Dear CCCV Friends in Christ,
Blessings to you on this day! You are welcome to join us for worship on Sunday at 9:30 AM as Pastor Liz live streams. Below are your worship materials and link to the video.
Community Congregational Church of Chula Vista,
United Church of Christ
Worship Liturgy for Sunday, August 2, 2020
9th Sunday After Pentecost
www.chulavistachurch.com
Call to Worship (Based on Psalm 145)
Pastor: I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.
People: Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever.
Pastor: Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable.
All: The Lord is good to all, and His compassion is over all that He has made!
Prayer of Invocation: In Unison (Alludes to Matthew 14:13-21)
Jesus, you are compassionate and loving. Thank you that you see our hunger too. Hunger for justice, for peace, for the pandemic to be over, and for worship in person, together. Some of us may be hungering for food, just as those in that crowd did, long ago. Your response was to feed them just as you feed us. Help us to be like you O Lord, and not like your disciples on that day, who expected the people to go fend for themselves. Thank you Savior, for showing us what love looks like. Open our hearts and our minds this hour that we may worship you joyfully and go forward with renewed hearts to serve you as we serve others. Amen.
Hymn of Praise “Great is Your Faithfulness” (NCH, #423; Vrs 1,2,3)
Great is your faithfulness, O God, creator,
With you no shadow of turning we see.
You do not change, your compassions they fail not;
All of your goodness forever will be.
Refrain:
Great is your faithfulness!
Great is your faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed your hand has provided,
Great is your faithfulness, God, unto me!
Summer and winter, and spring-time and harvest,
Sun, moon, and starts in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To your great faithfulness, mercy, love.
Refrain
Pardon for sinning and a peace so enduring,
Your own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.
Pastoral Prayer
Scripture Reading Matthew 14:13-41 (Feeding the Five Thousand)
Sermon “Compassion, Grace, Miracles, and Justice: The Way of Jesus!”
Special Music “Lead Me Lord” Sung by Abner Limbo
HOLY COMMUNION
Invitation to Communion
Call to Confession:
Pastor: In the story about feeding a multitude, Jesus asked that people bring to him what they had. You have done that today. In your many kitchens and living rooms, rest your hands lightly upon these elements which we set aside today to be a sacrament. We ask God’s blessing on them to make them enough, and also to make them abundant for us and for all those who are in our prayers this morning.
Prayer of Confession (All)
God of all mercy:
I confess that sin grips me and
I cannot break free.
The sins in my mind, on my lips,
in my acts done or even ignored
Stand between me and you.
My entire heart is not always yours.
My love of neighbor falls short.
In the name of Jesus,
Have mercy on me.
Grant me your renewing forgiveness.
Lead me on your paths of righteousness,
And I shall delight in you
And I shall follow you
Giving glory to your holy name. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Pastor: The God who gives, gives all.
The God who loves, loves all.
The God who forgives, forgives all.
Through Christ, our sins, every one of them:
the sins of commission,
the sins of omission,
the sins we confessed with contrition –
all are forgiven.
All: By the grace of God, we are forgiven. Alleluia!
Prayer of Consecration (In Unison)
God of compassion, you bless and break everything we are and everything we bring to you. Our deep scarcity becomes enough to sustain us, and then our “enough” becomes an abundance we could never imagine. We pray that your Spirit of life and love, of tenderness and power, rest upon every bread and every cup, that they may feed the inmost need of each child of God and pour forth a grace that can change the world. Risen Christ, live in us, that we may live in you. Amen.
Words of Institution
Lord’s Prayer
Partaking of the Elements
Prayer of Thanksgiving: (In unison)
Thank you, loving Jesus, for feeding us this morning with these simple elements. Thank you for what they represent: your ever-loving, gracious love for all humanity. May we be moved by Christ’s impartial love and, in so doing, always keep our circle of Christian love open. May we never be tired of serving others with compassion and wisdom as you did. Amen.
Closing Hymn “Amazing Grace, How Sweet The Sound” (NCH 547, vrs. 1,2,3,5)
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed!
Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
than when we’d first begun.
Announcements:
- Victoria is on sabbatical until August 21.
- We now have on-line giving option! Go to our church web page to give on-line! (chulavistachurch.com) If you want to continue to give your offering by mail, please send it to our mailing address: P.O.Box 5574 Chula Vista, CA 91912
- Our Pre-school opens tomorrow! Please keep them in your prayers.
Benediction: Go out in joy and faith, knowing that the God of compassion, abundance, miracles and amazing grace loves you and will give YOU all that you need! Amen.
(Note: The Prayer of Confession and Assurance of Pardon were written by Written by the Rev. Kaji S. Douša, Senior Minister of Park Avenue Christian Church, New York City. Adapted for online use by Susan A. Blain. Copyright 2020 Justice and Local Church Ministries, Faith INFO 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. The Prayer of Consecration was Written by Rev. Maren Tirabassi and used with permission by her. All other liturgy was written by Rev. Liz Aguilar.)