Call to Worship
This is the day that the Lord has made
Let us Rejoice and Be glad in it
The Lord calls us together from all the ends of the earth
Come let us pray together in whatever way we can
Call to Worship
There is a time for everything?
A time to dance and a time to sing, a time to mourn and a time to rejoice
There is a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. There is a time to look to the heavens and time to look to earth.
Let us pray and act together on earth! Alleluia, Amen
Prayer of Confession: Lord we confess that this baptism by fire is not the one we envisioned. Never did we imagine we would stand so close to poverty and death. We confess that we did not understand how fragile our human structures are. We did not imagine how dependent we are for one another in prayer and support. You would think after reading Acts every year, we would have had a better inkling of what it means to enact community on earth. But we have forgotten or lost sight of it. Help us to reclaim community of work and prayer that helps us to love and serve one another as Christ commanded on Maundy Thursday, we pray. Amen.
Prayer of Confession: Lord we confess, we would rather look towards heaven, than earth. How easy it is as humans to skip to the end. We want the kingdom to come right now, and have trouble learning that there is work to be done in the in-between. We confess that we though humans would stop being human and suddenly just all be the same, or get along, or all believe the same things. You know better Lord. Remind us how to eat, pray and live in harmony, even when we cannot see and touch one another. We pray in Christ’s name Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Christ sends no one out alone! He sends the Holy Spirit before us, companions along the way, and Christ promises to return once again. Be comforted by the ever present grace & forgiveness of God. Tell one another the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Assurance of Pardon: God sends us nowhere where we cannot be touched by grace. Know the truth In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Lord please send everything we have out in the world. Remind us to pray, encourage us to be in relationship with one another, and focus us upon the needs of the here and now, and help us to address the realities here on earth we pray. Amen.
Note: The apocalyptic nature of this reading gave me pause! The exegetes (esp NL Podcast) see this as referring to Jesus’ Passion as the space/place when God draws near to us. Our current times raise largely unanswerable questions about theodicy (why). While why is fascinating, more often what we really have to answer is “Given the situation, now what? What are we called to be and do?” I do have to confess to having a list of questions for God for when I get there. Don’t know if I’ll just know the answers; won’t feel the need to know anymore; or will have them answered. But I definitely have a list!
(referencing Isaiah 40:3-5, Mark 1:3, Matthew 3:3, Luke 3:4)
In the lonely places
The wilderness
Where we stand forlorn
Windswept and alone
Your voice calls out Prepare a way for the Lord
In the dark places
The shadows
Where we hide our fears
Embrace our tears
Your voice calls out Prepare a way for the Lord
God of hope, we come to you in the midst of a world fraught with troubles. Although the darkness is powerful, open our eyes, Lord, to the light of your presence. Give us faith to stand against the voices of division and violence. Through your Spirit remake us into hope-filled disciples, discovering lives attune to your wonder, and sparking in others a desire to know you more. In the name of the One who comes to us, we pray, Amen.
ere’s a prayer from Walter Brueggemann. It references Romans 8:18-25.
Waiting and Longing
God of the seasons,
God of the years,
God of the eons,
Alpha and Omega,
before us and after us.
You promise and we wait:
we wait with eager longing,
we wait amid doubt and anxiety,
we wait with patience thin
and then doubt,
and then we take life into our own hands.
We wait because you are the one and the only one.
We wait for your peace and your mercy,
for your justice and your good rule.
Give us your spirit that we may wait
obediently and with discernment,
caringly and without passivity,
trustingly and without cynicism
honestly and without utopianism,
Grant that our wait may be appropriate to your coming
soon and very soon,
soon and not late,
late but not too late.
Pecking away at our computers, sitting in a knot of traffic: we wait for you, God of all words, to speak to us.
Pacing the halls of a hospital, sitting outside the principal’s office: we wait for you, God of comfort, to fill us with hope.
In the silence of each night, beginning each day’s new journey: we wait for you, Steadfast Love, for you are our safe place.
Prayer of the Day
Keeper of every moment in eternity:
we come, not only to hear
those words which can transform us,
but to be filled with your grace and hope.
We have come, not out of habit,
but to respond to your call,
willing to be called away
from the familiar ways of our lives.
Walker of our journeys,
in the midst of our harried lives,
you call us to lay aside all that entangles us,
to follow you into service to others.
You invite us to step into
the waters of life and hope,
reaching out to draw others
to our side so, that together,
we might enter your kingdom
of laughter and joy.
Our Lord Jesus calls us to watch and pray, so let’s do that now,
responding to Lord, in your mercy with come and save your people.
