A Liturgy for Pastor Appreciation Sunday

Those Who Are Called

October 7, 2018

TJ Malinoski

Call to Worship

As in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same function.

We, who are many, are one body in Christ and individually

we are members of one another.

We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us:

Prophecy, in proportion to faith;

Ministry, in ministering;

The teacher, in teaching;

The exhorter, in exhortation;

The giver, in generosity;

The leader, in diligence;

The compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Let us not lag in zeal,

But be ardent in spirit, serving the Lord.

—Romans 12:4-8, 11 (NRSV)

Opening Prayer

Glory to you, O God, the giver of great gifts according to your grace. May today’s worship glorify and celebrate those gifts. In this worship you offer the assurance of your love, forgiveness, guidance and redemption. May we respond with praise, confession, thanksgiving, love and commitment to service. Amen.

—Based on the Confession of Faith 5.12

Call to Confession

When making a profession of faith, we made promises to God and to the Church that we repent of our sins and believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord of our life. Let us remember these promises together in our corporate prayer of confession, seeking God’s will and guidance in our shortcomings.

—Adapted from Directory of Worship Public: Profession of Faith

Prayer of Confession (Unison)

Compassionate God, we made promises to you in our profession of faith and humbly acknowledge that we do not always uphold our promises.

We confess that we believe in the scriptures to be the inspired word of God, the source of authority for faith and practice yet we do not always read and study them for guidance in our daily living.

We confess that we promised to be faithful members of this church but we do not always participate in worship and share in its ministry of witness and service.

We confess that we are not always good stewards of the life, talents, time and money in which you have entrusted to us. Forgive us when we break our promises to you and to your church. Help us to overcome temptation and weakness. Strengthen us to want to grow in knowledge and grace and to practice love in all relationships.

—Adapted from Directory of Worship Public: Profession of Faith

Assurance of Pardon

We are disciples of Christ, privileged to participate with all of Christ’s followers in the redemptive work in the world. Let us live as a forgiven people ready for witness and service. Let us live as a people freed from the shackles of sin and shame.

Thanks be to God!

—Adapted from Directory of Worship Public: Profession of Faith

Scripture Possibilities for the Sermon

Old Testament Reading Isaiah 3:1-11
New Testament Reading Ephesians 4:1-6

Prayers of the People

Most gracious God, we thank you for those who have answered the call to ministry and especially for Cumberland Presbyterian ministers everywhere on this day. We recognize that those who answer this unique call in the life of the church have a large scope of responsibilities. We can only imagine the pressures from the duties of the ministry and their willingness to be witnesses to the gospel both in word and deed.