This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies. If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.
Call to Worship
We have gathered to worship the One
who is our Light and our salvation
Seeking clarity, courage, and curiosity
Eternal, as we sing, pray, and listen,
Shape our minds to mirror the mind of Christ
And let us find in him a unity
a unity that anchors our hearts in your Kingdom
and our concerns in the needs of the Other
Amen
Scripture
Psalm 27:1, 5-13
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom then shall I fear?
the Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid?
One thing have I asked of the Lord;
one thing I seek;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life;
To behold the fair beauty of the Lord
and to seek the Lord in the Lord’s temple.
For in the day of trouble the Lord shall keep me safe in the Lord’s shelter;
The Lord shall hide me in the secrecy of the Lord’s dwelling
and set me high upon a rock.
Even now the Lord lifts up my head
above my enemies round about me.
Therefore I will offer in the Lord’s dwelling an oblation
with sounds of great gladness;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
Hearken to my voice, O Lord, when I call;
have mercy on me and answer me.
You speak in my heart and say, "Seek my face."
Your face, Lord, will I seek.
Hide not your face from me,
nor turn away your servant in displeasure.
You have been my helper;
cast me not away;
do not forsake me, O God of my salvation.
Matthew 4:18-23
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.
Prayer
This week's prayer was taken from The Iona Community Worship Book (p.81):
There is no pain in our hearts or in our planet
That you do not know,
For you have touched the lowest places on earth
Teach us to grieve with you, O Christ, the loss of
All the beauty that is being killed.
There is no place in the heavens that cannot be touched by your resurrection presence,
For you fill all things
Give us strength in your victory over death
To grow into your way of love,
Which does not despair but keeps sowing seeds of hope
And making signs of wholeness.
Under Christ's control all the different parts of
The body fit together and the whole body is held
Together by every joint with which it is provided.
Teach us to know our interconnectedness
With all things.
Teach us to grow with each other
And all living creatures through love.