National Farm Workers Awareness Day
VISUAL ARTS (PARAMENTS, GENERAL DECORATIONS, SPECIFIC DECORATIONS)
Brim: Creative Overflow in Worship Design
Banner Designs for the Church Year
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CALL TO WORSHIP
Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters.
We come today to be renewed and refreshed by God’s word
Come, all who have no money; come, buy and eat!
We are here today to feed upon God’s holy word.
Why do we spend our money on something which is not bread? Why do we labor for that which doesn’t satisfy?
We are here today to receive the bread of life that will nourish us in our walk with God in the week ahead.
Listen carefully today. Delight in God’s presence in this time of worship.
We are here today with open hands and open hearts, seeking God.
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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—Adapted from Psalm 106:1-3, 48
Leader: Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good
People: His steadfast love endures forever!
Leader: Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord, or declare all his praise?
People: Happy are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times.
Leader: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting,
and let all the people say,
People: Amen! Praise the Lord!
—Joy Warren
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Leader: We gather in worship today to lift up brothers and sisters who are too often invisible.
People: See our brothers and sisters, God, and help us to see them.
Leader: Under pain of injustice—abuse, neglect, poverty, and separation from loved ones—they cry out.
People: Hear our brothers and sisters, God, and help us to hear them.
Leader: Beaten, bruised, torn, and poisoned by chemicals, they are sick.
People: Heal our brothers and sisters, God, and help us to heal them.
Leader: Using their bodies, minds, and spirits, they coax from the earth your provision for us all.
People: Bless our brothers and sisters, God, and help us to bless them.
—Joy Warren
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—Ephesians 5:8-14
Leader: For once we were darkness, but now in the Lord we are light.
People: Let us live as children of light!
Leader: The fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.
People: Let us live as children of light!
Leader: Everything exposed by the light becomes visible,
for everything that becomes visible is light.
All: Sleepers, awake!
Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!
—Joy Warren
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Leader: The hour is now—God calls us to worship
People: We hear the call like we hear the dinner bell—time to stop what we’re doing.
Leader: Come from the fields, come from your homes, come from the streets.
People: We come hungry like we come to the table. We come!
Leader: Come to the house of God! Come all of you!
People: We come in gratitude, we come in praise, we come!
—Joy Warren
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INVOCATION
During this time of worship, we pray that your Holy Spirit would come and dwell among us and with us. Reveal yourself to us in scripture and prayer. Speak to us now so that we may be moved into action in the world on behalf of those who are weak and abused. Receive our words of praise and thanksgiving and give us hearts of compassion. In the name of the Compassionate Christ we pray. Amen.
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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God of justice, we pray you would meet us in this place. Fill our hearts with a sense of community, of kinship, of your love and grace. We gather before you in gratitude for placing us in this earth, this planet of life-sustaining gifts. Bless us with the wisdom to care for it and each other properly. Blow your Spirit afresh among us and receive our offering of praise. Amen.
—Joy Warren
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MUSIC (HYMNS, SONGS, ANTHEMS)
- Called as Partners in Christ’s Service
- Christ for the World! We Sing
- Christ, You Call Us All to Service
- God of Grace and God of Glory
- Help Us Accept Each Other
- Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service
- Rise Up, O Saints of God!
- This Is My Father’s World
- We All Are One in Mission
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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- Liturgical Movement to “Let Us Break Bread Together” (include movement suggestive of the repetitive harvesting work of farm workers)
—Joy Warren
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CALL TO CONFESSION
Today is National Farm Worker Awareness Sunday. The reality is that many, if not most of us rarely consider the people who are responsible for harvesting the foods we eat. We just go to the grocery and choose from a wide selection of tasty produce. We rarely consider the sacrifices that go into our Sunday lunch or Friday night dinner. The reality is our foods are harvested at a great cost and we have much to confession in that regard. Let us pray to the One who is always on the side of the oppressed, the forgotten, and the abused.
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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Scripture tells us those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for Christ’s sake, will find it. As we recognize how tightly we hold to our lives, let us humbly approach God in unison confession.
—Joy Warren
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Psalm 23 paints a pastoral picture of the good shepherd, green valleys, still waters, and a prepared table. Too often we focus on comforts for ourselves and our families while ignoring the struggles and needs of others. Are we trying to limit the work of the Good Shepherd? Are we stingy sheep?
