Worship Bulletin
Sunday, June 29, 2025
3rd Sunday after Pentecost
Introduction
Today we celebrate two great figures of the early church, Peter and Paul, who represent the spread of the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles and, according to tradition, were martyred on this date. The witness of Peter and Paul inspires us as we seek ways to faithfully proclaim the gospel in our contemporary context.
GOD WELCOMES ALL
God welcomes all, strangers and friends; God's love is strong and it never ends.
Text: John L. Bell, b. 1949
Text © 2008 WGRG, Iona Community, admin. GIA Publications, Inc., giamusic.com. All rights reserved.
CONFESSION and FORGIVENESS
Leader: In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen
L: Loving God, it is another Sunday and we come to worship you.
People: Hear us, Loving God
L: Wonderful God, we give you thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
People: Thank you Lord.
L: Forgive us when we do not love our neighbors and you as we should.
People: Forgive us Lord.
L: Forgive us when we do not trust you in all things, but rely on ourselves and our own understanding.
People: Forgive us Lord.
L: Forgive us when we do not take time in our busy day to spend with you.
People: Forgive us Lord.
L: We have a loving, gracious, living God! As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ and by his authority, I declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We are forgiven. We have a new chance each day to show our love of God and other people. And that, my friends, is Good News!
or
L: We have a loving, gracious, living God! Because Jesus came to die for us and God wants a relationship with us, we are forgiven. We have a new chance each day to show our love of God and other people. And that, my friends, is Good News!
People: Amen, thanks be to God.
Be Thou My Vision
1 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art:
thou my best thought both by day and by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
2 Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my soul's shelter, and thou my high tow'r,
raise thou me heav'nward, O Pow'r of my pow'r.
3 Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise,
thou mine inheritance, now and always:
thou and thou only, the first in my heart,
great God of heaven, my treasure thou art.
4 Light of my soul, after victory won,
may I reach heaven's joys, O heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
Text: Irish, 8th cent.; vers. Eleanor H. Hull, 1860-1935, alt.; tr. Mary E. Byrne, 1880-1931
Prayer of the Day
Sovereign God, ruler of all hearts, you call us to obey you, and you favor us with true freedom. Keep us faithful to the ways of your Son, that, leaving behind all that hinders us, we may steadfastly follow your paths, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
First Reading: 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21
In the story preceding today’s reading, the prophet Elijah flees for his life to the security of God’s mountain. There God reveals to Elijah that there are still other faithful people in Israel and commissions him to anoint new leaders, including his own successor, Elisha.
The Lord said, “Go back. Take the road that leads to the desert around Damascus. Go into Damascus and anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Then anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel. Next, anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah. He will be the prophet who takes your place. So Elijah left that place and went to find Elisha son of Shaphat. Elisha was plowing 12 acres of land and was working on the last acre when Elijah came.[a] Elijah went to Elisha and put his coat[b] on Elisha. Elisha immediately left his oxen and ran after Elijah. Elisha said, “Let me kiss my mother and father goodbye. Then I will follow you.” Elijah answered, “You can do that. I will not stop you.” Elisha turned away from him and went back. He killed the oxen and used the yoke for firewood. He boiled the meat, gave it to the people, and they all ate together. Then Elisha went to follow Elijah and became his helper.
Word of God, Word of Life!
Thanks Be to God!
Psalm: Psalm 16
I have set the Lord always before me. (Ps. 16:8)
Protect me, God, because I depend on you.
Some of you have said to the Lord,
“You are my Lord.
Every good thing I have comes from you.”
But you have also said about the gods of this land,
“They are my powerful gods.
They are the ones who make me happy.”
But those who worship other gods will have many troubles.
I will not share in the gifts of blood they offer to their idols.
I will not even say their names.
Lord, you give me all that I need.
You support me.
You give me my share.
My share is wonderful.
My inheritance is very beautiful.
I praise the Lord because he taught me well.
Even at night he put his instructions deep inside my mind.
I always remember that the Lord is with me.
He is here, close by my side,
so nothing can defeat me.
So my heart and soul will be very happy.
Even my body will live in safety,
because you will not leave me in the place of death.
You will not let your faithful one rot in the grave.
