21st Century Africana Worship Resources for the Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost, Year A (October

Invocation:
Gracious God, you are an awesome God! You are powerful, excellent, and faithful. Your love is too great to measure. We, your children, acknowledge this morning that you alone are God. No idols or gods are welcome here. Only you. We love and adore you! You are worthy of our praise! Come, be with us, your people, this day. We hunger for your presence. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Prayers for the People
For our prayer time today, we will use verses of "Come Sunday," (United Methodist Hymnal, 728) as a sung response.

Congregation and leader sing the refrain of "Come Sunday," 728, UMH.

Leader: God, we have come today, asking that you look down and see your people through the challenges of life we encounter. God, violence is all around. Our children seem to be under constant attack, physically and emotionally. Many brothers and sisters don't have homes or don't know how long they can hold on to them. Lord, look down and see your people through.

Congregation: Sing verse 1 and the refrain of "Come Sunday," 728, UMH.

Leader: Dark clouds present themselves as terrorism, loss of jobs, limited or no access to medical care or insurance, and domestic abuse. Lord, there are times when we don't know how we are going to make it. Sometimes we just want to give up. But we are reminded that, with you, trouble can't and won't last always!

Congregation: Sing verse 2 and the refrain of "Come Sunday," 728, UMH.

Leader: Lord help us to love one another as you love us. We often fall short. We've not always treated people the way we wanted to be treated. Lord, forgive us. Give us hearts for loving your people, even those whom we experience as enemies.

Congregation: Sing verse 3 and the refrain of "Come Sunday," 728, UMH.

Leader: God, we thank you for bringing us 'thus far on the way.' You brought our people through the Middle Passage, visited us at the cane breaks, and led the Civil Rights marches. We thank you that you will deliver our communities from battles with drugs, violence, and AIDS. Your steadfast love endures forever! You are good all the time!

Congregation: Sing the refrain of "Come Sunday," 728, UMH.

Dismissal:
You have been called and invited to experience God's abundant feast. The invitation to experience God's kingdom, now, is yours. Accept the invitation and live. Go forth in love. Go forth in peace. And may God's peace and love go with you. Amen.

About the Author: The Rev. Lillian C. Smith previously served as Associate General Secretary for the Division on Ministries with Young People at the Discipleship Ministries