Call to Worship: Radical Love

Here’s a call to worship from Richard Bott’s Sharing Liturgy website.

Call to Worship

In a world that cries out, “Fear me!”
We will listen to Jesus’ words,
“Don’t be afraid!”

In a world that wants us to hate the other…
We will live Jesus’ call to,
“Love God.

Love your neighbour, as you love yourself.”

In a world that radicalizes…
We, too, will be radical.
Radical with our hospitality.
Radical with our hope.
Radical with our love.

Then come to this place,
ready to be who we are called to be.
Let us gather together
and worship God. 

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

Prayer of Confession: Commandments

Here’s an act of confession inspired by the suggested scripture readings for Epiphany 5, Year A in the Revised Common Lectionary – especially Deuteronomy 30:15-20 and Matthew 5:21-37. It was written by Rev. Mindi and posted on Rev-o-lution. 

Prayer of Brokenness/Confession

Almighty God,

we confess that we have taken Your commandments

and turned them into rules.

We have criticized those who have fallen short

and selfishly proclaimed ourselves righteous.

We have failed to understand the spirit of the commandments

and the Way that was shown by You to live,

loving God and loving our neighbors.

Forgive us for turning Your law into burdens

for others and ourselves,

instead of a Way to love and freedom in You.

In the name of Christ,

who has given us the Way and leads us on, we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

You are loved.

Love is the Way.

When you love God, you love others.

When you truly lay down your life for others,

you lay down your life for God.

Give yourself to God by serving others.

Know that in God’s love there is forgiveness,

healing, and reconciliation. Amen.

~ written by Rev. Mindi, and posted on Rev-o-lution. http://rev-o-lution.org/

Call to Worship: Genesis 22

Here’s “a call to worship for a difficult text:  the binding of Isaac,” writes its author, Eliza Buchakjian-Tweedy. 

Call to Worship

(inspired by Genesis 22: 1-14; Micah 6:8; Deuteronomy 6:5)

What does the Lord require of you?

To do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with our God.

What does God command of us?

To love God with all our heart,

and all our soul,

and all our mind,

and all our strength,

and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

God does not call us to ease or to comfort.

But to presence, and abundance,

and grace in our struggle.

Let us worship the God who believes in us,

and trusts in us, and abides with us.

Let us worship the God who will ask much of us,

but will be beside us every step of the way. 

~ written by Eliza Buchakjian-Tweedy, Pastor at First Church Congregational, Rochester, NH.  She blogs at http://sermonizing.wordpress.com/

Call to Worship: Loving God

Here’s a call to worship from Rev. Mindi’s Rev-o-lution website.

 

Call to Worship

(inspired by Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30-31,

Luke 10:27, Deuteronomy 6:5)

 

We are called to love the Lord our God

We are called to love with all our heart and soul

We are called to love the Lord our God

We are called to love with all our mind and strength

We are called to love the Lord our God

And we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves.

 

Come, let us love our God

and share God’s love in this time of worship!

 

~ written by Rev. Mindi and posted on Rev-o-lution.  http://rev-o-lution.org/

Prayer of Confession: Walking with God

Here’s a prayer of confession from Rev. Mindi’s Rev-o-lution website.

Prayer of Confession

Almighty God,

You have set before us the path

but we have wandered on our own

to try to find our way.

Sometimes we are like toddlers

and we hear Your call and come back.

Other times, we are children testing boundaries,

ignoring Your call until fear finally makes us look back.

And still other times we are full of youthful rebellion,

demanding to be cut loose and set free,

not knowing how much we still need

to seek Your wisdom and guidance.

But most of all, too often we think we are adults

and have figured it all our and know our own way,

only to stumble and stray so far. 

Remind us, parental God,

that we are always Your children,

that we are never fully grown up in Your sight,

that we always have much to learn.

Help us to seek You every day,

to acknowledge that we need Your wisdom and guidance,

and help us to return to the path and walk with You.

In the name of Christ,

who is our companion on this journey of faith, we pray. Amen.

~ written by Rev Mindi, and posted on Rev-o-lution. http://rev-o-lution.org/

Call to Worship: Spirit of the Ages

Here’s a responsive call to worship inspired by Psalm 146:5-10. It comes from Tim Graves and the LiturgyBits blog.

Call to Worship: Spirit of the Ages

(inspired by Psalm 146:5-10)

Come and worship!
We will praise the One between, within, and over.

