leadinginworship

Road to Emmaus Call to Worship

For where two or three are gathered in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.                  Matthew 18:20 KJV

We need your presence on the long road, Lord.
The road between fear and hope,
the road between the place where all is lost
and the place of resurrection.
Like the disciples walking the road to Emmaus,
we are in need of your company!
Jesus, stand among us, in your risen power,
let this time of worship, be a hallowed hour.

 

A hungry call to worship

Let the hungry come to me, let the poor be fed
Let the thirsty come and drink, share my wine and bread
Though thou hast no money, come to me and eat!
Drink the cup I offer, feed on finest wheat!

(from Hymnal: A Worship Book, #464, Text Sr. Delores Dufner

We are hungry, Lord!
We come to church today with different types of hunger for you.
Some of us sit down at the table eagerly, because we are hungry.
Some of us have come because we know we should eat, even though we don`t feel like it.
Some of us are ravenous.
And some of us have lost our appetite, and we don`t even know why.
And yet you have drawn us to your welcoming table, one and all,
your arms open to embrace us just as we are.
As we settle in this morning, fill us with your presence
so that when we leave today, we can leave saying,
“That is exactly what I needed!”

Peaceful call to worship

So Jesus came
and proclaimed peace
to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near…  Ephesians 2:17

Welcome to worship!
Jesus calls us here,
Jesus calls us from far and near
to hear a message of peace.
Whether you feel far from God, or near to God,
this peace can be yours this morning,
a gift from the God of grace.
Let’s pray together:
God of grace,
you know our hearts, you know what we need
even when we ourselves don’t know what that is.
This morning fill us with peace;
peace that passes understanding,  
peace that bubbles over,
peace that needs to be shared,
so that we can be your disciples
with good news for our neighbours near at hand,
and our neighbours far away.  Amen.

Responsive call to worship for Thanksgiving

The world is filled with the glory of God, and we say,
Thank you!
The hills and valleys are filled with colour, and we say,
Thank you!
The vines and trees are filled with fruit, and we say,
Thank you!
Our tables are overflowing with food, and we say,
Thank you!
Our life is filled with love of family and friends, and we say,
Thank you!
We fill this house of God with our voices, saying,
Thank you!
May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts
be acceptable to you, O God,
as enter into this service of thanksgiving and praise.

Faithful call to worship

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for
the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

We come to worship faithfully God--
we’re here again this morning.
We come faithfully,
but there’s a part of all of us that doubts,
that wonders,
“Are you really there?
are you really listening?
can we really trust you?”
We live in a world where we can’t live without you.
This morning, give us an assurance of what we cannot always see,
a conviction of hope in your presence and your power.
We want to be faith-filled,
confident in your abiding and unfailing love for us.
Amen. 

True home Call to Worship

Our call to worship is from Isaiah 49 (The Message, by Eugene Peterson)

"Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore?
But even if mothers forget,  I'd never forget you—never.
Look, I've written your names on the backs of my hands.
The walls you're rebuilding are never out of my sight."

Thank you, Lord, that worship is always our true home.
Thank you that it is here that we are welcomed,
here that we can show our true selves
and be truly accepted and loved for who we are.
Help us in this hour to rest in your love,
in the presence of our brothers and sisters,
as children of God, together.

Faith, hope, love Call to Worship

Our call to worship is from I Corinthians 13:
And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.  I Cor.13:3

God of Gods:
We come to worship today to hear your good news,
to hear of faith, hope and love
ringing out from your kingdom.
We know that doubt, fear and hatred 
can shake even the strongest.
Shape us into faithful hopeful people,
fill us with your love that passes all understanding.
We pray this together in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

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.