We Are All Welcome in God's House! 21st Century Resource for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year A

Call to Worship
(1 Samuel 16:1-13)

Leader: People of God, you are welcome in the presence of God, no matter what has happened in your life.

People: We worship the God who sees the end from the beginning and already knows the outcome of every situation.

Leader: People of God, you are welcome in the presence of God, no matter how you look.

People: We rejoice to know that God looks beyond good looks or accomplishments, wealth or social connections; God sees the heart.

Leader: No matter who we are or how life has treated us…

All: We are all welcome in God's house!

Prayer or Gathering Meditation
(For Psalm 23, also used Easter 4B)

Oh God,

We are so preoccupied with counting sheep that we forget how much we need a shepherd. We are so occupied with numbers and statistics that we forget to leave the counting to you.

You already know the sum of the hairs on the very heads that you have anointed. You know our days, our challenges, our successes, and our needs.

Today, we confess that our greatest need is for a shepherd,

And the lesson we have yet to learn is how to be your sheep.

Amen.