Trust in the One who co-creates the was, the now, and the will-be.
Our hope is in the One who creates expansive love

calling us to do the same.

Follow the One who never breaks covenant.
We follow the One whose extravagant love calls us

to co-create justice for the oppressed,

feed the hungry, unlock prisons,

and welcome strangers, orphans, and widows.

Praise the One whose justice is grace-full and inclusive.
We praise the Spirit that spans the ages. Amen! 

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

Call to Worship: Loving Our Neighbors

Here’s a responsive call to worship from Rev. Mindi’s Rev-o-lution website.

Call to Worship

(inspired by Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:30-31)

We hear the voice of God calling,
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
We feel the Spirit moving among us,
moving us to acts of compassion and justice.
We know the love of Jesus.
We love because Christ first loved us.
Come, worship God together.
Come, let us serve our God,

who calls us by name.

~ written by Rev. Mindi and posted on Rev-o-lution. http://rev-o-lution.org/

Psalm 146 Call to Worship

Here’s a responsive call to worship inspired by Psalm 146. It was written by Tim Graves, and posted on LiturgyBits (link below).

Call to Worship

(inspired by Psalm 146)

Praise God with your whole being!

I will praise God as long as I live!

Don’t trust the plans of humanity.

Only God’s expansive love is eternal.

Praise God!

We praise the creator,

the God of Jacob.

The one who straightens the bent,

who loves the hungry and poor.

Praise God!

We are here to praise our God,

who protects the immigrant,

who helps the orphan and widow.

Praise God!

Praise the creator whose love flows from

generation to generation until all is

as God dreams it can be.

Praise God!                                

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

Pastoral Prayer: Proper 26B

Here’s a prayer of adoration and confession from the Spill the Beans team. It was posted on the Church of Scotland’s Weekly Worship website.

Prayer of Adoration and Confession

God of all seasons,

God of all time,

God of all words,

we come.

We come as we are:

out of time, out of sorts, out of reason,

yet seeking time to be,

reasons to be

and most of all to be calm in Your presence,

ready to listen, and know, and follow and obey.

Holy God, You gave us guidance.

In all of history Your guidance has been there:

muddled and devalued by words like command and order,

when what You seek of us is desire, love, compassion, hope.

Forgive us when our lives are full of commandments and rules

and bereft of compassion and love.

Forgive us when the word becomes more than the Word,

when our determination to adhere to the word

belies the Spirit of joy and hope.

Show us, gently, humbly, lightly, softly

how to follow,

how to be guided into obedience

and teach us acceptance

of Your love, Your forgiveness and Your compassion.

Amen. 

~ written by the Spill the Beans team (http://spillbeans.org.uk/) and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Weekly Worship website. http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/

Prayer: Ruth 1

Here’s a prayer of blessing and commitment inspired by Ruth 1. It comes from the Christian Aid website.

Prayer

(inspired by Ruth 1)

God of Ruth and Naomi, 
of hope in bitterness, 
harvest in hunger, 
life in death, 
we offer our prayers of blessing 
on the feet and lives of women and men 
living in poverty and taking risks to 
feed their families and communities.

You, Lord, are born in our resistance to injustice 
and shoulder with women the burden of poverty. 
Invite us into solidarity with them and with you, 
as you lead us to life and justice. 
Amen. 

~ posted on the Monthly Prayers page of the Christian Aid website. http://www.christianaid.org.uk/

Call to Worship: Gathering in Hope

Here’s a call to worship which draws on Genesis 1, Revelation 21:5 and Mark 12:30-31. It was posted on The Minor Keys blog.

Call to Worship

As followers of Christ, we are called to bring
a hopeful understanding of our world

declaring that God called the created universe "good."

We are called to bring this hope in God
with us wherever we go

declaring that God makes all things new again.

Jesus taught that we should love God and love one another.

So let's join together in our love of God 

to worship and give thanks.

~ posted on The Minor Keys. http://theminorkeys.blogspot.ca/

Prayer: Psalm 146

Here’s a prayer inspired by Psalm 146.  It was written by Christine Jerrett.

Prayer

(based on Psalm 146)

There are days
when all that keep me praying
is the decision to trust you, O God.

To trust that You are still in charge
that You are watching over my way
that You care about truth
even when the liars seem so strong.