—Joy Warren
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All of us eat to survive. We go about our days: buying food at grocery stores, whizzing through drive-thrus, gathering with family and friends at local restaurants. We hardly really think about what we are eating, and we almost never think about the hands that brought the food from the earth. In gratitude for our daily bread, we have much to confess.
—Joy Warren
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PRAYER OF CONFESSION
We rarely take the time, O God, to give thanks for the hands that pick the fruits and vegetables that we enjoy each day. Bring them to our minds and
Forgive us, O God.
We seldom give thought to the living conditions of those whose labor feeds our bodies. Bring them to our minds and
Forgive us, O God.
We fail to stand up for the farm worker laboring in the fields under oppressive heat, little to no shade and precious little water. Bring them to our minds and
Forgive us, O God.
We refuse to speak out for justice on behalf of those who are abused and enslaved in fields because they are very often out of sight and out of mind. Bring them to our minds and
Forgive us, O God.
Bring them to our minds, O God, during this time of confession. May we see their faces. May we feel their rough, cracked hands. May we smell their sweaty, dirty clothes. May we encounter their vacant eyes. May we see them as your precious children and do whatever we can to bring them to dignity and wholeness. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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We are workers, God, just like you.
But we confess that our work is not always done in a manner
that affirms and honors each other.
Our work is not always done in a spirit that is pleasing to you.
We confess that, on some occasions, we have blindly bought goods made by
people who are paid too little or work in unsafe conditions.
We admit that we have failed to end an unjust system
in which some workers have jobs that provide good wages, health insurance, sick leave,
a pension, paid vacations, and other benefits,
while others have jobs that do not.
Creator God, help us to build a new world out of the ashes of the old,
a world where all workers are valued;
one where those who clean houses are also able to buy houses to live in;
a world where those who grow food can also afford to eat their fill.
And a world where those who serve us in stores, schools, nursing homes,
and many other places are also served by us.
It will be a world where all workers everywhere
share in the abundance that you have given us. Amen.
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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Creator God, we confess we hold our pursuit of happiness and wholeness so important that we often neglect those who supply our basic needs. We do not want to see our own guilt in systems of injustice, but in this moment help us see and repent. Help us want safety and well-being for those far and near who contribute so much to our own household’s safety and well-being. Help us turn from the construction of our own kingdoms to the participation in your kingdom. We offer now our silent prayers of confession and repentance. (Pause for silent confessions.)
—Joy Warren
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Merciful God, you created the world and all that’s in it. You made good things come from the earth that sustains our very lives. Forgive us when we try to hoard your gifts, when we deny some of your children seats at the table. Forgive us when we overlook those who tend your earth, when we participate in systems that deny farm workers basic human dignity. Turn our eyes to what we try to leave invisible, and give us tools to work for your justice, for your beloved community. (Pause for silent prayers) Amen.
—Joy Warren
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Merciful God, in your marvelous world you created all that is needed to sustain life. We often take more than we need without thinking of the harm we do to the planet in the process, without thinking of those who do not have enough, and without thinking of the dignity of farm workers who harvest the food we enjoy. Forgive us, God, for our lack of mindfulness which leads to our lack of action. Farm workers, who feed the world, are often invisible to us. But we should know better. Help us see them, God, and help us treat them with dignity.
(silent prayers) Amen.
—Joy Warren
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ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Today is a new day. God makes all things new to those who are truly repentant. God is calling us to new ways of thinking and acting on behalf of all God’s beloved children wherever they may be found. So, let us rejoice and be glad in this good news. Amen.
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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Our God is a God of grace and transformation. When we ask, God will give us the courage and strength to live out our faith in the workplace and the marketplace, as well as in the sanctuary. Thanks be to God.
—Joy Warren
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Christ chose the elements of the earth—wheat from the field and fruit of the vine—as symbols of remembrance. Every time we come to the table for a meal, we can remember our sin, turn from it, and receive the meal as grace. When we rise, we may work for peace as the forgiven! Thanks be to God!
—Joy Warren
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Our Good Shepherd, Jesus the Christ, often used agricultural parables to explain the kingdom of God. Even as we have sinned against the laborers in the fields, Jesus calls us to join the work. Jesus calls us—individually and as the Church—and equips us for our own planting and harvesting work. Thanks be to God for mercy and the continual call to kingdom building work!
