Service Prayers 
for the 15th Sunday after Pentecost
September 17, 2017

Genesis 50:15-21  		Psalm 103:(1-7), 8-13   		Romans 14:1-12   		Matthew 18:21-35

Meditation on Community Life: Romans 14: 1-12 (paraphrase)
Paul took the “Jesus Movement” all across the Roman Empire in the First Century CE.  He brought the message of the Risen Christ to people and places far away from the Jewish communities where Jesus lived and taught.  People of diverse practices and backgrounds around the Mediterranean world were drawn to new communities founded by Paul.  Conflicts often arose in those communities about what constituted faithful practices: was it necessary for a Gentile follower of Jesus to first become a Jew, and follow Jewish Law? Or, could a Gentile follow Jesus without first adopting a Jewish way of life, including dietary practices and Sabbath observance?  These conflicts were serious, and could potentially tear communities apart.  In his letter, Paul does not take a side.  Instead, he encourages all in the community to keep eyes on what is important:  faithfulness to Jesus, thanksgiving to God, leaving judgment to God.  Within this view, many different ways of following Jesus are possible. 
Our issues may be different in the 21st C, but Paul’s process still has much to recommend it.

One:		Welcome those who differ, 
but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions.

Left side:		Some believe in eating anything, 
Right side:	while others eat only vegetables.

Left side:		Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, 
Right side:	and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; 

All:		for God has welcomed all.

Left side:		Some judge one day to be better than another, 
Right side:	while others judge all days to be alike. 

All:		Let all be fully convinced in their own minds.

Left side:		Those who eat, eat in honor of Christ, 
Right side:	while those who abstain, abstain in honor of Christ:

All:		And all give thanks to God.

Left side:		We do not live to ourselves, 
Right side:	and we do not die to ourselves.

Left side:		If we live, we live to Christ, 
Right side:	and if we die, we die to Christ:

All:		So then, whether we live or whether we die, 
We belong to Christ.

One:		For to this end Christ died and lived again, 
to be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Left side:		Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? 
Right side:	Why do you despise your brother or sister? 

All:		For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

One:		For it is written, "As I live, says the Holy One, every knee shall bow to me, 
and every tongue shall give praise to God."

All:		So then, each of us, accountable to God.

Call to Worship    (Psalm 103:(1-7), 8-13)

Bless GOD, O friends: with all our strength, bless the holy name.
Bless GOD, O friends, and never forget God’s gifts--

Bless GOD, O friends: with all our strength, bless the holy name.
Bless GOD, O friends, and never forget God’s gifts--

Forgiveness flowing into healing, 
Tireless goodness and joy:
Strength and youth of the Eagle’s flight. 

Bless GOD, O friends: with all our strength, bless the holy name.
Bless GOD, O friends, and never forget God’s gifts--

Vindication, justice for all those oppressed;
Liberation from bondage, and guidance for the way;
Unending mercy, steadfast love.

Bless GOD, O friends: with all our strength, bless the holy name.
Bless GOD, O friends, and never forget God’s gifts--

For as the heavens are high above the earth, 
so great is GOD’s love toward those who are faithful;
As a parent has compassion for children, 
so our GOD has compassion for us.

Bless GOD, O friends: with all our strength, bless the holy name.
Bless GOD, O friends, and never forget God’s gifts.

Invocation
Compassionate-One, Lover-of-Goodness, Patience-with-Sinners,
Draw near to us.  
Surround us with confidence in your good news: 
that you love us as parents love their children; 
that your mercy is boundless and generous, 
that you beckon us always and will wait forever 
as we find our way back to you.
Open our hearts to receive your compassion;
And then show us how to forgive,
So that we may be vessels of resurrection hope in our troubled world.
In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Prayer of Confession (Worship leaders may wish to check out the materials at the link for Just Peace Sunday, observed today: http://www.ucc.org/just_peace_sunday_resources )

Friends, in the scriptures, “Seven” is often seen as a perfect number, 
a mystical number, a number that points to infinity. 
So when Jesus tells his disciples to forgive “seventy times seven”, 
(or “seventy-seven times” depending on translation), 
he is inviting people into a never ending, expansive dance of grace.  

Confession, repentance, turning one’s life around to a transformed future; 
Forgiveness, resilience, opening one’s life to a new moment in relationship:
all this may seem impossible, and yet Jesus calls us to profound, 
ever-evolving change.

Let’s take a few moments to ponder our lives, 
personal, and in wider community.
Where do we need forgiveness?  Where do we need to forgive?  

Where do our lives intersect in the wider community 
with structures, practices, attitudes that deeply hurt our neighbors?  
Where must we seek forgiveness? Where must we seek to effect change?

How have we been wounded with structures, practices, attitudes 
of the wider community that need transformation?
		How may we begin to forgive?
Silence

Assurance of Grace
	Holy One, 
You call us into this ever expanding dance of grace; 
Turning “seventy times seven” is not too much when we follow your lead 
into a future of hope and peace.
Glory be to the One who, working in us, 
can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.  Amen.

Call To Offering

	Like Paul, who was showered with an abundance of mercy from God, 
	we too have been blessed. 
	Like Paul, we are called to go forth and witness to the presence of Christ in our lives 
	in so many diverse ways. 
	One of the ways in which we tell the story is through the giving of gifts to God.  
	In our gift-giving we participate with God 
in providing for the needs of God’s people.

Dedication

	May our gifts become symbols of our intention 
	to minister with God to 
	satisfy the needs of those whom God loves.

Benediction
	Let us go forth to forgive as we have been forgiven: seventy times seven! 
freed of the paralyzing burden of sin in order to
do justice, love mercy, walk confidently, and humbly, with God.

Amen. 

Service Prayers for the 15th Sunday after Pentecost are written by the Rev. Susan A. Blain, Minister for Faith Formation: Curator for Worship and Liturgical Arts, Local Church Ministries, UCC.

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.