Laura de Jong

The following originally appeared as part of "Grounded and Growing—Bearing Fruit Week 5: Generosity & Kindness."Prayer of ConfessionGood and gracious God,you made this world from a place of pure delight.From the outpouring of your love camedaffodils and walruses,mighty fir trees,and the whole breadth of humanity.Everything we have is a gift from you.But we want to hoard those giftsand convince ourselves that the good things in our lifeare of our own making. In our pride we enthrone ourselves upon the piles of our possessions,trophies, accomplishments—even our acts of righteousness and obedience.From this place of self-righteousness, we revel in holding grudges against those who have wronged us,hoarding our mercy and forgiveness.O God, do not repay us in kind. When we have tumbled off our thronesand fallen at your feet, humbled and chastened,forgive us. By your Spirit enlarge our hearts that we might receive life as a gift,and be generous with our lives in return. For we are followers of Christ Jesus,who gave everything, laying down his life for us.We want to be like Jesus, God.Help us.Amen. 

The following originally appeared as part of "Grounded and Growing—Bearing Fruit Week 5: Generosity & Kindness."Call to WorshipLeader:There is none like you, O Lord,Nor are there any works like yours. All:All the nations you have made shall comeAnd bow down before you, O Lord,And shall glorify your name.For you are great and do wondrous things,You alone are God.—Psalm 86:8–10 NRSVUERevised Common LectionaryYear A: Season after Pentecost—Proper 7 (12)

The following originally appeared as part of "Grounded and Growing—Bearing Fruit Week 4: Patience."Call to ConfessionGod’s mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. No matter the weight of sin we carry, no matter how easy it is for us to mess things up, no matter how often we fall, God is waiting, ready at all times to offer us forgiveness and grace. Let us turn to God now, ready to unburden our hearts, eager to receive his mercy. Prayer of ConfessionFaithful God,we confess to you our lack of faith.We do not trust your guidance;we do not like to wait;so we impatiently try to get ahead of your plans for us,carving out our own paths instead of trusting in you. In our hurry, we grow impatient with others,speaking harshly and unfairly to those we love. In our desire to get ahead, we grow envious of those who have much, and bitter about those who acquire wealth and status through evil means. Forgive our impatience, God.Forgive our lack of trust.Forgive us for not being content with our lot.Help us to place our lives in your hands,and trust that you are leading us to green pasturesand still waters. We pray this in the name of Jesus,the good shepherd.Amen. Assurance of Pardon Hear the good news:There is no God like our God,who does not hold a record of our wrongs,but who wipes the slate clean.Our God does not nurse his anger,but moves quickly to mercy,for mercy is at the heart of who God is.Receive the mercy of God,and be assured of the forgiveness of your sins,for God is faithful to his people,from generation to generation. —Micah 7:18–20, adapt.Song of Thanksgiving“Great is Thy Faithfulness” ChisholmCall to Holy Living: Psalm 37:1–9Passing of the Peace

The following originally appeared as part of "Grounded and Growing—Bearing Fruit Week 4: Patience."Call to WorshipLeader:I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; All:with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations. Leader:I declare that your steadfast love is established forever; All:your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens. Leader:Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, All:your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.—Psalm 89:1–2, 5 NRSVUERevised Common LectionaryYear A: Season after Pentecost—Proper 8 (13)Year B: Advent—Fourth Sunday of Advent