—Joy Warren
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Our Good Shepherd taught us to pray for our daily bread. We can learn this lesson again today, knowing that our brothers and sisters in the fields, orchards, and dairies are the hands and feet through which we receive this sustenance. Let us turn from our sinful habits of willful ignorance and care for those through whom God has cared for us.
—Joy Warren
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CHILDREN’S SERMON
Supplies: A bowl of fresh fruits and vegetables, making sure you include tomatoes
Begin a conversation about the produce that you’ve brought with you to worship. Ask them their favorite fruit or vegetable; if they’ve had a garden or fruit trees; if they’ve ever harvested vegetables.) Picking vegetables is a hot, dirty job, right? But the hard work is worth it because of all the tasty food we get to eat. If you don’t have a family garden or visit the local farmers market, then probably the vegetables and fruits you enjoy at home come from a grocery store. THOSE vegetables and fruits are grown on HUGE farm, with lots and lots of workers, who get paid very little money. For example, a Florida tomato harvester gets fifty cents for every 32 pounds of tomatoes picked. That’s not much, is it? A worker would have to pick 2.25 TONS of tomatoes to earn minimum wage in a typical 10-hour workday. Plus – farmworkers are often treated badly and abused by those who employ them. So today, in worship we are remembering the people who pick the foods we eat and enjoy every day. We are giving thanks for them. Plus, we are collecting a special offering to help support organizations who speak up for the farmworkers to help improve their pay, their living conditions, and their lives. Let us pray now for farmworkers.
Prayer with Children: We pray today for all the people who work hard to plant and harvest the tasty and nutritious foods we eat and enjoy. Bless them with health and strength. We pray that the farm owners would treat their workers fairly and with respect – paying them good wages, providing clean and safe places to live, and safe working conditions. Bless our gift of money today that it might make their lives betters. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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If I say, “fruits and vegetables,” what do we think of? Those are things our parents and our doctor are always telling us we need to eat, right? But let’s imagine we are the children of farm workers in the United States. Fruits and vegetables would tell us where our families would be working, where we would be living and maybe going to school. Vegetables might mean we are living in North Carolina for the spring, summer, and early fall where our family is picking different vegetables that are in season. Fruits might mean we are living in Florida for the late fall and winter where our family is picking and packing citrus fruit.
Can you imagine starting school in North Carolina and then having to move to Florida and change schools? They might not be learning the same things, and it would be hard to leave friends and teachers we know for a new place. Some farms don’t have rules about keeping children from working, so it might be possible we would have to go to work in the fields with our families if they are not able to make enough money for us to eat and have a place to live. Then we would not be in school at all, and maybe we wouldn’t learn to read and write. Not having an education really limits what we can do in our lives. There are people who farm the land all over the world, and if it were not for them, we would not have food to eat.
The Cumberland Presbyterian denomination has churches in countries around the world, and although we may have different cultures and languages, we have at least one thing in common: we have to eat. So every time we sit down to eat a meal, let’s be thankful that God gave us a world that produces food for us to eat, and let’s pray for the people who help bring it to our tables. Let’s pray that farm workers around the world have their daily bread, too.
Let’s say a prayer together, ok?
Dear God, thank you for creating the earth where food grows and the sun and rain that help it to grow. Thank you for giving gifts to farmers to know how to bring the food from the ground. Help us to always be thankful and help us to know how to help protect the people who harvest the world’s food. Amen.
—Joy Warren
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PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Your Holy Word, O God, is the true bread of life. Feed us now as the Scriptures are read and proclaimed, so that we might be strengthened to live Your Holy Word in the world. Amen.
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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Loving God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us that we may hear your word afresh in its reading today. Reveal more of yourself and your way for us. As we listen, we pray we may be moved to live as people who treasure your words in our hearts and enact them as we live out our days, participants in the building of your kingdom. Amen.
—Joy Warren
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Gracious God, as we ask today to be children of light, let us not turn from the dark places. Open our eyes, our hearts, our minds, our hands, to see what is illuminated by the light. Give us courage to see and to act faithfully in order to spread your light. As we hear your word today, open our ears that we may hear collectively you calling to us. Amen.
—Joy Warren
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Gracious God, as we read your word today, send your Spirit to open it for us in new ways that we might understand what it means for us as your people in this particular place and time. Amen.
