Open my eyes that I may see the needs of others; open my ears that I may hear their cries; open my heart so that they need not be without succour; Let me not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong, nor afraid to defend the poor because of […]
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Epiphany 2, Year C Your love reaches as high as the heavens, your faithfulness, wide as the bright blue skies. Your goodness soars to the mountain peaks, your justice fathoms the depths of the sea. All your creatures find rest in your shade. How precious your constant love! How safe the protection of your wing. […]
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O Love, Center us in your heart Pulsing with Christ-love Healing and holding Challenging and changing Everything necessary 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, O […]
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Offering Invitation This is a time when individuals witness to the meaning they have found in this place, and why they support it financially. Pledging and special offerings are how we continue the significant ministries that support all of us in this congregation and out in the world. Prayer of dedication Blessing God, we believe […]
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For 3 readers: Storyteller, Judas, Jesus Storyteller: In today’s New Testament reading, John presents a struggle between financial care and costly extravagance, between financial management and abundant generosity. Hear anew the story of Mary and Judas at dinner with Jesus in Bethany. I am ready from chapter 12 of John’s Gospel. Six days before the […]
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Merciful God, we approach you asking for forgiveness, For healing and reconciliation To once again feel the power of your Love. As individuals and as a nation we have tempted fate. We have stretched our grasp with greed. We have protected our privacy with isolationism. We have ravaged your creation with entitlement. Forgive us. As […]
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Come! Gather! Celebrate! We come to worship as the people of God. Come! Listen! Pray! We come to hope, dream and share visions. Come, for all are welcome in this place.
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On my forehead, A sign of the cross, Smudged in ash from the fire That burned down the McMansion of my hubris, And, with it, The money I should have given away, The screens I stare at to numb my senses, The carpet I should have been called on, The doors I should have opened […]
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Looking into the past Thinking of the future Always running fast Black and Proud Captured into Slavery Hold your head up high The road seems long Black and Proud Music which is timeless Songs full of hope Listen to their voices Black and Proud Praying for a change All the colours united Let us all […]
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Shepherding hymn Tune: 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 us A […]
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Black lives matter That’s what they say I still see injustice Every single day Black lives matter I wait to be served Yet you still ignore me I won’t be unnerved Black Lives Matter The Pandemic is here Why are my people dying Reasons are not clear Black Lives Matter This is my ride Still […]
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Be still for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here.* I invite you to close your eyes and breathe in that holy presence. Breathe in the power of God, and breathe out the power of the world. Breathe in the presence of God and breathe out the worries, the fears, the burdens […]
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A picture is worth a thousand words. Thanks to all the photographers and artists for sharing your work. All photos posted on the Worship Words website may be used for worship and devotional purposes. Please acknowledge the photographer/artist.
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Numbers 6: 22-27 modified for today May the Source bless us and keep us. May the Source let their face shine on us and be gracious unto us. May the Source uncover their face and bring us peace.
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Home is where the heart is. We remember the bereaved. Home is where I lay my head at night. We remember those sleeping in the street. Home is the hotel midway between here and there. We remember the refugee. Home is the guestroom of friends. We remember the outcast. Home is the terrace house on […]
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Inspired by Psalm 138 & Duncan Wilson’s version Pentecost 12 (Proper 16) Year A Pentecost 3 Year B Epiphany 5 Year C We gather to praise God. We praise God with all our being. When we call for help, God answers. We rejoice that God grants us strength and courage. When we are surrounded by […]
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Epiphany 3, Year C This might be read responsively with two voices. The heavens are telling us about God’s glory! the whole universe displays God’s handiwork. One day tells it to another, and night to night repeats it to the next and this without using words or signs, only the murmur of silence. Yet their […]
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(somewhere between prose/poetry and prayer) So many of my prayers Are in the ether in hospital chapels Littered at school gates Waiting for the no.29 bus to town And many of my prayers Are wept over graveyards Scattered like confetti at weddings Joyful at newborn pics A lot of my prayers scramble to decide What […]
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Karen writes, ‘This poem is in part autobiographical, speaking of my family, but also about the Church and world.’ Consider sharing this at a communion service. Mummy says ‘Come, for the feast is spread!’ She cracks the sweet between her teeth; A piece for you, a piece for me, No one on top, no one […]
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What are the Reparations? tune: “The Church’s One Foundation” – Aurelia It seems that God’s creation is not what was designed. So easy to accept things and then become resigned To never being different, wrongs ne’er to be repaired Will ever come the time when your bounty’s fairly shared? We see the world around us […]
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O Love, Like wise ones of old Bend me toward Bethlehem And every place of birth Where You saturate earth And world with joy Surprising sleepy shepherds Of one kind or another. Wake me from slumbers Of every sort Daring to distract me From Your grand gift Poured again and again Through heavens torn Revealing […]
