Call to Worship: Epiphany 4B

Here’s a call to worship for the fourth Sunday after Epiphany, inspired by Mark 1: 21-28 (where Jesus casts out an evil spirit).  It could be done responsively, or by a single worship leader. It was written by Richard Bott.

Call to Worship

(inspired by Mark 1: 21-28)

As people,
as a group,
as a community of faith –
we gather in this place.
To listen.
to speak.
to worship.
to pray.
to be with God.
Because we know –
it is out of God’s authority,
it is out of God’s love,
that we live.
Alleluia!

~ written by Richard Bott, and posted on Sharing Liturgy.  http://liturgy.richardbott.com/

Call to Worship & Prayer: Epiphany 4B

Here’s a call to worship based on the suggested scripture texts for the fourth Sunday after Epiphany. It was based on materials by Peter K. Perry.

Call to Worship

God comes into a world filled with uncertainties and darkness. 

God seeks out the voids of belief and conviction. 

God embraces the wounded and broken. 

God knocks down the walls of division and strife.

God is the candle shining in the darkness of our days.

God is the light of our lives.

God is the one who makes all things new.

Praise be to God, now and forevermore!

Prayer of Approach

Loving God,

whose touch can heal the broken places of life,

touch us today... 

God of peace,

whose spirit of peace can quiet our spirits

of confusion and despair,

reassure us today...  

Forgiving God,

whose call to repentance promises grace upon grace,

place your mercy in our souls today... 

You who heal the sick and liberate the imprisoned,

who bring justice in the midst of oppression

and strength in the midst of weakness,

pour out your spirit of power upon us today.

Open our hearts to new faithfulness,

redirect our waywardness,

and hold us gently in your goodness. 

We confess our need to you,

and we turn to you with hearts filled with hope,

remembering the promises you have made to us. 

May your name be glorified in us and through us. 

We ask it through Christ Jesus,

your only begotten son,

he who is our Lord and our Saviour,

our brother and our friend.  Amen.

— based on materials by Peter K. Perry, and posted on Richard Fairchild’s Kir-shalom website. 

For more worship resources for January 29, 2012 (the fourth Sunday after Epiphany), click on Epiphany 4B in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

For more calls to worship on this blog, click on Calls to worship in the list of “Labels” at the lower right, or see the Call to Worship Index at the upper right. For more prayer resources on this blog, see the Scriptural Index of Prayers at the upper right side of the page.

Opening Litany: Epiphany 4B

Here’s an opening litany/call to worship for the fourth Sunday after Epiphany.  It was written by Rev. Dr. Ginny Brown Daniel, and posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways website.

Opening Litany

(inspired by Mark 1:21-28)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, 

what hopes do you bring to worship?

We bring hope for health and wholeness.

What  afflictions do you bring to worship?

Physical pain?  

    From illness and injury.

Emotional pain?

    From sad and scary life situations.

Mental pain?                 

    From dis-ease of many kinds.

With all of these afflictions,

it’s a miracle that any of us have made it to worship this morning!

But where else would we be?

We yearn to know God’s powerful love

and to know that wholeness is possible.

In today’s gospel, a person with an “afflicting spirit” * interrupts Jesus

and Jesus frees him.

And where does the miracle of his story and our stories begin?

When we bring all of who we are

—hopeful, afflicted, bold—

 into relationship with the Divine.

So come, let us enter this sanctuary with our whole selves

—hopeful, afflicted and bold—

Come, let us worship!

— taken from Holy, Whole-y One: Service Prayers for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, written by the Rev. Dr. Ginny Brown Daniel, pastor of Plymouth United Church, UCC, in Spring, Texas.  Posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways website.  Visit there for other good lectionary-based worship resources. 

For more worship resources for January 29, 2012 (the fourth Sunday after Epiphany), click on Epiphany 4B in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

For more calls to worship on this blog, click on Calls to worship in the list of “Labels” at the lower right, or see the Call to Worship Index at the upper right.