Lord Jesus, thank you for coming in the flesh at Bethlehem, and for coming to us whenever we gather in your name. Keep us alert and watchful through the dark night of this world, and give us confidence as we wait for your coming in glory.
Lord, in your mercy… come and save your people.
We pray for your church—its people and pastors. Keep us alert and watchful in support of one another, guard us from everything false and untrue, and shine on us with the light of your holy word.
Lord, in your mercy… come and save your people.
We pray for the people of the world. Wake all people up to your just judgment and to your saving blood. Keep us alert and watchful as your witnesses in the world.
Lord, in your mercy… come and save your people.
We pray for the nations. Lift the eyes of those in authority to their duty to govern wisely and well, for the good of all. Curb all terror and replace it with peace. Keep us alert and watchful to serve you by giving good service to others on our daily lives.
Lord, in your mercy… come and save your people.
Thank you for providing us with everything we need for daily living. Bring relief to all those affected by drought, and poverty. Keep us alert and watchful to the needs of others, and move us to give generously to appeals at Christmas time.
Lord, in your mercy… come and save your people.
Lord, stand by those who wake or watch or weep. Rest those who are weary. Soothe those who suffer. Shield those who prosper. And come to those we know in particular need and whom we now name silently in our hearts… (brief silence)
Lord, in your mercy… come and save your people.
Lord Jesus, we do not know the day or the hour that you will come with great power and glory. Keep us always alert and watchful so we may welcome you with joy. For you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.
~ posted on the Lutheran Church of Australia’s Worship Planning Page. http://www.lca.org.au/
Here’s a call to worship and opening prayer based on the scripture readings for Proper 8 B (Ordinary 13 B). They come from the Ministry Matters website.
Call to Worship
(based on Psalm 130)
Wait for the Lord, like those who hope in God’s mercy. God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Watch for God, like those who eagerly await the morning. We watch for God, whose power redeems us.
Hear God’s hopeful word, like those who long for pardon. Sing praise to God and rejoice in God’s love.
Opening Prayer
(inspired by Mark 5:21-43)
Loving God,
we are yours.
We come as we are,
with our cares and concerns.
We long to touch you
and find healing in your embrace.
Strengthen our faith
and heal our brokenness,
that we may worship you with joy. Amen.
God of compassion, the way of the cross is as much a mystery to us as it was to the immediate followers of Jesus. But we have heard how your grace is exercised in the journey of suffering and rejection experienced by Jesus. Help us to hear with ears inspired, to see with eyes opened to your ways, and to respond with lives committed to your service.
God of our Lenten journey, we watch and walk with Jesus.
We repent O God. We cannot name our own cross even though we try. You must show us the cross you give us. Help us see. Give us the faith to respond and follow Jesus. We have heard that it is in losing our life for the sake of Gospel of Jesus that we find our life.
God of our Lenten journey, we watch and walk with Jesus.
— from The Prayers of Our Church, written by Bishop Telmor Sartison. Posted on the Worshipwebsite of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.
The Path Ahead
(based on Mark 13: 24-37)
Watch out! Be alert!
Christ comes when you least expect it.
In the beggar on the street,
In the loved one at our table,
In the stranger in our pew,
In the refugee on our shores,
In the hour of birth.
In the hour of death.
With judgement and mercy, Christ comes.
Watch out! Be alert!
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
will
be with you now and always.
Amen!
— written by Bruce Prewer, and posted on Bruce Prewer’s Homepage. Visit his site for other wonderful lectionary-based worship resources.
Lord, we had the best laid plans. The teacher were teaching, the doctors were healing, the calendars were full. And we had everything set. But plans are ephemeral, the illusion of control. Now all our best laid plans fail. We cobble together new ones, but they are ragged and imperfect. We have no best laid plans. All we have is you, O God. Be with us we pray. (Silent confession) Amen.