The following originally appeared as part of "Grounded and Growing—Bearing Fruit Week 3: Peace."Call to ConfessionIn Psalm 85, the psalmist declares:You, Lord, showed favor to your land;you restored the fortunes of Jacob.You forgave the iniquity of your peopleand covered all their sins.You set aside all your wrathand turned from your fierce anger.—Psalm 85:1–3 NIVIt sounds almost like a reminder, as if the psalmist is saying, “Hey God, remember who you are! Remember that you are the God who forgives.” Remember this…because we need your forgiveness once more. So too do we need God’s forgiveness again and again. This morning, as we think about what it means to seek God’s shalom, we are particularly mindful of the ways our actions have harmed God’s creation. Let us go to our God in confession, using the next three verses of Psalm 85 to ground our prayers.Prayer of ConfessionRestore us again, God our Savior,and put away your displeasure toward us.—Psalm 85:4 NIVWe know that we have sinned against you and our neighbor.We have lived for ourselves, seeking our own profit and security. We fight for resources, willing to mistreat people made in your image to get what we want. We have misused the earth, treating creation like a product to be consumed,instead of a gift you have called us to treasure and steward. Forgive us for our actionsdriven by greed. Will you be angry with us forever?Will you prolong your anger through all generations?—Psalm 85:5 NIVThe earth bears the marks of our callousness. We fear the lasting damage we have done, even as we carry on in our thoughtless consumption.The effects of our greed are like waves, rippling out, growing ever larger until they wash over those who are alreadystruggling just to get by.Forgive us for our actions with unintended consequences. Will you not revive us again,that your people may rejoice in you?Show us your unfailing love, Lord,and grant us your salvation.—Psalm 85:6–7 NIVForgive us, God, for the harm we have done to one another and to the earth.Plant within us the desire to seek shalom,to work for the flourishing of othersin everything we do. Amen.Song of Confession“Lord Have Mercy” Zach et al.Assurance of Pardon & Response of DedicationThe psalmist continues:I will listen to what God the Lord says;    he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—    but let them not turn to folly.Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,    that his glory may dwell in our land.Love and faithfulness meet together;    righteousness and peace kiss each other.Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,    and righteousness looks down from heaven.The Lord will indeed give what is good,    and our land will yield its harvest.Righteousness goes before him    and prepares the way for his steps.—Psalm 85:8–13 NIVPeople of God, receive God’s forgiveness and his peace,and turn towards him,that our lives might bear the fruit of God’s shalom.In gratitude for the grace that gives peace to our hearts,we will seek to be people of shalom,living with each other and the creationin the harmony of God’s kingdom.Passing of the PeaceHaving received peace from God, let us turn to one another and pass the peace of Christ to each other.Revised Common LectionaryYear C: Season after Pentecost—Proper 12 (17)Year B: Advent—Second Sunday of AdventYear A: Season after Pentecost—Proper 14 (19)Year B: Season after Pentecost—Proper 10 (15)

The following originally appeared as part of "Grounded and Growing—Bearing Fruit Week 3: Peace."Call to WorshipLeader:Praise the Lord!Praise God in his sanctuary, in the heavens high above the earth.  All:Praise God for his mighty deeds, according to his surpassing greatness.  Leader:With all instruments and soundmakers, all voices and clapping, All:Praise the Lord! Leader:Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. All:Praise the Lord!—Psalm 150, selectionsRevised Common LectionaryYear C: Easter—Second Sunday of Easter

