leadinginworship

Open Call to Worship - Responsive

Open our ears
to hear your word.             
Open our eyes            
to see your presence.
Open our arms
to the embrace of community.
Open our minds
to the beauty of truth.
Open our hearts
to the joy of new life.

Guided Silent Prayer

We come to God each week with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.
This morning I will lead you in a guided silent prayer.
Even though each of us prays in our own hearts,
our prayers are not solitary
when we join together as the people of God,
praying as one in many voices.

God,
creation is so much with us,
sights, sounds, tastes, fragrances;
we pause to give thanks for something
in nature that gave us joy this week.   [PAUSE]

You have brought people into our lives,
we pause to give thanks
for an experience of joy or peace with others
we had this week.  [PAUSE]

We ask forgiveness for a time this week
where we have disturbed or destroyed
the peace of another person.
We pray for someone
who is on our hearts,
who we know is in need of joy.  [PAUSE]

We pray for a place
in the world that is on our hearts
that needs your peace. [PAUSE]

God of grace,
thank you for hearing our prayers
and answering them.  Amen

Emmaus Offering Prayer (responsive)

Like the disciples at Emmaus,
we offer what we have.
They offered their company,
their table, their bread.
We invite you to be with us, Jesus,
as we offer you our love,
our devotion, these gifts.
May our eyes be opened
to your holy presence among us, 
now and always.  Amen.

Easter People Congregational Prayer (responsive)

Thank you Lord that you are an impossibility specialist;
the long winter’s grip pried off us finger by finger,
the whole earth greening under the spring sun.
You bring new life where there is lifelessness,
you resurrect hope when we are mired in darkness.
We are an Easter people!
Bring Easter to all among us who are grieving;
your solace that we will see our loved ones again,
your comfort that you will be with us in the hour of our death.
We are an Easter people!
Bring Easter to all among us who are despairing,
give us light and meaning in our times of suffering,
and your energy when life is at its lowest ebb.
We are an Easter people!
Bring Easter to all among us who are ill in mind or body,
a healing touch to calm our fears,
your soothing presence to carry us when we falter.
We are an Easter people!
Bring Easter to all who are locked away in jails,
as well as those among us chained by addictions
and every prison of prejudice.
We are an Easter people!
Bring Easter to our neighbourhood and our city;
the stranger welcomed, the hungry fed,
your kingdom coming here in ____________[your city/region].
We are an Easter people!
Thank you for showing us who we are
through Jesus Christ our Saviour,
and for transforming us daily through your creative Spirit.
We are an Easter people
and “Alleluia” is our song!
Thanks be to God! Amen!

Darkness and Light: An Epiphany Responsive Prayer

In the darkness before creation,
you made all that lives and breathes.
In the darkness of Mary’s womb,
you formed Jesus, bringer of light.
In the darkness of our world your spirit sustains us.
O God, you are with us in darkness and in light.
Under the cover of darkness,
Magi followed the star to the Christ-child.
We come from the East and we come from the West,
following you on our different roads,
following the same star to the same place.
O God, you are with us in darkness and in light.
In the stillness of the dark,
we pray for all who need God’s presence in a special way—
people who cannot find work,
who cannot pay their bills,
who have no place to live,
people who are discouraged and hopeless,
people who have become cynical and bitter.
O God, you are with us in darkness and in light.
We live in this world in our bodies,
we rejoice in life and breath,
yet when sickness or pain cripples us,
we lose our bearings, we feel lost and bewildered.
We need your presence to keep us safe.
Be with those who are sick, especially _______________.
O God, you are with us in darkness and in light.
Thank you for moments of inspiration,
for moments of clear vision
where we see who we are and who we are meant to be,
where we see where we are, and where you want us to go.
Give us courage to take the journey that you call us to,
and give us strength on the road.
O God, you are with us in darkness and in light.
Your presence sustains us,
help us to go from worship this morning,
having seen your face,
having done homage to your goodness,
We are confident in the work you are doing
in us and through us,
for your kingdom come,
on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

