21st Century Africana Worship Resources for Transfiguration Sunday, Year B

Gathering
Come to the mountain of the Great I Am!
Come to the mountain and be transformed!
Come to the mountain and see God's glory!
Come, oh faithful ones, Come!

Confessional Prayer
(Soloist sings one line at a time of "Take my Life, and Let It Be," verse one [#399 United Methodist Hymnal, by Frances R. Havergal, 1873, Public Domain])
Soloist Sings: Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee.

ALL: We are yours, Lord, though we fight for control. Take our lives; make us yours.

Soloist Sings: Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.

ALL: We are yours, Lord, though our busyness gets in the way. Take our days; make them yours.

Soloist Sings: Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love.

ALL: We are yours, Lord, though we are not always in service. Take our hands; make them yours.

Soloist Sings: Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee.

ALL: We are yours, Lord, even though our feet don't always move with your spirit. Take our feet; make them yours.

Response to the Gospel
Reader: This is God's word for God's people.

ALL: We thank God for our history recorded in the Book of Mark. We thank you, God, for naming us Beloved as you named Jesus Beloved. Praise be to God! Amen.

Prayer
Your miracles of love proved Jesus was your Son. He touched blind eyes to give them sight. He touched deaf ears to let them hear. He was lifted high to be made new on a mountaintop before Peter, James, and John; and your voice proclaimed Christ as your own. Your miracles of love give us hope. We know you can touch our blinded hearts to see what needs to be redeemed. We know you can touch our hearing-impaired souls to listen to your spirit. And we know you can lift us high, make us new as you call out to the world, "These people are my Beloved!" Thank you for your miracles of love through Jesus, your Son. In Christ's holy name, Amen.

About the Author: Ciona Rouse is a freelance writer and a former staff member of the Discipleship Ministries, Nashville, TN.