So, for today,
I choose to trust in your faithfulness
in your power to create new beginnings
where none seem possible
in your watchful care
over the oppressed
the stranger
the orphan

Unblind me
Open my eyes to see You
lifting up those who are bowed down
upholding orphans and widows
bringing the way of the wicked to ruin.

Let me see Your reign

Then, summon me to join the praise of Your people
echoing through the generations

Praise the LORD!

~ written by Christine Jerrett, and posted on Christine Jerrett: Reflections on being the Church in God’s new creation.  http://christinejerrett.wordpress.com/

Litany of Praise: Psalm 146

Happy are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,

whose hope is in the Lord their God.

He is the one who made heaven and earth,

the sea, and everything in them.

He is the one who keeps every promise forever,

who gives justice to the oppressed

and food to the hungry.

The Lord frees the prisoners.

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.

The Lord lifts the burdens of those bent beneath their loads.

The Lord loves the righteous.

The Lord protects the foreigners among us.

He care for the orphans and widows,

but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

Happy are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,

whose hope is in the Lord their God.

~ Psalm 146:5-9

A Responsive Prayer for Justice

Here is a prayer for justice from Rebecca Sutton, Program Coordinator of Global Women’s Exchange. This prayer was developed for the NY State Labor-Religion Coalition’s seventh annual 40-hour fast.  It was also part of Prayers for a Just Economy, a 2013 prayer service calling for an increase in the federal minimum wage. The prayer was posted on the United Church of Christ website. 

Prayer for Justice

Pray for those who are hungry.

Pray harder for those who will not feed them.

Pray for those who struggle each week to pay their bills.
Pray harder for the wealthy who do not care.

Pray for those who are homeless.
Pray harder for those who deny them shelter.

Pray for the sick and lonely.
Pray harder for those who will not give them comfort.

Pray for those who cry out for dignity.
Pray harder for those who will not listen.

Pray for those oppressed by unjust wages.
Pray harder for those who exploit them.

Pray for those who bear the yoke of prejudice.
Pray harder for those who discriminate against them.

Pray for those whose basic needs are denied.
Pray harder for public officials who cater to the greedy

and ignore those bound unjustly. Amen.

~ written by Rebecca Sutton, Program Coordinator of Global Women’s Exchange. Posted on the United Church of Christ website. http://www.ucc.org/justice_worker-justice_labor-sunday_worship-resources#liturgy

A Prayer for Neighbors

Here’s a prayer for neighbors, strangers and immigrants from  Nathan Nettleton. It was adapted from a longer prayer and posted on Acts of Faith.

A Prayer for Neighbors

We thank you, God,

for coming to us as a neighbor, a stranger, an immigrant,

binding our wounds and carrying us to safety,

so that we might love you with all our heart, soul, and mind,

and welcome the stranger,

loving our neighbor as ourselves.

~ Adapted from Nathan Nettleton’s “Short Preface,” www.laughingbird.net/LectionTexts/CP10.html Posted on Acts of Faith.  http://actsoffaith.org/resources/downloads/Year_A/09%20Immigration_final.pdf

Opening Invocation for an Ordinary Congregation

Here’s an opening invocation from Katie Cook.

Invocation for an Ordinary Congregation

Holy God, we come together to worship,
a people who would like to think that we love you
with all our hearts and souls,
with all our might,                                             

but there are so many other things in our lives   
that clamor for our attention
that we often relegate you to Sundays
and Wednesdays,
and times when we want you to rescue us.

Most of us really do want you to be the one
in whom we live and move and have our being.
We really do want to hear your voice
above all of the other voices in our lives.
But we get bogged down in the daily routine.
We forget who we are.
We forget who you are.
We forget what the church is supposed to be.

So here we are, standing before you today,
with our human foibles
and our short attention spans,
asking that you would make yourself known to us,
that you would help us to recognize
the presence of the Holy,
that you would continue to challenge us,
inspire us,
and make us into the people you want us to be.

Amen. 

~ written by Katie Cook, in Sacred Seasons, Pentecost/Ordinary Time 2000. Posted on Simple Living Works. http://simpleliving.startlogic.com/indexoth.php?place=archives/Articles/WorshipAltItems3.php 

Call to Worship: Loving God and One Another

Here’s a call to worship from Rev. Mindi’s Rev-o-lution website.

