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Proper 23 / OT 28 / Pentecost 19

Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Series III, Cycle A
Prayer Of Confession And Absolution
P: We hold back your goodness from one another.
We hold back, pretending it is our own.
C: Break open the tombs of pride and fear that we build,
so that in giving what is yours,
we might find what we truly need.

Silence for reflection and self-examination

P: The Lord is your shepherd: you shall never be in want.
Such goodness and mercy will seek you,
and they will find you;
so that in the banquet of love, you will forever be filled.
Your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.

Prayer Of The Day
P: Holy God, you have chosen us as your own. Prepare us for the great banquet to come where your righteousness and justice will satisfy all. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
C: Amen.

Intercessory Prayer/Prayer Of The Church
P: Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

After each petition:
L: O Lord, wipe away our tears,
C: that we might rejoice.

P: Now may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.
C: Amen.

Offertory Prayer
A: Bring your best to the wedding banquet, lift your hearts in song, rejoice with the king;
C: clothe us with your righteousness, clothe us with your joy, that we might give glory to you with every gift that has been entrusted to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sending
Speak Philippians 4:8-9 using different voices on each phrase for verse 8. (Have your teenagers be the speakers.) Then pastor/leader speaks verse 9, omitting the words "in me" on verse 9c.

Hymns And Songs
Lord Jesus Christ, You Have Prepared -- LBW 208
At The Lamb's High Feast We Sing -- LBW 210; MBW 216; G&P 394
Come, Let Us Eat -- LBW 214; UMH 625; MBW 423
Come With Us, O Blessed Jesus -- LBW 219
Oh, Sing Jubilee To The Lord -- LBW 256
Where Cross The Crowded Ways Of Life -- LBW 429; UMH 427; PH 408; MBW 581
Rejoice, O Pilgrim Throng -- LBW 553; UMH 160/161; PH 145/146; MBW 786
Go, My Children, With My Blessing -- WOV 721
O God Beyond All Praising -- WOV 797
Thine The Amen, Thine The Praise -- WOV 801
I'm a-Goin'a Eat At The Welcome Table -- TFF 263
I've Got Peace Like A River -- TFF 258; PH 368; MBW 592
Come, Sinners, To The Gospel Feast -- UMH 339/616
Rain Down -- G&P 713
In the Day Of The Lord -- G&P 722

Psalm Settings
The Lord Is My Shepherd -- TFF 3
Gentle Shepherd/Jesus, Pastor Tan Dulce -- G&P 512

Choral Music
"In Remembrance" -- Buryl Red (Broadman Press)
"Rejoice In The Lord Always" -- Richard W. Gieske (Morning Star Publishers)
"The Lord Is My Shepherd" -- Malcolm Acher (GIA)
"The Lord Is My Shepherd" -- John Rutter (Oxford University Press)

Liturgical Dance/Service Notes
Begin your service with joyous instrumental music as one voice repeatedly proclaims, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice." Let the dancers dressed in white with flower garlands enter first, strewing flower petals about. Following them, bring in a chuppa, which is an arch made of four poles and a tallis (prayer shawl) or white lace cloth that is used at Jewish weddings. Later in the service you may preach under the chuppa and then have the congregation pass through it on their way to receive Holy Communion.
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The Immediate Word

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Dean Feldmeyer
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George Reed
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For November 23, 2025:

StoryShare

Frank Ramirez
In 2014 Hannah Cotton, professor emerita of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was volunteering her time at the Israel Antiquities Authority’s scrolls laboratory, looking through some ancient documents written in Nabatean, a form of ancient Arabic. It was one of many documents which have been discovered in the desert caves of Judea, where people stashed valuables both during the Jewish War of 67-70 AD (in which the temple was destroyed), as well as the Bar Kokhba Rebellion of 132-135 AD.

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Bill Thomas
Mark Ellingsen
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Jeremiah 23:1-6 and Luke 1:68-79
Frank Ramirez
God reigns, now and always, but that is not always immediately apparent. Jeremiah warns the false shepherds, earthly rulers who plunder the flock, that God is watching, and someday the true Shepherd will be revealed! Paul reveals to the Colossians, who have no idea that the geological clock is ticking and an earthquake will devastate their city, that the man on the cross is the head of the body, the beginning and the end, and the first-born of the dead. And in Luke’s gospel we see that Jesus reigns, even from the cross, dispensing mercy and reward to a fellow sufferer.

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A simple gift for each child. Depending on your group, this could be a piece of candy, a cookie, a simple toy or book, or any other object you choose to give. Have them in a bag or box.

* * *

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

A thief asked Jesus to remember him when Jesus came into his kingdom. In our worship today, let us explore those qualities which make Jesus a king.



Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes I fail to worship you as king.

Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes I'm not interested in any kind of royalty.

Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

Lord, have mercy.


Reading:

SermonStudio

Constance Berg
I admit I like it when people are articulate. I like a leader to show a wealth of knowledge on a certain subject. Many people feel the same way. We like the flamboyant skater with a glittery costume and dramatic moves. We like the politician who shakes hands, has good debates, and shows up in the right photos. We admire the celebrity who gives selflessly.

So then, why have we been attracted to Jesus as our authority? Jesus was born in a barn. His father could not hold a job and was therefore demoted to the lowest trade at that time: carpenter. His mother was a teenager.
Schuyler Rhodes
"Be still and know that I am God."

How difficult it is to be still. The world in which we live conspires to make of us a blur as we rush about doing all the things we feel called to do. Indeed, it is difficult to be still. Today, the average worker in the American work force puts in fifteen to twenty more hours a week than a worker did a generation ago. Today, the demands of parenting and community are overwhelming as many find themselves also caring for aging parents. Being still? Sounds nice, but when would that happen? During sleep?
John W. Clarke
Although we are going to concentrate on Jeremiah 23:1-6, it is important to note that these verses are a part of a larger section that is best understood in its entirety. This section contains a collection of prophecies concerning the Davidic kings. It is not important that it be broken down verse by verse, but rather theme by theme.
Scott Suskovic
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created ... in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell...
-- Colossians 1:15-16, 19

Julia Ross Strope
If we love the Lord with all our hearts, minds, and strength,
we are going to have to stretch our hearts, open our minds,
and strengthen our souls ... God cannot lodge in a narrow mind;
God cannot lodge in a small heart. To accommodate God they must be palatial.
-- William Sloan Coffin, Credo

Call To Worship (Leader)

Special Occasion

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