Sunday, August 16, 2026
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost | Year A
Genesis 45:1-15 | "Will Not Come to Poverty"

Call to Worship (inspired by Psalm 133)
One: How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
Many: We gather together to worship the Holy One in unity!
One: How very good and powerful it is when we commit to the kindom of God!
Many: We gather together to discern God's will and declare God's reign!
One: How very good and hopeful it is when we reconcile and repair our brokenness and bless one another!
Many: We gather together to love and to serve! Praise the Holy One!

Invocation
Gracious and Healing God, in your presence, we find the fullness of joy, love, and life. Expand our vision and write a new way forward upon our hearts. We seek your wisdom and guidance. We need your comfort and conviction. We trust your provision and power. As we come near to you, we affirm your goodness and the goodness within us. Receive our presence and our dreams of the world you help us make possible. Amen.

Prayer for Transformation and New Life
God of abundance, forgive us for living as if scarcity is an unavoidable reality. Forgive us for allowing siblings in our neighborhoods, communities, and world to live in poverty as an unending condition. Forgive us for not trusting in your abundance, and propel us to defy the temptation to adopt a scarcity mindset due to challenging economic conditions. Empower us to participate in mutual sharing of resources, as well as to demand and create equitable systems that eliminate poverty for all your creation. Amen.

Words of Grace
Beloved, Creator has crafted a world full of all we need. Embrace abundance as an act of faith and trust in the God who provides, who redeems, and who repairs. The kindom will come as we insist upon it, and the Holy One meets us in our commitments. 

Invitation to Generosity
Knowing that every good and perfect gift has the Holy One as its original source, let us share the blessings that God has trusted with us. Give generously and lovingly in the name of the Holy One. 

Prayer of Dedication and Thanksgiving
Generous God, receive these gifts as a deposit into the kindom and an act of trust and gratitude. May these offerings provide for the needs of our neighbors and enable this faith community to offer ministry in your name and your honor. Amen.

Benediction 
As you go
With the assurance that God goes with you
Invite others near
To share the blessings of God
Through abundance, reconciliation, and hope

Will Not Come to Poverty Service Prayers for the Twelfth 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.