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Post-Christmas correspondence from a shepherd to a traveler from the East Dear Melchior, Greetings from all of us. We trust you made the journey home safely and didn’t run into any of Herod’s lot because terrible things happened after you left! When you and your friends didn’t report back to him after your visit to […]
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How does one mark the Platinum Jubilee (70th anniversary) of the reign of a monarch? What words do we use to honour the loyalists, the republicans, members of the broader Commonwealth, and those who threw off the mantle of royal rule hundreds of years ago? How does one honour the victims of Empire? In April […]
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God of Illumination, during this Epiphany season we thank you for inviting us on this journey of faith for revealing yourself to us in the love of the Creator, the joy of the Spirit and the peace of the Christ-child. We commit anew, like the wise ones from the East, to seek and serve Christ […]
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Prayers of approach and confession for Epiphany Sunday – Year C God-with-us: This morning we will hear the story Of pilgrims from the east searching for you Rejoicing at their discovery, Kneeling before you in adoration. We confess that we do not seek you with the same hunger. Forgive our comfort. Our settling for easy […]
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Written for Epiphany, Year C Teach your Chosen One, O God, how to rule your people with justice and how to govern with gentleness the people who stagger under heavy loads. May your Chosen One judge fairly and give attention to the people most in need. May your Chosen One be like showers of rain […]
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Before you know it, your kid’s childhood is over and she’s gone off to college. Before you know it, your vacation is over and it’s time to go back to work. Before you know it, the storm has passed and the sky is clear. Before you know it, way too much of your life has […]
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God of new beginnings, Be with us as we gaze ahead in hope and enter into this new year with faith. Illuminate the way as we step into the unknown with trust striving to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Thank you for your church where we journey together as God’s family.
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Words for Epiphany and the New Year Let us look for Christ wherever we go Let us never stop seeking Believing that there is a light that shines in the darkness Which the darkness shall not overcome And may the love of the Creator The joy of the Spirit And the peace of the Christ-child […]
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A cool clear dawn in early spring: She stepped outside to fill her jug With water from the village well. “What is happening to my feet?” She whispered as she walked along. They’d never felt so full of life… They seemed to float above the ground. And up her legs and through her thighs A […]
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Let us go from this place proclaiming That we have seen the glory of God Believing that there is a light that shines in the darkness Which the darkness shall not overcome. May the love of the Creator The joy of the Spirit And the peace of the Christ-child Be with you this Christmas, and […]
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Tune: Westminster Abbey (Christ is made the sure foundation) Love eternal, here among us Breathing hope into every life Love from heaven, love descending Walking humbly and by our side Holding, healing, love revealing Love once broken, crucified Love enduring, here to save us Here to lift us away from hate Love redeemed and resurrected […]
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Reader 1: The light has splintered the darkness; Hope is ours once more. Reader 2: The light calls us forward, remembering the past and walking confidently into the future.
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Advent 4, Year C Hear us, Shepherd God, leading your flock, we are in trouble and need you to save us. Bring us back, show us your mercy, come to our rescue. Do not take offence at our pleading. The world is like a cup filled with sorrows. We have shed too many tears, fighting […]
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This morning we have come to tell again The story of angels and shepherds Of disbelieving fathers and unlikely mothers. This morning we have come to hear again The good, good news Of love born among us Of God here with us. This morning we prepare to receive the gift Of a child born in […]
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A Carol for Advent and Christmas Tune: O Holy Night Light showers down, the darkness cannot conquer A hope now dawns and the world has a chance Peace filters in, the hope of God appearing In a form that we don’t understand A baby born to save and to redeem us As heaven stoops to […]
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Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be….’ — Luke 1:34 “How can this be? In the Advent season, we prepare to say yes to God’s call, to step forward in courage, faith and hope, whatever that might look like in each of our lives. God, forgive us for those times when we have […]
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Antonia writes of her paintings: ‘paintings that combine the divine with the mundane. I love the idea of taking a little sideways look at Christianity, and bringing the idea of Jesus and faith into our every day lives with a sense of humour. 1. the Male Madonna. If you change the gender of the holder […]
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Advent Poem for Timor Inspired by Isaiah 2:1-5 In days to come, Children in Timor shall have enough to eat, Because no longer shall there be a “hungry season” Or fear of scarcity… We are waiting for a time when, Children shall not sit on the floor at school, Nor will they miss out because […]
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When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem They found there was no room. We confess that in the midst of all our anxieties We have not made room in our hearts for others. We confess that, paralysed by fear, prejudice or apathy We have not made room in our homes for the stranger. We confess […]
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