Greek lectionary for vv. 1-8 What is the foundation of your life? And second, what is the destiny of life? Jesus as the cornerstone (cf. 12:10) and the days of fulfillment. The disciples actually ask, “Where are these stones from/What kind of stones are these?” (no adjective) http://lectionarygreek.blogspot.com/2012/11/mark-131-8.html
The birthpangs of deliverance—and remaining ready. Parallels between the times Jesus says the master may return and the upcoming betrayals related to his Passion. Yet there is still hope even for the faithless disciples. http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=4239
Note: This passage raises questions about what Jesus means by noting the widow’s contribution. It is not clear whether he is commending her, condemning the authorities and/or both. We serve a congregation where we have many people living on fixed incomes in homes that are already paid for and who have very little, if any, “expendable” income, so caution and prayer are in order! For a discussion of the pitfalls of the passage, see
Includes https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2662, which notes that widow’s mite is tied to what comes before and, in addition to being about giving one’s all, it exposed the religious leaders for their hypocrisy. And, it may just expose us all!
https://www.workingpreacher.org/narrative_podcast.aspx?podcast_id=730 Podcast addressing the status of the poor widow and the most vulnerable and her living out the loving of neighbor of the great commandment in the context of the temple & Jesus’ interactions with the religious leaders of the day. vv. 35-44.
Here’s a closing commission and benediction based on Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Matthew 12:28-34. It was written by Nathan Nettleton.
Commission & Benediction
(inspired by Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Matthew 12:28-34)
Hear this: the Lord our God is the one and only Lord.
Therefore go out into the world
and love the Lord your God
with all your heart, soul, mind and strength,
and love others as you love yourself.
And may God give you justice and freedom;
May Christ Jesus set you free for love;
and may the Holy Spirit go where you go
……..and protect you on your way.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
…In the name of Christ. Amen.
Sing one song with which to love God and one about loving each other. Introduce each identifying its purpose. Two possibilities:
“For the Beauty of the Earth” for loving God
“Lord Help Us Accept Each Other” for loving each other
> Base the Prayer of Confession on the two great commandments. As you do, remember that children respond more to specifics than to generalities. So you may want to name the currently “in” sport rather than simply “our sports.” Read the commandments just before the congregation prays as follows
Lord God, we know that you are ONE and that you are the center of the whole universe
but we treat all sorts of things as if
they were more important than the one true God.
We say we give our hearts to you
but often our hearts are more devoted to
what we wear, to our sports, and to our friends.
We pour out our souls to you when we need you
but not when life is smooth and easy.
We mean to love you with all our minds
but our minds stray to what we want
and what others are saying.
We are more likely to use our strength to get what we need and want
than to get what you want for us and those around us.
We love the neighbors we choose to love
and only when they love us back.
Forgive us. Write your commands on our hearts and souls and in our minds. Work it into our muscles so that we may truly be your people.
We pray in the name of Jesus who poured out his heart and soul and mind and strength for us and forgives us when we turn on him. Amen.
Prayer of Confession: Lord we confess that we do not understand your upsidedown world of grace. How can you let everyone in? How can we let everyone in? Help us to give you the power and the glory forever we pray.
Prayer of Confession: Lord please stoop down and whisper in my ear, for I confess I am needy, be gracious to me. I am crying for you all the day long, listen to my prayer. Comfort me I pray.
Prayer of Confession: Lord, my heart is divided. Reverence of you is out of reach. I have forgotten your ways. Teach me so I might walk in your truth I pray.
Assurance of Pardon: The Lord is good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call out to God. We can know the good news In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayer of Dedication/Prayer of the Day: Lord please gladden the soul of your servant. I lift up my soul. In the day of trouble I call on you, for you will answer. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth. Give me an undivided heart to revere your name.
Communion Prayer: Lord, you stooped kneeling into the fully human Jesus, as Christ himself, speaking our language, eating our food, teaching our children. And when the world seemed to be ending and Jesus was betrayed and again when he ascended into heaven he promised to send his Holy Spirit to be present among us, blessing us, inspiring us and encouraging us. Send that Holy Spirit here today so we can taste and see your way we pray. Amen
With Children: Play Mother May I (Let everyone win), Have a Feast/Party: Let everyone take part in waves, Do a puzzle note how it doesn’t matter what order the pieces come as long as they are all there; or create a puzzle or color different pieces of the same picture and put them together
Hymns: Jesus the Very Thought of Thee, Come Down O Love Divine, Open My Eyes that I May See, Blessed Assurance Jesus is Mine, Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, If I Had a Thousand Tongues to Sing
O magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt God’s name together!
Call to Worship:
The Lord is near the brokenhearted
God saves those who feel crushed in spirit!
Remember God will save every last person who calls out, and the Last shall be First.
Let us Praise God, full of grace.
Prayer of Dedication/Prayer of the Day: Let us all depart from evil! Remember do good, seek peace and pursue it.
Prayer of Confession: In a world of buried Praises, we confess that we still hesitate to cry out Hosanna: save us! Why do we hesitate to call on you. Only you know oh God. Open our mouths up with prayers whether they are full of praise or full of anguish. Help us to confess our full selves to you we pray. Hosanna Lord!
