John 20: 24-25 (a version for today) When the other disciples tell Thomas that they have seen Jesus, Thomas replies, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in those very same nail marks, and thrust my hand into his wounded side, I will not believe!’ Let us […]
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What account might Mary Magdelene have spoken if interviewed about that Easter morning visit to the tomb? In this dramatisation, we hear Mary Magdalene’s take on the events of that first Easter morning. This dramatic monologue is written by Nick Stanyon and performed by Jenny Calvert of Lillington Free Church, UK. Click on the link […]
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World Water Day worship resources Church World Service USA — ready-to-use inclusive language worship resources: prayers, call to worship, benediction, hymn suggestions from One Great Hour of Sharing. Creation Justice Ministries USA – Water: God’s Life-Sustaining Everyday Miracle Click link for more Images for World Water Day from Creation Justice Ministries World Water […]
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Words for worship and reflection during the spring season… Spring We should celebrate This wildest Erupting In Spring. With colours recklessly Splashed everywhere In this the season of new Daily episodes Of wonder And delight…. — Ross Kingham, Australia Words for spring: an alphabetical listing of all resources: Free images of spring: All photos posted […]
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‘Last week one of my daughters and I had a terrible argument, and we remain quite distant. It is from that event that this prayer poem surfaced.’ — William Stephenson O God, I come to you now, even when my heart has been closed to someone I love. Even as I am aware of the […]
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Loving God, When devils in disguise Threaten to unhinge my life Grant me the grit of grace Turning temptations around Into opportunities to grow Strong in my desire for You Instead of the sneaky things So easily demanding attention Dressed up in pre-occupations Too numerous to count Their constant flow daring me To give my […]
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Bread & Blessing Still Thoughts on communion… These days, I mostly celebrate communion outside of sanctuaries, no words of institution, no formal liturgy. Consecrated by the intention of savouring and sharing. The sacred practice of paying attention to bodies and bellies, to beauty, and longing, and hunger, and delight, and enoughness, and need. The sacrament […]
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A prayer inspired by the Sacred Ally Quilt Ministry* Loving God, Stitch us anew Forming the fragments Of your human family Into something more Than the world sees As possible or probable. Let no story be scrapped As unimportant Or unworthy of notice All carrying something of you And your beloved unfolding. Let your Christ-presence […]
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To the tune ‘Angel voices‘ by Edwin Monk Mountains reach to give you glory Valleys echo praise Heav’n and earth repeat your story Life shows us your way All creation’s loud ovation Celebrates you night and day Daily life applauds your blessings Love expressed below In our prayerful tongues confessing Love we need to show […]
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As we prepare for worship we seek a fresh breath of life into our being and a renewal of spirit into our souls. As we prepare for worship we look and long for a new season of serenity. We have come to see how the chaos in this world and the conflicts in our own […]
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Amanda Udis-Kessler– hymnwriter, songwriter, composer, and writer — specializes in music and lyrics for liberal religious people and communities, including inclusive, social justice-minded Christians, Unitarian Universalists, and other open-hearted religious traditions. She served informally as composer-in-residence at Vista Grande Community Church (UCC). Her music website, Queer Sacred Music, includes numerous songs. Her second website features […]
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Lection for Epiphany 6, Year A To be read responsively, by two voices or by a solo voice How happy we could be if we could reach perfection, if we could just keep to the rules. How happy if we could follow orders with a willing heart. Some people do manage to steer a straight […]
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Family prayers express the spiritual identity of those that say them. Some groups develop their own prayers; many use a version of the classic prayer that Jesus taught, ‘The Lord’s Prayer,’ for this. Some alternative prayers are provided that might be adopted (or adapted) for this purpose. You may prefer to use a prayer which […]
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Be Thou My Valentine to the tune of Be Thou My Vision, Slane ‘Lyrics of mine when a little Valentine’s Day creeps in…’ Be Thou my Valentine, fill me with love. Help me to reach out with bare hand not glove to each of your children – the far and the near – the ones […]
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George Stuart has written at least one hymn for each Sunday of Lent, for each year of the Common Revised Lectionary. Using familiar tunes, he incorporates words that are straightforward, understandable and faithful. And they match musically so the songs are easy to sing. If you go directly to George’s website, you will find printable lyrics and music, […]
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I remember thinking to myself that losing my son could be a cloud over the rest of my life, or he could be the light in my life. I made a conscious decision to hope. Hope is what gets us out of bed each morning. Hope is what has us peering around the corner to […]
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Loving God, Centre us in your heart Pulsing with Christ-love Healing and holding Challenging and changing Everything in order For your vision to rise. Take every weariness And form resurrections Small and large in us Offering a strength Beyond our own Binding us to you And to each other And your whole creation. By this, […]
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Prayers of approach Based on the phrase in Psalm 42: “Deep calls to deep…” Eternal one, creator, God of covenant promise, ever-faithful, You commit to us. You continue to shape us. You know us. You are close to us as breath. Deep calls to deep… may we lean into your love. Jesus, Saviour, Lamb of […]
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Inspiration and challenge for churches to uncover the Black Presence in the Bible, especially during Black History Month and Lent: If you use Biblical images, make sure they are historically accurate. Utilize the African Heritage Study Bible, edited by Dr. Cain Hope Felder of Howard Divinity School, which includes essays and maps to aid your […]
