A Service of Holy Communion
in Praise and Thanksgiving
for Full Communion
Between Our Churches
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The United Church of Christ
The Reformed Church of America
The Presbyterian Church U.S.A.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
by The Rev. Thomas L. Weitzel
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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L = Ordained Leader C = Congregation
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Prelude
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Invitation to Worship:
L. God has called us to this time.
C. God has called us to this place.
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L. God has done a new thing in our midst.
C. God makes all things new in our presence.
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L. God knocks down barriers that divide.
C. God tears down walls that hinder.
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L. And with the trumpet of his word,
C. And the promise of his saving grace,
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L. God calls us forth to be his holy people.
C. God brings us to full communion in him.
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L. We worship the Father in majesty and glory.
C. We worship the Son in beauty and holiness.
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L. We worship the Spirit in splendor and faith.
C. Holy Trinity, one God, we praise and bless you for our unity in Christ.
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Stand
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Hymn of Praise: "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee"
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Prayer:
L. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
C. And also with you.
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L. Let us pray. Almighty God, Creator Lord, with high praise we thank you for the wonder that you have done in our midst. You have turned the bitterness of centuries-old disunity and condemnation into the sweetness of forgiveness and unity in Christ for our churches. As your Spirit has surely worked among us to bring us to full communion, so we ask that you would send your Holy Spirit to be with us still, so that we might be inspired to find new ways of loving, living and serving in common mission and ministry. All this we ask in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
C. Amen
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Words of Welcome and Greeting
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First Lesson: Isaiah 2:2-4
In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
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Psalm 133 (spoken together in unison)
How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the LORD ordained his blessing,
life forevermore.
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Second Lesson: Romans 8:1-11
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law--indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
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Special Music
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Gospel Lesson: John 17:15-23
I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth. "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
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Sermon
Hymn "Lead On, O King Eternal"
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Litany of Binding in Christ:
L. God does not call us into unity in Christ without purpose. In faith, let us pray to the Lord that he might lead us.
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for all the good gifts that you give us: our baptism, our faith, our life in Christ, the gift of each other. As you formed Israel of old into a kingdom of priests to declare your wondrous works to all nations, so form us in a common bond of mutual love that we might tell the world of your grace and salvation.
C. O Lord, make us one in Christ.
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L. You have called us to live together in faith, empowered by your word and strengthened at the Lord's table.
C. Bind us together in faith, O Lord.
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L. You have called us to love together, to reach out to the needy, to help those in distress and to spread the good news of Christ's redeeming love.
C. Bind us together in love, O Lord.
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L. You have called us to serve together, to be your holy people in this place, to mutually build up and admonish.
C. Bind us together in serving, O Lord.
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L. You have called us to explore together, to discern the gifts of the Spirit for our lives and use them in creative ways for mutual understanding and ministry.
C. Bind us together in the Spirit, O Lord.
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L. You have called us to witness together, to be children of the light in a world steeped in darkness, to be a beacon set on a hill for all to know your glory and grace.
C. Bind us together in witness, O Lord.
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L. You have called us to mission together, to start churches and serve churches, to ordain ministries and exchange ministries, to hold loosely old barriers that divide and hold tightly to the gospel of Christ.
C. Bind us together in mission, O Lord.
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L. Help us each to affirm and accept the votes of our churches for full communion.
C. Hear us, O Lord.
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L. Help us to encourage those among us whose acceptance is reluctant.
C. Hear us, O Lord.
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L. Send your Holy Spirit among us to mold us, lead us, guide us, empower us, so that we may discover the joys that full communion will bring.
C. Hear us, O Lord.
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L. Almighty God, Creator Lord, lend us your loving hand and bless our days ahead with your presence and peace. Then bring us all to one song of praise as we stand together around your heavenly throne. We ask it in the name of the Lord of the Church, whose blood set us free for the communion we share, Jesus Christ our Lord.
C. Amen
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L. The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C. And also with you.
All share a sign of the Lord's peace with a handshake or embrace.
Then all are seated.
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Offering and Special Music
The offering should be designated for a common mission of the churches which gather, such as a food pantry, etc. During the offering, the table is made ready for communion.
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At the Presentation of Gifts: All stand and sing
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host.
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
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Offertory Prayer:
L. Accept from our hands, O God,
C. our common gifts, given first by you, now joined together in sacrifice and praise: our churches, ourselves, our time, our possessions, this bread, this cup, and our promise to live in unity. Receive them for the sake of him who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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The Supper of the Lord:
L. The Lord be with you.
C. And also with you.
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L. Lift up your hearts.
C. We lift them to the Lord.
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L. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C. It is right to give our thanks and praise.
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L. Holy God, mighty Lord, we give you thanks and praise, for in the beginning you created all things, and it was good. All things found their unity in you. All things found their favor and blessing in your care.
And when our first parents rebelled against your word of love, and disunity entered the world, you did not forsake them or us. In love, you sent your Son to be our Savior, to reconcile all things through him.
C. Christ is our hope. Christ is our life. Christ is our unity in you, O God.
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L. Before he drew all things to himself upon that cross of reconciliation, Jesus gathered the disciples he loved around his table, and, taking bread, he gave thanks to you, Father, broke it, and gave it to all of them, saying: Take and eat. This is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again after supper, he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.
Having his promise of forgiveness and presence, we boldly pray:
C. Christ, our host, be present for us at our communion table, in our eating and in our drinking, giving yourself in body and blood.
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L. Gracious Father, we remember with thanksgiving, all that our Savior did for us, his love of the lost, his care of the dispossessed, his word that shattered the self-righteous, his teaching that we should love one another, his prayer for our unity in him. Above all, we remember his life-giving passion and death, his glorious resurrection and ascension, and the sending of the Holy Spirit to bring us to unity and faith.
Send now your Holy Spirit that through this bread and cup we might be forgiven the sin that has divided us and strengthened in our faith and resolve to live our lives together for the sake of the gospel.
C. Reconcile us to you, O Lord, and to one another, in the breaking of bread and the sharing of the cup.
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L. All honor and glory are yours, O God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in your holy Church, now and forever.
C. Amen
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L. As our Savior has taught us, we are bold to pray:
C. 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, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen
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Distribution
Hymn: "Let Us Break Bread Together"
Other Hymns as time allows
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After Communion:
L. Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, you have gathered us as one around your table and shared your heavenly feast of life and salvation. You have joined four churches who confess your name and broken down the barriers of sin and condemnation that have divided us. We thank you for bringing us to your table and for giving your body and blood for our forgiveness, empowerment and hope. Be present with us now as we go from this place to follow your commands and do your bidding as reconciled servants of word and table.
C. Amen
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L. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.
C. Amen
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L. Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
C. Thanks be to God.
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Closing Hymn "Now Thank We All Our God"
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Liturgy
Original Services, Worship Ideas and Articles by TLW