Communion Prayer: God thank you so much for this meal and this communion with one another and you. You feed us with your good and your love, indeed with your very essence so we are able to carry on in this world. Feed us with the strength of your Holy Spirit, bless us in whatever order you wish, teach us to serve now and always we pray.
Prayer of Confession: Lord we confess that we argue about who gets to sit next to you, not able to hear that whenever you come to earth you will be found on your knees serving. Teach us to serve, so we might find our place beside you we pray.
Assurance of Pardon: The Lord redeems the life of all who serve God, none who take refuge will be condemned. Hear the Great News: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven
Hymns: He is King of Kings, Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God, Jesus Jesu Fill Us With Your Love, Lift High the Cross, Called to Partners in Christ’s Service, Amazing Grace
With Children: Build with Blocks (talk about the construction and what will happen is the bottom block is taken out), Create a Serving Calendar of one thing to do every week of Lent, draw invisible hearts with white crayons: Have the children watercolor to reveal God’s Love.
The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom should I be afraid?
Only you God, are worthy of praise, let us praise the Lord.
Prayer of Confession Lord, I am so fixated on making my life profitable. I want to be famous, or rich, or well liked. I do not want to take up my cross and follow, the world’s easy ways tempt me. Remind me of your kingdom and power forever I pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession: God I don’t want to know that you are going to die for me. It makes me feel weak, worthless, angry and sad all at the same time. Who am I that you are going to die for me. Remind me who I am in your eyes I pray.
Prayer of Confession: (unison) Help us to wait for you, O Lord. Be strong and take heart, you say. Give us the courage as we wait for the Lord. Send us forth believing that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: God gave us his beloved son so we might hear and know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Assurance of Pardon: God is our shelter from sin, his grace covers me so I know the truth. In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: One thing I ask, O Lord, that I may live in your house all the days of my life. Shelter me so that I might live in the shadow of your love today and everyday I pray. Amen
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Help us to wait for you, O Lord. Be strong and take heart, you say. Give us the courage as we wait for the Lord we pray. Amen.
Hymns: Lift High the Cross, I want To Be a Christian in My Heart, Somebody’s Knocking at your Door, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty, Lift Up the Gates Eternal, Called to Partners in Christ’s Service, God is My Strong Salvation, Take My Life, Jesus on the Mountain Peak, O Wondrous Sight, O Vision Fair, Be Thou My Vision
With Children: Books Red, I Don’t Want to be a Frog, Transmorgificaion (Calvin and Hobbes box have them walk thru to be more themselves, Play with White Clay (Talk about how clay is always clay but dry/fired clay is different than wet clay)
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you accept all worship, no matter how imperfect, as long as it is sincere
Write your love on my lips and my head and my heart
That I might reflect it back to you in praise
Call to Worship
Symbols of worship are well and good, but Lord open my heart so that I might be filled with your Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit Come! Inspire us to Praise, Encourage us to Praise, Counsel us about who your are!
Lord create in us a new heart for you, for you are holy
Come Let us Praise the Lord
Prayer for Confession: Have mercy on me, O God. My sins itch in my soul. Soothe them away with your love. The jarring of my wrongs disturb the harmonies of my life. Sing them away with your grace. Comfort me, that I can still come into your perfect presence, and teach me your ways Lord.
Prayer of Confession: I am but a bag of crushed bones, weighed down by sins. I feel stuck. Deliver me God, so that I can once again sing of your deliverance I pray.
Assurance of Pardon: God promises to never ever leave us. As reliable as the mountains, as varied as the rainbow, as cyclical as a garden, God’s love never fails us. Therefore know the Truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Assurance of Pardon: God will restore our salvation again and again, sustaining in us a willing spirit. Know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Assurance ofPardon: Hear the good news Jesus has already come, restoring us to salvation. Know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Eucharist Prayer: God is love incarnate. When words and stars and rainbows and columns of burning fire and even covenants written in stone failed to impart the magnitude of God’s love to us, God embodied love for us in the boundary breaking, truth telling, justice fighting person of Jesus Christ. And I will tell us that Christ was born for us, Christ dies for us, Christ reigns in his Kingdom for us and Christ promises to return. We await that return with baited breath. Practicing the Kingdom meal over and over again, until the act of tasting a single crumb of bread and a single drop of the cup will serve help us to realize that heaven is home. We are practicing this here and now, Jesus, so please send your Holy Spirit here to embody, encourage, embolden and counsel us in all the ways we need to be coaxed into the kingdom. Lead us there today and throughout our day, year and life we pray.
