Litany

Closing Litany

(based on Ephesians 2, 4 and I Peter 2)

One:    People of God,

            I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

            Be completely humble and gentle;                      

            be patient, bearing with one another in love.

            Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit    

            through the bond of peace.

            There is one body and one Spirit—

            just as you were called to one hope when you were called—

            one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

            one God and Father of all,

            who is over all and through all and in all. (Eph. 4:1-6)

Two:   Remember that at one time you [were] without Christ,

            aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,       

            and strangers to the covenants of promise,

            having no hope and without God in the world.

            But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off

            have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

            For he is our peace….

            He came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off

            and peace to those who were near;

            for through him we all have access in one Spirit to the Father.

            So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,

            but you are citizens with the saints

            and also members of the household of God. (Eph. 2:11-14; 17-19)

One:   Once you were not a people,
            but now you are God’s people;
            once you had not received mercy,
            but now you have received mercy. (I Peter 2:10)

Two:   Come to him, a living stone,

            rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight,              

            and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house,

            to be a holy priesthood,

            to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God

            through Jesus Christ.  (I Peter 2:4-5)

One:    For you are a chosen race,

            a royal priesthood,

            a holy nation,

            God’s own people,

            in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him

            who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.  (I Peter 2:9)

~ Compiled by Christine Longhurst, re:Worship

Call to Worship: God's Ways

Here’s a responsive call to worship from Tim Graves’s LiturgyBits blog. (See link below.)

Call to Worship

Out of a world of cut-throat competition,

of winners-and-losers,

and too many left behind

we come together.
The world’s ways are not our ways.
The world’s ways are not Christ’s ways.

Out of a world of hatred, violence,

individualism, and life-taking power

we gather as Koinonia, as God’s people.
God’s ways are inclusive, expansive,

and life-giving for all peoples.

Come and worship the One whose love knows no limits! 

Swim and splash in the cleansing waters of divine community!

Resurrect your spirits and souls in worship of the One!
Praise be to the Everlasting One!

~ written by Tim Graves, and posted on LiturgyBits. https://liturgybits.wordpress.com

Call to Worship for Easter 5

Here are a number of scripturally-based calls to worship for the 5th Sunday of Easter, Year A.  I’ve based them on the Revised Common Lectionary texts for that day. Feel free to revise and adapt them to suit your context.

Easter 5:  Call to Worship 1

(based on Psalm 31)

Praise the Lord,

who has shown us the wonders of his unfailing love;

and who, for the sake of his name,

leads us and guides us.

In you, O Lord, we put our trust.

You are our God,

and our lives are in your hands.

Lord, let the light of your face shine on us

as we celebrate together in your presence. Amen.

Easter 5:  Call to Worship 2

(based on Psalm 31:1-5; 15-16)

Come, people of God!

Take refuge in the Lord,

who listens when we cry out,

who rescues us when we call,

and who leads and guides us according to his unfailing love.

You are our God;

our lives are in your hands.

Let’s worship God together!

Easter 5:  Call to Worship 3

(based on Psalm 31:1-5)

We gather together to worship God,

our Rock and our Redeemer,

the one in whom we find refuge.

You are our rock and our fortress, O God;

Into your hands we place our lives.

Easter 5:  Call to Worship 4

(based on I Peter 2:9-10)

Come, people of God!

Let us sing the praises of the One who has called us

out of darkness into his marvelous light!

For once we were not a people at all,

but now we are God’s people!

Let’s worship God together.

Easter 5:  Call to Worship 5

(based on I Peter 2:9-10)

Brothers and sisters, come and worship!

For we are a chosen people,

royal priests,

a holy nation.

God’s very own family!

Let us proclaim together the goodness of God,

who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light!

Easter 5:  Call to Worship 6

(based on I Peter 2:4-5)

We gather to worship in the name of Jesus Christ,

our living cornerstone,

who, though rejected by the world,

 was chosen and precious in God’s sight.