You will teach me the right way to live.
Just being with you will bring complete happiness.
Being at your right side will make me happy forever.
Second Reading:
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
For Paul, the freedom Christ gives is not permission to do whatever we want. It is the invitation to be what we could not be otherwise. The power and guidance of Christ’s Holy Spirit produce a different kind of life, one marked by the fruit of this Holy Spirit.
We have freedom now, because Christ made us free. So stand strong in that freedom. Don’t go back into slavery again. My brothers and sisters, God chose you to be free. But don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful selves. Instead, serve each other with love. The whole law is made complete in this one command: “Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.” If you continue hurting each other and tearing each other apart, be careful, or you will completely destroy each other. So I tell you, live the way the Spirit leads you. Then you will not do the evil things your sinful self wants. The sinful self wants what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is against the sinful self. They are always fighting against each other, so that you don’t do what you really want to do. But if you let the Spirit lead you, you are not under law. The wrong things the sinful self does are clear: committing sexual sin, being morally bad, doing all kinds of shameful things, worshiping false gods, taking part in witchcraft, hating people, causing trouble, being jealous, angry or selfish, causing people to argue and divide into separate groups, being filled with envy, getting drunk, having wild parties, and doing other things like this. I warn you now as I warned you before: The people who do these things will not have a part in God’s kingdom. But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their sinful self. They have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do. We get our new life from the Spirit, so we should follow the Spirit.
Word of God, Word of Life!
Thanks Be to God!
Together in One Spirit
One church, One body
One faith, One Lord
Together in one Spirit
Rejoicing in His word.
One church, One body
One faith, One Lord
Together in one Spirit
Rejoicing in His word.
All created equal,
Together we belong.
United in one body,
Rejoicing in one song.
One church, One body
One faith, One Lord
Together in one Spirit
Rejoicing in His word.
All created equal,
Together we belong.
United in one body,
Rejoicing in one song.
United in one body,
Rejoicing in one song.
Gospel: Luke 9:51-62
Jesus invites Simon Peter to declare his love for him three times, in a manner reminiscent of the three times that Peter earlier denied Christ. Jesus commissions him to feed his sheep and predicts that he will die as a martyr for God.
When they finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these other men love me?”
Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Take care of my lambs.”
Again Jesus said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Then Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
A third time Jesus said, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was sad because Jesus asked him three times, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you!”
Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep. The truth is, when you were young, you tied your own belt and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will put out your hands, and someone else will tie your belt. They will lead you where you don’t want to go.” (Jesus said this to show how Peter would die to give glory to God.) Then he said to Peter, “Follow me!”
The Gospel of the Lord
Thanks Be to God!
Will You Come and Follow Me
The Summons
1 "Will you come and follow me
if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don't know
and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown,
will you let my name be known,
will you let my life be grown
in you and you in me?
2 "Will you leave yourself behind
if I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind
and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare,
should your life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer pray'r
in you and you in me?
3 "Will you let the blinded see
if I but call your name?
Will you set the pris'ners free
and never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean,
and do such as this unseen,
and admit to what I mean
in you and you in me?
4 "Will you love the you you hide
if I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside
and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you've found
to reshape the world around,
through my sight and touch and sound
in you and you in me?"
5 Lord, your summons echoes true
when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you
and never be the same.
In your company I'll go
where your love and footsteps show.
Thus I'll move and live and grow
in you and you in me.
Text: John L. Bell, b. 1949
Text © 1987 Iona Community, GIA Publications, Inc., agent 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638. www.giamusic.com. 800.442.3358. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Prayers of the People
Drawn into the embrace of the holy Trinity, we lift our prayers for the wholeness of the church, the world, and all creation.
A brief silence.
Guide your church, O God. Anoint us for service and make us messengers of your peace. Emboldened by the witness of your apostles Peter and Paul and Christians throughout history, send us to proclaim your reign come near.God of grace,
Hear our prayer.
Protect this world, O God. Watch over fields and fruit trees, foxes and birds, the pleasant land beneath us and the sun and moon above. Keep us mindful of the rich inheritance you have given us in the natural world. God of grace,
Hear our prayer.
