calling

Come! A Call to Worship

And Jesus said, “Come!”

To the light-hearted and the heavy-hearted:  he said, “Come!”

To the well-off and the cast-off:  he said, “Come!”

To the youngsters and the oldsters:  he said, “Come!”

To the faithful and the faithless:  he said, “Come!”

“Come unto me all ye who labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart

and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-29)

Jesus, we long to meet you in this hour of worship,
we hear your call.

Read More »

Benediction: Pitched, Peeled and Poised

Go into your week

with your ears pitched

to the sound of God’s voice calling your name.

Go into your week

with your eyes peeled

for the face of Jesus in unexpected places.

Go into your week

with your soul poised

to receive the Spirit of God,

the Spirit of Peace.

Read More »

Constant Calling Congregational Prayer

Great God:
Thank you for the constant call we hear from you every day.
The wind whispering around our ears,
the birds singing to us from the trees,
rain pinging on the window,
the good earth inviting our steps.
We hear that call again and again,
through kind hands and warm hearts around us.
Open our ears to your call, 
which is as expansive as the world,
and as particular as a poor man walking a dusty road
to a cross on Calvary.
Like him, help us to love, not just in word, but in deed:
love for our neighbours who are hard to love,

Read More »

The God Who Calls

You are the God who calls.
You are hiding in the pauses of the winter wind
whipping around the corners of my house.
You are present in the space between the opening petals
of the first spring crocus.
You are there in the silence behind
the crickets chirping on the hot summer evening.
You are in the autumn aching for what’s been lost
when all is fallen.
You call to us from the other side of Eden,
your voice emanating from deserts, dreams,
whirlwinds and burning bushes.

Read More »

Call the Congregation!

Call the congregation,
assemble the people,
join together in worship to God!
We long to be made holy through the Spirit
who sanctifies us in Jesus’ name.
We dedicate this hour to God,
and to God’s glory. 

Let’s pray:
Here we are God!
We’ve come from our week
filled with many things.
Some are filled with joy and excitement;
others with sorrow and despair.

Read More »

All for You Call to Worship

God of all people:
We pray…it’s to you
We sing…it’s for you
We read scripture…to learn about you
We come together as your church…following your call.
As we gather in your house
we dedicate this time to you,
with all our heart and soul
and mind and strength.
In the name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.

Read More »

Spring Congregational Prayer

Thank you God for the sound of geese high in the morning sky
being pulled northward by the call of spring.
Thank you for the way you are pulling life out of the ground.
You call and all life answers, up from the brown earth,
up through last year’s dead leftovers; new life greening all around us.
Thank you that you call us in the same way, pulling us towards life.
As sure as plants are pulled towards the sun, we yearn for you.
Forgive us for times we have leaned in other ways,
preferring to stay buried, preferring to do nothing,
preferring to lean towards evil thoughts and actions.
Your love calls us, yearns for us,
rejoices every time our thoughts lean towards you,

Read More »

About Carol Penner

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

Recent Posts

Posts By Month
Categories
  • Popular Tags

    Your browser doesn't support the HTML5 CANVAS tag.