—Joy Warren
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SCRIPTURE TEXTS/SERMON IDEAS
- Deuteronomy 24:14-15
- James 5:1-5
- Luke 10:17
- Matthew 22:37:40
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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- 1 Peter 4:1-11
- Deuteronomy 24:14-15
- 1 Corinthians 12:12-26
—Joy Warren
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- 1 Samuel 16:1-13
- Psalm 23
- Ephesians 5:8-14
- John 9:1-41—In verse 41, Jesus tells the Pharisees that now that they say they see, their sin remains. For Christians who claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ, are we truly blind to the injustice suffered by farm workers, or are we living sinfully by ignoring it? Surely many people in the congregation will be blind to issues faced by those who work in the fields. As our denomination and local organizations work to educate the public about the dangers of pesticide exposure, sexual abuse, malnutrition, and poor education (just to name a few), how long can we claim to be blind? As it is becoming more and more “hip” to talk about farm to table produce, eating local, and organic labels, the public discourse continues to “turn a blind eye to” the bodies who bring the produce from the earth to the table. Lift up any involvement your church or our denomination may have with farm worker ministries. You may want to mention organizations supported by our denomination, such as National Farm Worker Ministry, Beth-El Farmworker Ministry, and Project Vida.
—Joy Warren
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- Micah 6:8
- In God’s case against the people, we see God is not pleased with our offerings if we do not act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. What might it look like to apply this verse to the condition of farm workers in our local area or in a more global context?
- What does it mean to act justly? It means to speak truth to power, persist, risk, have courage. It means to march, to fast, to sing, to pray, to cry, to stand with, to make space for other voices, to write cards and letters, to call representatives, to non-violently oppose injustice.
- What does it mean to love kindness? It means to speak words of truth and not slurs of derision, to outlast hate, to face intimidation with determination, to have courage. It means to march, to fast, to sing, to pray, to cry, to stand with, to make space for other voices, to write cards and letters, to call representatives, to non-violently oppose injustice.
- What does it mean to walk humbly? It means to let your life speak, to keep walking, to gently refuse to give up, leave, or stop your walk because it is uncomfortable, to have courage. It means to march, to fast, to sing, to pray, to cry, to stand with, to make space for other voices, to write cards and letters, to call representatives, to non-violently oppose injustice.
- As a covenant community, how do we commit to act justly, to love kindness, to walk humbly with God? Do we seek out God’s justice in the scriptures? Do we practice kind language and gestures with each other? Do we allow our community to discuss issues of justice without labeling each other as political in a negative way? Do we have a safe space among us for self-correction? When we share the peace of Christ with one another, do we truly feel safe and at peace with one another?
- You may want to mention current work/needs of organizations supported by our denomination, such as National Farm Worker Ministry, Beth-El Farmworker Ministry, and Project Vida and/or other organizations in your geographic area. (Part of the sermon suggestions comes from Julie Taylor’s “A Litany on Micah 6:8 for Farm Worker Justice.” Taylor is the Executive Director of National Farm Worker Ministry, www.nfwm.org.)
—Joy Warren
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SOCIAL MEDIA HELPS (VIDEOS, TAPED SONGS)
- Documentaries: Harvest of Dignity, Food Chains, Food Inc.
- Dramatic: Cesar Chavez, The Grapes of Wrath
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PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Gracious God, because we are not strong enough to pray as we should, you provide Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit to intercede for us in power. In this confidence we ask you to accept our prayers.
- For the workers who harvest the food that comes to our tables, may they have a living wage,
- For exploited workers who are enslaved in the fields with no visible means of escape,
- For the farm owners, that they would treat their workers with respect and dignity,
- For the organization that work on behalf of the farmworkers, that they would have the strength and finances to do the important work of advocacy and support. Specifically, we pray for National Farm Worker Ministry today that you would give them boldness and wisdom as they work for fairness and justice.
- For the church that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit to be in solidarity with the workers and offer whatever means of support that we can.
O God, in your loving purpose answer our prayers and fulfill our hopes. In all things for which we pray, give us the will to seek to bring them about, for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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Show me the suffering of the most miserable, so I may know my people’s plight.
Free me to pray for others, for you are present in every person.
Help me to take responsibility for my own life, so that I can be free at last.
