LAST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
TRANSFIGURATION SUNDAY SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION Dorchester United Church
Wherever you are, whoever you are, Join us in our Journey!
WE GATHER TO PRAISE GOD
TO PONDER:
What does it mean for us to be in God's
presence? Is it to be among the marginalised and the
hurting? Is that where God is found?
MUSICAL PRELUDE
HYMN:
"When morning gilds the skies" V.U. 339
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
CALL TO WORSHIP
Jesus revealed God's glory as he was transfigured in the presence of his
disciples.
His face took on a shining radiance as they looked on.
Peter, James and John hid their faces before this great mystery.
The cloud that enveloped them was the sign that they were in God's
presence.
trong>May our own lives be transformed as we worship today.
OPENING PRAYER
For Moses the burning bush was a sign of God's presence. For those who
were present on the day of Pentecost, it was tongues of fire. We are
grateful for fiery epiphanies where faint glimmers have often sufficed.
Teach us, dear God, to trust the still small voice as well as the fire
and the thunder. May You heal our sorrows, calm our fears and set us on
sure paths. AMEN
LIGHTING THE CHRIST CANDLE
Let us open our eyes to see the brightness of this new day.
A ray of dazzling light has shone upon us.
The lighting of the candle is a sign to us of God's new day.
A PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Amazing God, You surround us with radiance. Your transcendent mystery
overwhelms us. Faced with Your splendor, we have hidden our faces. We
do whatever we can to avoid Your holiness and like Isaiah in the temple
we cower before Your great majesty. Forgive us for turning away when
You invite us to newness. Have mercy upon us, O God, and grant us the
freedom to both love and serve You. AMEN
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
The light of God shone in the face of Jesus. Those who look upon the face
of Christ are blessed. The power of God's grace transfigures us.
RESPONSE: V.U. 400
Lord, listen to your children praying,
Lord, send your Spirit in this place,
Lord, listen to your children praying,
Send us love, send us power, send us grace.
SACRAMENTOF HOLY COMMUNION
Eucharistic Prayer
Invitation to the Table
Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body.
For we all partake of the one bread.
In Christ, God breaks down the walls that make us strangers to ourselves,
and divide us from one another.
We are the body of Christ.
At this table we bear witness to our faith.
At this table God brings wholeness out of brokenness and healing to our
world.
Let us break bread together.
Sursum Corda (Call to give Thanks)
May God be with us.
God is here among us.
Let us open our hearts to God.
We open our hearts to God and to one another.
Let us give thanks to God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
Thanksgiving (Preface)
Holy God of wind and fire, Your Spirit renews the face of the earth and
warms the hearts of Your people. We give You thanks for Your gifts of
Pentecostal power: tongues that utter prophetic words of truth and justice;
flames that kindle new visions of compassion and peace; fresh breezes that
blow down the walls which separate us from You and one another. And so it
is that we join with every voice and tongue on earth and in the heavens to
give You praise:
Song of Creation (Sanctus-Benedictus)
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts! Heaven and earth are full of Your
glory! Heaven and earth praise You, O God most High!
Narrative of the Institution of Jesus at Table
As we gather at this table, we remember that on the night before He died,
Jesus had supper with His friends. He took a loaf of bread, thanked You as
we have thanked You, broke the bread, and gave it to them, saying: "Take,
eat. This is My body, given for you. Each time you do this, remember Me."
Then, He took a cup, and after giving thanks, passed it to His friends,
saying: "Drink. This cup is the promise of God, made in My blood. Each time
you drink from this cup, remember Me."
Anamnesis-Oblation (Prayer of self-giving)
Loving God, we rejoice in the gift of Your grace, remembering Christ's life
and death, proclaiming His resurrection, waiting in hope for His coming
again. Grant that in praise and thanksgiving, we may so offer ourselves to
You that our lives may proclaim the mystery of faith.
Affirmation of Memory and Hope (Memorial Acclamation) Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Prayer for Transformation (Epiclesis)
Send Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon the offering of Your Church,
that we who eat and drink at Christ's table may share in His life.
Pour out Your Spirit upon the whole earth,
and make it Your new creation.
Gather Your Church together from the ends of the earth into Your realm
where peace and justice are revealed,
that we with all Your people, of every language, race and nation, may
share the banquet You have promised.
Concluding Praise (Doxology)
Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, all glory is Yours, God most Holy, now and forever.
WE RESPOND TO GOD'S WORD IN FAITH AND ACTION
OFFERING INVITATION
OFFERTORY RESPONSE:
For food in a world where many walk in hunger, for friends in a world where
many walk alone, for faith in a world where many walk in fear, we give you
thanks, O God. V.U. 552
OFFERTORY PRAYER: The Jesus who called us away to a high place has come
down among us as a reminder that true service lies in the midst of a
broken world. We offer these gifts in His name that all may know the
grace He has come to offer. AMEN
HYMN:
"We Have Come at Christ's Own Bidding" V.U. 104