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with homage to Rumi, the Sufi poet You, the pollen on the bee’s leg That made my flower a pomegranate, You, the haze of yeast on the grapes That made the wine That inebriated Shams of Tabriz, You, who made the clay birds fly, You, who cleansed the soul of ‘I’. You, the reason that […]
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A Responsive Reading (could be read by two voices) One: Spirit of love and life, far too wildly inclusive to care what’s in our wallets, Many: We confess that we have failed to live up to your radical generosity. One: We have kept our religion to ourselves. Many: We have made ourselves comfortable with worship […]
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Lectionary reading for Epiphany 5 Year A To be read responsively or by a single voice How happy the servant who shows respect for their God and delights in fulfilling God’s instructions. It bodes well for her children and their future. Her family will go short of nothing. Light shines on those who live good […]
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‘Zach Ford (they/them) is a queer epic fantasy novelist who has stumbled into a second calling as a modern psalmist and liturgy writer. In between making stories about dragons and magic, they aim to create original, lyrical prayers expressing the full range of their emotions and their relationship with God.’ Zach contributes regularly to Worship […]
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The singular (me/I) might be replaced with the plural (us/we) for a prayer to include in corporate worship. Your hands hold me They meet me in prayer They comfort my spirit They show me that you care Your hands reach out to me They tell me that love forgives They lead me to a place […]
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A responsive prayer of intercession & confession Silence: a diamond symbol (♦) indicates a short pause. One: God we call to mind situations of inequality and unfairness. All: May compassion break out amongst us. ♦ One: We call to mind those that live in fear of running out. All: May compassion break out amongst us. […]
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One thing we ask and one thing we seek, that we may live in God’s presence all the days of our life. For God will be our shelter when hard times come, covering and protecting us, planting our feet on solid ground.
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Loving God, Grant me a vision Greater than any barricade Daring me to despair At signs screaming out ‘No possible way forward, This road is closed.’ Yes, lift up my eyes To Your emerging light Stretching a horizon of hope Bearing Your resurrection rising Larger than any obstruction Of the world’s weary making Or of […]
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Holy God, Grant us a heart full of grace, And a soul generated by love, That we may serve you and your world. Thank you for all those who have shown us the way And all those who are showing us the way.
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Loving God, We gather as your people Seeking your presence, your comfort and your love. In this Epiphany Season of light Shine your light upon us – Into the recesses of our spirits, Those places where we experience anxiety, depression, fear and despair. This morning, we lift up in particular all among us who are […]
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A responsive prayer of intercession & confession Inspired by Psalm 51 Silence: a diamond symbol (♦) indicates a short pause. One: God, we call to mind the fractured beauty of the world we live in. All: May we be people of reconciliation. ♦ One: We call to mind broken relationships. All: May we be people […]
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The Climate Kairos passed. The crisis is now! We must act to restore God’s creation to a place of health and wholeness. Is it too late to make a difference? Can we fix the damage done? God, hear our prayer and spurn us into radical action. We have acted out of self-serving ignorance and frightening […]
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Reflection of the Magi A Christmas & Epiphany Poem What wisdom I have Awakens me to my blindness. I cannot see light itself What I know of light Is only an alluring shadow Of what it is and does. From billions of years away in space-time, Through darkness intervening, At its inconceivable speed The light […]
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We believe in the Divine Creator of all that has been made, the Parent of the whole creation. We believe in the Divine Saviour of all that has fallen, the Restorer of our broken world. We believe in the Divine Life of all that lives, the Love that binds all things together in one divine […]
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Epiphany 5, Year B How good it is to sing God’s praise! How right to voice our acclaim. For God rebuilds and gathers the scattered peoples, healing those who are broken in spirit binding up their injuries. It is the same God who numbers the stars and calls each one by name. How mighty is […]
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Luke 2:8-20 A shepherd’s recollection of that first Christmas, read as a dramatic monologue Note: shepherds and angel may be presented as female or male as desired. Script It’s true! It sounds crazy, I know, but I’m telling you, it’s true. It was the most wonderful thing. We had the sheep in the fold for […]
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Creator God, you who knows us to our very core, Who can see where we ache and where we delight, Who sings lullabies to the tender places in our hearts, Who understands our struggles and our insecurities, You who can spin the worlds and still hear our quiet prayers, Who will stop for the wounded […]
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What words share the meaning and mystery of Christmas? What words do we sing? What dramas, sketches and skits bring the words of Christmas to life? Explore these contemporary resources below: Christmas Songs Nativity & Christmas pageants Christmas (and Advent) Dramas — monologues, letters and more Christmas prayers and worship resources Christmas images – photos free-to-use […]
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Dear cousin… You may be surprised to hear that I am also, as they say, ‘expecting’. Yes, a boy is on his way… Don’t ask how I know it’s a boy…you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Joseph is in two minds, happy with the idea of fatherhood but knows he’s not the ‘real’ […]
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For Christmas Day or Epiphany Ready-to-print download: Now Comes the Brighter Day. – Bob Hill Now comes the brighter day so wanted, needed now, reminding all that dark is stalled when love comes home to stay. Now comes the brighter ray, a beam for all to show, a flame of fame, no one to shame, […]
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