Grant me courage to serve others, for in service there is true life.
Give me honesty and patience, so that I can work with other workers.
Bring forth song and celebration, so that the Spirit will be alive among us.
Let the Spirit flourish and grow, so that we will never tire of the struggle.
Let us remember those who have died for justice, for they have given us life.
Help us love even those who hate us, so we can change the world. Amen.
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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God, we often pray for those who do not have what they need: food, shelter, love. Today we pray for those of us who do have what we need and have it in abundance. We pray that we would notice that what we have has a price that is beyond the price we pay. What we enjoy has a price paid by workers who are often working in slave labor conditions, without a voice, without agency over their own lives, without civil rights. They pay this price so that we can keep our own costs low. This is not your economy God. As people of faith, we need a vision of your economy.
We pray for children who must labor in the fields instead of going to school, we pray for women who must pay with their bodies before being granted the opportunity to labor in the fields, we pray for men who travel long distances away from their families to labor in the fields. We pray for the farm workers who live in constant fear—fear of deportation, fear of harm to a loved one, fear of malnutrition and starvation, fear of heat stroke, fear of pesticide poisoning, fear of bad weather, fear of poor harvest, fear of being unwanted, unnoticed, despised. While they are busy at work, God, grant us hearts and courage for justice on their part. Direct our steps that we may alleviate the suffering of those who give so much for our daily bread. We ask these things in the name of the one who gave all, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
—Joy Warren
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O, Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.
Today we lift up the man laboring in the fields for the food we eat.
He is tired, his back is breaking from repetitive motions, squatting, bending, plucking, stuffing. He has no insurance and no time or money for medical care.
He has a room at the end of the day he shares with eleven other men.
He misses his family.
He sends them all the money he can each week.
Bless him, Lord, and the works of his hands, with dignity in our eyes.
We lift up the mother, expected to trade sexual favors
for the opportunity to work a day of hard labor pulling tobacco leaves.
Every day she is poisoned by abuse, by toxic doses of nicotine and pesticides.
Bless her, Lord, and the works of her hands, with dignity in our eyes.
We lift up the children, working in the fields instead of going to school.
They are playing on rusty field equipment and broken down trailers.
They are moving from Florida to North Carolina, from Texas to Michigan,
following your seasons, harvesting the fruits of the earth…lemons, oranges, plums, apples.
They are little hands that feed us.
Bless them, Lord, and the works of their hands, with dignity in our eyes.
While they all work in dangerous environments,
working against weather and all manner of nature, separated from friends and family,
we fight over their rights and deem them illegal, undocumented, or unauthorized
while we eat the food they bring to our tables.
Send your Spirit to intercede for us, Lord,
that we might use the gifts you give us to advocate for the humane treatment
of those who work so hard for so little,
those who sacrifice their very selves trying to find their daily bread.
Bless us all, Lord, and the works of our hands as we attempt to live as children of light. Amen.
—Joy Warren
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O Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.
We pray today for farm workers.
We pray people and systems would treat them with dignity.
We pray for those who came forward in the United States
and registered legally with the government
who now fear for their families being torn apart through deportations.
We pray our local, state, and federal lawmakers could see them as brothers and sisters
and treat them with compassion as they discover a way forward.
We pray for those whose hands are in the dirt every day, pulling out the food we eat,
only to go home empty with nothing for the table at home.
We pray that farm workers have access to clean water, enough food to eat, safe housing,
education for their children, safe working conditions, proper healthcare, and places for worship.
We pray you would remind us the earth is yours
and all that is in it when we have conversations about property and boundaries.
We pray that your law, written upon our hearts, would help us
as we continue to reform the laws of our lands
so that we may help in the building of your kingdom now as it is in heaven. Amen.
—Joy Warren
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LITANY
Leader: Are we the people who live for others?
Whose human relations are charged with forgiveness?
People: With God’s help, we will be that people!
Leader: Are we the people who walk the second mile when one mile would do?
People: With God’s help, we will be that people!
Leader: Are we the ones who turn the other cheek?
Who give the shirt off our backs when our coat is gone?
People: With God’s help, we will be that people!
Leader: Are we a community recognized and known by our love?
People: With God’s help, we will be that people!
Leader: When the poor of the world ask us for bread, do we give them a stone?
When they ask us for fish, do we reach them a serpent?
