The doors open the doors close *behind us, the world *before us, sanctuary *and the stillness of God Be prayer quiet Share quiet Shore up the noisy clanging *in your soul *on your lips Allow God to find you *bind you up *in [God’s] peace Unwind your spirit Let it float *on the song of […]
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Spirit of Community Thank you for church that brings strangers together… Spirit of Truth Thank you for messages that open my/our ears and minds… Spirit of Trust Thank you for familiar words of prayer that provide solid grounding for yet another day… Spirit of Comfort Thank you for the old melodies that reside in the […]
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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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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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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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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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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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Worship High Church Low Church In-between church A window into wisdom A portal into presence A receiving A giving A sharing Gathering to be fed by the Word Gathering to feast upon colour, flame, Gathering to feel the power of community Gathering to free the spirit
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To download an illustrated worship page for World Refugee Day (20 June), visit the Church World Service website. LEADER: We give praise to our God who gathers us as one people. PEOPLE: We delight in our God who has mercy upon us. LEADER: We seek to be one with refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants. PEOPLE: […]
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Come to God who gathers us in. We come to God who nurtures us like a father. Come to God whose arms are open and waiting. We come to God who welcomes and forgives us. Come to God who journeys with us. We come to God who sees us as we really are and loves […]
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The world is full of good things As well as things which could be better We are full of good things As well as things which could be better Today , whether we feel full of good things Or full of things which could be better God’s open arms Sweep us up again in a […]
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In this place We open to the creative heartbeat of this morning, The divine urging which is within, around and beyond us. Dispel our stupor. Energise our bodies. Enthuse our passion. Centre us So this day is worthy of the name holy.
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Words to still the soul… Now, for this space, I put them all aside, the awesome things for which no words will come. Such grief must go where only God is guide. Our lovely plane darkens. Nightmares ride. The sunlit waters thicken into scum. Now, for this space, I put them all aside. I read […]
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Tune: Nettleton 8787D — John Wyeth, Repository of Sacred Music, Part II, 1813 We are gathered in the Spirit though our bodies are apart, Filled with joy and touched with wonder, separate hands but mingled hearts Giving thanks and singing praises for the love that calls us on. From our many different places we are […]
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A responsive Call to Worship for face-to-face worship with COVID-19 protection We gather today in masks. We gather today in love. Wearing masks shows our commitment to the health of all people. We gather today in compassion. Wearing masks enables us to welcome others into our physical space. We gather today in hospitality. Wearing masks […]
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Come to the mountaintop. What will we find? Jesus, the disciples’ teacher. The prophets who have gone before. God’s voice. We want to worship. We want to hide. Instead, give us the courage to rest in the mystery, To reach toward the thin places Where the in-breaking of the divine shakes us to the core. […]
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We follow you O Christ, Up the mountain to pray, not knowing what you have in store. We witness you O Christ, Your face transformed with light, Moses and Elijah beside you. We worship you O Christ, For we are awed by the power of your love. Emmanuel, God with us Jesus, our brother, Christ […]
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Martin Luther King Day is observed in the USA on the third Monday of January. This morning we remember dreams and dreamers. Joseph, Jesus’ father, dreamt about uncertainty. We, too, know the uncertainty of dreaming. May we, like Joseph, respond in faith. Mary, Jesus’ mother, dreamt about a child, a new beginning. We, too, dream […]
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One: All one All: in Christ! One: In Christ All: all one! This responsive call-out (or shout-out!) arises during services in the United Church of Zambia. It might be used as a call to worship, after celebrating a communion meal or after a prayer of reconciliation.
