Category: call to worship

Birds don’t reap

A gathering of larks by Abigail Carroll,
inspiration for my St Francis Focus this year

 

Call to Worship

inspired by Matthew 6:25-27

Look at the birds of the air;
they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns
and yet God provides for the basic sustenance of life.
May our hearts be open to trust you.

Look at the birds of the air;
they neither study nor plan nor plot their course
and yet God writes the instinct for migration into their hearts.
May our eyes be open to see you.

Look at the birds of the air;
they neither talk nor vote nor debate their responsibility
yet God weaves them into communities which nurture and defend.
May our hands be open to serve you.

 
~ written by Katherine Hawker, and posted on re:Worship

From the blog
Ask the animals
The whole bright world rejoices
In the school of prayer with St Francis of Assisi
 

Bread and honey

Call to Worship

(inspired by Psalm 81)

Sing aloud to God our strength and shout with joy:
God, our Host, welcomes us.
God reminds us,
“I brought you out of the land of Egypt and fed you along the way.”
When we opened our mouths, God filled us with good things.
God calls us to walk the path of faithfulness, trusting the promise:
a feast for all —
freshly-baked bread, hot from the oven,
and sweet honey to satisfy our hunger.
Let us worship God!

 
~ written by Rev. Christopher Ney, posted on re:Worship

Fruity teabread (Recipe)

Note: This recipe calls for patience

Makes one 1 kg loaf

300ml  cold tea
175 g  raisins
125 g  sultanas
50 g  soft brown sugar

1 egg
225 g  wholemeal plain flour
1 1/2  t  baking powder
1/2  t  mixed spice

 
Place the dried fruit and the sugar in a large bowl.
Pour over the tea and allow to soak overnight.

Grease and line a 1.6 litre loaf tin. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Beat the egg into the fruit and sugar mixture. Add the flour, baking powder and spice and mix well with a wooden spoon, making sure all the ingredients are well-combined. Spoon into the prepared loaf tin and level the top with the back of a spoon.

Bake in the over for about 75 minutes until firm and well risen.

Turn out the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack. When cooled, wrap and store for a day or two before eating.

 
source: Tea, published by Postbooks

From the blog
Thank you. For taste buds
Prayer poem: Sweet words
In the school of prayer with Anselm
 

Look deeper


 

The deeper heart issue

Luke 9:46-48 (The Voice)
 
Later the close followers of Jesus began to argue over the stupid and vain question, “Which one of us is the greatest disciple?”

Jesus saw what was going on — not just the argument, but the deeper heart issues — so He found a child and had the child stand beside Him.

Jesus: See this little one? Whoever welcomes a little child in My name welcomes Me. And whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. The smallest one among you is therefore the greatest.
 

Call to Worship

Welcome to this place:
where children and seasoned citizens sit side by side,
where heaven and earth embrace in peace,
where God has been, is, and always will be.

Welcome to this place, as we gather with all of God’s children:
where we find God’s love,
where we hear the tender voice of Jesus,
where the Spirit teaches us new songs.

Welcome to this place, where all is made ready by our God:
where we bring our hunger, and find food;
where we bring our brokenness, and find healing;
where we bring our very selves, and find acceptance.

~ written by Thom Shuman, posted on Lectionary Liturgies

From the blog
The promise of carefree play
Quiet near a little stream
Continually curious
 

God so loved the world

Call to Worship

(based on John 3:16)

For God so loved the world;
the sparrows, the mountain lions,
the fish and the people.

For God so loved the world;
in success and failure,
in sickness and health,
in mediocrity and extraordinary.

For God so loved the world;
enough to become one of us,
enough to suffer along with us,
enough to offer new life for us.

For God so loved the world;
let us worship God!
 

~ written by Katherine Hawker, posted on re:worship

From the blog
3 prayers for the New Year
On the threshold of tomorrow
Looking forward looking back
 

Thank you. For fruit


 

Call to Worship Litany

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 we enter into this service of thanksgiving and praise.
 

~ written by Carol Penner, and posted on Leading in Worship

Carol’s tip: I asked the congregation to say ‘Thank you!’ whenever I raised my hand. This need not be printed or projected.

