The Barefoot Evangelist

In-person services in most worship communities have resumed, so we are turning from weekly worship to reflections on the scriptures. Story Time Scripture   Dealing With Sin in the Church 15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But…

Opening Prayer Loving God, You call us to turn away from our own selfish interests, to take up our cross, and to follow after You—to find our lives by giving them up to Your greater purpose. So we come before You this morning with open hearts and open hands, eager to hear Your Word, and…

Opening Prayer In the name of the Lord Jesus the bread breaker, the light gatherer, the cross carrier, welcome to this time of worship. May the love of the Lord Jesus the peace maker and the temple disturber, friend of the sinner and companion on the road, be with us all. Let us draw close in…

Opening Prayer Come and worship, all you who love and serve the Lord—outsiders and insiders, old-timers and new-comers, the young, the old and the in-between. Come as you are, for this is God’s time—a time of prayer for all people, and God welcomes each one who comes. Come and celebrate with song and prayer, out…

Opening Prayer Gracious God, we gather once again to offer You praise and thanksgiving for Your unfailing love and faithfulness, shown most clearly through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Grant us grace to worship You in spirit and in truth. Through the power of Your Holy Spirit, open our eyes to recognize You here among us.…

Opening Prayer We are hungry, Lord! We come to church today with different types of hunger for You. Some of us sit down at the table eagerly, because we are hungry. Some of us have come because we know we should eat, even though we don’t feel like it. Some of us are ravenous. And some…

Opening Prayer God of small seeds and mighty plants, you take our meager lives and with Your love cause them to produce acts of loving kindness for You in this world. You hear our cries and find us when we are lost and wandering in fear. You bring us home with You so that we…

Opening Prayer We’ve come to worship God, who loved us before we were yet born, who knows us even better than we know ourselves, whose presence never leaves us, and whose love for us never ceases. This is our God. Let’s worship together! Children’s Time Parable of the Sower Confession & Words of Assurance  …

Opening Prayer O God, we gather together in Your presence with expectation, hungry for an encounter with You, eager to hear Your Word. Open our eyes and ears to the presence of Your Holy Spirit. May the seeds of Your Word scattered among us this morning fall on fertile soil. May they take root in…

Opening Prayer Come all who are weary of wealth, of poverty, of power, of struggle, of division Come all who are heavy-laden with too much, with too little, with anxiety, with fear, with anger Come all who have hope for liberation, for peace, for freedom, for the kingdom Hear these words “See, I am making…