Call to Worship & Prayer: Proper 29

Here is a call to worship and opening prayer suitable for use on “Christ the King” or “Reign of Christ” Sunday. They were written by Moira Laidlaw.

Call to Worship

(based on Psalm 100)

We enter this place with thanksgiving

because we know that the Lord to whom we belong

is our Shepherd and our King
We rejoice over the steadfast love and faithfulness of God

enduring forever—to all generations.
Come, let us worship God with praise and joy,

and with thanksgiving in our hearts.

Prayer of Praise and Adoration

We worship you, O God, with joyful noise - with words of praise and adoration spoken and sung in the name of Jesus who brought your love song to us in person.  In harmony with you, he puts new words in our mouths and new intentions in our hearts, especially a new understanding of power.  Power shaped by love and righteousness, justice and mercy.  We now know that power is not to be used to exploit or dominate, but to serve others as willingly as Jesus did.  His life and death demonstrated how the love of power could be transformed by the power of love.  We gather here today to celebrate your rule of love in our hearts as we experience it in Jesus and through the enabling gift of your Spirit.  This we pray in the name of Jesus, our Servant King.  Amen

— Copyright © Moira Laidlaw, posted on her Liturgies Online website. Visit that site for other great lectionary-based resources.