Prayer of Confession: Mark 1: 21-28

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving and confession inspired by Mark 1:21-28. It was written by Cheryl Lawrie and posted on [hold this space].

Prayer of Confession

(inspired by Mark 1:21-28)

God,

we thank you for this extraordinary world

and its reminders of resilience, grace, hope and life:

for when grass shoots break through concrete

when the sun emerges after storms

for when people offer laughter in deep sadness

In these moments we see glimpses of who you are –

and we are grateful.

Yet if we reduce you to being like the cycle of nature

or the best of humankind,

we diminish your power to make the impossible real:

to break apart the impenetrable evils of oppression,

to cast out the very real fears that paralyse us

to banish the insidious demons of judgement and worthlessness

Forgive us God when we do not trust you to deal with the unspeakable awfulness in our lives and world.

In the silence we name the parts of our lives and our world that we believe are

too broken to ever be made whole

Cast out our demons, Lord,

Make us new again

Forgive us when contribute to the brokenness of the world and the lives

of people around us.

In the silence we name the things we have done that separate us

from you and from others

Cast out our demons, Lord,

Make us new again

Forgive us when we trust darkness more than we trust your light.

In the silence we name the things we think we need to keep hidden.

Cast out our demons, Lord,

Make us new again

Scripture says that those who are in Christ are a new creation;

everything old has passed away;

see, the new has come!

Hear then Christ’s word of grace to us:

‘Your sins are forgiven.’

Thanks be to God.

~ written by Cheryl Lawrie and posted on [hold this space]. http://holdthisspace.org.au/all-of-who-we-are/

Call to Worship: Psalm 111

Come, and praise God!

In the company of the God’s people,

let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

Great are the works of God,

full of glory and majesty.

Our God is gracious and compassionate;

our God is merciful and forgiving

our God is faithful and trustworthy,

our God is just and good.

So come, let’s worship God together.

God’s praise will last forever!

Epiphany Prayer: Christ of the Four Directions

Here’s a prayer for the forth 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 Four Directions

Christ of the East,
Christ of the South,
Christ of the West,
Christ of the North:

We turn our hearts to you
hoping and praying for
peace and life
to dispel the shadows
of war and death.

We turn our faces to you
trusting and believing for
love and grace
to shine upon us and
to radiate to all.

We turn our lives to you
even if we know only in part
what we will one day know fully
even as we are fully known.
And now may faith hope and love,
love most of all,
abide in us as we journey together through this year. 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

Centering Prayer

Lord God, the source of all good things,

we pause in your presence and hold our day before you. 

Still us, calm us, guide us as we enter this day.

~ posted on Third Space. http://third-space.org.uk/

Prayer of Illumination: Mark 1: 21-28

Here’s a prayer of illumination (invocation) traditionally used before the reading and preaching of Scripture.  It was written by Amy Loving, and inspired by Mark 1: 21-28 - where Jesus casts out an evil spirit.

Prayer for Illumination

(inspired by Mark 1:21-28)

Un-stop our ears, O God,

that we may hear your Word proclaimed this day. 

Open our minds and hearts to be changed. 

Free us from the unclean spirits of worry, fear, destruction, and pride. 

Teach us, Lord, that we may follow you more faithfully.

 ~ written by Amy Loving, and posted on The Worship Closet: The Place for Creative Worship Ideas. http://worshipcloset.com/baptism-of-the-lord-sunday-year-b-words-for-worship/

Prayer: Mark 1: 21-28

Here’s an opening prayer or prayer of invocation (illumination) before the reading and preaching of Scripture from Richard Bott. It was inspired by Mark 1: 21-28, where Jesus casts out an evil spirit.

Prayer

(inspired by Mark 1:21-28)

Speak with authority
in our lives, Christ.

Speak to us,
and to what is in us,
so that we might be whole.

Speak to us,
with love,
with hope,
and with strength,
so that we might hear you,
and know, deep inside,
that we are your people,
and that you are our God.
Let it be so.