Prayer of Dedication/Prayer of the Day: Holy God, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Grant us the echoes of grace we need to sustain our life, our hope, our faith we pray.
Hymns: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty, Create in Me a Clean Heart, If I had thousand Tongues to Sing, Amazing Grace, O God in a Mysterious Way
I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to the house of the Lord
Let us build this as a place of peace and security
For the sake of our friends and family let us say to one another Peace be with you
Peace be with you, come let us seek good
Call to Worship:
We are called and sent two by two
God provides us all we need
Let us pray and anoint and heal together
Come let us worship the Lord
Prayer of Confession: God we confess that we do not go into the world, we stay on the known path. We lack courage, we forget the weak, we ignore suffering. We do not honor each other, we have trouble loving and serving the Lord. Restore us to your house and teach us how to pass the peace we pray. Amen.
Prayer of Confession:Discipleship is so hard, Lord. Often we are carrying too much baggage with us from place to place to place. When we are hurt, we have trouble shaking the dust off our feet and hear the echoes of what was said before. We doubt that we have the authority to banish demons. Encourage us in our discipleship we pray
Prayer of Confession: God, we confess that discipleship is hard. Often we carry baggage with us from place to place, much more than the recommended staff. We have trouble shaking the dust off our feet from troubling experiences. We struggle to take on the authority to banish demons. Help us to be the disciples you would have us to be.
Assurance of Pardon: Peace be with you. God’s grace reigns down and proclaims the truth In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayer of Dedication/Prayer of the Day: Lord, help us to seek the good. Help us to say Peace be with you for every single individual we meet, for the sake of all of our community for our friends, neighbors and families. Let us pray for peace within all our walls we pray.
Communion: Let us give thanks to the Prince of Peace, who welcomes us into the kingdom with a celebratory meal, bringing us together. The bread and cup tie us together, build our community and sends us out for the work of peace. May we share Christ by sharing the peace here today and everyday.
Hymns: Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God, We will serve the Lord, Called to Partner’s in Christ’s Service, All Hail for Christ’s Anointed, Be Thou My Vision, For All the Saints, Lead On O King Eternal
With Children: Pack for a trip (pretend pack with paper items), Talk about/write down hurtful words and things: rip them up/shake the dust from your feet, Anoint each other with oil and pray for each other.
We will come, whenever you call, for you are full of grace and healing
Let us worship the one who is the power and the resurrection forever.
Call to Worship
Come let us contemplate the Lord together
God your works are too marvelous for me to comprehend
Yet, like a weaned child with it’s mother, we are comforted
Come let us put our hope in the Lord
Prayer of Confession: God, I confess that I am unable to fully understand you in all of your might. When I am overwhelmed, lead me back to you, comfort me, nuzzle me, calm and quiet my soul I pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession: God, today, like the woman who suffered for twelve years, I come to you with an open wound. No healing has taken place, and my pain is dripping on the floor, embarrassing me. Teach me to but touch you today so that the healing I need may start I pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession: My soul cries out for the Lord, like a child. I sit on the floor and I scream, feeling like nothing will every be right again. But then you pick me up, hug me, feed me and put me safely to bed, enveloping me in your love. Surround me with that comfort I pray.
Assurance of Pardon: God you are our comfort when the rest of the world is full of rocks and scrapes, no matter what scoop us down and put us back on our feet again and again. In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Assurance of Pardon: There is no mistake too big for God to forgive. That’s why God sent Jesus. Know the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God, you leave the light on for all of your children. Help us to go out into the world and invite others into your love we pray. Amen.
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: Lord, you will repeat your message of love as often as we need to hear it. Let us echo in our minds, hearts and souls we pray.
Prayer of Communion: Lord, what have I to fear from you. You who loved us into being, breathing life into us, gifting us with the entire world to take care of. Then when we stumbled, you sent Jesus to be our sibling and make us co-heirs to your kingdom. You have assured a place for us in your house, and you make us welcome with the Kingdom meal, even here and now on earth. Send your Holy Spirit upon this feast so that we may celebrate communion with entire family of God we pray.
Hymns: This is Our Father’s World, Blessed Assurance Jesus is Mine, God is My Rock
With Children: Create a picture/clay/image of a mother God comforting a baby. Look through parenting magazine and create a collage of all the mothers and babies/children. Runaway Bunny, You are My I Love You, Follow the Moon, Take turns “sleeping” and having Jesus wake you up as Jairus’ child. Interrupting Chicken books, Talk about Important interruptions
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