Divine
Plans is our worship theme for the
seventh Sunday after Pentecost, July 15, 2012. Our focus scripture is Ephesians
1:1-14.
Ephesians opens with a salutation and then moves directly
into profound theological waters. The author declares: “Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…” Then come a number of assertions that define
those blessings: Before the foundation of the world God chose us in Christ to
come into a holy and blameless relationship with God. God decided to adopt us
as God’s children. God took great pleasure in this decision. Because of Christ’s
sacrificial death, our sins have been forgiven, according to the riches of God’s
grace. With all wisdom, God has revealed the mystery of God’s will: that in the
fullness of time all things in heaven and all things on earth will be unified
under the authority of Christ. And that in putting faith in Christ we were
marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit as a sign and pledge that we will
ultimately receive the full (eternal) inheritance that God has promised us.
Wow! Such a panoramic view of God’s cosmic plan in so few
words! But there it is, the author’s assurance that God is working God’s
purpose out and that believers in Christ come at a critical juncture. Two
thousand years later, what are we to make of this? In our world so full of individual
and national ambition and the violence that accompanies it, is there reason to
believe that, nevertheless, God is bringing all things into unity in Christ? If
so, what does that mean for our churches and for our individual sense of
purpose?
Here are two calls to worship based on the lectionary Psalms
for this day. As usual, please feel free to use or adapt anything that is
helpful to you.
Call to
Worship “The Rightful King
Appears” (from Psalm 24)
L:
The earth is God’s creation. Everything in it belongs to God!
P: Who, then, may climb God’s holy
mountain?
Who may
stand in God’s holy house?
L: Those with pure hearts and clean
hands.
Those who won’t
worship idols, who don't lie to themselves.
P: God will bless them. They will enter
God’s presence.
L: Open up, Ancient doors! Open up, Holy
Gates!
P: Your
rightful King is coming! Your Mighty God awaits!
L: Open up, Ancient doors! Open up, Holy Gates!
P: Prepare the way
for the King of Glory!
Prepare the way for the God of all the
angels!
All: God is here! Let us worship
God!
First published in
WorshipCalls for Palm Sunday, April 1, 2012
Call
to Worship From
Psalm 85
L: God you blessed your land and reversed Jacob’s fortunes.
You forgave our ancestors and pardoned their sin.
P: You didn’t get mad. You held back your anger.
L: Restore
us again, O God of our salvation! Put away your wrath.
Don’t
hold our wrongdoings against us forever!
Revive
us again so we can rejoice in you.
P: Give
us your grace, O God. Save us!
L: Let us listen for God’s answer. Surely God’s
peace is ready to dawn.
P: Love and faith will hold
hands.
Justice and peace will
kiss.
L: Truth will spring up from the earth and justice will rain from
heaven.
P: God’s blessing will yield a harvest of bounty.
God’s goodness will create a path to
our future.
All: Alleluia! Let us worship God!
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