Call to Worship: Psalm 23

Here’s a call to worship litany inspired by Psalm 23. It was written by Joanna Harader, and posted on Spacious Faith.

Call to Worship

(inspired by Psalm 23)

In the darkest valley,
at the banquet table;
in the hard work of life,
at the moments of ease;
in our day-to-day reality,
at times set aside–
like this time, now–
for worship, for listening, for paying attention;
with every step we take:
goodness and mercy follow us;
our cups overflow.

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

Call to Worship: Isaiah 43: 2

Here’s a call to worship inspired by Isaiah 43:2. It was written by Rev. Mindi and posted on her Rev-o-lution blog.

Call to Worship

(Inspired by Isaiah 43:2)

When we pass through the waters,

God is there with us.

When we suffer and feel hopeless,

God is there with us.

When we are joyful and celebratory,

God is there with us.

Whether we feel triumphant or defeated,

God is there with us, always.

Come, let us worship together with Emmanuel,

God with us. 

~ written by Rev. Mindi, and posted on Rev-o-lution. http://rev-o-lution.org/2011/10/23/worship-resources-for-october-30-2011-and-all-saints-day/

Contemporary Call to Worship: Proper 7 B

Here’s a contemporary call to worship inspired by the scripture readings for Proper 7 B (Mark 4:35-41; 1 Samuel 17:32-49, 2 Corinthians 6:1-13).  It was written by Katherine Hawker.

Contemporary Call to Worship

Strength is commanding the wind and sea to obey,

Strength is wielding a slingshot in the face of a raging giant.

Strength is accepting vulnerability from inside the boat,

Strength is standing in solidarity with the powerless.

Strength is turning a cheek,

Strength is loving an enemy.

We come to worship

a God who redefines our vision of strength.

~ written by Katherine Hawker, 1997.  Posted on Liturgy Outside. http://liturgyoutside.net/

Call to Worship: The Triune God

Here’s a Trinitarian call to worship from Rev. J. Lee Hill. It was posted on the Worship Ways page of the United Church of Christ.

Trinitarian Call to Worship

Let us worship the Triune God.

Let us worship the One

who spoke in the beginning

and created something out of nothing.

Let us worship the Triune God.

Let us worship the One

who took on the clothing of humanity

to set those who were oppressed free.

Let us worship the Triune God.

Let us worship the One

whose Spirit rests continually upon us,

calling us from sorrow-filled endings

to bright new beginnings.

~ from Watch Night Service 2016, written by Rev. J. Lee Hill, Senior Pastor, Christian Fellowship Congregational UCC of San Diego. Posted on the Worship Ways page of the United Church of Christ website. http://www.ucc.org/worship_worship-ways

Call to Worship, Prayer: Life-Giving Trinity

Here’s a Trinitarian call to worship and opening prayer from The Minor Keys blog.

Call to Worship and Opening Prayer:

God, the Life-Giving Trinity

The words God speaks

are the life and sustenance

of all that exists.

The life Jesus gives

is the re-creation and renewed birth

of all that is broken and worn.

The Spirit’s stirring in our souls

is the inspiration

for creativity, compassion, joy, and community.

Life-giving, life-restoring, life-fulfilling God;

may our whole lives be worship.

In all things, may we seek to connect with

and to reflect your love and your hope.

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

Ascension Day Call to Worship

Here’s a call to worship for Ascension Day or the Sunday following from Rev. Mindi’s Rev-o-lution blog.

Call to Worship for Ascension Day

(inspired by Acts 1:9-11)

A new day has begun.

Hope wins!

A fresh start is granted.

Faith wins!

Today you have the opportunity to do something new.

Hope wins!

Christ is entering your life in a new way.

Faith wins!

Come, let us worship God, who is inviting us into life in a new way, a way that transcends death, a way of hope and faith.

Love wins!

Let us worship Christ, who overcame death to give us new life!

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

Call to Worship: Jeremiah 31: 27-34

Here’s a call to worship inspired by Jeremiah 31: 27-34. It was written by Joanna Harader.

