Category: God

Worship Resource: Bible Sunday

Call To Worship (from Psalm 119)

One: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe your righteous ordinances.

All: I am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to your word. Accept my offerings of praise, O LORD, and teach me your ordinances.

One: Your decrees are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.

All: I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.           

Gathering Prayer

We thank you, God, for the Bible, which points our lives in your direction. We love the inspiring stories we find in the Scriptures. We rely on the Bible for words of encouragement and wisdom for living. At times we find the Bible confusing, boring, even shocking. Scripture tells us and our experience confirms that you are a God of peace, kindness, and boundless love. Nevertheless, we are aware that the Bible, too, can be weaponized and used for harm. Guide us with your Spirit as we read, study, and meditate on your Word. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication

God, your Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Guide and inspire us in our giving and receiving. Amen.

Worship Resources, Pride Sunday, Year C

* Call To Worship (Psalm 16)

One: Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

All: The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. 

One: The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.

All: You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

* Gathering Prayer

Holy God, you are our refuge and our strength, a very present help in  trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake at the heart of the sea. On this day when communities around the world celebrate LGBTQ pride, we pray that you will make this place a refuge for all of those who suffer discrimination, threats of violence, and shame because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. O God who looks on the heart  teach us to see as you see.  O God of boundless love, teach us to love as you love: without limits.

The Lord’s Prayer (Debts) (Unison)

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.  Amen.

Worship Resources Trinity Sunday, Year C

Call To Worship (Psalm 150)

One: Praise the LORD! Praise God in the sanctuary; praise God in the mighty firmament! 

All: Praise God for God’s mighty deeds; praise God according to God’s surpassing greatness!

One: Praise God with trumpet sound; praise God with lute and harp! 

All: Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! 

One: Praise God with clanging cymbals; praise God with loud clashing cymbals! 

All: Let everything that breathes praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD!

Gathering Prayer

Lord of the dance, we thank you for the mystery of life. We thank you for Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit: three-in-one, one-in-three, a dance of relationship designed to confound our reasoning. Teach us to trust our bodies. Teach us to embrace our humanity. Inspire us to playful acts of creation, for we are created in your image, God. You look upon your creation with love, and, behold, it is very good. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication

Holy Mystery, we give in response to your limitless self-giving. Moment by moment you fill the universe to overflowing. We praise you for your unsurpassing greatness. Amen.

Worship Resources for Pentecost, Year C

Call To Worship (from Psalm 104)

One: O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

All: Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great.

One: There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. These all look to you to give them their food in due season; when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand they are filled with good things.

All: I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD.

*Gathering Prayer

Holy God, we thank you for the infinite diversity of your creation. We thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to open our hearts to our intimate connection with all things. We confess that too often we live as if we’re on our own. Teach us to trust our neighbors. Teach us to love our neighbors. Teach us how to connect with our community in life-giving, life-changing ways. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication

God of infinite abundance, we are your children. Moment by moment you offer us far more than we could ask or imagine. Give us a mind attuned to extravagant provision. Amen.

Worship Resource: Mother’s Day

* Call To Worship (from Deuteronomy 32)

Leader: As an eagle stirs up her nest and hovers over her young . . .

           All: As she spreads her wings, takes them up, and bears them aloft on her pinions . . .

          Leader: God guides and protects us. She sets us atop the heights of the land . . .

          All: And nurses us with honey from the crags, and milk from the flocks.

* Gathering Prayer (Unison)

Mothering God, God of our mothers, we thank you for the gift of life and those who gave it to us. Give us the grace to embrace our mothers in all their complexity. Bless our mothering so that those who are entrusted to our care might grow healthy and strong. May they remain safe and happy long after their need for our continual care has passed. We remember those who have cared for us and are gone. May we honor their sacrifice by following their example. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication

We dedicate our lives to your service and our hearts to your worship, Holy God. Amen.