People: Never! God help us, never!
Leader: Do we care only for those who care about us?
Do we serve only those who will tell us how grateful they are?
People: No, God help us; never.
Leader: Are we the people who thirst for a justice that promises cannot slake?
People: Yes, we are that people!
Leader: Are we the people who are restless enough to make peace?
Who are strong enough to be gentle, and gentle enough, to resist violence?
People: With God’s help, we will be that people!
Leader: Are we the ones who take seriously our titles:
“Salt of the earth,” “Light of the world,” ”Leaven of our society”?
People: Yes, we are the ones!
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
Romans 8
We believe that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus; for we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to God’s purpose. We are convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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INVITATION TO THE OFFERING
We are immensely blessed with all that we need and most of what we want – food, clothing, shelter, family and friends, and meaningful work. In thanksgiving for all these blessings, we offer back to God what we have received. Let us continue in our worship through the giving of our tithes and offerings.
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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Cesar Chavez said, “When we are really honest with ourselves, we must admit that our lives are all that really belong to us. So, it is how we use our lives that determine what kind of people we are. It is my deepest belief that only by giving do we find life.” Let us contemplate Chavez’ words as we consider what we will give of our time, talents, and resources during this time of offering.
—www.chavezfoundation.org
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Many of us have been given much and have much to share if we will. As we enter into a time of offering, let us all examine the resources we have that we might offer to the kingdom of God. What might we set aside that would free us to offer more? Let us worship God with our tithes and offerings.
—Joy Warren
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Farm workers harvest what the earth offers to us. Let us examine our hearts and give back to God with particular thought for those whose vocation it is to make God’s promises of sustenance a reality for us all. Let us offer our time, talents, and resources to God in thanksgiving.
—Joy Warren
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OFFERTORY PRAYER
You have indeed blessed us abundantly, Gracious God, for which we are grateful. Take now this offering and our lives and use them to bring hope and healing to a hurting world. For it’s in the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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Creator God, you are indeed the God of life. Bless our offerings that they may be life-giving and life-sustaining in your kin-dom here and yet to come. Bless our hands, our feet, our voices that we may be advocates for justice everywhere we go and people would know we are yours by the way we live our lives. Amen.
—Joy Warren
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God, please accept our offerings of time, talents, and resources for the building of your kingdom. Guide us in the use of the offerings of this community that all may know you are God and we are all brothers and sisters. Make us aware of the offerings all around us, given for us that we may also know more of you and our belovedness. Amen.
—Joy Warren
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God, we thank you for all your good gifts to us. Please accept these gifts we offer today—those we physically offer and those we offer in our hearts—and use them to expand your light in this world. Help us receive in humility the offerings of those who labor in the fields around the world. These things we offer in the name of Jesus the Christ, who offered nothing short of his life for us. Amen.
—Joy Warren
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Gracious God, you supply our needs for survival and sustain us through your love. Please receive these offerings of our hearts and help us be faithful in following through on our promises. Amen.
—Joy Warren
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CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
We have been in God’s presence today. Let us go from here to be the presence of Christ in the world. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
—National Farm Workers Ministry
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May you never take for granted the food yielded by the earth, coaxed from tilling to harvest by many hands, that becomes your daily bread; may you demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit as you seek love and justice for farm workers around the world; and may you live this day sharing the good news that Christ came for all!
Now, go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Amen!
—Joy Warren
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May you go from this place
and not take for granted the blood, sweat, and tears represented on your dinner plate.
May you always have enough,
and may what you have not be taken by force from anyone.
Now, go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Amen.
—Joy Warren
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And now receive this benediction:
May you go from this place
having received courage through Christ
to act justly, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Amen.
—Joy Warren
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OTHER HELPS (COMMISSION, COMMUNION, BLESSINGS)
- National Farm Worker Ministry http://nfwm.org/education-center/faithbasedresources/
- Beth-el Farmworker Ministry http://beth-el.org/
- Student Action with Farmworkers https://www.saf-unite.org/content/what-farmworker-awareness-week
—Joy Warren
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A Poem—“Legacy”
I promise you not a moment will be lost
as long as I have heart & voice to speak & we will walk again together
with a thousand others & a thousand more & on & on
until there is no one among us who does not know the truth:
there is no future without love.
—Brian Andreas
—Joy Warren