Worship Words

If you’ve struggled to find liturgical language adequate to this moment (pandemic, political crises, civil unrest, widely publicised injustices, and so much more), you’re not alone. By this point in 2020, with a seemingly endless journey ahead too, many of us are a little low on creativity. Here we have some contributions from our RevGals community to help — feel free to use as-is, adapt, or use for inspiration. If you use them in printed materials, please note the author and revgalblogpals.org. If you use them in online worship and it is possible to give credit in video descriptions, that is sufficient (no need for verbal attribution). Thanks!

Invocation/Call to Worship/Opening Prayer by Kathy Swaar
based on Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17

Lord, from age to age, throughout all generations,
from everlasting to everlasting, eternity to eternity,
you are and ever have been our dwelling place,
our refuge, our sanctuary,
our home.

Before the earth was born,
before the mountains stretched to the sky,
before you fashioned us from the dust of the earth,
you are—and ever will be—God,
Creator of all, Lord of all, Author of Life.

In gladness and joy for your unfailing love,
your endless compassion, your saving grace,
we lift our hearts in praise.

He was speaking about us’

Matthew 22:33–46

What power is this,
to wield his words
as if a sword to slice
open armour of self-
righteousness, lay us bare
before ourselves and turn
our shields to mirrors
bearing images of ugly,
greedy, thugs of murder
unworthy of the vineyard
entrusted to our care;
and where is our humility
as we retreat to plot
another execution that will
not save us from ourselves?

https://soundcloud.com/sarahtellsstories/he-was-speaking-about-us

And for those that follow the Narrative Lectionary from Deborah Roof

Liturgy for Sunday October 25, 2020 2 Samuel 7:1-17
(Written with several readers because we no longer do unison prayers.)

Call to worship:
One: Come! Come to praise our Holy and timeless God!
Two: Come! Come to worship our God of past, present and future!
Three: Come! Come to hear the wisdom, embrace the glory and bask in the light of God!
One: We come to listen to the holy Word of God and to hear God’s will for our lives.
Two: We come to feel the encompassing compassion of God and breathe in God’s peace.
Three: We come to unite under God’s loving countenance.

Invocation:
One: God of shepherds and kings, God of past and future, remind us of the promises of old and remind us that to you those promises are as present to us and they were to David. May we be transformed from our noble shepherd mindset to the very heart of beneficent royalty. May our Spirits be ignited once again with divine passion for a new Calling – one of courage and truth in these chaotic times.

Call to Confession:
Two: We fall short, we just do. Even great King David gave in to earthly ambition and pleasure. It is time to refocus and to attend to what really counts.

Prayer of Confession:
Three: Holy One, we become blinded to the cries of the hungry while our attention is drawn into societal pressures and political division. Our get swept up into the seduction of consumerism and we lose sight of what is truly meaningful. Bring us back to you, O God, and refocus our energy on what you require of us. We pray with the confidence of a shepherd and the passion of a king. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon:
Pastor: Just as God gave determination to the young shepherd David, just as God forgave the King his transgressions, God hears our prayers now and is already acting in our best interest. Thanks be to God.

Offertory Invitation:
One: David’s awe of God was so profound that he wanted to offer God the gift of a home. The reality of God is that God’s home is in our hearts and God does neither warrant nor expect our gifts. Our motivation for giving therefore comes from a place of awestruck gratitude and appreciation. Let us give with openness and grace.

Dedication of the offering:
Pastor: Generous God of all good gifts, we give not because we must. We give because we want to acknowledge in some small way the generosity that we receive from you. We ask your blessing upon these gifts that through them your children in our neighborhoods and around the world may know you that much more. With humble gratitude we pray. Amen.

Love Our Neighbour – Catherine MacDonald

Tune – Holy Manna 8787D

In this world of strife and anger
In this world of doubt and pain.
Jesus joins us on the journey
Daring us to live God’s reign.
Love our neighbour, love one another.
Love our God, this is the way.
Love abundant, love expanding
Love is more than words to say.

We are givers, we are takers.
We are wounded, we are healed.
We are Indigenous, we are settlers
We need justice to be real.
Love our neighbour, love one another.
Love our God, this is the way.
Love abundant, love expanding
Love is more than words to say.

We who once were lost and seeking
We who wandered all around.
God show us that life’s abundant.
When we share with all around.
Love our neighbour, love one another.
Love our God, this is the way.
Love abundant, love expanding
Love is more than words to say.

RevGalBlogPals encourages you to share our blog posts via email or social media. We do not grant permission to cut-and-paste prayers and articles without a link back to the specific post. For permission to use material in paper publications, please email revgalblogpals at gmail dot com. For Worship Words, you may use or adapt what you find here, but please credit the author in printed orders of service/web publications and in public video descriptions if possible.

If you have written words for worship in this strange new world that you are willing to share, please send us an email: revgalblogpals at gmail dot com.