Leader: We see kingdoms all around us.
People: Kingdoms of power and authority. Kingdoms of fear and greed.
L: These kingdoms leave us feeling helpless and unfulfilled.
P: We seek a better kingdom. We seek a greater kingdom.
L: Take heart, for the God of the universe wants to be your king.
P: We seek a kingdom of justice and righteousness.
L: God opens the doors of his kingdom to all who wish to enter.
P: We worship you, O God, our King, and are here that we may serve you.
L: Come, take refuge in the Lord, for God is good.
P: From the storms and struggles of life we come.
L: Come, rejoice in the Lord, for God will provide peace for you.
P: From fear and anxiety, we come to find peace.
L: Come, open your hearts to the Lord and you will be given blessing.
P: Thanks be to God for the many ways in which we are blessed.
Leader: When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of Glory died,
People: my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.
Leader: God be praised for the wondrous cross, the tree of life,
People: which bears upon itself the scars and wounds of the world,
Leader: yet heals the sick, brings hope to the desperate and comforts the oppressed.
People: God be praised for the cross, which guides the lost, feeds the hungry, and shelters the poor;
Leader: inspires the anxious, illumines the wise, and challenges the fearless;
People: saves the condemned, and meets the need of every age and every land.
Everyone: God forbid that we should glory, except in the cross of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Leader: Every week we meet again at this table.
People: We bring bodies broken by worry and strife,
Leader: And God makes us whole.
People: We bring souls that thirst for a peaceful and just world,
Leader: And God quenches our desire.
People: Why? Why does God do this for us?
Leader: He loves you enough to send his own Son. All that God asks is that we humbly accept this most beautiful gift.
People: We cry out as one body of Christ: "Hallelujah! Praise the God who saves us!"
