I never believed in Santa Claus – That jolly man in red, Squeezing down the chimney pot When all should be in bed. I never thought he brought me presents Neatly wrapped beneath the tree – I knew my Mum looked through her catalogue And ordered gifts for me. And not just me, you understand […]
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‘For the great human family, it is necessary to renew always the common horizon toward which we are journeying. The horizon of hope!’
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By faith, Mary let go of fear, and engendered a mothering God. This faith may lead us through labyrinths of doubt, laughing hysterically, shouting in protest, lurching in denial, finally making it to our foundation, our place in the world, our home. By faith, Joseph took comfort from a dream, embracing complex, reconstituted, extended family […]
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O come, O come, Emmanuel And with your people always dwell Who mourn in mortal exile here Until the Lord of Life appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come again and with us ever dwell –lyrics by Philip Cunningham ‘Why does all this matter? It matters because what we sing is as important as what we […]
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Advent 2, Year C May be read responsively or by a single voice _______________ I am listening to what God is saying, promising peace if we forsake our foolish ways. For surely God is ready to protect those who show due honour and will be present in our land. Here, love and loyalty will meet, […]
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Matthew 24:42-44 A Children’s Message for Advent Picture 1: Grasshopper playing fiddle + Once upon a time, on a warm summer’s day + A grasshopper stands in a field and plays his fiddle. Picture 2: Grasshopper & Ant +The grasshopper sees an ant working hard carrying something. + The grasshopper calls to […]
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First Sunday of Advent, Year C Here we bring you our prayers, dear God, because we know we can trust you, and because you don’t keep on reminding us about the things we do wrong. Help us to see where your way leads and to follow in it. Make us listen to the guidance you […]
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Provided by the Methodist Church, United Kingdom Also available, in full, on the Methodist Church UK website From Worship Words Editor – While I want to make same-sex wedding services accessible, they do not always include inclusive language. I have attempted to bracket language that is not inclusive; make substitutions as you deem important. Ready-to-print […]
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Universal Wedding Service This service was initially compiled in 2016 for use throughout the United Reformed Church of Great Britain, specifically designed to be used with same-sex couples. It has been adapted in 2021 using inclusive language. Complete script ready-to-download: Universal Inclusive Wedding Service Order of Service Welcome This is the day that God has […]
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Proper 29, Year B Awesome God, wrapped in glory, by your strength you set the earth upon its axis, immovable for ever. Before time began, you held sway. The ocean canyons bellow, yet your voice from heaven rings out over the soaring waves, louder than the ocean’s rage. And in this way your laws, and […]
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for Christ the King Sunday, Year B Awesome God, wrapped in glory, by your strength you set the earth upon its axis, immovable for ever. Before time began, you held sway. The ocean canyons bellow, yet your voice from heaven rings out over the soaring waves, louder than the ocean’s rage. And in this way […]
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Tune: Slane, an old Irish folk tune (Be thou my vision). You can listen here. Try it out a couple times, as the words do fit beautifully. Come to us in worship Bring us closer to you And as our voices rise Your love shines through Your gifts to us encourage Your power makes […]
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Care. Tender care. Soul care. Spiritual care. Material care. Collective care. Not self care, no. Or, rather, not only self care. Because no self is separable from the multitude of our relations, and we are made for murmurations, and our lives and legacies and futures are bound up together, even now, even now. So, yes, […]
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Tune: Hereford A voice for the voiceless A promise of forgiveness A chance to be A people of blessing A call to share love that God richly gives so freely A love that encompasses A world that needs its healing A voice in the darkness To shine a light on visions That show us the […]
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At the breaking of bread and the pouring of the cup: ‘This represents my body—broken in solidarity with the suffering of the world.’ ‘This cup is about a new community – with God, with each other, and with the world.’ At the sharing (assuming the practice of eating and drinking together): ‘The bread of life […]
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They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. The Ode comes from ‘For the Fallen’, a poem by the English poet and writer Laurence Binon and was […]
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When I was just a Queer Palestinian child, I didn’t know any better; God was multicolour. Feeling Their facets and hugging their multitudes of love, All was just being, nothing made of. Palestinian and Queer was a Tibetan Bowl’s ring, That I heard sung in the womb of Rumi’s wing. See it, right there on […]
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God our creator and provider the world you have made reflects your glory. Your praises are sung by the birds in their daybreak chorus and the wolf in her plaintive howl. Sacred melodies are played by the wind as she dances among trees or sweeps across grasses. Gentle percussion can be heard in raindrops and […]
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Pentecost 24, Year B Mark 12:38-44, particularly verse 41-44 Tune: Ombersley For the lyrics, music and a power point, click here. Jesus sat by the temple door Watched people’s giving – when he saw Some gave great sums but one gave more; Who gave the most – the rich or poor? We can confirm we really […]
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Loving is sharing in beauty. Living is sharing in the earth’s great cycles–life and death, crucifixion and resurrection, germination and bloom, sorrow and wonder and solace. Our sorrow is deep. Our connection, pulsing too. Practicing resurrection is recognizing the love that flows through the heart of the world. Being alive is a gift. Tuning into […]
