I don’t know about you, but after all the words we all used in the past week, I can use a little inspiration. Here are some liturgical pieces from members of our RevGals community — ready to be used or adapted for your context. If you can give credit in print or in video descriptions, that’s great (verbal attribution is not necessary).
Call to Worship by Joanna Harader, based on John 20.19-31
Come, Holy Spirit,
The wind of God, the breath of Life.
Come, Holy Spirit,
Our Advocate, our Counselor.
Come, Holy Spirit,
Teacher of Wisdom, Reminder of Christ.
Come, Holy Spirit,
Granter of forgiveness, giver of peace.
Come, Holy Spirit.
May we feel God breathing through our worship.
May we receive the Holy Spirit in this place. Amen.
Call to worship by Joanna Harader, based on Psalm 133
Though we may be inclined to brag, let us come together with humility.
How good a thing it is when all of God’s people live together in unity.
Though we may be tempted to use harsh words, let us come together with gentleness.
How good a thing it is when all of God’s people live together in unity.
Though we may want everything to happen quickly, let us come together with patience.
How good a thing it is when all of God’s people live together in unity.
Though the world around often encourages hate, let us come together in love.
How good a thing it is when all of God’s people live together in unity.
In humility, gentleness, patience, love, and unity,
Let us worship the God who has called us together.
Call to Worship by Teri Peterson, for Luke 24.13-35
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed—Alleluia!
Word and Table come together, and our eyes are opened.
We come to encounter the Living Word:
to see and hear, to know and love, to speak out and reach out,
because God’s love cannot be contained. Alleluia!
Prayer of Confession by Kathy Swaar, based on John 20:19-31
Ever and always present, Holy One,
you companion us every moment of every day –
In the pre-dawn darkness, in the evening dusk,
in life and death, joy and sorrow,
in abundance and emptiness, in safety and in fear.
But, finite and earth-bound, we confess we human creatures
don’t always sense your eternal presence.
Forgive us, Author of Life.
Sharpen our awareness of you always in our midst.
Breathe light and life into the dead, empty places of our lives.
Infuse us with your Spirit, wash us with your Word.
Speak peace to each weary soul.
Open our eyes, our minds, our hearts to receive your gifts and graces.
And having forgiven us, help us forgive ourselves.
Prayer of Confession by Barb Hedges-Goettl, based on Luke 24:13-34
When we are lost in the trials of our times, overwhelmed by threats and fears, forgive us, O God.
When we ask each other how we can even go on rather than asking you, forgive us, O God.
When in our grief we see you as a stranger who doesn’t know about us, forgive us, O God.
When we lose hope and despair of your promises, forgive us, O God.
(Silent confession)
The risen Jesus comes alongside us, interpreting the scriptures and sharing bread with us. Thanks be to God for the Good News of Jesus’ triumph over sin and death. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
Offertory Prayer by Joanna Harader
Holy One, you have given yourself to us in Creator, in Christ, in the Spirit. We now give back to you:
this money that seems so little; this worship that seems so small; these words that never quite get it right.
Receive what we offer and transform it by the power of your Spirit into:
enough money, sufficient praise, worthy words
for proclaiming and enacting your peace, justice, and love in the world.
Invitation to Communion for the Road to Emmaus, by Teri Peterson
at this table we see—for Christ is revealed in the breaking of bread.
at this table we are fed—Christ fills us with all we need to live his way.
at this table we are sent—to witness to the truth that Christ is alive, and love wins.
This feast of the risen Lord knows no boundaries—here saint and sinner, young and old, black and brown and white, people of every nation and language, every time and place, feasting for the first time or the thousandth time—all come together, and in that beautiful cloud of witnesses we see God’s face, made known to us as we gather around.
This is not a Presbyterian table, it is the Lord’s table, and it is Christ himself who invites you to share the feast he has prepared, to see him more clearly and share his story in your life.
Music suggestion: for those following the Narrative Lectionary, this is the perfect week for Brian Woodcock’s hymn “Let us stay together for a time” (Iona Abbey Music Book #72). There seems to be only one YouTube video and it’s VERY slow, much slower than Brian would intend. But if you want someone to sing it a cappella for you I might be able to manage a little recording. Comment below or email us and I’ll see what I can do.
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.
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