Liturgy | SEP 13 | Job

Welcome & Key Info

Generosity Prayer

All that we have we have received from God. We bring nothing into this world and we take nothing out of it. We choose to follow the way of Jesus and increase in generosity until it can be said, ”there is no one in need among us.” We choose to be faithful stewards of all our resources: relationships, time, possessions, and money. We choose to be generous because our Father is generous, and as his daughters and sons we want to show the world what He is like.

GREAT ARE YOU LORD

You give life, You are love
You bring light to the darkness
You give hope, You restore
Every heart that is broken
Great are You, Lord

It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise
We pour out our praise
It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise to You only (You)

And all the earth will shout Your praise
Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing
Great are You, Lord

It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise
We pour out our praise
It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise
To You only

It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise
We pour out our praise
It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise
To You only

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE – Part 1

LEADER: Our Father, loving maker of heaven and earth, we come before you with a posture of gratitude for all you have created and all you are creating in, around, and through us. We open our hands and our hearts to what you have in store for us. We thank you for your love and mercy that gives us life; may the name of Jesus be blessed above all names!

EVERYONE: We love because you first loved us.

LEADER: We offer prayers for the leadership of our country. We pray that our President, Donald Trump, the women and men of Congress, and our Supreme Court justices would rule with diligence, fairness, and kindness. We pray that they would resist and oppose deceitfulness, divisiveness, and self interest.

EVERYONE: May they know the weight of their responsibility and the levity of your grace.

LEADER: We pray for our parish, the City of Englewood; for which we are taking spiritual and social responsibility. We pray for our City Manager Shawn Lewis, the Director of the Chamber of Commerce David Carroll, and the Chief of Police John Collins.

EVERYONE: May they be wise, kind, and gracious; cultivating love and generosity in this community.

LEADER: We pray for the mistreated in our parish; for those experiencing oppression and injustice on the basis of race, gender, and income. We pray against the spiritual and human systems, institutions, and laws that keep people down and hold people back.

EVERYONE: For the oppressed we pray for justice; for the oppressor we pray for repentance.

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE – Part 2

LEADER: We offer prayers for our friends and family; for our loved ones, those who have been given to us, and to whom we have been given: [NAME]

LEADER: Bless them by drawing them near to Christ.

EVERYONE: Bless them, keep them, and grant them peace.

LEADER: We lift up those who don’t know you, that you may reveal yourself to them with your pursuing love and adopt them as your daughters and sons: [NAME]

LEADER: Draw them near to you, oh Lord.

EVERYONE: Invite them into your family just as you have invited us.

LEADER: And for those we know who face particular trials and tests this day: [NAME]

LEADER: Grant them grace and peace, oh Lord.

EVERYONE: Satisfy them and free them from their troubles.

LEADER: Make us a people who move out towards our city, making disciples as you have commissioned us.

EVERYONE: Strip from us our complacency and apathy, which prevent us from joining you in establishing your kingdom and will in Englewood as it is in heaven.

LEADER: Now with all your people on earth, we pray the prayer that Jesus taught those he called brothers and sisters and friends.

EVERYONE: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory; forever and ever, amen

DOXOLOGY

Praise God from whom all blessings flow

Praise him all creatures here below;

Praise him above, ye heav’nly hosts

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen

HOMILY | Emmanuel Engulu | Elihu the Nuanced

  • Job demanding God to explain himself (Job 31:35)
  •  God is just. Implication: He runs the world according to justice (Job 34:10-12)
  • He says Job’s suffering is not due to sin but a warning to avoid future sin and/or to build character as he learns a valuable lesson (Job 33:14-18, 29-30)
  • God is not unjust in allowing suffering for he knows what is going on better than we do (Job 37:23)

LAMENT & CONFESSION

LEADER: God of grace, you have always called your people to weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn;  

We join our voices together today in lament, confession, and celebration for all that has been done and all that remains undone.  

The effects of sin and brokenness are deep and wide: racism, sexism, abuse, economic disparity, violence, slavery and oppression of every kind.  

Let’s take a few seconds to reflect on this question: 

How have you recently observed the world or yourself to be incomplete, lacking, or broken?

May your grace and love heal with greater depth and width than any evil thing created or allowed by us.  

LEADER: Lord, have mercy.

EVERYONE: Christ, have mercy.

LEADER: Most merciful God, we confess that we sinned against you, our neighbors, friends, family, and strangers by what we have done and what we have left undone.  

Let’s take a few seconds to reflect on this question: 

In what ways, internal or external, have you wronged another person, God, your environment, or yourself?

May your grace and love fill us and make us whole in spite of our propensity toward disobedience.  

LEADER: Lord, have mercy.  

EVERYONE: Christ, have mercy.

LEADER: Jesus, your yoke is easy and your burden is light. We are weary and we are broken

EVERYONE: Will you stand in our place? Will you hold us up? Reconcile us with God, with our neighbor, and with ourselves, we pray.

The Blessing

The Lord bless you
And keep you
Make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you
The Lord turn His
Face toward you
And give you peace

Amen, amen, amen
Amen, amen, amen

COMMUNION

The Bread 

LEADER: The Lord is here

EVERYONE: His Spirit is with us.

LEADER: Lift up your hearts.

EVERYONE: We lift them to the Lord.

LEADER: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

EVERYONE: It is right to give Him thanks and praise

LEADER: We cling to the promise of the resurrection

EVERYONE: Christ Has Died, Christ Is Risen, Christ Will Come Again.

The Cup

LEADER: We celebrate with courage all You have done today And hold on to hope for all You will do tomorrow.

EVERYONE: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and forever shall be. World without end! Amen!

BENEDICTION

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