~ written by Richard Bott, and posted on Sharing Liturgy.  http://liturgy.richardbott.com/

Call to Worship: Psalm 111: 2-4

How amazing are the deeds of our God!

Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty.

His righteousness and justice never fail;

He is gracious and compassionate to all.
Come and worship!

Contemporary Songs: Psalm 111

If you’re looking for contemporary Praise & Worship song suggestions to use with Psalm 111 (the suggested psalm for Epiphany 4 B, Proper 15 B, Proper 23 C), you can find a list at my Contemporary Psalms blog. http://contemporarypsalms.blogspot.ca/  The blog is not finished (and likely never will be, since I keep coming across new songs!), but it’s a start.

Follow this link to Psalm 111: http://contemporarypsalms.blogspot.ca/2013/05/psalm-111.html

Prayers of the People: Learning to See

Here’s a thoughtful prayer of intercession written for January 29, 2012, but appropriate for any time.  If I were going to use it in corporate worship, I’d revise it to be plural (we, our) instead of singular (I, my).

Prayer of Intercession

Gracious and loving God,
as I come to you in prayer
I lay my heart before you.

 
I admit to you my own shortsightedness.
But you already know,
I think more of myself than my neighbor next door,
let alone my neighbor that lives around the world.
I get so caught up in the needs in my own house
I forget to think about, much less pray for
people whom I’ve never met.

As I try to pray for starving children

in countries I cannot place on a map,
as I attempt to join in solidarity with women

being sold into slavery,
as I struggle to comprehend the motivation of men

who abuse or neglect their families,
the chasm between my quiet, sheltered life

and their lives of turmoil becomes clear.
I struggle even to SEE the other side of the divide.

How, O God, can I believe that I know how to pray for their needs,
when I honestly have no idea what those needs may be?

 
And so, humbled, I come before you now,
placing my faith wholly in you,
trusting that you know those needs

which are obscured to my short-sighted eyes,
believing that in your love and mercy

you will reach out and touch the lives I cannot comprehend.

As I pray, Holy One, I feel your call on my life.
As clearly as the disciples mending their nets,
“Come, Follow me.”
My soul resonates with the challenge to shift my focus,
from perch and bass, to women and men.

I know with every fiber of my being

that you are calling me to be part, somehow,
of your healing, life-giving touch,
both in my community and around the world.

Lord of Life,

may my squinting glance

across the chasm of miles, language and culture,
my desire to see your will done on earth as it is in heaven,
my prayer for my neighbor,
not end with these words,
but continue day by day, moment by moment,
in my actions.

May this prayer, through your grace,
become for me the way I am connected through your love

with all creation.
May my prayers transform my life.
And may all my words and deeds,

all of my being,

be an offering to you.
Amen.

— from World in Prayer, a ministry of the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist in Lodi, California, USA.  Weekly prayers are written by a team of writers representing different denominations throughout the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom. Visit their web site at http://www.worldinprayer.org/

For more prayers of intercession on this blog, click on Intercession in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.  For a scriptural index of prayers, see the Scriptural Prayer Index at the upper right side of the page.

Confession: 1 Corinthians 8: 1-13

Here’s a thoughtful prayer of confession based on 1 Corinthians 8:1-13.  It was written by Amy Loving

Prayer of Confession

(based on 1 Corinthians 8: 1-13)

Holy God, we confess that we are an arrogant people – so full of “knowledge” that we hardly have any room for love.  We confess that we too often judge when we really need to listen.  We confess that we push people away when we you call us to welcome them into our communities.  We confess that we think only about protecting ourselves when we are challenged to risk everything for others.  Lord, forgive us for being more concerned with “being right” than we are with “showing love”.  Forgive us for demanding uniformity when you call us to celebrate diversity.  Guide us, Great God, to live according to your unconditional love.  Teach us to see one another as sisters and brothers, that we may learn to live as one family.

— written by Amy Loving, and posted on The Worship Closet: The Place for Creative Worship Ideas. 

