leadinginworship

Call to worship from busy-ness

Here we are Lord!
We come from the busy-ness of our daily lives
from the hubbub of our work and play
from the hue and cry of the world around us,
we come to worship you.
In this hour, we long to meet you,
to feel your presence surrounding us,
enveloping us, loving us.
We long to settle into silence,
laying aside our worries and our cares,
aware of your presence around us,
before us, behind us, within us.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Easter call to worship

On this Easter morning of now done darkness
we lift our hearts with praise,
we open our lives with joy!
We thank you for our Saviour, the Light of the world
who has brought death to death, and life to life.
We come into your presence with singing,
our hearts echoing the chorus of the ages,
“Hosanna!  Alleluia forever and ever!
Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Palm Sunday Call to Worship

Jesus is coming!
From the mountainside, from the seaside,
from the homes of the rich
and the company of the poor,
from the bedside of those who are sick,
Jesus is coming!
Along dusty roads,
with a ragged band of travellers,
Jesus comes to Jerusalem,
Jesus comes to worship.
Will we greet him with Hosannas?

Let’s pray:
We have come to meet you today, Jesus.
We don’t know quite what to expect.
We think we know what we need,
how you can meet our needs.
But we come humbly, laying our coats before you.
It’s your call.
Reveal to us who you are,
how you can be a Saviour in our lives,
a Saviour in our world today.
Come Lord Jesus!

Advent/Christmas Call to Worship

Dearly beloved!
We are gathered here in the sight of God
in this time of worship
to remember the holy incarnation,
the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In a tiny town of Bethlehem
a worried father waited,
a would-be mother laboured.
The world held its breath for a Saviour.
The baby arrived,
and angels incandesecent
sang of goodwill to shepherds,
lighting up the night sky.
Centuries later, we celebrate this birth
this advent of life and hope.
May God this day
lighten the darkness of our lives,
so that we too can sing
Gloria!  Gloria!

Mother's Day Call to Worship

And Jesus said, "Come!"
To all mothers and all children: he said, "Come!"
to the motherless and the childless: he said, "Come!"
to all who long to be mothered: he said, "Come!
Come unto me all ye who labour and are heavy-laden,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble of heart
and you will find rest for your souls."

Easter call to worship

Come to me, all you who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death!
On you has the light shone!
For Jesus Christ is the light of the world
and this is the story;
the light shines in the darkness
and the darkness could not put it out!
Jesus said,
“I am the resurrection and the life.
I am the bright and morning star.”
We join with the angels in their hymns of praise;
Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace,  Alleluia!
Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!

Good Friday call to worship

On this most solemn of days we gather for worship.
Jesus, lead us from the darkness of the garden,
to the bare courtyard and its soldiers.
Draw us from Pilate’s palace and its crowds,
through the streets of Jerusalem.
Shepherd us to a lonely hillside
where the lamb of God waits for us.
We would follow you, Jesus, on this,
your day of suffering.

 

Are any among us...

Are any among us suffering? We will pray.
Are any cheerful?  We will sing songs of praise. 
Are any among us sick? We will call on the name of the Lord.
Have any committed sins?  We confess our sins to each other.
We come to worship in the name of God our Creator,
Jesus our Saviour, and the Holy Spirit who sustains us.  Amen.
(based on James 5:13-16)

Valentine's Day Call to Worship Prayer

God of our hearts…here we are!

We’ve come with thirsty hearts,

praying that your word will satisfy us.

We come with aching hearts,

praying for good news to comfort us.

We come with overflowing hearts,

praying for a chance to share your love.

You, who know our hearts and hear our prayers,

be with us now in this hour of worship.

Amen.

Singing to the choir

Thank you God for your song, which we are invited to sing.

Thank you for all the parts you’ve made for the song;

soprano, alto, tenor, bass.

Thank you for the children’s part and the senior’s part,

thank you for the youth part and the part for middle agers,

thank you for the crazy baby descant

that we all love to hear each Sunday morning.

We are singing your song today:

help us to sing true and clear,

listening for your voice in our ears,

hearing you in the voices all around us.  Amen.

Christmas Eve Call to Worship

God of grace, by your tender mercy

the dawn from on high breaks upon us.

Your son, giving light to all sitting in darkness

and in the shadow of death!

Your child, guiding our feet into the way of peace!

Your son Jesus, a baby, Christ the Lord!

Together, in our minds’ eye, we picture

that first night in Bethlehem.

The lamplight, the small cries,

the baby cradled by its parents,

outside the high dark night.

May the voice of angels so fill our hearts this evening

that we go from here,

singing their song of praise to you. Gloria!

Living Streams

"See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."  Isaiah 43:19
Let’s pray:
Lord, we have come to worship;
old and young, rich and poor, happy and discontent,
at peace and restless, more or less full of faith, we come.
We come curious about this “new thing” that you can do…
can you find a way through financial difficulties?
can you find a way through loneliness and family tension?
can you find a way through sickness and grief?
can you find a way through violence and a history of violence?
We need living streams in the wasteland parts of our lives.
In this hour of worship,
help us to perceive how you are there;
streams of living water,
cold, refreshing, abundant, unstoppable.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen.  

Call to Worship: We Come

Glorious God, we come together as your people.

We come as a praising people, singing your goodness;

we come as a hungry people, longing to be fed;

we come as a praying people, bringing our needs, our joys;

we come as a journeying people, looking for direction.

In this hour of worship,

empower us for faithful living.

We pray this in the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Friendly Call to Worship

Here we are Lord !

We've come today to this worship service for many reasons;

we've come because we need to meet you,

we've come out of habit, or because someone made us come,

we've come because we hope the music will lift our spirits,

we've come because we are hungry for your word,

we've come because we want to see our friends,

we've come because we want to make friends,

we've come because you are the friend we need most of all.

Here we are--touch each person here with your presence,

shape us into the church that you want us to be. Amen.

Call to Worship: Gathering

gather the eyes in

stand and seek them out

the tired, the hopeful,

the sad, the skeptical, the inquiring eyes

gather each pair

with these upraised arms,

this gaze,  these words

I gather you in

gently patting you into place

this place

this place here

this smooth hollow

of worship

Call to Worship: Come!

And Jesus said, “Come!”

To the light-hearted and the heavy-hearted:  he said, “Come!”

To the well-off and the cast-off:  he said, “Come!”

To the youngsters and the oldsters:  he said, “Come!”

To the faithful and the faithless:  he said, “Come!”

“Come unto me all ye who labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart

and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-29

 

All We Desire

Your love breaking down barricades of hatred.

Your peace melting permafrosted hearts.

Your joy cascading over bleak resignation.

Your patience bending the world slowly.

Your gentleness permeating even the most impermeable.

Your goodness towering above all evils.

Your kindness embracing our fear.

Your faith moving mountains.

Your spirit, Lord, is all we desire.  Amen.

Waiting for God

I am waiting for your presence Lord--

patient, like a lover sitting by the telephone

waiting for the voice of their beloved;

attentive as a farmer watching clouds for rain

waiting for the parched soil’s relief;

intent as a child standing by the road

waiting for the parade to appear;

empty as a satellite dish scanning the heavens

waiting for a message from the stars;

poised as the still arms of a windmill

waiting for the wind’s inspiration;

open as the wide sand beach

waiting for the tide’s embrace.

Come Lord Jesus.