Mercy and Love Responsive Prayer

Lord, you give us choices each and every day.
This week we have seen your path,
and turned away from it.
We have seen our brother or sister in need
and we did not turn to help.
Lord, have mercy.
We have said cruel or unkind words,
or refrained from saying helpful words
when they were needed.
Lord, have mercy.
We have been critical of those
who failed to offer us a helping hand,
while ignoring our own apathy towards others.
Lord, have mercy.
We have used our resources, gifts from you,
to help only ourselves.
Lord, have mercy.
We give you thanks that in spite of ourselves
you show your love to us in many ways
each and every day.
Lord, your love sustains us.
We give you thanks for life and breath today,
for health and food to eat,
and a beautiful world to live in.
Lord, your love sustains us.
We give you thanks for the many people in our lives
who love us, who care for us,
whose presence brings us joy.
Lord, your love sustains us.
We give you thanks for this community of faith,
faithful in every season, singing your praises,
encouraging us to give our utmost to our Saviour.
Lord, your love sustains us.
We give you thanks for sending your son Jesus Christ
through whose death we receive pardon,
through whose resurrection we have hope.
God of grace, everything we are belongs to you,
be with us this week as we go from this place.
Lord, your love sustains us and gives us peace.

 

Responsive Winter Solstice Prayer (for the northern hemisphere)

God of Creation:
the winter solstice sun is low,
crouched over the southern horizon.
All day long shadows pivot and turn
pointing to a longer night, the longest night.
And so we pray,
Lord, we are longing for light!

Our community has touched
the darkness of death this week,
as we said good-bye to our dear friend ___________.
Thank you that we who dwell in darkness
have seen a great light in our Saviour Jesus Christ.
He welcomes us in death to an eternal resurrection
to dwell with you in glorious light
with all the saints in heaven.
And so we pray,
Lord, we are longing for light!

Comfort the family of _____________,
and our whole community as we grieve her passing.
Help us carry the heaviness of grief together.
We pray for all who lonely, and those who are sick,
especially those in the hospital:  ______________.
We pray for all who are burdened in this dark season
with dark thoughts and melancholy moods.
And so we pray:
Lord, we are longing for light!

Thank you for places we see light.
For every act of kindness, no matter how small.
For hungry people being fed at the foodbanks in our city.
For the many people who helped to provide affordable homes this week
through the work of Habitat for Humanity.
For all who donate their time and money to help those less fortunate.
We know that the world needs more light like this!
And so we pray:
Lord, we are longing for light!

On this fulcrum day
where the earth swings its way back towards the sun,
we give thanks for Jesus Christ,
who came as Light into the World,
illuminating our way.
And so we pray:
Lord we are longing for light!
In every way, every day,
help us to walk in your light! Amen.

[If there is room in your bulletin, you can print this out,
or if you are reading this now on a Saturday before you lead worship,
you could instruct the congregation,
“When you hear, ‘And so we pray’,
please respond with ‘Lord, we are longing for light!’”
Have them practice this once before the prayer.
Then as leader you would say the last two lines.]

 

Wholly Yours Responsive Call to Worship

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory. [Isaiah 6:3 NRSV]
The Lord of hosts is with us.
Let us lift up our hearts!
We lift them up to the Lord!
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God!
It is a good and joyful thing to give God thanks and praise!
Let us pray:
Holy God,
we come together as your people
searching for sacred space,
longing to be cherished,
craving a real connection.
In this hour of worship
let thankfulness sink deep
and joy spring up.
We lift our hearts and souls and minds
to the God of our creation,
for we are wholly yours
now and forever. Amen.

Pay Attention Call to Worship -- Responsive

Listen up, all you people!  Pay attention!
Everyone…from highest to lowest,
the proud and humble together,
tune your ears to hear good news!
Christ is revealed in worship!

We come with hope and open ears
to meet the One who is our all in all.
Come Lord Jesus!

Traditional call to worship

Brothers and sisters! 
It is a delight to be worshipping the Lord together!
It is right to give God thanks and praise.
Lift up your hearts!
We lift them up to the Lord!
The Lord be with you!|
And also with you!
Let us pass the peace of Christ!             
(shake hands with those around you…)

Holy responsive call to worship

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory. [Isaiah 6:3 NRSV]
The Lord of hosts is with us.
Let us lift up our hearts!
We lift them up to the Lord!
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God!
It is a good and joyful thing to give God thanks and praise!
Let us pray:
Holy God,
we come together as your people
searching for sacred space,
longing to be cherished,
craving a real connection.
In this hour of worship
let thankfulness sink deep
and joy spring up.
We lift our hearts and souls and minds
to the God of our creation,
for we are wholly yours
now and forever. Amen. 

