On this most solemn of days we gather for worship.
Jesus, lead us from the darkness of the garden,
to the bare courtyard and its soldiers.
Draw us from Pilate’s palace and its crowds,
through the streets of Jerusalem.
Shepherd us to a lonely hillside
where the lamb of God waits for us.
We would follow you, Jesus, on this,
your day of suffering.
Our call to worship is based on James 5:13-16:
Are any among us suffering? We will pray.
Are any cheerful? We will sing songs of praise.
Are any among us sick? We will call on the name of the Lord.
Have any committed sins? We confess our sins to each other.
We come to worship in the name of God our Creator,
Jesus our Saviour, and the Holy Spirit who sustains us.
Let’s pray together:
Thank you, God, for the invitation to worship
and for this congregation where we have found our home.
With your help, we will both give a blessing,
and receive a blessing today
because we do it all in your name, Amen.
God of our hearts…here we are!
We’ve come with thirsty hearts,
praying that your word will satisfy us.
We come with aching hearts,
praying for good news to comfort us.
We come with overflowing hearts,
praying for a chance to share your love.
You, who know our hearts and hear our prayers,
be with us now in this hour of worship.
Amen.
Thank you God for your song, which we are invited to sing.
Thank you for all the parts you’ve made for the song;
soprano, alto, tenor, bass.
Thank you for the children’s part and the senior’s part,
thank you for the youth part and the part for middle agers,
thank you for the crazy baby descant
that we all love to hear each Sunday morning.
We are singing your song today:
help us to sing true and clear,
listening for your voice in our ears,
hearing you in the voices all around us. Amen.
God of grace, by your tender mercy the dawn from on high breaks upon us. Your son, giving light to all sitting in darkness and
Isaiah 43:19 and
Lord, we have come to worship;
old and young, rich and poor, happy and discontent,
at peace and restless, more or less full of faith, we come.
We come curious about this “new thing” that you can do…
can you find a way through financial difficulties?
can you find a way through loneliness and family tension?
can you find a way through sickness and grief?
can you find a way through every violence?
We need living streams in the wasteland parts of our lives.
In this hour of worship,…
Glorious God, we come together as your people.
We come as a praising people, singing your goodness;
we come as a hungry people, longing to be fed;
we come as a praying people, bringing our needs, our joys;
we come as a journeying people, looking for direction.
In this hour of worship,
empower us for faithful living.
We pray this in the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Summer sun sends its heat
and the earth lays wide.
Flat fields shimmer, tall wheat ripens,
the earth bakes.
All creatures seek shade
as the haze builds and thickens.
This summer day compels repose.
This heat a benediction,
a heavy warm hand
pressing down….
Here we are Lord !
We’ve come today to this worship service for many reasons;
we’ve come because we need to meet you,
we’ve come out of habit, or because someone made us come,
we’ve come because we hope the music will lift our spirits,
we’ve come because we are hungry for your word,
we’ve come because we want to see our friends,
we’ve come because we want to make friends,
we’ve come because you are the friend we need most of all.
Here we are — touch each person with your divine presence:
shape us into the church that you want us to be. Amen.
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.
I love to write and to lead worship! If you are finding my writing helpful, I would love to hear from you! Feel free to use or adapt the material here, it is all written by me. If printing material, please credit “Copyright Carol Penner www.leadinginworship.com” (and say whether you modified it). If publishing, please contact me for permission. Contact me at carol@leadinginworship.com
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