Agony and Ecstasy

Call to Worship:

L: Rejoice, for the power of God has come—

P: The same transforming power encountered in the risen Christ:

L: Promising to the poor the realm of heaven;

P: Promising to the hungry a time of satisfaction;

L: Promising to the weeping a life of happiness;

P: Promising to the reviled the gift of acceptance.

A: Rejoice, O people of God, the transforming power of Christ is here!

Invocation:

O Christ, whom even crucifixion could not separate from either the love or the power of God, bless us, the members of your body, with the guidance of your spirit, that we might seek God with your singleness of mind, see God with your clarity of understanding, and worship God with your purity of heart.

Offertory

I want to challenge every member to make thoughtful determinations on how much their regular sacrificial offerings would be. As Paul directs at 1 Corinthians 16:2,”set aside a sum of your offering.”

Pastoral Prayer:

Unto you, Lord, we bring our praise and our thanksgiving this day. We are a sinful people, Lord, and yet you have loved us. We are a rebellious people, and yet you have forgiven us. And though our words and actions distanced us from your holy presence, yet in Christ you have healed the breach and brought us close to you once more. Though we are worthy of death, yet in Christ you offer us life everlasting. His resurrection assures us of our own hope for the future. No longer does death oppress, for your love has overcome death and gives us hope. Help us to be faithful to that divine hope, as we pray in the name of the One whose resurrection is our hope. Amen.

Prayer:

As we look to Jesus, through whom you made yourself real to those who made Jesus real for us, grant us the grace to follow in their footsteps. Help us to become to others what they have become to us: prophets of peace and apostles of justice.

Luke 9:28-36 New International Version The Transfiguration 28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure,[a] which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) 34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

Benediction:

In this place of worship, we have proclaimed the presence and power of the risen Christ with the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts. Now, as we go forth to our places of work, let us demonstrate the presence and power of the risen Christ with the deeds of our hands and the labors of our lives.Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.