Delightful responsive call to worship

In the name of Jesus Christ, I welcome you to worship!

It is a delight to be together in the house of God!

We lift our voices with joyful hearts!

It is right to give God thanks and praise!

May the grace of God, the love of Jesus,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with us now in this hour and always.

Amen.

Thanksgiving Responsive Communion Service

Leader:  light print            People:  dark print

We come to this table with thankful hearts.
Why do we give thanks at this table?
We give thanks because God has invited us here!
All God’s children are invited to the Lord’s supper.
We come humbly to the table,
knowing that we have not earned our way here,
but are invited, guests at this feast of love. 

Why do we eat at this table?
We eat at this table to remember
that on the night before Jesus died, he ate with his friends.
Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it,
he broke it and gave it to them saying,
“Take, eat.  This is my body given for you.
Each time you do this, remember me.”

Let's pray:  God of grace,
give us repentant hearts, forgiving hearts, clean hearts.
With thanksgiving we come to your table.
Send your Spirit upon us so that we know
that all who eat and drink in this room and around the world
are one body, one holy people,
giving thanks to you in an endless song of praise.
Thanks be to you Lord Jesus Christ,
who gave your life freely for our salvation.

[the bread is broken and distributed and eaten]

We take the cup with thankful hearts.
Why do we take the cup at this table?
We drink because that same night Jesus also took a cup,
and after giving thanks,
passed it to his friends saying,  "Drink this cup.
This cup, poured out for you, is the promise of God.
Whenever you drink it, remember me.”
Thanks  be to you Lord Jesus Christ,
who  gave your life freely for our salvation.

Our presence at this communion table is a sign.
Here  we remember the gift that is Jesus;
the gift of his  birth, his life and his death on the cross.
At this table we celebrate Christ’s resurrection.
We remember that we are waiting in hope to see Jesus again.

[the cup is distributed, we  drink together]

Let us pray together:
Thank you for inviting us to this banquet!
Help us to remember the gift we have received
and to live as brothers and sisters,
members of one family.
All praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!

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!
Because we have food to put on the table, we say,
Thank you!
Because we have this community that loves us, 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 we enter into this service of thanksgiving and praise.

[I asked the congregation to say "Thank you!" whenever I raised my hand. This need not be printed or projected.]

Palm Sunday Responsive Prayer

In our lives this week,
we turned away from your triumphal entry.
The words in our heads and on our lips have been,
“Can’t,”  “Won’t,”  “Never,” “Impossible."
Believing our problems are too deep for you,
we have underestimated your power
and stewed in our own misery.
We repent of this hardheartedness.
    God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Too often we pray only for ourselves and our own needs.
In spite of ourselves,
you walk a road straight to the heart of us.
You heal us, help us, hold us.
We gobble your comfort greedily and run away,
never returning to say “Thank you”.
Help us to be thankful for your presence in our lives.
    God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You place people in our road
who are in desperate need of your good news,
and we have walked by on the other side.
Or we’ve said, “We’ll help them tomorrow,
when we have more time
or more money
or more something.”
Help us to be your hands and feet in this world.
    God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of grace, we long to be dear disciples,
washing each other’s feet.
We long to be faithful companions,
awake in the darkest hour.
We long to follow in your footsteps,
even if they lead to crosses on a barren hillside.
These are the desires of our hearts.
    God, in your mercy, you hear our prayer.

Litany for Mental Illness

Lord, you are the great Healer.
Today we pray for those who live with mental illness. 
For those crippled by depression and anxious feelings,
                bring healing, bring peace.
For those who suffer from the high and lows of severe mood swings,
                bring healing, bring peace.
For those who are tormented by voices and hallucinations,
                bring healing, bring peace.
For those who find it difficult to cope with tasks of daily living,
                bring healing, bring peace.
For those who struggle with suicidal thoughts,
                bring healing, bring peace.

God of great gifts,
thank you for the courage of those who live with mental illness.
Thank you for the patience of family and friends who support.
Thank you for our health system and all who work to
                bring healing, bring peace.
Give us wisdom and insight as a church,
as a community, as a society,
to be places that can
                bring healing, bring peace.