Sunday, October 17, 2021

CALL TO WORSHIP
Psalm 98

MUSIC
Curated by Curt Muller
Hillsong Worship - See The Light
Hope Darst - Peace Be Still
Hillsong Worship - Hope of The Ages
Bethel Music - Heaven Come

COMMUNITY PRAYER OF BLESSING
Written by Yelena Pakhomova

As we continue to worship today, I invite you to join me in a community prayer of blessing. John O’Donohue, an Irish teacher and poet, calls blessing a form of grace that we can extend to one another and that recognizes no barriers.

He writes, ” A blessing is a circle of light drawn around a person to protect, heal, and strengthen... Regardless of how we all configure the eternal, the human heart continues to dream of a state of wholeness, a place where everything comes together...And to invoke a blessing is to call some of that (future) wholeness upon a person now.”

So as we pray for each other and our community, I invite you to think of someone you’d like to bless today, near or far. And that can even be you.

Let us pray:
God of endless grace,
Sometimes we forget that we live in a world blessed by you.
The beauty we see around us, the gift of each new day,
the very fact that we are here - breathing living human beings,
loved by you and others -
all these are signs of wholeness we can experience even now.
So as we extend our blessing to one another,
may our prayers rise from the place of gratitude
and from the deep awareness of your love
at the source of everything we have and who we are.

God, today we bless all who long for a fresh start,
those who are desperate for a new beginning,
those who are waiting for things to change.
May they find the courage they need to pursue change,
May their hearts resist the waves of despair,
May they trust that your goodness is encircling them and they are not alone.

We bless all who are grieving today,
those who cannot find words for their loss and their anger,
those who are suffering and who are exhausted.
May they find quiet encouragement in a trusted friendship,
May they experience healing and hold on to hope,
May they be surprised by the care that wants nothing in return.

And we bless all who seek belonging,
those who navigate the complexity of division,
those who work to build bridges across tension.
May they know that their empathy is a gift of grace,
May their compassion come back to them,
May they recognize your kindness in the kindness they share.

Loving God, wherever this week may take us,
would you help us be awake to your grace in our lives,
and share our blessings freely,
In the name of Jesus we pray,
Amen.