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Lectionary reading on Third Sunday of Advent, Year A Listen to the news of hope reborn from Isaiah 35. The desert will rejoice and flowers will bloom in the wild places. Everywhere will reflect God’s glory. Tired hands and bent knees will be strong again. Eyes will see again, ears be opened. The lame will […]
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Thank God for church! This might be read by numerous voices, responsively or by a single voice. Remember to pause and focus on firstly each attribute of the Spirit and secondly each specific gratitude. After each refrain, take time to consider specific people, activities, worship words, prayers, songs, sermons, and other aspects of church for […]
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A responsive reading Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel and restore us O God: Let your face shine, that we may be saved. From the throngs of city centers to the far-flung wilderness: Let your face shine, that we may be saved. To every nation, race and people: Let your face shine, that we may […]
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With praise and elation Tune: To God be the glory For the lyrics, music and a power point, click here. With praise and elation we greet the Divine In beauty of love that we just can’t define; The mystery is wondrous; it captures our soul; It gives our life purpose; it makes us feel whole. Praise […]
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Adapted from Ana Gobledale’s “Call to Worship” inspired by Psalm 16:9 and Gerardo Oberman’s “Opening Prayer” – both found on Worship Words. Come! Rejoice! For the Holy One is here. We stand on holy ground. Come, children of God! Just as you are. Receive God’s grace, hope, courage and sustaining love. We come to […]
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Consider using for: International Day of Peace, 21 September Hiroshima Day, 6 August Jesus said; “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” We are called to be peacemakers, to stand against injustice, inequality and oppression For injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Let us gather, as the […]
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We gather in this place Tune Crimond For the lyrics, music and a power point, click here. We gather in this place today To hear a word we need; From Jesus’ teaching we gain strength; We listen. We take heed. We come with open hearts and minds To hear a word we need; To sing […]
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These words open the time of worship… As we ring the bowl three times, may we open to the wisdom of our own and other traditions, to the joys and sufferings we carry with us today, and to God’s presence here, among these people and in the world.
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We follow the way of Jesus. He opens our hearts To know that our true selves are one with God, who is Love. Jesus saves us from fear, from selfishness, from meaninglessness. He leads us to serve with compassion and act for justice. He moves us to curiosity and creativity. He brings us together in […]
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Words from a woman passionate about gender inclusivity… Inspired by Proverbs 3:13-15, 17-18 “We come today seeking Wisdom. If we seek Wisdom, She will come to us. Come, Wisdom! ….” For the full text in a ready-to-print form click here – Call to Worship link.
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Inspired by Luke 17:21 and Matthew 6:10 Let us gather together and search it out. ‘Your kin-dom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ (Matthew 6:10) Let us seek to do the will of God and, in doing so, welcome God’s kin-dom. From the service ‘The Bible and […]
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This responsive Call to Worship might be used at a special New Year’s Day service or on the first Sunday of the new year. Ready-to-print downloads: New Year, Call to Worship PDF New Year, Call to Worship WORD People of the world, it is time to celebrate new beginnings. We step into the new year […]
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This ready-to-use Café Church worship service weaves together scripture, drama, reflection, conversation & communion. It has been designed for worship around tables, but is easily adaptable to a more traditional setting. This service includes everything you need — an Order of Service to handout, leader script sheets, reader printouts, song suggestions, a list of supplies, […]
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We gather, looking back to see the paths taken, Looking forward to see our path. We honour those who have gone before us, Learning from their successes and failures. We celebrate who we are today, And welcome the possibilities and opportunities before us. We gather to worship God, the God of yesterday, […]
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Come! And trust that which brought you here. Come! Riding in on the grace of the wind Come! Floating in on the river that feeds your soul. Come! Walking on the path that unfolds in front of you. Come! And be in this moment, this place; welcoming in the love of living. Used in services […]
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Adapted from “Opening Prayer” by Gerardo Oberman, Argentina (adapted for use at a leader’s gathering, by Thandiwe Dale-Ferguson, USA) At this junction on our journey, we heed your call, O God. We gather as your people, looking for new life for our life. We gather, as your imperfect children, aware of our moments of selfishness […]
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…God, heaven and earth cannot contain you, much less this place which our imagination has conceived and our money has built. But we come now to pray that you will use it to fulfil some part of your purposes. You are the centre,… the heart of all that exists. It is your breath which gives […]
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What gives us life? What sustains us? Using water as the focus, we gather and bless one another. Set up a large bowl in the centre of the worship space, or in the centre of each table. small glasses (or communion cups) partially filled with water — at each place or on a tray at […]
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Based on Genesis 32.22-31 God, we come with praise and gratitude. Thank you for your word, for speaking to us anew today. In faith and trust, we open our ears and minds to you. We know you are with us in the rush of life. God, you see us as we truly are, with our […]
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May be read in unison as a Call to Worship I worship and adore God, source, essence, and aim of all things, spirit that enlivens all beings. I follow the way of Jesus, who found God in himself and shared a way for others to find God in themselves. He was born […]
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Might be used as an opening meditation at a confessional reflective service such as Ash Wednesday or Good Friday. Can be read by a single voice, multiple voices or responsively. Start in Silence. A drumbeat begins, getting louder than softer. The drumbeat tapers off into a soft background beat for the prayer. O Steady One, […]
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