Liturgy for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Proper 24, Year A, Matthew)
Introduction
Here is a full order of worship for Proper 24, Year A, following the Revised Common Lectionary. You will find a call to worship, an opening prayer, a prayer of confession, an assurance of pardon, a prayer for Illumination, and a benediction, each written to be used as is or shaped to fit your people.
The thread running through this Sunday is an old and honest longing to see God, and a question underneath it: what do we owe to the One whose image we carry? For fresh liturgies and preaching resources a few times each month, join my newsletter.
Lectionary readings for this Sunday
Exodus 33:12-23: Moses asks to see God's glory, and God answers by proclaiming the divine name and passing by in goodness. Read more about the names of God in the Bible. By the way, in Genesis 1, the Hebrew name for God is Elohim. In Genesis 2, the story is told through another lens, through the lens of Yahweh, the personal name for God. The God who creates is the God who relates!
Psalm 99: A hymn to the Lord who reigns from Zion, remembering Moses, Aaron, and Samuel, who called and were answered. Learn what Zion means in the Bible.
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10: Paul gives thanks for a young church's work of faith, labor of love, and steadfast hope. See when 1 Thessalonians was written and what hope means in the Bible.
Matthew 22:15-22: The Pharisees and Herodians test Jesus with a question about taxes, and he asks whose image is on the coin. Read about the denarius in the Bible and who the Pharisees were.
Liturgy for this Sunday
Call to Worship
One: We come seeking the face of God.
All: Do not hide from us, O Lord; let us know you are near.
One: Bring everything you are and everything you carry.
All: All that we have belongs to God.
One: Extol the Lord our God, and worship at God's footstool.
All: Holy is the Lord!
Opening Prayer
God of glory, you sheltered Moses in the cleft of the rock and passed by in goodness and mercy. We cannot see your face, but we can follow where you have been. Teach us to recognize what bears your image, and to give ourselves back to you, heart and hands and all our days. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Holy God, we divide our loyalties. We give our best to whatever promises comfort and security, and we offer you what is left. Forgive us when we hold back our hearts, our time, and our trust. You have marked us with your image; reclaim us as your own. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)
Hear the good news: in Jesus Christ we are forgiven and set free to begin again. Amen.
More on the Assurance of Pardon
Prayer for Illumination
Speak to us, O God, as you spoke to your servants of old. Press your Word upon our hearts, that we may know whose we are. Amen.
Benediction
Go into the world with a work of faith, a labor of love, and a steadfast hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember whose image you bear, and may the grace of God go with you every step. Amen.
More Benedictions and Blessings
See also
Worship Resources
Calls to Worship
Opening Prayers
Assurance of Pardon
Prayer for Illumination
Benedictions and Blessings
Planning next Sunday?
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