Responsive Call to Worship: Psalm 19

Here’s a call to worship litany based on Psalm 19. 

Call to Worship

(based on Psalm 19)

The heavens are telling the glory of God

May our worship reflect God’s glory.

The firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.
May we see each other as the handiwork of God.

Let our prayer and praise, our singing and proclamation project the love of God.

We commune with Christians around the world,

with Christians throughout time.

With Christians across geography and across time,

Let us worship!

—from Jesus Sets the Table, resources by the United Church of Christ, posted on their Worship Ways website. 

Commission & Benediction: Salt of the Earth

The Spirit of God is upon you and has anointed you.

You are the salt of the earth and you bring light to the world.

You are not too young or too old,

you are not too rich or too needy

to bring good news to the impoverished,

to give a hand to the broken-hearted,

and to live out freedom and pardon

through the gifts you have been given.

So remember to pack peace in your toolbox,

hope in your briefcase,

love in your lunch box,

and may integrity, honesty, and joy be your designer wear of choice.

Do not be frightened, for you are never alone.

The God in whose image you are made

will walk with you and guide you today, tomorrow, and every day.

                                                                                                            

— Copyright © Connie Epp. Used by permission.  Free to use in public worship, with acknowledgement.

Opening Prayer: God of Jubilee

Here’s an opening prayer of invocation inspired by Luke 4:18-19 (Isaiah 61:1). It was written by Rev. Gord, and posted on Worship Offerings.

 

Prayer of Invocation

(inspired by Luke 4:18-19, Isaiah 61:1)

 

God of Jubilee, God of freedom,

from oppression and healing for the afflicted,
we gather to share your Good News.

We gather to be transformed as the world is changed.

In this time of worship,
may we be fed in body and soul.
As we sing and pray,

as we break the bread and pour the cup,
may the Spirit of the Lord fall upon us,

may we be refreshed, anointed, and empowered.

And when our time of worship is ended,
send us back out into the world to proclaim the Good News.

We pray in the name and memory of Jesus,
our Rock and Redeemer,

our Teacher and Guide,

in whom we find the path that leads to the Kingdom. Amen.

 

~ posted by Rev Gord on his blog, Worship Offerings. http://worshipofferings.blogspot.ca/

Prayer: Luke 4: 18-19

Here’s a prayer of confession and commitment, inspired by Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18-19. It appeared on the Monthly Prayers (now Weekly Worship) page of the Christian Aid website.

Prayer

(inspired by Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:18-19)

'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.' (Luke 4:18-19)

O Christ, you lived as an ordinary man 
not in style but simply, 
yet still you caused uproar, and questions everywhere; 
you drew the expectations of hungry crowds, 
and brought buried conflicts to the light. 

May we,

who are sometimes swayed by the crowd’s approval, 
and who often avoid conflict 
for fear of its cost to us, 
hold fast to the gospel of peace and justice 
and follow faithfully in your way of compassion and solidarity 
with those who are poor and excluded, 
wherever it may lead us. 
Amen.

~ originally posted on the Monthly Prayers page (now Weekly Worship) of the Christian Aid website. https://www.christianaid.org.uk/churches/weekly-worship

Sending: We have been called

Here is a closing commission or sending from Rev Gord’s Worship Offerings blog. It was inspired by Jesus’ words in Luke 4:18-19 (quoting Isaiah 61:1).

 

Sending

(inspired by Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:18-19)

The Spirit of the Lord is upon us!
We have been called,

we have been anointed,

we have been given a task.

So go out from this place

into the mission field that is the world.
We go carrying Good News to the world:

news about freedom from oppression

and healing for the afflicted.
The time of the Lord's favour is now!
Hallelujah! Amen. 

 

~ posted by Rev Gord on his blog, Worship Offerings. http://worshipofferings.blogspot.ca/

Call to Worship: Nehemiah 8

Here’s a call to worship (or an invitation before the reading/preaching of the Word) inspired by Nehemiah 8, one of the suggested scripture readings for Epiphany 3, Year C. It was written by Katherine Hawker and posted on Liturgy Outside.

 

Call to Worship

(inspired by the events in Nehemiah 8)

 

Gathered together in the square

young and old

men and women

certain and seeking

slave and free.

Gathered together in the square

they opened the book

read and listened

talked and prayed.

They opened the book

gathered together in the square

and heard the Word of God.

 

Let us now gather

together

in the square

to open the book

and hear the Word of God.