For more worship resources for January 29, 2012 (the fourth Sunday after Epiphany), click on Epiphany 4B in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

For more prayers of confession/words of assurance on this blog, click on Confession or Words of Assurance in the list of “Labels” at the lower right, or see the Confession/Assurance Index at the upper right.

Psalm 111 Call to Worship Litany

Here’s another call to worship litany based on Psalm 111. It was written by Michael Morgan.

Call to Worship

(based on Psalm 111)

One:     Praise the Lord!

            In the company of the saints above and beside us, 

            let us give thanks to the Lord our God!

All:       Great are the works of the Lord,

            full of honor and majesty,  

            whose righteousness endures forever.

One:     The Lord is gracious and merciful;

            the work of God’s hands are faithful and just.

All:       God’s covenant is established forever

            in truth and justice.

One:     Our redemption is in the name of our Lord.

All:       Holy and awesome is God’s name in all the earth!

— written by Michael Morgan, organist for the Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and author of the Psalter for Christian Worship.  It was posted on the LiturgyLink website. 

Commitment: 1 Corinthians 8: 1-13

Here’s a thoughtful prayer of commitment based on 1 Corinthians 8:1-3, one of the suggested scripture readings for January 29, 2012 (the fourth Sunday after Epiphany).  It comes from the Monthly Prayers page of the Christian Aid website.

Prayer of Commitment

(inspired by 1 Corinthians 8:1-3)

'We know that 'all of us possess knowledge.'

Knowledge puffs up, but love builds us.

Anyone who claims to know something

does not yet have the necessary knowledge;

but anyone who loves God is known by him.'

(1 Corinthians 8:1-3)

Father of life,
Who sees all and knows all,
We come to you to confess what you already know -
That we do not have all the answers
That we so desperately long for
In order to free our world from poverty, pain and injustice.
But we are spending ourselves on loving you
And serving the orphan, the widow, and the stranger.
And so we ask, in your mercy, that you would fill us again for the work ahead.
Build us up in love
That we might pour ourselves out again and again
To build what counts and lasts forever – justice, peace, and freedom.
And to make it known that you are love,

and you give love,

and you require love in return.
Amen. 

— posted on the Christian Aid website.  

For more worship resources for January 29, 2012 (the fourth Sunday after Epiphany), click on Epiphany 4B in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

For more prayer resources on this blog, see the Scriptural Index of Prayers at the upper right side of the page.

Prayer of Confession: 1 Corinthians 8

Here’s a litany of confession based on 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, one of the suggested scripture texts for Epiphany 4B (January 29, 2012).  It was written by Katherine Hawker.

Prayer of Confession

(based on 1 Corinthians 8: 1-13)

For the ways in which we bury your light

underneath layers of busyness and denial.

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy,

Have mercy upon us.

For the times we fail to recognize your light

in the eyes of the hungry, the outcast, the stranger.

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy,

Have mercy upon us.

For the opportunities not taken to share your light

with our children and parents and neighbors and friends.

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy,

Have mercy upon us.

— written by Katherine Hawker, and posted on Liturgies Outside website. 

For more worship resources for January 29, 2012 (the fourth Sunday after Epiphany), click on Epiphany 4B in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

For more prayers of confession/words of assurance on this blog, click on Confession or Words of assurance in the list of “Labels” at the lower right, or see the scriptural Confession Index at the upper right.

Call to Worship based on Psalm 111

Here’s another call to worship based on Psalm 111. 

Call to Worship

(based on Psalm 111)

Come, let us praise God together

in the company of his gathered people.

For the works of our God are unparalleled.

Everything He does reveals his glory and majesty.

Our God is full of grace and mercy,

and his righteousness never fails.

So come and worship,

all you who revere the Lord,

for reverence and awe is the foundation of true wisdom.

Opening Prayer: Epiphany 4B

Here’s an opening prayer based on Mark 1:21-22 and Deuteronomy 18:15-20, two of the suggested scripture readings for January 29, 2012 (the fourth Sunday after Epiphany).