Call to Worship

(based on Jeremiah 31: 27-34)

Holy One, dwell within us.
Whisper in our ears;
Glimmer in our vision;
Write upon our hearts.
We wait
with open ears, open eyes, open hearts.
Amen

~ written by Joanna Harader, and posted on Spacious Faith.  http://spaciousfaith.com/2012/01/18/wednesday-worship-piece-isaiah/

Reflection: John 3: 16

Here’s a thoughtful reflection inspired by John 3:16.  It was written by Roddy Hamilton.

A Story of Love

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son….” John 3:16

gather round
I have a story to tell
of one who reached inside himself
and took a handful of love
like a pile of stardust
and said: this is for you
it is all you need
it is all you will ever need
there is enough here
to change the whole world
take it

many laughed at him
mocked him
and ignored the invitation

but some dared to take it
and those who did
noticed something about this love
they found they could do what the gift-giver could do
they could stand with the lost
welcome the traveler
eat with the hungry
they found themselves doing what the man first did to them
give something of themselves to others
they became like the man
offering themselves
and as they offered themselves
others took the invitation
and many still do
and many still trust
it is enough to change the whole world

~ written by Roddy Hamilton, and posted on Listening to the Stones. http://newkilpatrickblog.typepad.com/nk-blogging/mucky-paws/  

Call to Worship: O God, do not be far from us

Here’s a call to worship inspired by Psalm 22 and Mark 8:31-38.  It was written by Joanna Harader, and posted on Spacious Faith.

Call to Worship

(based on Psalm 22, Psalm 71:12, Matthew 16:24-26, Mark 8:31-38)

We come to worship this morning from different places.
O God, do not be far from us.
We come to worship this morning for different reasons.
O God, do not be far from us.
We experience the presence of the Spirit in different ways.
O God, do not be far from us.
We hear Jesus’ words with different ears.
O God, do not be far from us.
“Deny yourselves.”
O God, do not be far from us.
“Take up your cross.”
O God, do not be far from us.
“Follow me.”
O God,

we thank you for drawing near to us

in this place,

in our lives.

Amen.

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

Call to Worship: The Everlasting God

Here’s a responsive call to worship inspired by Isaiah 40:28-31, one of the suggested texts for Epiphany 5, Year B. It was written by Joanna Harader, and posted on Spacious Faith.

Call to Worship

(inspired by Isaiah 40:28-31)

Have you not known?
Our God is the everlasting God, Creator of the ends of the earth.
Have you not heard?
God does not faint or grow weary.
Have you not known?
God’s understanding is unsearchable.
Have you not heard?
God gives power to the faint and strengthens the powerless.
Have you not known?
Those who wait for God will renew their strength
they shall mount up with wings like eagles.
We come to hear.
We come to know.
Thanks be to God.

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

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.

Call to Worship: Psalm 62

Here’s a responsive call to worship inspired by Psalm 62. It was written by Joanna Harader, and posted on her Spacious Faith website.

Call to Worship

(based on Psalm 62:5-12)

Our souls wait in silence;
our hope rests in God
our rock
our salvation
our refuge.
We will not be shaken.
In this time of worship,
we pour out our hearts
because we trust in God’s steadfast love.

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

Call to Worship: Come to Me!

Here’s a call to worship on the On Earth Peace website.

Call to Worship

(inspired by Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:16-20, Luke 5:1-11)

The invitation is given to every person by Jesus Christ:

"Come to me! Follow me! Be my disciples!"

We come to this place, to this time,

at the invitation of Jesus Christ.

In the name of Christ,

we accept the invitation to discipleship.

In the name of Christ,

as his disciples, we worship and praise God.

In the midst of a world where cruelty abounds,

we proclaim the God of Compassion.

In the midst of despair that threatens to swallow up

whole lives, whole peoples,

we proclaim the God of Hope.

In the midst of indifference and apathy,

we proclaim the God of Love.

