That We May Say “Thank You!”
Service Prayers for the Second Sunday after Pentecost
June 10, 2012

1 Samuel 8:4-11, (12-15), 16-20, (11:14-15)  Psalm 138    2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1     Mark 3:20-35

Call to Worship	

Come, let us worship our God with joy and thanksgiving:
Everything in us says 
Thank you! 
  	 
At worship in this sacred place we say it again: 
Thank you! 
   
For your love, for your faithfulness; 
Thank you! 

When earth’s rulers hear what you have to say, O God,    
They'll sing of what you've done: 
 	 How great the glory of God! 
   
Finish what you started in us, God. 
Your love is eternal—stay with us, now, that we may say 
Thank you!
Based on Psalm 138, The Message. 
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Invocation

Call to Confession (from 1 Samuel 8: 4-11)

	Leadership and governance is on everyone’s mind these days. 
Competing visions of the common good strive for our attention.  
Like the people of Israel in today’s text, we may be tempted to seek rulers 
whose ways are not the ways of God.

(silence)
 
	Litany of Confession  
		When we forget that God’s ways lead all to the blessings of justice and mercy:				Lord have mercy.
When we forget that God’s ways lead all, especially the most vulnerable, to blessings of  safety, health, meaningful work:			
Christ have mercy.	
When we forget that God’s ways lead all to the blessings of the shared abundance 
of God’s beloved creation: 
			Lord have mercy.
Assurance of Pardon  (from Mark 3: 34-35)

	Jesus reminds us:  “Who is my mother, and who are my sisters and brothers?  
All those who do the will of God are my brother and sister and mother.”  
In Christ we are forgiven all our failed efforts at community,
and invited afresh to rejoin the family of God, seeking blessing for all.
 
Call to Offering (from 2 Corinthians 4: 13-15)

St Paul writes of confidence in the power of God 
revealed in the resurrection of Jesus
that must underlie a life of faithfulness and generosity:
 “I believed, and so I spoke”.  
Today, let us believe, and give with generosity 
that God’s goodness may be known in the world.

Dedication

Generous God, take our gifts this day and use them 
so that we may be part of your great work in this world. 
Through our giving, bring justice and love closer to all, 
not just in our community but in the world beyond these walls.  
Strengthen our church and the whole United Church of Christ 
so that we grow together each day 
into a powerful voice for healing and peace. Amen.

Benediction

Finish what you started in us, God. 
Your love is eternal—go with us, now, into the world,
that we may say 
Thank you!

That We May Say “Thank You”: Service Prayers for the Second Sunday after Pentecost was written by the Rev. Susan A. Blain, Minister for Worship, Liturgy and Spiritual Formation, LCM.

Copyright 2012 Local Church Ministries, Congregational Vitality and Discipleship 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.