And like living stones,

let us be built up into a spiritual house for God,

offering sacrifices of worship and praise that are pleasing in his sight.

Let’s worship God together!

~ Christine

Prayer of Intercession: Living Stones

Here’s a prayer of petition and intercession inspired by 1 Peter 2:2-10. It was written by Rev. Dr. Derek Browning, and posted on the Starters for Sunday website from the Church of Scotland.

Prayer for Others

(inspired by 1 Peter 2:2-10)

God of grace and light,

Found within and out with the structures of humanity,

You cannot be contained,

But on occasion choose to dwell in hearts and homes.

Glance lightly upon the hearts and homes dear to us,

The people and places where we seek blessing.

Build up our homes:

Where the happy may find peace;

The sad may find comfort;

The hungry may find food;

The weary may find rest.

Build up the places where we work:

Where the honest may find reward;

The dedicated may find delight;

The imaginative may find new horizons.

Build up our community:

Where the isolated may find friendship;

The marginalised may find welcome;

The unloved may find acceptance.

Build up our nation, loving Lord,

And bless those entrusted with the care of our society’s fabric.

May they use their skills, their calling, their hard graft

To fashion communities of grace and understanding,

Where generosity of heart and mind and soul

May be not only the gilding of our daily life

But its very core.

Build up the Church, redeeming Lord,

So that all Your children may find their place,

Unique and special,

Chosen and essential to the living edifice of grace,

Where by Your grace

Each one might know their value in Your economy,

And their significance in Your eyes.

Help us all, this day, to be living stones, and not dead weights,

Dreaming dreams, and living gloriously the joy and kindliness

Of a faith that edifies everything that life should be.

In the Name of our Saviour, our cornerstone, we pray.  Amen

~ written by Rev Dr Derek Browning, and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website.  http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/

Prayer of Intercession: Easter 5 Year A

Here is a pastoral prayer inspired by the suggested scripture readings for the fifth Sunday of Easter, Year A. It was posted on Life in Liturgy.

Pastoral Prayer

Lord God, we give you thanks for all your gifts to us—

for daily food, for health, for each breath we take,

for freedom to choose,

and for the gifts of your word, your power and your love.

Our hearts are truly overwhelmed, O God,

when we consider how you have entrusted so much to us.

May we be worthy of that trust—

may we be a people who are unafraid to live

as fully and as richly as you want us to live.

Help us, O God, as followers of Jesus,

to multiply all that you have given us,

to risk spreading your word and perhaps see it misunderstood,

to gamble by loving those whom others think worthy only of hate,

to take chances by doing good to those who have not done good to us.

Help us be faith filled and desire

to increase your glory and your goodness in this world.

Make us people who share in both word and deed

that which you have given to us.

We pray for the church gathered today,

both here and around the world,

that it may encourage all of its members

to discover, develop and use all their gifts,

those of nature and those of grace.

We pray for those who are poor in body or in spirit,

for those oppressed and heavy laden,

for those sick or in despair, especially___________.  

Minister by your Spirit and by us,

to all those for whom we have prayed,

and help us walk faithfully in the path of our Lord Jesus Christ.

~ posted on Life in Liturgy, from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). https://lifeinliturgy.wordpress.com/

Prayer for Easter 5A

Here’s a prayer of praise and petition inspired by the suggested scripture readings for Easter 5, Year A. It was written by Thomas Turner, and posted on everyday liturgy.

Prayer

“But you are a chosen race…

in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him

who called you out of darkness into marvelous light.”  1 Peter 2:9

God who has called
his people to repentance,
who has set the world on a course
toward the coming kingdom,
who has appointed his Son
as Savior and King—

you alone are worthy
to raise the dead to life
and forgive sin and evil deeds.

May we proclaim the good news
of your lordship to the heavens,
to the hills, the valleys, the plains,
and to the depths of the sea. Amen.

~ written by Thomas Turner, and posted on everdayliturgy. http://everydayliturgy.com/

Prayer of Confession: 1 Peter 2

Here’s a prayer of approach and confession inspired by 1 Peter 2:1-10.  It was written by Rev Carol Ford, and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website.