Come, let us worship together

and share our witness of God's living presence in the world.

~ from the On Earth Peace website.  http://www.onearthpeace.org/

Call to Worship & Prayer for Advent

Here’s a responsive call to worship and opening prayer inspired by Psalm 146 and Luke 1:46-56.  They were written by Joanna Harader, and posted on Spacious Faith.

Call to Worship

(inspired by Psalm 146 and Luke 1:46-56)

Our souls proclaim your greatness, O God.
And our spirits rejoice in you.
We will praise you as long as we live.
We will sing praises to you our whole lives long.
We will not trust in the powerful of this world,
But will trust in you–Creator of heaven and earth,
the One who gives food to the hungry,
the One who enacts justice for the oppressed.
Our souls proclaim your greatness, O God
As we worship you in this place,
As we light these candles in hope, peace, and joy.

Opening Prayer

Holy God of Joy,
We rejoice in the reality of who you are.

We live within the joy of your love for us.

Our contentment comes and goes.

Our happiness ebbs and flows.

Our feelings depend upon our circumstances,

our physical health, our brain chemistry.

But our joy is deeply rooted

in our identity as your beloved children.

And we give you thanks. Amen.

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

Call to Worship: Prepare the Way

Here’s a call to worship for Advent from Joanna Harader’s Spacious Faith website.

Call to Worship

(inspired by Matthew 3:1-12, Mark 1:3, Isaiah 40:3)

We come to prepare the way;
The way for Christ –
the hope of Christ, the peace of Christ –
to enter our world,
to enter our hearts.
We cry out together in the wilderness:
The kingdom of heaven has come near.
We come to be part of the light–
the light that shines in the darkness.

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

Call to Worship: Wilderness

Here’s a call to worship for Advent from Ann Siddall and the Stillpoint Spirituality Centre and Faith Community.

Wilderness

We have wilderness and dry land

at the heart of Australia.

We may not venture into it very often

but we know it is there,

it has its place on our maps.

More familiar to us, however,

is the wilderness in our own hearts,

the empty spaces in our own lives,

the desert of longings

that engulf us at Christmas.

Wilderness is a hard place,

but also a place of beauty and grace,

revealed by its sunsets and sunrises,

the glow of ancient rocks,

the moon shining on the sand.

Do not be afraid

of the desert places in your life,

for it is here

that the Good News

may be heard most profoundly.

May it be so.

~ written by Ann Siddall, and posted on the Stillpoint Spirituality Centre and Faith Community website. http://stillpointsa.org.au/prayer/prayers-and-liturgies/

Call to Worship: Advent 2A

Here’s a call to worship for the second Sunday of Advent, Year A. It was written by Ann Siddall, and posted on the Stillpoint Spirituality Centre and Faith Community.

Call to worship

(inspired by Romans 15: 4-13)

Gather around,

you are welcome here,

and you will hear Good News.

In a world

where there are so many

discouraging and negative voices

it is the God of encouragement

who will speak to you today.

The God of Jesus Christ.

So come in, relax,

let your tiredness roll away.

Lift up your hearts, and listen.

~ written by Ann Siddall, and posted on the Stillpoint Spirituality Centre and Faith Community website. http://stillpointsa.org.au/prayer/prayers-and-liturgies/

Scriptural Call to Worship

Scriptural Call to Worship

Grace and peace to you from God our Father,

who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing

that comes from heaven: (Eph 1)

who knew you and chose you before the world began; (I Pet 1, Eph 1)

who loves you so much that he calls you his own children; (I Jn 3)

who has brought you from darkness into light

and filled you with his glorious power; (Col 1)

who has prepared an inheritance for you

that will never spoil or fade; (I Pet 1)

who encourages and strengthens you

in every good deed and word; (2 Thess 2)

who comforts you in your troubles

so that you can comfort others. (2 Cor 1)

This is our God,

the ultimate source of all things,

and the One for whom we live. (I Cor 8)

Let’s worship God together!

~ compiled by Christine Longhurst, re:Worship