The Book of Exodus tells the incredible story of God's work to deliver the Israelites from bondage and to shape them into his people, a people through whom he would bless the world. It testifies to the work that God does for his people and in turn, God's good plan for our work. These three liturgies can be adapted for any Sunday but also correspond with the Revised Common Lectionary, Year A, the 15th, 16th, and 17th Sundays after Pentecost.
I. God Provides the Lamb: Exodus 12:1–14
Call to Worship
Reader 1: This is the day the Lord has made!
All: Praise the Lord!
Reader 1 pours water into the baptismal font.
Reader 2: The Lord saw your suffering and heard your cries.
All: Praise the Lord!
Reader 2 lights the Christ candle
Reader 3: The Lord saved you from death.
All: Praise the Lord!
Reader 3 opens the Word of God and places it on the pulpit or communion table.
Reader 1: Let us commemorate and celebrate the day of our deliverance!
Prayer of the People
Blessed are you, Creator of the universe, Lord of all times and places. You rescued your people from slavery and you rescued us from death. We celebrate you with hope for the day when all of creation will be free from sin!
And yet we know there is still immense suffering and turmoil in our world. So we ask that, in your mercy, you will hear our prayers.
We pray for those who hunger for justice. For those who long for mercy for the downtrodden. For those who yearn for peace in their communities. May they be renewed by your Spirit with creative solutions and energetic advocacy.
Lord, in your mercy…
All: … hear our prayers.
We pray for those suffering because of illness. We especially lift up [specific names may be mentioned here] May they know comfort in body and soul.
Lord, in your mercy…
All: … hear our prayers.
We pray for your Church. May we not grow weary in remembering what you have done for us. May we not grow jaded to the miracle of our salvation. May we not grow selfish in the abundance of your blessings.
Lord, in your mercy…
All: … hear our prayers.
As our ancestors remembered their deliverance from Egypt, may we remember how you delivered us as well. Passing over us when we deserved condemnation and instead inviting us to a feast of grace. Blessed are you, Creator of the universe, Lord of all times and places. In your triune name we pray, Amen.
Sermon Notes
The Work of the Lord: Send Us Out—Exodus 12:1–14
The work of the Lord is to pass judgment on those who fail to act justly and to love mercy. But praise be to God that his work is also to deliver us from condemnation! As we remember the night that God passed over the Hebrews, we also look to the night that our Lord became our passover lamb. We celebrate this lasting ordinance!
Suggested Songs
"Bring It To the Altar" Zach et al.
"Nothing But the Blood" Toplady, GtG 438, SSS 301
"Behold the Lamb" Getty and Townend, LUYH 840, SSS 675
"Revelation Song" Riddle
"My Hope is Built on Nothing Less" Mote, LUYH 772, GtG 353, SSS 324
II. God Baptizes: Exodus 14:19–31
Call to Worship
Reader 1: God sent a pillar of cloud to protect the Israelites from oncoming Egyptians; it lit up the night.
All: God did it!
Reader 1 lights the Christ candle.
Reader 2: God drove back the sea so the Israelites could walk on dry land.
All: God did it!
Reader 2 pours water into the baptismal font.
Reader 3: God came down in a pillar of fire and cloud confusing the Egyptian army. So even the enemy cried out:
All: God did it!
Reader 3 opens the Word of God and places it on the pulpit or communion table.
Reader 1: God did it, and God does it again, meeting his people here today! Come let us praise the Lord!
Confession and Assurance
Reader 1: Creator God, who made the waters and the dry land and who demands saving justice, when we cried out to you, you heard us. You lifted us out of the mud onto dry ground. You brought us through the waters.
But we so quickly forget our baptism. We so quickly forget that you are the source of our salvation. We so quickly forget that you gave us a new identity in you.
We forget every time we put other gods before you, when we make idols for ourselves, or when we use your name in vain.
Silence.
We forget whenever we don’t keep the Sabbath holy, when we don’t honor our mother or father, or when we kill.
Silence.
We forget our baptisms when we commit adultery, steal, or lie. We forget every time we covet.
Silence.
Lord, teach us to remember that we belong to you, that you call us by name. Send your Holy Spirit and guide us today. In the name of the Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.
Reader 2: God brought his people through the Red Sea before he gave them the law. Praise be to God that his love was not conditional on their—or our—ability to keep the law. Praise be to God that when we confess our sins, God is faithful and always remembers us.
All: Praise be to God!
Sermon Notes
The Work of the Lord—Exodus 14:19–31
God’s very active physical presence in this passage as he saves his people by bringing them through the water foreshadows our own baptisms. Crucially, the “baptism” of the Israelites happens before they receive the law. God loves them and saves them before giving the roadmap for the righteous living. This order of events assures us that God’s love for his people is not conditional.
Suggested Songs
"Left It in the Water" We the Kingdom
"Holy, Holy, Holy" Herber, LUYH 538, GtG 1, SSS 450
"All Things Bright and Beautiful” Alexander, LUYH 20, GtG 20, SSS 1
"The Love of Christ is Rich and Free" Gadsby
III. God Feeds Us: Exodus 16:2–15
Call to Worship
Reader 1: The Creator gave bread from heaven, manna in the desert.
Reader 1 pours water into the baptismal font.
Reader 2: The Lord teaches us to pray, saying, “Give us our daily bread”.
Reader 2 lights the Christ candle.
Reader 3: The Spirit feeds us today on the Word of God.
Reader 3 opens the Word of God and places it on the pulpit or communion table.
Reader 1: Come, let us feast together!
Prayers of the People
Holy Triune God, the one who provides and the one who sanctifies us. Teach us to petition, instead of complain. And teach us to trust you, instead of filling our lives with worry.
By your Spirit, may we come now with humility and faith in your providence.
We pray that you be with all who find themselves hungry in the wilderness. Be with those who are literally hungry, who are filled with anxiety over how they will get their next meal. Be with those who hunger for peace in the wilderness of mental illness or addiction. Be with those who hunger for health in the wilderness of ongoing health needs. Be with those who hunger for companionship in the wilderness of loneliness. Be with those hunger for unity in the wilderness of division.
God, you showed your glory to the Israelites when they were in the wilderness. You fed them a feast of manna when they were hungry.
By your Spirit, we boldly ask you to do that again today: show us your glory and feed us!
In the name of Jesus, the Bread of Life, we pray. Amen.
Sermon Notes: The Work of the Lord—Exodus 16:2–15
Amazingly, God feeds us even though we are children who complain and forget so easily! That said, we should not make light of how dire the situation was for the Israelites; they really were in a wild and desperate place. The fact that God fed them in abundance anyway reminds us that no matter how dark the future may seem, God invites us to feast on his grace—an invitation to see his glory in the wilderness!
Suggested Songs
"Open Hands" Story
"Desert Song" Fraser
"We Will Feast in the House of Zion" McCracken and Moore, SSS 370
"The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours)" Maher
"The King of Love My Shepherd Is" Baker, LUYH 824, GtG 802, SSS 359
"Bread for the World" Farrell