Sometimes there is one phrase in a given scripture passage that grabs my attention and seems to bear repeating.  This happened for me this morning with part of verse 29 from the Ephesians 4 reading. So today I offer a call to worship based on Ephesians 4:29, as well as a piece for communion preparation I wrote awhile back based on John 6.

Call to Worship

 Holy One,
As we gather this morning to worship you,
May we speak truth,
So that our words may give grace to those who hear.
May we pray in faith,
So that our words may give grace to those who hear.
May we sing with joy,
So that our words may give grace to those who hear.
May we listen with open minds and receptive hearts,
So that Your words may give grace to us who hear.

Amen.

Here are the responsive words of preparation for communion, based on John 6:

Jesus told the crowd, “You are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.”

We are indeed hungry. We want to have our fill.

“It is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

We are hungry for life. Give us this bread.

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

We are thirsty for life. Give us a drink.

“I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. All who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Lord, we do not want to eat your flesh or drink your blood.

“My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them.”

This is a hard teaching. But we are hungry. We are thirsty. What you offer, we accept.

If you are working with the reading from Psalm 130, you might want to look at this sermon and prayer of confession.

*For those new to the blog, I post worship pieces each week–usually on Wednesday. Sermons and liturgical material is indexed by scripture and topic on the Index page. You are welcome to use any of these pieces in your own worship setting.

If you like what you see here, consider signing up for a free email subscription (on the right side bar) or liking Spacious Faith on Facebook.