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I invite you to pause. Close your eyes, if that’s comfortable and focus on your breathing, the sound of your breath in … and out … in … and out…. [pause for 2-4 breaths]. We live in a busy world, and God invites us to pause in the presence of the divine. [silent pause for […]
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A candle might be lit after the three readers, or three candles might be lit, one by each reader. Leader: We come together to remember and give thanks for the dear and holy dead, for those whose influence has shaped our lives and who surround us like a great cloud of witnesses, making the mysterious […]
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Tune: love unknown (My song is love unknown), composed by John Ireland in 1918 Your love invites me in To shelter in your peace To know the hope you bring To feel how you can release You set me free So I can be Eternally The child you see Your love rebuilds my trust You […]
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But or And? A slightly-adapted skit by Jim Burklo, USA (‘Use freely – with attribution.’) This is written to use as a springboard for a sermon or conversation. Stage directions for online [Zoom or recorded] Spotlight the two screens: BUT and AND. BUT – hold a cross just off-centre on your screen and each time […]
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This modern psalm offers ‘balanced’ gender language, not inclusive, but the powerful juxtaposition between the masculine language of NIV and the feminine language of Edgerton’s version is effective, so I’ve included it. — Ana Gobledale, Editor With Apologies to the Psalmist ‘Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that […]
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Living God, daily you create the world, remake it, and fill it with possibilities. When it comes to faith, help us to appreciate what we understand, to enquire about what we don’t understand, and to enjoy the journey in between… by John Pritchard, Bishop of Oxford; from a Living Faith pamphlet entitled, ‘Christianity: a simple […]
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Written in Antalya, Turkey, upon hearing the 11:15 am call to prayer after a coach tour visit to a gold and gemstone showroom. Call to prayer slicing through the cold bended knee bended heart contrite God, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Gems of your earth Shining bling catch the eye catch the heart God, […]
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A church’s mission statement can hold words of affirmation, hope and promise. Our mission statements, our statements about who we are, have an important place in our churches, not just posted on the wall or printed on the website, but proclaimed aloud in our worship. Our vision is to have a healthy church […]
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Based on the tune of St Clement – ‘The day though gavest’ Be with us in ways that wrap us in communion Unite us to be your church once more While we are apart bring us closer together In ways that your justice and mercy restore Be always beside us your word speaks to guide […]
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God of choice and purpose, as we enter a period before the election, we pray you give us wisdom with this precious vote. Help us choose elected officials who will stand up for all that is good and right in our community and nation. May this election be about policy and not personality. May there […]
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God entrusts to us a great treasure, the gift of Enough When I was young I wanted more persistent insistent unquenched desire I expended energy precious time accumulating earthly things But then God granted me the treasure of Enough not wanting more satisfied contentment not needing to eat too much food buy too many shoes […]
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Tune – Monk (All things bright and beautiful) Chorus Take our lives to live for you In ways that serve and bless Loving Christ in all we do In all our lives confess Lead us where we are needed To show your love is true In all things let us witness How great love comes […]
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Invitation We are created in God’s image, to be loving, helpful, caring and generous. Let us joyfully present our gifts to serve God’s church, God’s people and all creation. Dedication Eternal One, these gifts demonstrate our love and generosity. Bless them as they reach out into our community and to the farthest edges of your […]
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A Statement of Faith (translated from the Spanish) I believe in the God who fired the first sun, who made life beat and who made it beautifully diverse, who went out to play, naked, through the gardens of the universe without fear of time, smiling, greeting the breeze. I believe in a God who befriended […]
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Tàr wor wo wu dzeén e yuv, Yiì, ji wíri wáa ghvǝm yír yé, E kinyo ké ke vifon ki waàwiy, E wir ve nsay fèn e wáa yu ntirsé, Mo wir ve á dzeén e yuv, Fò ver vifá ve yi ve vi gheen ver len, Mà’ay ajay vér vinyo, Mo vèr mà’ay vé […]
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O dear One whose name is more than a name whose power I cannot tame O dear One I look into the sky, brushed with streaks of pink and orange at the dawn And am reduced to babytalk — ohhhh, wow…. I gaze at mountain ranges, parapets of stone And remember how puny is my […]
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O Love, Stretch me just enough To ready me for You And the calling You offer Already supported by You On Your great trellis of love. By your stretching grace Help me live expectantly Trusting You will reveal The holding and releasing Necessary to answer Your call often overlooked As daily or ordinary. Grant me […]
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Alice, age 7, shared this poem as part of an eco-service for the United Reformed Church in Great Britain. This is God’s garden, God wants us to care. God also has asked, ‘Could we manage to share?’ God’s words plant a seed in our mind And God really wants us to try and be kind. […]
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Written to mark the 20th anniversary of 9-11 You have generously devoted yourself to helping others — thank you. Your work requires you to be prepared for whatever comes: You make difficult and complicated decisions, often in a split second. You put yourself at risk to serve your community — often encountering those among us […]
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