we have entered your presence as a community of faithful, questioning, and hope-seeking participants in your kindom. Amen. 

Prayer for Transformation and New Life
Holy One, we incline our hearts toward you, but the concerns of the world and challenges of daily living pull us away. Keep us grounded in your promises, your purposes, your power, and your presence. Reorient us on the road of liberation, belonging, and communal care so that not only do we receive the gift of transformation, we companion with siblings, neighbors, and even enemies in your work of making all things new. Remove the misleading veil that disguises sufficiency with scarcity. Sustain us with being satisfied with enough and abundance materially  while continuing to thirst for righteousness so that all may be well. In you, we hope and believe. Amen.

Words of Grace
Beloved, rest in the assurance of Psalm 65:5, "By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas." The Holy One receives and responds to our prayers and offers the promise of renewed life and the power of community in the kindom of God. Through Christ, we participate as witnesses, agents, and recipients of transformation for the glory of God and by the grace of God.

Invitation to Generosity
When we share our material resources, we proclaim our trust in God's provision, abundance, and community. Let us give in order to support the ministry of this church in hope and faith.

Prayer of Dedication and Thanksgiving
Generous God, receive these gifts and magnify them to bless our community and world. May these offerings reflect our gratitude for your beloved community and trust in your kindom. Amen.

Benediction 
May you drink from the wells of God's abundance
Nourished by the grace of God
Sustained by the truth of God
Hydrated by the promise of God
As you go, spread the good news and good gifts the Holy One bestows upon all.

Drink: Service Prayers for the Seventh 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.