 

~ written by Katherine Hawker, and posted on Liturgy Outside.

 https://liturgyoutside.net/

Reflection on Psalm 19

Roddy Hamilton has written given Psalm 19 a thoughtful treatment.  He suggests:  “You need to read this real slow and have an instrumental version of Fields of Gold playing in the background. It is indeed a thing of beauty. Voice A is reading the Psalm and Voice B is interpreting it. Take your time with this one. Enjoy the beauty of the psalmist’s poetry and make space for wonder. Don't let it pass. It’s too valuable.”

Responsive Reading of Psalm 19

The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims God's handiwork.
Look to the mountains and see everlastingness…
Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
Search both day and night and watch for the glory of it…
There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
Listen to the silence and hear wonder speak…
yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
Look to the horizon to hear a word about eternity…
In the heavens God has set a tent for the sun,
which comes out like a beloved from a wedding canopy,
and like a strong athlete runs its course with joy.
Look to the sunrise and enjoy God’s forever-promise…
Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them;
and nothing is hid from its heat.
Look to the seasons and live God’s rhythm…
The law of God is perfect, reviving the soul;
the decrees of God are sure, making wise the simple;
Look to creation’s order and accept its wisdom…
the precepts of God are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of God is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
Look to justice and truth and feel their light…
the fear of God is pure, enduring forever;
the ordinances of God are true
and righteous altogether.
Look to the word and recognise its call…
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.
Look to God’s commandments and taste their sweetness…
Moreover by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
Look to creation’s order and know justice…
But who can detect their errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.
Look to grace and know its forgiveness…
Keep back your servant also from the insolent;
do not let them have dominion over me.
Look to what brings life and live its example…
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
Look to God’s covenant and know its love…
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you, O God, my rock and my redeemer.
The heavens are telling the glory of God.

~ written by Roddy Hamilton, and posted on Mucky Paws. http://www.nkchurch.org.uk/index.php/mucky-paws

Prayer of Confession: Sharing the Good News

Here’s a prayer of confession, followed by words of assurance, inspired by Isaiah 61:1/Luke 4:18-19. They were written by Rev Gord, and posted on Worship Offerings.

 

Prayer of Confession

 

God, you share with us words of hope, words of Good News.
But sometimes we are unable to hear them

because the source is too familiar.
You call us to share the Good News with those around us.
But sometimes we are unable to share,

because the people know us too well.
You encourage us to send messengers to other places

where they will be heard better.
But we can be jealous,

wanting the Good News to be for us, not them.

In the multitude of ways we can and have subverted

your message of freedom and healing,

in all the ways we have kept the Jubilee year from happening,
we have left the path of true wisdom

and call upon your Grace to lead us back on track. 

...time of silent prayer...

Words of Assurance

 

This is the time of God's favour,

God's grace continues to proclaim

release to the captives,

sight to the blind,

Good News to the poor

and freedom to the oppressed.

 

We live as loved, forgiven and free people

through the grace of God!
Hallelujah! Amen.  

~ posted by Rev Gord on his blog, Worship Offerings. http://worshipofferings.blogspot.ca/

Opening Prayer: Psalm 19

Here’s an opening prayer for worship inspired by Psalm 19.  It was posted on My Redeemer Lives website.

Opening Prayer

(inspired by Psalm 19)

Eternal God,

whose signature we see, if we dare to look,

in the creation of the universe,

help us this hour to look and to listen

for Your handwriting and Your voice in this place,

among these people.

Connect our temporary praise to Your timeless rhythms,

Your ageless melodies,

Your everlasting joyful noise.

Guide us now to focus upon You,

knowing that in You,

our distractions become new possibilities for action.

Breathe life into our singing, our praying,

our speaking, our listening, our touching,

that all these activities might become more than they are.

In our worship we reach out to You, O God,

knowing that You have already enfolded us in Your arms.

In Jesus, we pray. Amen.

~ posted on My Redeemer Lives website. http://www.myredeemerlives.com/prayers.html

Epiphany Prayer: Christ of the North

Here’s a prayer for the third Sunday after Epiphany Sunday from the Christian Aid website. It was adapted from “Invocation to the Christ of the Four Directions” (South, West, North, East), written by Suzanne Fageol.

 

Prayer for Epiphany:

Christ of the North

 

O Christ of the North:

You, who bore the pain of Calvary,
You, who blessed the ones who cursed you,
You, who lay in the tomb, who in your rising, 

fulfilled the expectations and prophecies of the ancestors,
You, who in your ascending, 

gave the promise of a new covenant for us all,
In the dark cold of winter, 

begin the quiet cycle of birth again in our hearts as we tell your story.

