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…
This is a fairly generic call to worship, written with the story of Nathan and David in mind: Leader:We come to hear the stories Side 1: of other people Side 2: in another world All: long ago. Leader: We come to hear the stories Side 1: that are also about us Side 2: today All:…
If you are looking for material connected to this week’s lectionary readings, there is a call to worship and benediction that go along with the feeding of the 5000+ here. Tomorrow is the funeral for the 6-year-old son of two of my college friends. I have been holding them in deep prayer this week, while…
This Call to Worship and Prayer of Confession are based on this week’s Gospel reading from the lectionary. (You know I am a liturgy nerd when I read the lectionary texts and write prayers for FUN while I’m on Sabbatical!) Call to Worship Some of us are exhausted. We come to rest. Some of…
On Saturday, July 7, at 12:45, many people will gather together at the Western District Conference assembly for prayer. We will pray and sing and hear scripture together in preparation for the afternoon delegate session. For those who are not in Oklahoma City this weekend and would like to pray with us, here is the…
The worship piece this week is a prayer of confession and assurance of pardon based on the New Testament lectionary readings for the upcoming Sunday. Blessings to all who are planning worship this week! Prayer of Confession (based on Mark 6:7-13) Holy One of Nazareth, We see you calm storms, heal illness, even restore life,…
Here is a call to worship based on this week’s Gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary: We gather together in this place of peace . . . Why are we afraid? As storms buffet Why are we afraid? As nations rage Why are we afraid? As relationships crumble Why are we afraid? As illness…
I saw that Psalm 130 is coming up as a lectionary reading for July 1. What a beautiful, heartbreaking piece of poetry! I just posted a sermon I wrote on Psalm 130 back in 2006. (Hard to believe I’ve been preaching that long!) And here is a simple responsive reading from Psalm 130 that can…
I’m loosing track of the days during these summer months–thus a “weekly” worship piece instead of a “Wednesday” worship piece. I imagine I am not the only pastor preparing for a summer wedding (or two or more). My favorite benediction for weddings comes from Ephesians 3:16-19. I pray that out of God’s glorious riches you…
You can find some additional worship pieces for Trinity Sunday on the Index page. And don’t miss the sermon in which I explain the Trinity in 1700 words or less. Here are today’s offerings: Communion Prayer Creator God, we give you thanks for the grain farmers, the bread bakers, the grape growers, the juice makers.…
Spacious Faith 