Call to Worship

Welcome! Welcome to the baggage we carry, the joys we share, the griefs we bear, and the worries we hold.
Come! Let us worship!

The voice of God is calling us to come with all that we are and all that we carry to worship.
Come! Let us worship!

God calls us to gather, to receive grace in our gathering, and to reorient us again to the ways of God.
Come! Let us worship!

So, come, members of the family of God! Bring all that you are to be molded by grace, refocused toward Love, and woven together as community in Christ.
Come! Let us worship! Thanks be to God. Amen.

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

Prayer for the Day

Equip us, God, for the work of ministry. For the work involved with building unity of purpose and vision. Equip us with saints who will say yes to your will and yes to your way. Equip us, God, to journey with Jesus through life’s uncertain paths. Equip us, God, with maturity that comes from knowing you. Equip us, God, to speak the truth in love even when it’s uncomfortable. Equip us to move beyond a childish faith that whines for more while giving less. Equip us, O God, for the work of ministry that you have called us to do. Amen.

Written by Kwasi I. Kena, The Africana Worship Book, Year B (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2007), 136.

Prayer of Confession

(in unison)

Have mercy us on, O God, according to your steadfast love. For we know our sins which are always in front of our eyes. We have not loved you as deeply as our own heartbeat. We have failed to care for your body and for the whole of creation. Forgive us. According to your abundant mercy, blot out our transgressions and cleanse us. Restore to us the joy of your salvation and sustain in us a willing spirit. Free us to know joy and gladness and to live our days in praise.

Written by Valerie Bridgeman Davis, The Africana Worship Book, Year B (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2007), 157.

Benediction

Beloved, listen! God calls us to worship in our gathering and in our scattering. May the Triune God bless you as you go from this place to answer God’s call to worship in everything you do in thought, word, and deed that you may be a blessing of love, hope, and peace to all you meet. Amen.

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