As we journey through our own winters
O Christ of the North:

Keep vigil with us as we bear the harsh, cold times of our lives.
Wrap us in cloaks of clarity and strength 

when the strong, north winds of challenge blow around us.
Help us to remember to call upon your many blessings 

for our endurance and creativity.
Keep us in honesty and truth 

with the remembrance of your faithfulness even unto crucifixion.

O Christ of the North, guardian of us all,
we call upon you. Amen.

~ adapted from “Invocation to the Christ of the Four Directions” written by Suzanne Fageol. Posted on the Monthly Prayers page (now Weekly Worship) of the Christian Aid website. https://www.christianaid.org.uk/churches/weekly-worship

Call to Worship: Psalm 19

Here is a responsive call to worship inspired by Psalm 19. It comes from Rev. Richard Fairchild’s  Kir-shalom website.

Call to Worship

(inspired by Psalm 19)

Incline your hearts to the wisdom of God;

seek integrity and understanding.

The testimonies of God are wonderful;

God's law gives light to all who hear it.

If you accept God's words and store up his commands within you,

if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,

If you look for it as for silver

and search for it as for hidden treasure,

Then you will find the knowledge of God,

for the Lord gives wisdom

and from his mouth comes truth and understanding. 

God holds victory in store for the upright

and is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.

~ posted on Rev. Richard Fairchild’s Kir-shalom website. http://www.rockies.net/  

Benediction: The Beauty of God's Creation

Here’s a benediction which celebrates the beauty all around us in God’s creation. It was written by Carlos Fernandez at Village Church in Beaverton, Oregon.

Benediction

Creator God—

as we return now to our homes, workplaces, and communities,

may Your Spirit open our eyes anew

to the vastness and splendor of Your beauty all around us.

May we hear, and smell, and see, and touch

Your glory evident in all of Your creation.

Above all, let us see Your beauty

even in the brokenness of our brothers and sisters—

all of them, created in Your image,

and waiting to experience that redemption that comes

only through Christ Jesus our Lord.

We go now to love and serve our Lord—Amen.

~ written by Carlos Fernandez, Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Village Church in Beaverton, Orgeon.

Pastor's Prayer: Expecting Miracles

Dear Lord,

Help me to expect miracles.

Help me to get past the borders of my eyes,

the roadblocks of my mind,

the narrow door of my heart.

May my soul embrace

the mystery of Your magnificent love!

May my heart rejoice

over the unexpected and undefined!

May my mind and body sigh

with the sheer awe of it all. Amen. 

~ written by Leonard Sweet, posted on Preach the Story. https://preachthestory.com/

Blessing: You are the Body of Christ

You are the body of Christ.

May you have the heart of Christ, 

tender for mercy.

May you have the eyes of Christ 

to see a world in need.

May you have the feet of Christ 

to bring good news.

Go in peace! 

And God go with you. 

~ posted on Literature & Liturgy. https://jesusscribbles.wordpress.com/

Pastoral Prayer: Epiphany

Here is a prayer of thanksgiving and intercession from Richard J. Fairchild’s Kir-shalom website.

Prayer for Others

Eternal God,

you are the maker of us all, and we are your creation,

people formed in your image, as individuals, as community;

formed and fed and furnished with understanding of who you are

and of who and whose we are.

We worship you today in recognition of your calling,

of your communicating,

of your caring to invite us to share in your creative and healing work. 

We are here because we have heard you speak in us and through others. 

Help us, dear Lord, to ever respond to you

and your invitation to your grace...

Lord hear our prayer...

God of all our moments, of our days and our nights,

you speak and you act in the world around us,

not only to call all people to you,

but also to direct and guide us in the way of healing and wholeness. 

Awaken us Lord, to hear what you would say to us. 

Help us to open our ears, our eyes, and our hearts to your presence.

Help us to know when it is your voice we are hearing

and it when it is our prejudices and desires to which we are paying heed....

Lord hear our prayer...

Lord, we pray that your church may rise up with renewed commitment

in answer to your call,

that your people may be instruments of your grace and love....

Lord hear our prayer....

We pray for those who consider themselves inadequate

and dismiss or avoid your calling in their lives. 

Give them a new vision,

a vision in which you are their strength and their hope...

Lord hear our prayer....

