We welcome each other
and welcome the Spirit
and Jesus welcomes us
into the presence of God
and welcome the Spirit
and Jesus welcomes us
into the presence of God
Welcome In
A Collection of ‘Call to Worship’ resources for download (A5 booklet)
A Collection of ‘Call to Worship’ resources for download (A5 booklet)
Introducing: Call to Worship
The chatter fades. The people stop looking around to see who’s coming in late; eyes forward. Breath slows, a sigh of two. Ah… a moment of peace, a moment of expectation. How will we begin, this Sunday morning?
This moment is when we call the congregation to worship. Often we sing, but we need words too. We gather ourselves together away from our rush and lists or our pain and loneliness. We gather ourselves into the presence of God, in the company of each other.
The words in this Collection are written to help you with that. Most of them are based on specific Biblical texts (mainly Psalms and Ephesians). They are written in open, every-day language which people of all ages and abilities can connect with, while also honouring and remembering old familiar texts. They tend to be up-beat, focused on praise, focused on God, without denying life’s struggles.
Most of them are in the form of ‘call and response’, with one person leading and the congregation saying the lines in bold (easy enough to do on Powerpoint). Because everyone can both read and hear the words it’s a great opportunity to invite less experienced Readers to lead, including the young and the old and the shy. Or two readers could alternate sections, or just one reader can say it all. If the suggested format doesn’t suit you, change it. If it’s too long, just read part of it.
The chatter fades. The people stop looking around to see who’s coming in late; eyes forward. Breath slows, a sigh of two. Ah… a moment of peace, a moment of expectation. How will we begin, this Sunday morning?
This moment is when we call the congregation to worship. Often we sing, but we need words too. We gather ourselves together away from our rush and lists or our pain and loneliness. We gather ourselves into the presence of God, in the company of each other.
The words in this Collection are written to help you with that. Most of them are based on specific Biblical texts (mainly Psalms and Ephesians). They are written in open, every-day language which people of all ages and abilities can connect with, while also honouring and remembering old familiar texts. They tend to be up-beat, focused on praise, focused on God, without denying life’s struggles.
Most of them are in the form of ‘call and response’, with one person leading and the congregation saying the lines in bold (easy enough to do on Powerpoint). Because everyone can both read and hear the words it’s a great opportunity to invite less experienced Readers to lead, including the young and the old and the shy. Or two readers could alternate sections, or just one reader can say it all. If the suggested format doesn’t suit you, change it. If it’s too long, just read part of it.
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Great –
great is our God! Lift – lift up your head, look up! Look – glimpse the greatness hidden in the air carved in stone, curled in leaf Praise – drag gratitude up from the soles of your feet Beyond – utter astonishment shooting beyond your words exhausting your language splashing your imagining with infinity Wonder – simple awe jaw dropping heart stopping beauty Stand – stand in awe, drop everything for great is our God! |
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An Open-Eyes Prayer
As we come to church this morning, we look around
We see this beautiful place, the solid beams of wood above us
the colour of the glass, the light shining through
the strong walls, each stone cut and laid exactly square.
May this place draw us into you, loving God.
As we come to church this morning, we look around
We see these people, each so precious, each unique
little ones, older ones, busy ones, tired ones
each come to be part of something bigger than just ‘me’
May this community draw us into you, loving God.
As we come to church this morning, we look inward
We close our eyes, we rest a moment
breathe in and out
You, O God, are within us, beneath us, above us and around
in the motes of dust that float in the air
in the stillness that rests under all the noise
In this place and in every place, draw us into you, loving God. Amen.
As we come to church this morning, we look around
We see this beautiful place, the solid beams of wood above us
the colour of the glass, the light shining through
the strong walls, each stone cut and laid exactly square.
May this place draw us into you, loving God.
As we come to church this morning, we look around
We see these people, each so precious, each unique
little ones, older ones, busy ones, tired ones
each come to be part of something bigger than just ‘me’
May this community draw us into you, loving God.
As we come to church this morning, we look inward
We close our eyes, we rest a moment
breathe in and out
You, O God, are within us, beneath us, above us and around
in the motes of dust that float in the air
in the stillness that rests under all the noise
In this place and in every place, draw us into you, loving God. Amen.