Opening Prayer

(based on Deuteronomy 18:15-20 and Mark 1:21-22)

God of power and might,
you sent prophets to your people,
calling us back to your covenant,
and teaching us your ways.
In the fullness of time,
you sent us your Son Jesus,
teaching with such authority,
that our eyes were opened
to see your ways anew.
Open our hearts and minds,
that we may understand
and proclaim your teachings
for all to hear.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

— from the Worship Elements page of the Ministry Matters website. 

For more worship resources for January 29, 2012 (the fourth Sunday after Epiphany), click on Epiphany 4B in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

For more prayer resources on this blog, see the Scriptural Index of Prayers at the upper right side of the page.

Prayer of Confession: I Corinthians 8

Here’s a prayer of confession followed by an assurance of forgiveness suitable for use on Epiphany 4B (January 29, 2012).  They were written by Moira Laidlaw.

Prayer of Confession

(based on 1 Corinthians 8:1-13)

The Apostle Paul tells us that what is most essential in our conduct as Christians is not knowledge, but love.  And that what we know is less important than our being known by God. So, we confess…

The times when we have used knowledge in ways

which put people down rather than build them up.
God, source of all knowledge, forgive us.

When we see people being exploited

because of lack of knowledge, and do nothing.
God, source of all goodness, forgive us.

 
When we have idolised knowledge

at the expense of loving and caring for others.
God, source of all love, forgive us.

When we have ridiculed others

for having a weak and feeble faith

because they appear to lack wisdom ;
God, source of all wisdom, forgive us.

(A time of silence for personal confession)

Forgive us, O God, for seeing good only in what we understand and accept as your truths. Remind us of Paul's words 'If I have all knowledge but do not have love, I am nothing.'   Touch us, teach us, heal us and make us newly aware of your love and forgiveness. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness

(based on John 3:17)

Hear and believe these words of grace: 

God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world,

ut in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:17)

And so I declare to you: In Jesus Christ we are loved, we are forgiven!
Thanks be to God!

— written by Moira Laidlaw, and posted on her Liturgies Online website. 

For more prayers of confession/words of assurance on this blog, click on Confession or Words of assurance in the list of “Labels” at the lower right, or see the scriptural Confession Index at the upper right.

Call to Worship, Prayer: January 29, 2012

Here’s a call to worship and opening prayer based on the scripture readings for Epiphany 4B (January 29, 2012).  They were written by Thom Shuman, and posted on his Lectionary Liturgies blog.

Call to Worship

Thinking we know all the answers,
yet wondering if we haven't missed something:
we enter this sanctuary of Truth.
In the company of sinners,
in cahoots with saints:
we gather as God's people.
Standing by folks of deep, abiding faith;
seated with those who stumble through the Kingdom:
we lift our praise to God.

Prayer of the Day

We hunger for power,
and you feed us
the bread of humility;
we long for freedom,
and you invite us to drink
the cup of self-denial.
Faithful and Just God:
our songs of gratitude
will echo down
the hallways of creation.

You speak
and all our props
are knocked out
from under our pride.
Then, you astound us
by reaching out your hand
to lift us to our feet
so we may follow you.
Holy Gift of God:
our songs of praise
will echo down
the hallway of our hearts.

Without your wisdom,
we would be speechless;
without your peace,
we would be heartless;
without your presence,
we would be graceless.
Bearer of Truth:
our songs of joy
will echo down
the hallways of eternity.

God in Community, Holy in One,
may our songs echo in your heart
as we pray as Jesus has taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .

— written by Thom Shuman, and posted on his Lectionary Liturgies blog.  Visit there for many other excellent lectionary-based worship resources. 

For more worship resources for January 29, 2012 (the fourth Sunday after Epiphany), click on Epiphany 4B in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

For more calls to worship on this blog, click on Calls to worship in the list of “Labels” at the lower right, or see the Call to Worship Index at the upper right. For more prayer resources on this blog, see the Scriptural Index of Prayers at the upper right side of the page.