From the blog  (by Carol Penner)
In times like these
The work of our hands
Company on the road
 

Slowly but surely


Daily / van liefde (from love) – collage by Irene Bom

 

Call to worship

inspired by Jeremiah 33:14-16

The time is surely coming
when our love for one another
and all of God’s children will increase.
We would live into that time
with hope and joy.

The day is surely coming
when God will strengthen our hearts
with humility and holiness.
We would anticipate that day
as we reach out to serve
all of those in need.

The days are surely coming
when we will walk the paths
of faithfulness and steadfast love.
We begin this journey,
knowing that all of God’s promises
will be fulfilled.

 
~ written by Thom Shuman, posted on re:worship

SUMMER SCHOOL: CREATIVE ASSIGNMENT

Create your own collage inspired by the phrase, “slowly but surely”.

From the blog
Make us a chalice
The fruit of lips
Thank you. For the sunrise
 

Tears of joy


 

Call to worship

This is the day:
when tears are wiped away;
shattered hearts are mended;
fears are replaced with joy.

This is the day the Lord:
rolls away the stone of fear;
throws off death’s clothes;
goes ahead of us into God’s future.

This is the day the Lord has made:
death has no fear for us;
sin has lost its power over us;
God opens the tombs of our hearts
to fill us with life.

This is the day – Easter Day!
Christ is Risen! Hallelujah!

 
~ written by Thom M. Shuman, and posted on Lectionary Liturgies.

From the blog
To Emmaus and back
Resurrection light
In the school of prayer with Michael Mayne
 

Stand still for a moment


Namaqualand daisies, West Coast National Park, South Africa
 

Call to Worship

based on Micah 6:1-8

Children of God,
it’s time to take off your shoes,
step out of your comfort zone, and
wade with trust into the stream of God’s mercy.
Stand still for a moment, barefoot, on holy ground.
Let the healing waters wash your feet.
Take a deep breath as Love soaks into your soul.
Be silent and listen for God’s word to us today.

 
Read Micah 6:6-8:

With what shall I come before the Lord
    and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.

 
 
How shall we worship our God?
We have heard what the Lord requires of us.
Leave empty talk and pride behind.
We must walk the walk.
Prepare to step out in faith, even into troubled waters.
Only God knows where we might need to go.
Don’t be afraid.
Jesus will guide our steps along the way,
teaching us to walk humbly,
to love boldly,
to serve God with body, soul, mind, and strength.
Let us pray for the humility and courage
to follow where the Spirit leads.

 
~ written by Mary Jo Bowman, posted on re:worship
 

From the blog
Say grace
3 Prayers for courage
In the school of prayer with the Celtic Saints
 

Where we stand is holy


Where we stand – or fall – the ground is holy

Call to Worship

based on Exodus 3:5

Come take off your shoes
For where we stand is holy ground

Come love your neighbour and do good to all around you
For where we stand is holy ground

Come and respect the planet
For where we stand is holy ground

Love all that God gave us,
for we are all standing on holy ground

 
sourced from the Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren website
posted on re:worship

From the blog
Perfect balance of grace and truth
Inspired by trees
mud mud mud
 

Gathered from far

Call to Worship

inspired by Jeremiah 31:7-9

Sing aloud with gladness:
    God is gathering the people!
From the farthest parts of the earth we come:
    All who struggle; all who labor with new life!
Those who are weeping, God will console;
    Those who get lost find a clear path home.
Let us worship the God who gathers us!

Prayer of Invocation

Ever-calling God,
We give thanks that you have gathered us into your church
    and graced us with your faithful presence.
We ponder our history, ancient and still developing,
    and marvel at the many expressions of your church.
Grant us the vision to be a part of a new reformation for the Church
    that will bring ever more joy and justice to the world.
Continue to gather us, the diverse lot of us,
    into Jesus’ vision and dream
    that your faithful people may be one in you.
Amen

 
~ written by the Rev. Bonnie Tarwater, and posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways website.

From the blog
Seed
Do this remembering
Baby steps