Conceal Me

Call to Worship

Children of God, when you are surrounded on every side by shadows that frighten and voices that deride and confuse, what do you say?

God is our light and our salvation! Whom shall we fear?

When threats bombard you from every corner, stealing the security and peace you long for, what do you say?

God is the stronghold of our lives! Of whom shall we be afraid?

When anxiety and loneliness overwhelm and you do not know who or what to trust any more, what do you say?

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Because God knows our suffering. God makes a home among us, welcoming us to come home to God and one another.

Come! Let us worship God who hides us in the day of trouble and conceals us together under the cover of the tent of Love.

Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, September 2024.

Prayers of the People

This prayer includes an option to sing the congregational response, using the chorus from “Jesus Is a Rock” (Worship and Song, 3074). If you choose not to include the sung response, consider using the final line of each petition as the congregational response. Alternatively, you could also conclude each petition with “God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.”

Loving God,

We pray for those in our community who are bombarded with troubles, surrounded on all sides by threats to their well-being, their livelihood, and their thriving. God, be their shelter in the time of storm.

Jesus is a rock in a weary land,
a weary land, a weary land;
my Jesus is a rock in a weary land,
a shelter in the time of storm.

We pray for those in our community who long for peace, those who are burnt out, shut out, and ready to hide out because it all feels like too much. God, be their shelter in the time of storm.

Jesus is a rock in a weary land,
a weary land, a weary land;
my Jesus is a rock in a weary land,
a shelter in the time of storm.

We pray for those in our world who can’t remember what safety feels like, who, after years of violence and unrest, cannot imagine what a day, a week, a year without fighting would feel like. God, be their shelter in the time of storm.

Jesus is a rock in a weary land,
a weary land, a weary land;
my Jesus is a rock in a weary land,
a shelter in the time of storm.

God, teach us to be your sanctuary in the world. Give us the courage to make peace, extend care, and provide for the thriving of all who wonder how they will even survive. Help us be their shelter in the time of storm.

Jesus is a rock in a weary land,
a weary land, a weary land;
my Jesus is a rock in a weary land,
a shelter in the time of storm.

Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, September 2024. Prayer response from “Jesus Is a Rock in a Weary Land” in Worship and Song (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2011), 3074.

Prayer of Confession

We live in the shadow of peace, O God, but too often, we face the shadow and not the light. We pray for peace today because we know we are not a whole people without it. Forgive us our warring madness, our abuse of power, and our disregard of the rights of others. Lift from us the burden of the need always to be in control. Teach us the ways of mutual love for all people. Help us to give peace a chance. Amen.

Written by Paul B. Robinson in Touch Holiness: Resources for Worship, Updated, eds. Ruch C. Duck and Maren C. Tirabassi (Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 2012), 222.

For use in worship, include the following permissions statement:

Reprinted by permission of the publisher from Touch Holiness, ed. Ruth C. Duck and Maren C. Tirabassi. Copyright © 1990 by The Pilgrim Press.

Benediction

Go, now, in the blessing of God who conceals you in the tent of God’s love, that you may invite others to come home to God who is Love. Amen.

Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, September 2024.