The following originally appeared as part of "Grounded and Growing—Bearing Fruit Week 2: Joy."Invitation to LamentWe have gathered here as a diverse community. Some of us feel the warmth of the sun on our faces. Others are trudging through a barren wilderness. One of the deep joys of being community together is that we are able to take on the burdens of others in our prayers, whether that person sits next to us in the pew, or is a friend who lives across the country, or is a stranger we read about in the news. So today, as we hear about the abiding joy of God’s presence, we do so acknowledging that we need this joy to sustain us in a world where there is so much cause for despair. Together we bring our lament before God, trusting that the incarnate one is with us in the valley. Let us pray.Prayer of LamentToday, O God, some of us dwell in deep darkness.Our hearts are heavy, gripped by grief,by fear, by anxiety.For those who know what it is to weep, we pray:Be near to us, O God, and hear our cries.Hear our cries for those who weep for a loved one gone too soon,for a body frustrated by disease,for a future snatched away by the ringing of the telephone.For those who know what loss feels like, we pray:Be near to us, O God, and hear our cries.Hear our cries for those who live in fear,for those who are persecuted for their faith,those whose neighborhoods are destroyed by bombs,those who are kidnapped off the streets because of their skin color.For those who know what hiding feels like, we pray:Be near to us, O God, and hear our cries. Hear our cries for those who live in anxiety,worried about putting food on the table, longing for word from a loved one gripped by addiction,unsure if a child is safe at school.For those who know the length of sleepless nights, we pray:Be near to us, O God, and hear our cries. We long for the day when there is no more heartache or fear or death, O God.We trust that that day is coming,when you will turn our weeping to songs of joy.May the hope of that day, and the promise that you are with us in the waiting,be our joy even now.Amen.Assurance of God’s FaithfulnessOur faithful God has heard our lament. Listen to these promises from Psalm 126 and be comforted. When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,    we were like those who dreamed.Our mouths were filled with laughter,    our tongues with songs of joy.Then it was said among the nations,    “The Lord has done great things for them.”The Lord has done great things for us,    and we are filled with joy.Restore our fortunes, Lord,    like streams in the Negev.Those who sow with tears    will reap with songs of joy.Those who go out weeping,    carrying seed to sow,will return with songs of joy,    carrying sheaves with them.—Psalm 126 NIVSong of Thanksgiving“The Day of the Lord (Psalm 37)” KimbroughRevised Common LectionaryYear B: the Third Sunday of AdventYear B: Season after Pentecost—Canadian Thanksgiving DayYear B: Season after Pentecost—Proper 25 (30)Year B: Season after Pentecost—Thanksgiving DayYear C: Lent—Fifth Sunday in Lent

The following originally appeared as part of "Grounded and Growing—Bearing Fruit Week 2: Joy."Call to WorshipLeader:Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;sing the glory of his name;give to him glorious praise.Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! All:O God, all the earth worships you;they sing praises to you,sing praises to your name.—Psalm 66:1–3a, 4 NRSVUERevised Common LectionaryYear C: Season after Pentecost—Proper 9 (14)Year C: Season after Pentecost—Proper 23 (28)

The following originally appeared as part of "Grounded and Growing—Bearing Fruit Week 1: Love."Call to ConfessionGod’s love endures forever;our own love is frail and fleeting.But out of God’s unending love,we are offered grace and forgiveness.Let us confess our lack of love,bold in the certainty that God’s love is bigger than our sins.Prayer of ConfessionLoving God,you have commanded us to love one another.Through your Son, you have shown what this love looks like, as he knelt to wash the feet of his disciples,as he laid down his own life out of love.We confess that we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves.We do not lay down our pride in service of the other;but instead we treat people as objects who might be of service to us.Yet, we expect unconditional love from our friends and family and partners.When their love is imperfect, even as our love is imperfect,we grow angry and bitter. Help us to forgive one another for our imperfect love,even as you forgive us. Help us to love, and to love well,for in loving this world you have created,we live in love for you.Amen. Assurance of Pardon & Response of PraiseGod so loved the world that he gave his only Son,so that everyone who believes in himmay not perish but may have eternal life.Indeed, God did not send the Son into the worldto condemn the world,but in order that the world might be saved through him.—John 3:16-17 NRSVUEThanks be to God,whose perfect love saved the worldand freed us from our sins!Song of Thanksgiving“Not What My Hands Have Done” BonarRevised Common LectionaryYear A: Lent—Second Sunday in LentYear A: Season after Pentecost—Holy CrossYear B: Lent—Fourth Sunday in LentYear B: Season after Pentecost—Trinity SundayYear B: Season after Pentecost—Holy CrossYear C: Season after Pentecost—Holy Cross

The following originally appeared as part of "Grounded and Growing—Bearing Fruit Week 1: Love."Call to WorshipLeader:Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. All:Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Leader:Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us and we are his; All:we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Leader:Enter his gates with thanksgivingand his courts with praise;give thanks to him and praise his name. All:For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;God’s faithfulness continues through all generations.—Psalm 100 NIV Revised Common LectionaryYear A: Season after Pentecost—Proper 6 (11)Year A: Season after Pentecost—Reign of Christ—Proper 29 (34)Year C: Season after Pentecost—Canadian Thanksgiving DayYear C: Season after Pentecost—Thanksgiving Day