Prayer of Approach and Confession

(inspired by 1 Peter 2:1-10)

Parent God, Deliverer of our daily bread

we, Your children, come before You

hungry and thirsty for the spiritual nourishment

that only You can provide.

For we have tasted that You are good

and we cannot live without Your goodness.

God in Christ,

Cornerstone of our fellowship and faith,

we Your living stones

come to be built up together

as Your house,

to Your design.

For we are ready to be chiselled and polished

until we are fit for Your present purpose for us.

Forgive us, Gracious God,

if we are feeding ourselves on the junk food of idols

stuffing full with excessive meals,

our fridges and freezers

with much that will go to waste,

and our homes

with space and possessions

that we do not truly need.

And if we are those of Your children, Lord,

who are at this moment

having a hard time making ends meet

then show us where and who to ask,

where to seek

and the doors upon which we should knock.

Reveal to us who in our faith family

we might approach for sharing or help.

Living God,

if we have lost the life in us

and become as dry, lustre-lacking, dead stones,

then forgive us.

Refresh us with water and Spirit

that we may emerge gleaming with Your presence

and filled again with a passion for the Gospel.

Compassionate God,

in the quietness now, we make our personal prayers to you:

our confessions of wrongdoing,

our needs for healing

and our offloading of anything that troubles or burdens us.

Through the silence Lord, hear our prayers.

[silence]

God whose Spirit interprets our deepest longings

we praise You

for Your never-ending and limitless love and mercy.

Now we are ready to feast upon Your Word to us today.

In Jesus’ Name we pray. (or into Lord’s Prayer) Amen.

~ written by Rev Carol Ford, and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website. http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/

Prayer of Dedication: Building Stones

Here’s a prayer for the offering inspired by the scripture readings for the fifth Sunday of Easter, Year A. It was written by Rev. Dr. Derek Browning, and posted on the Starters for Sunday website from the Church of Scotland.

Prayer for the Offering

Generous God,

here are our gifts of time;

here are our gifts of talents;

here are our gifts of money;

building stones for Your Kingdom,

awaiting shaping and placing

within Your loving purpose. Amen.

~ written by Rev Dr Derek Browning, and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website.  http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/

Prayer: In Your Name

Here’s a prayer of commitment from Roddy Hamilton’s Listening to the Stones blog.

In Your Name

May we honour your name
not by paying it lip service, Lord Jesus
but by trusting the vision it speaks of

and the way it calls for

May we honour it by following you

speaking into the word with our actions
and showing who we’re chosen to follow

May we love in your name
speak in your name
care in your name
that willingness to touch the outcast
feed the hungry
remember the sick
visit the imprisoned
clothe the naked
give water to the thirsty
in your name

~ excerpted from a longer piece by Roddy Hamilton, and posted on Listening to the Stones. http://newkilpatrickblog.typepad.com/nk-blogging/mucky-paws/  Used by permission.

Confession: Speaking Out

Here’s a prayer of confession from the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways Archive.

 

Prayer of Confession

 

One:    If we say we are completely put together, the truth is not in us.

All:      But if we confess our distractions, our errors, and our anxieties,
           God will meet us and renew us.

           

           Before God and God’s people, I confess that I have
           been reluctant to speak out clearly,
           naming the injustice I see and declaring God’s vision.

           Before God and one another,

           we confess our reluctance
           to receive our calling as God’s people,

           made by God and chosen as witnesses

           to God’s dream of justice and joy.

           Remind me, God,

           that you have made me for your service
           and recharge me with your Word.

           Renew us, God.
           Grant us courage to live out your Way of peace and grace.
           We ask it in Jesus’ name; Amen.

 

Words of Assurance

One:     God has promised that whenever we repent

            and seek a new union with God,

                 forgiveness is ours.

                 That promise comes true now.

            Sisters and brothers, know that in Christ Jesus,

                 we are forgiven.