We pray for those who, in answering your call,

must leave the known for the unknown,

the oasis for the desert, the comfortable for the uncertain.

Grant them courage and steadfast faith...

Lord hear our prayer....

We pray too, today, O Lord, for those in want and need –

for those of us and of the larger community who suffer in body or in soul. 

We remember before you…[various intercessions]

Lord, hear our pray.....

Loving Father, bless us all with an abundant faith,

a fruitful ministry, a joyful life. 

Bless us and all those who gather together to continue the work of Jesus,

who came to heal, save, and deliver us all,

and who taught us to pray as one family, saying...

Our Father....

~ written by Rev. Richard J. Fairchild, and posted on Kir-shalom. http://www.spirit-net.ca/sermons/b-or02sm.php

Call to Worship: Come, Follow Me

Here’s a responsive call to worship inspired by Jesus’ call to his disciples. It was written by Joanna Harader, and posted on her Spacious Faith website.

Call to Worship

(based on Mark 1:17, Mark 2:14, Matthew 4:19,

Luke 5:27-28, John 1:43-45)

Jesus comes along side us and calls us by name:
“[your name], follow me.”

A simple call. A hard call.
Because following requires leaving.
And we look around to see who else Jesus could be talking to.
And we look around to see the trappings of the life we know.

It’s hard to leave our nets and walk away from the lake.
But we have come this far,
to this place,

where we can listen and be transformed.

~ written by Joanna Harader and posted on Spacious Faith. https://spaciousfaith.com/

Prayer of Confession: Many Gifts

Here’s a prayer of confession (and words of assurance) from Rev Gord’s Worship Offerings blog.

Prayer of Confession

God you have given each of us many gifts,

but sometimes we cannot recognize

what gift we have to share,

so we hide it under a bushel.

God you remind us that all gifts are needed,

but sometimes we let ourselves be convinced

that some gifts are more special than others.

God you call us to work, to live, to love together as parts of one body,

but sometimes we decide that membership in the body

is limited by our understandings.

God, for the times we have ignored or mislabeled Your gifts,

for those times we have cut another off from the body,

We offer words of repentance,

we ask for forgiveness and grace.

...time of silent prayer...

Words of Assurance/Forgiveness

God is the giver of MANY gifts.

God is the Creator of the ONE body.

God is slow to anger and quick to forgive.

God helps us to share and honour the gifts of all,

God helps us to heal the wounds and reunite the body.

We are forgiven, loved, and accepted.

Thanks be to God! Alleluia! Amen 

~ posted by Rev Gord on his blog, Worship Offerings. http://worshipofferings.blogspot.ca/

Closing Commission: How Will You Live?

Here’s a closing commission (and brief benediction) from Rev Gord’s Worship Offerings blog.

Sending Out

You are the hands and feet of God in [your location].
You are called to soothe suffering,

to live with compassion,

to build up God's loving peace.

So as you leave this place, how will you live?
We go from this place of worship

to share the gifts we have been given.
We go from this time of worship

to build up the Body of Christ.
We go from this holy space

to carry the Holy to the world around us.
Go in love, go in peace, go with God.
Amen.

~ posted by Rev Gord on his blog, Worship Offerings. http://worshipofferings.blogspot.ca/

Opening Prayer: Parts of the Body

Here’s an opening prayer from Rev Gord’s Worship Offerings blog.

Opening Prayer

Gift-giver, you call us together,
with our different gifts,

our different ideas,

our different tastes. 

You call us together,
to share what makes us special,

to build each other up,

to serve each other in love. 

You call us together,
knowing that we need all parts of the body

if we are to be whole. 

You call us together,
to sing, to pray, to listen, to speak.

To be refreshed

so that we can go out and serve. 
You call us together

in the name of the One

who taught his friends to pray saying:

“Our Father, who art in heaven….”

~ posted by Rev Gord on his blog, Worship Offerings. http://worshipofferings.blogspot.ca/

Call to Worship: Luke 4: 14-30

Here’s a call to worship inspired by the events in Luke 4:14-30.  It comes from Waiting for Water: Liturgy for the Easter Journey.

 

Responsive Call to Worship

(inspired by Luke 4:14-30)

 

The Spirit of the Lord is upon us!

God has anointed us to bring good news to the poor,

To proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free.

Let us worship the God of justice and peace!

~ posted on Waiting for Water: Liturgy for The Easter Journey 2013  http://storage.cloversites.com/waitingforwater/documents/Liturgical%20resources%202013%2010%2018%2012.pdf