Prayer as We Gather: Laughing God, we assemble ourselves for worship amidst a culture where the lunatics are apparently running the asylum, echoing prophet Jeremiah’s incredulous “Has anything this odd ever taken place?” We cringe at your verdict, “My people have exchanged their glory for what has no value.” As with Jeremiah’s people, we stand guilty of forsaking your living springs and then digging broken wells that can’t hold water. Dazed and confused, we implore you: Restore us to our rightful minds. Amen.*(Inspired by Jeremiah 2)
A Labor Day Call to Worship:
Lord, we celebrate the work people do and the gift of work you have given us.
We give thanks for our jobs as an opportunity to do your will in the market place.
We pray also for the millions of people who are unemployed.
Give special encouragement to those looking for work.
We lift up all employers, that they may be just and fair with their employees.
Help our leaders treat the poor with fairness.
O God who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes,
Help us become a society that cares for immigrants.
May we speak for the destitute who cannot speak for themselves,
May we never tire of defending the rights of the poor and needy.*(from Labor Sabbath by N.C. Council of Churches)
Thought for a Sabbath Day: “The peace I am thinking of is the dance of an open mind when it engages another equally open one.” - Toni Morrison
Morning Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for keeping it real. It often seems nobody honors promises any more, reviving the old lament “if love never lasts forever, what’s forever for?” But your word sustains us, as when the writer of Hebrews reminds us we should “be free of the love of money, content with what you have.” Easier said than done, until we remember “the Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid.” We cherish the beloved community of UBC, where we are surrounded by folks whose faithful lives are worth imitating because they trust the Galilean carpenter who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and who taught us to pray, saying … *(Inspired by Hebrews 13 and the lyrics of Rafe VanHoy)
Prayer of Confession: Forgive us, Lord, for acting as if it’s Opposite Day by doing precisely what Jesus said we shouldn’t do: “Don’t take your seat in the place of honor, go and sit in the least important place.” We’ve scratched and clawed our way to honor rolls and inflated resumes in the name of “using our gifts,” when it may be more about our need to feel we’re better than others and get a leg up on the competition. Then along comes kill-joy Jesus: “All who lift themselves up will be brought low, and those who make themselves low will be lifted up.” Have mercy on our wearisome pretenses, we pray. Amen.*(Inspired by Luke 14)
Assurance of Pardon: Take heart, for even in his most stern reprimands Jesus always offers hope and a way toward being redeemed. When we’re up to our conniving old ways of currying favor among the rich and influential, the Galilean suggests a more honorable option: “When you give a banquet, invite the poor, crippled, lame, and blind. And you will be blessed because they can’t repay you.” Thanks be to God for sending Jesus as living proof of what faithfulness looks like, and for providing our UBC family with myriad ways to be on mission among those incapable of paying us back.*(Inspired by Luke 14)