Call to Worship

(inspired by Matthew 5:13-20, Mark 12:30-31,

Matthew 22:36-40, Luke 10:27)

We are called to bring a new understanding of God:

that God so loves the world.

We are the salt of the earth.

We are called to bring a new hope in God:

that God gives us new life.

We are the light of the world.

We are called to follow

the commandments and the law.

The Law of God is to love God

and to love one another.

Come, let us be the salt of the earth,

the light of the world.

Come, let us love one another

with the love of God.

Let us join together in our love of God

to worship and follow Jesus.

~ written by Rev Mindi, and posted on Rev-o-lution. http://rev-o-lution.org/

Affirmation of Faith: Christian Unity

Here’s a responsive affirmation of faith from Christine Sine and the Godspace website.

Affirmation Litany

God, today we believe that you dwell in all

who confess Jesus as the Son of God,

God, today we will open our ears

to hear each one who confesses Jesus as the Son of God.

God, we believe you invite us

to accept each other as sisters and brothers,

God, today we accept and embrace

all who call themselves by your name.

God, we believe you call us to love each other

as we do ourselves,

God, with all our hearts,

we will strive to love our brothers and sisters

from every denomination and group.

God, we believe you ask us to use our gifts

to serve each other in unity and understanding,

God, may we, in a spirit of love and care,

use our gifts to build each other up.

God, we believe that in unity together

we will come to a full knowledge of Christ,

God, may we grow together into the knowledge

of the one in whom all things fit together.

~ from the Lenten series Journey into Wholeness written by Christine Sine. Published in 2009 by Mustard Seed Associates.  The entire series is available on the Godspace website.  http://godspace.wordpress.com/

Praise Litany: Psalm 146

Come! Sing praise to God!

We will praise God as long as we live!

Blessed are those

who have the God of Israel as their helper,

whose hope is in the Most High – 

Creator of heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them.

Come! Sing praise to God!

We will praise God as long as we live!

God keeps every promise forever.

God gives justice to the oppressed,

and food to those who hunger.

Come! Sing praise to God!

We will praise God as long as we live!

God frees the prisoners,

opens the eyes of the blind,

and lifts the burdens of those bowed down.

God watches over the refugee,

and upholds the orphan and widow.

Come! Sing praise to God!

We will praise God as long as we live!

Our God loves those who do right,

but deliberately thwarts those who do evil.

Come! Sing praise to God!

We will praise God as long as we live!

Readers' Theatre: Generosity

Here’s a readers’ theatre setting on the topic of wealth and generosity. It combines verses from Mark 10:17-22, 12:38-44 and 2 Corinthians 9:6-15.

Readers’ Theatre

(Mark 10:17-22, 12:38-44, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15)

One:     As Jesus started on his way,

            a man ran up to him

            and fell on his knees before him.

Two:     Good teacher,

            what must I do to inherit eternal life?

Three:  Why do you call me good?

            No one is good—except God alone.

            You know the commandments:

            ‘You shall not murder,

            you shall not commit adultery,

            you shall not steal,

            you shall not give false testimony,

            you shall not defraud,

            honor your father and mother.’”

Two:     Teacher, all these I have kept since I was a boy.

One:     Jesus looked at him and loved him.

Three:  One thing you lack.

            Go, sell everything you have

            and give to the poor,

            and you will have treasure in heaven.

            Then come, follow me.

One:     At this the man’s face fell.

            He went away sad,

            because he had great wealth.

            Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple

            and watched as the crowds dropped in their money.

            Many rich people put in large amounts. 

            Then a poor widow came

            and dropped in two small coins.

            Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 

Three:  I tell you the truth,

            this poor widow has given more

            than all the others who are making contributions. 

            For they gave a tiny part of their surplus,

            but she, poor as she is,

            has given everything she had to live on.

Two:     Remember this:

            Whoever sows sparingly

            will also reap sparingly,

            and whoever sows generously

            will also reap generously. 

One:     Each of you should give

            what you have decided in your heart to give, 

            not reluctantly or under compulsion, 

            for God loves a cheerful giver. 

Three:  And God is able to bless you abundantly,

            so that in all things at all times,

            having all that you need, 

            you will abound in every good work. 

Two:     Now he who supplies seed to the sower

            and bread for food 

            will also supply and increase your store of seed

            and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

            You will be enriched in every way

            so that you can be generous on every occasion,

            and through us your generosity will result

            in thanksgiving to God.