Gathering Meditation and Choral Call to Worship for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year B

Gathering Meditation
(Based on Deuteronomy 18:15-20)
God will raise up a prophet when God needs a courageous word spoken.
Like Moses and Mama and Auntie and Uncle,
God will raise up for us a prophet from among us
Like coaches who care and teachers who pray
For athletes and students as they would their own.
Like barbers and beauticians who
Ask the right questions at the right time
To pull us back to safety before we commit some crime.
God will raise up a prophet to speak God's word to us.
And anyone who doesn't listen will have to deal with God.

A Choral Call to Worship
(Based on Psalm 111:1)
[Optional: Use with conga, djembe, or other hand drums in the background. To hear one way this Choral Call to Worship may be shared, listen to this mp3 file, one of many included in the Africana Worship Book, Year B.]

Reader One: Come on!
Reader Two: Come on! Reader Three: Come on!
(Repeat and gradually increase in volume.)

Reader One: Come on everybody!
Reader Two: Everybody means you.
Reader Three: Come on everybody.

All Readers: Let's praise, praise, praise, praise, praise, praise, praise the Lord. (Repeat)

All Readers: Who's gonna' praise the Lord today?

Reader One: I'm gonna' praise the Lord today.
Reader Two: With my whole heart!
Reader Three: With my whole mind!
Reader One: With my whole self!
Reader Two: With all the strength that I have!

All Readers: Who's gonna' praise the Lord today?

Reader Two: I'm gonna' praise the Lord today.
Reader Three: In front of friends!
Reader One: In front of family!
Reader Two: In front of preachers and Sunday school teachers!

All Readers: Now everybody praise the Lord! Let everybody praise our Lord! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!!!

Congregational Prayer
(Based on 1 Corinthians 8:1-13)
Lord, help me when I'm "puffy" — when I'm so puffed up with importance that I tear others down; when I'm too puffed up to focus on loving God and being loved by God; when I suck in words and spew out thoughts that are far removed from holy. Remind me that puffy thoughts can pound and wound your people. Lord, let the hot air out of my balloon when I'm tempted to be "puffy."

Benediction
(Based on Mark 1:21-28)

May the God, who has all power in heaven and earth,
Who, through the Son Jesus Christ, taught people with authority and commanded unclean spirits to flee;
May the God, who sits enthroned with the earth as his footstool;
May this God of power and authority rule and reign in our hearts today. Amen.

Source: Africana Worship Book for Year B. Used with permission.