All:      Thanks be to God! Amen.

 

~ posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways Archive. http://www.ucc.org/

Closing Benediction

Here’s a closing benediction from Bruce Prewer.

Benediction

(inspired by 2 Corinthians 12:9, 1 Peter 2:9)

You are a baptised people,

a community of hope,

the new race dedicated to doing the unlikely deeds of grace,

and sometimes even taking on the impossible.

Thanks be to Christ,

whose power is made perfect in human weakness.

The blessing of the Creator, Redeemer and Inspirer

will always be with you.

Amen!

~ written by Bruce Prewer, and posted on Bruce Prewer’s Home Page.  http://www.bruceprewer.com/

Benediction: Go Daringly

Here’s a beautiful commission and benediction by Bruce Prewer.

Benediction

(based on John 14:2-3, Romans 8:31, Philippians 4:7)

If the God who raised Jesus from the dead is for us, who dare be against us?

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

Step out into the world in humble confidence:

there is nothing about to happen that God has not foreseen,

and no situation where Christ will not be there ahead of you,

preparing a place and an opportunity for you.

Thanks be to God.

The peace of God, which goes beyond all understanding,

keep your hearts and minds

in the knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ, God’s Son.

And the blessing of God all-loving,

the Creator, Redeemer and Counsellor,

will be with you now and always. Amen!

— written by Bruce Prewer, and posted on Bruce Prewer’s Homepage. 

Miracles Litany

Here’s a thought-provoking litany exploring faith and doubt, and the miracle-making of Jesus.  It comes from Grace Church in London.

Miracles Liturgy

Lord God,
You spoke into darkness and chaos and then there was light;
You imagined this earth in its complexity and beauty and called it into being
You created humanity in your own image and gave us a home to live in
We believe you can do miracles
But even if you don't, you are still God

Lord God,
You walked with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego through the fiery furnace
You shut the mouths of hungry lions and kept Daniel safe until morning
You gave Hannah a family when she despaired of ever having a child
We believe you can do miracles
But even if you don't, you are still God

Lord God,
You changed water into wine so the wedding party could continue
You calmed a storm and your disciples with words of quiet authority
You transformed a boy's picnic into a meal for a multitude

     with plenty left over
We believe you can do miracles
But even if you don't, you are still God

Lord God,
You healed a woman from 12 years of bleeding and rejection
You asked Bartimaeus what he wanted and then restored his sight
You watched a paralysed man being lowered through the roof

     and helped him to his feet
We believe you can do miracles
But even if you don't, you are still God

Lord God,
You called Lazarus from the tomb and restored him to life
You walked past the mourners at Jairus' house

     and gave his daughter back to him
You suffered a horrendous crucifixion

     in order to defeat sin and death and give us life
We believe you can do miracles
But even if you don't, you are still God

Lord God,
You told your disciples that they would do greater things than you had done
We hear and read stories of miracles in our world—of you healing the sick,
setting prisoners free, releasing drug addicts from their addiction,
providing the right amount of money at just the right time
We believe you can do miracles
But even if you don't, you are still God

And yet, Lord, we don't see many miracles happening around us
We have friends with cancer, and we pray, and they are not healed
We have friends who long for children, and we pray,

     and they do not conceive
Our doubt is mixed with faith
Our trust is accompanied by questions
We acknowledge the mystery of faith and prayer,

     and the ways in which they are connected
We acknowledge that you often do things differently

     than the way we would do them
We long to know you better, to understand more of your ways
And we believe you can do miracles
But even if you don't, you are still God

Lord we believe.
Help our unbelief

— written by Jen, and posted on the Grace website worship archive.  http://www.freshworship.org/

Easter 5: Dramatic Monologue

Rembrandt, The Stoning of St. Stephen

Here is a dramatic monologue about the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:55-60) given from the perspective of the young Saul.  It comes from the Leader Online website, a quarterly publication for pastors and lay leaders in the Anabaptist tradition.