Counsel our leaders, O God. Make them steadfast in seeking justice and unable to be shaken as they pursue peace. Lead them by your Spirit to listen and respond to the people they govern. God of grace,
Hear our prayer.
Uphold all who suffer, O God. Give refuge to those of us who know rejection, and shelter to those of us who have nowhere to lay our heads. Come alongside all who are ill or struggling. By your grace, make your presence known among all who call to you for healing. We remember any who are sick or suffering those named in our prayer bowl, those on our prayer list, and those we name aloud or in the silence of our hearts. (PAUSE) Give all your fullness of joy. God of grace,
Hear our prayer.
Set free this assembly, O God. Grow your Spirit’s fruits within us and within our congregation’s ministries. Set our faces always on you, that we might live in the freedom to which you have called us. God of grace,
Hear our prayer.
Please feel free to offer other petitions at this time. (PAUSE)
Embrace all your saints, O God. We thank you for the faithful departed. Let us rejoice that you do not abandon us to the grave but lead us on the path of life. God of grace,
Hear our prayer.
Gather all our prayers in your mercy, O God, through Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.
God Extends an Invitation
Nuestro Padre nos invita
God extends an invitation
to the table of creation,
where there's wine and light and bread.
Here we gather in thanksgiving
and we offer all our living.
Here the feast of life is spread;
here the feast of life is spread.
Nuestro Padre nos invita
a la mesa de la vida,
donde hay vino, luz y pan;
y nosotros nos reunimos,
y lo nuestro compartimos,
pues así es la comunión;
pues así es la comunión.
Text: Miria T. Kolling; Spanish and English tr. Gerhard M. Cartford, b. 1923
Spanish and English text © 1998 Augsburg Fortress.
Sharing of Peace
Leader: The peace of the Lord
be with you always.
People: And also with you.
Offering Prayer
Jesus, Bread of life,
you have set this table with your very self,
and called us to the feast of plenty.
Gather what has been sown among us,
and strengthen us in this meal.
Make us to be what we receive here,
your body for the life of the world.
—Amen
The Preface
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Lift up your hearts.
C: We lift them to the Lord.
P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C: It is right to give him thanks and praise.
P: It is indeed…
P: …unending hymn.
C: Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might:
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna. Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
The Words of Institution
P: In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread,
and gave thanks; broke it,
and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
After supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people
for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
With this bread and cup,
we remember Christ’s life among us;
his association with outcasts,
his eating with sinners,
his healing of the sick,
his care for the poor.
Send, we pray, your Holy Spirit
upon us and upon this bread and wine,
that we who share this meal
may become a holy communion,
the body of Christ in the world.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Prayer after Communion
Shepherding God, you have prepared a table before us and nourished us with your love. Send us forth from this banquet to proclaim your goodness and share the abundant mercy of Jesus, our redeemer and friend.
C: Amen.
The Blessing
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord look upon you with favor and grant you his peace.
Amen
The Sending
P: Go in peace and serve the Lord!
C: Gonna walk in peace and serve the Lord!
P: And let your light shine throughout the word!
C: Gonna shine my light all over this world!
P: Go in peace and serve the Lord!
C: Gonna walk in peace and serve the Lord!
P: And let your light shine throughout the word!
C: Gonna shine my light all over this world!
P: Christ is calling , “Follow me!”
C: Gonna let his shine for all to see!
P: As you work, live, play and trod!
C: He walks with me! Thanks be to God!
Amen
The Lord Now Sends
Us Forth
Enviado soy de Dios
The Lord now sends us forth
with hands to serve and give,
to make of all the earth
a better place to live. Repeat
The angels are not sent
into our world of pain
to do what we were meant
to do in Jesus' name;
that falls to you and me
and all who are made free.
Help us, O Lord, we pray,
to do your will today.
Enviado soy de Dios,
mi mano lista está
para construir con él
un mundo fraternal. Repitalo
Los ángeles no son
enviados a cambiar
un mundo de dolor
por un mundo mejor;
me ha tocado a mí
hacerlo realidad.
Ayúdame, Señor,
a hacer tu voluntad.
The Lord now sends us forth
with hands to serve and give,
to make of all the earth
a better place to live. Repeat
And all God’s people said,
Amen