Growing God’s Word
Service Prayers for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
July 16, 2017

Isaiah 55:10-13		Psalm 65: 9-13		Romans 8: 1-11		Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23

The purpose of this service is to celebrate God’s care for creation and God’s gift to us of the word. The rituals affirm God’s word within and call for continuing nurture of that word within.

Set a table with paper cups or other small containers, potting soil, water and fast-growing seeds. Radishes or lettuce will sprout in 5-7 days; dried beans from the grocery store in 7-9 days. Also have gloves, a bowl of water and a towel, or another way for people to clean their hands. One planting station will accommodate about 25 people, so prepare multiple stations if the worshipping group is larger. Participants will have more ease if there is a person at each station who can give specific directions or coaching.

As people enter, offer them a card or a small sheet of paper and invite them to write down a favorite Bible verse. Before the service, prepare a number of cards with verses on them so that, in total, there will be enough verses for every person in attendance, whether or not people offer verses of their own.

Call to Worship

Today we worship with our hands as well as our hearts and voices. 
With our bodies, we celebrate God’s word given to us, 
in literal words, and God’s Word to us made flesh in Christ Jesus, 
and known to us in our experience of life in creation. 
Come to one of the tables to enjoy the feeling of the earth 
and to connect with God’s creation. 
Our table is set with soil, seeds, water, and containers to plant the seeds. 
I invite you to come to the table to plant a seed.

Demonstrate the planting, or have someone else ready to do the demonstration. The containers with planted seeds may be left on the tables or may be brought to the altar or some other visible place.

Join me in the spoken call to worship:

God visits the earth and waters it
Greatly enriching the earth.
God waters the earth, softening it with showers,
And blessing the earth.
Along with the hills, the meadows, and the valleys,
Let us shout and sing together for joy! (Based on Psalm 65:9-13)

Invocation

Loving God, you created life in us and all around us. 
Open us to receive your gifts of your world and your word 
that we may be not just hearers of the word, but doers also. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Gracious God, 
we acknowledge that we too often take for granted 
your gifts to us: our lives, this world, and your word to us. 
When we receive your word, 
may we nurture it so that it grows roots within us. 
May we not be distracted by the lure of wealth or the cares of the world. 
Let us be good soil, receiving your word, understanding it, and acting upon it. 
									Amen.

Assurance of Pardon (based on Romans 8:1-11)

We claim what the apostle Paul teaches: 
the Spirit of God dwells in you. 
You are forgiven and free. 
There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 

Call for the Offering

When we give of our time, talent, or treasure to the church, 
we offer back to God a portion of what we have been given. 
God has given us God’s word, in the Bible, among other ways. 
Today, we first offer back to God and to each other biblical gifts. 
What are your favorite Bible verses? 

(Invite the congregation to call aloud their favorite verses as well as to put their cards into the offering plate.)

Prayer of Dedication

Gracious God, filled by your generosity to us, 
may we be generous to others. 
Accept from us these gifts of word and money 
as we commit our lives to you. Amen.

Benediction/Commissioning    (Based on Isaiah 55: 12-13)

As you tend the seed that you take home, 
tend the word in yourself. 
While you watch for the seed to sprout, 
meditate on a verse from the Bible. 
Observe what happens when you memorize the verse.

Go out in joy and be led back in peace. 
The mountains and the hills before you shall burse into song,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Go from here in the joy of God, 
secure in God’s presence around you and within you.
 
As the congregation leaves, hand each person one of the planted seeds along with one of the cards with a Bible verse.
Hymn possibilities from The New Century Hymnal

28 	For the Beauty of the Earth
31 	All Things Bright and Beautiful
238	Now the Green Blade Rises
433	In the Bulb There is a Flower
401 	O God in Whom All Life Begins

Written by the Rev. Ruth Garwood, ordained Minister in the United Church of Christ. Rev. Garwood is a certified leader of InterPlay, a system of forms in movement, story-telling and vocalizing that brings body and soul together, and brings communities together.  She teaches suicide first aid via Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training.  

Copyright 2017 Local Church Ministries, Faith Formation Ministry Team, United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH  44115-1100.  Permission granted to reproduce or adapt this material for use in services of worship or church education.  All publishing rights reserved.