This scripture reading is designed to be preceded by a readers’ theater presentation of Acts 7:55-60.  You can find it here. 

Saul reflects on the stoning of Stephen

(Acts 7:55-60)

(The monologue opens with Saul reflecting at center stage about Stephen’s stoning.

He is filled with disdain and sarcasm.)

“Stephen full of grace and power,” that’s what they said about him. Sure, he did great “signs and wonders,”  but who was behind it all? It wasn’t Yahweh, that’s for sure! Someone operating outside the boundaries like that, not respecting the proper channels—a sure sign that Beelzebub was involved one way or the other, and amazing that people didn’t see it from the start! I just knew he was guilty, and when we found the required number of witnesses to confirm which side he was really on, I was elated. The truth will out. The heretic group Stephen belongs to needs to be condemned promptly and brought to justice. The scourge of society, they stand against everything that’s right, following Je. . .Je. . . (unable to say the name, shudders and speaks in disgust), I can’t even say the name!

So I was feeling pretty good—we finally had this Stephen dead to rights. And we were thinking maybe the guilty verdict would start our glorious persecution off on the right foot, and then we could then go on to wipe out his whole sect and get back to the business of being good Jews.  (Pauses a beat and looks perplexed). I tell you—the guy didn’t have a clue. Instead of backing off, he just kept hammering away at us. (Getting more irritated as he tries to get the wording right)  He called us stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in hearts and ears, people who persecuted and killed the prophets of old, the ones who’d received the law but NOT kept it! We, not keep the law? Preposterous! Can you imagine invoking our prophets to perpetrate an outright lie?

(with great satisfaction) Then the straw that broke the camel’s back. He claimed to see God up in heaven with their fake Messiah, that man Jesus, at his side. (covers his ears and starts talking very loudly) At that point, the sentence went from jail to death. Really, there’s only so far you can let someone go—and then you have to stop them any way you can. So we dragged him outside of the city to stone him.  It was actually more than I’d hoped for—they’d let Peter and John go once, and another time Peter actually managed to escape, but maybe this signaled that the tide was now turning in favor of us defenders of Yahweh and Yahweh’s ways.

(Removes his hands and starts motioning towards himself) You understand that for ritual reasons I couldn’t participate in the stoning myself, but I told those who could to bring me their coats and lay them at my feet. I was happy to help in any way I could, to do my part to see this heretic meet his end. After all, he was only getting what he deserved! (Pauses, then another look of confusion) But here’s the thing. . . I can’t quite forget, the thing that sometimes wakes me up at night. Clearly, Stephen was a heretic. Clearly he deserved to die. I knew that. Everyone knew that. But I just can’t make that. . .match with the words he spoke right before he died: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Do not hold this sin against them.” It doesn’t make sense. It’s like. . .like we were the ones who were doing the wrong thing. But we weren’t. We couldn’t have been. So what was he talking about? (Waving his hand in exasperation as he walks off) Ahhh!

For more worship resources for the fifth Sunday of Easter (May 22, 2011), click on Easter 5 in the list of “Labels” at the lower right.

Easter 5: Readers' Theatre

Image: The Stoning of Stephen, Gustave Dore

Here is a Readers’ Theater approach to Acts 7:55-60, the story of the stoning of Stephen.  It comes from the Leader Online website, a quarterly publication for pastors and lay leaders in the Anabaptist tradition.

This scripture reading is designed to be followed by a dramatic monologue from the perspective of the young Saul. You can find that monologue here.

Acts 7: 55-60

1:         But filled with the Holy Spirit,

2:         He gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God

3:         And Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

All:       “Look,”

1:         he said,

2:         “I see the heavens opened

            and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

3:         But they covered their ears,

            and with a loud shout all rushed together against him.

1:         Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him;

2:         and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

All:       While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed,

3:         “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

1:         Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice,

All:       “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

2:         When he had said this, he died.

For more worship resources for the fifth Sunday of Easter (May 22, 2011), click on Easter 5 in the list of “Labels” at the lower right.